Denon HEOS multi-room wireless speaker system revealed with Spotify, Deezer support

Denon has officially introduced HEOS, a multi-room speaker system that can stream music throughout the home – whether it’s stored locally on a smartphone, or played from the web using big-name streaming services. The HEOS range will launch with three models, the HEOS 3, HEOS 5 and HEOS 7, which are all intended to challenge established multi-room speaker systems from the likes of Sonos.

The flagship HEOS 7 is the largest model in the range, with five class D amplifiers powering two tweeters, two mid-range drivers, a subwoofer and twin bass radiators, while the mid-range HEOS 5 has four class D amplifiers, two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a passive bass radiator.

The entry-level HEOS 3 can be set up in a stereo pair, and can stand either horizontally or vertically. Each speaker can also be wall-mounted. All three speakers will use the MaxxAudio DSP by Waves to tweak the speaker drivers for the best possible sound quality. Each speaker also has USB and auxiliary inputs for older, non-connected devices.

All three HEOS models use your existing Wi-Fi network to connect each speaker in a system, rather than setting up a dedicated wireless mesh network. We’ve previously seen Wi-Fi multi-room systems from Pure, which suffer from drop-outs and connection issues when the Wi-Fi signal isn’t strong enough to cover an entire house, but Denon has this covered; the optional HEOS Extender wireless bridge will extend your Wi-Fi signal to ensure every speaker is able to talk to the rest of the system.

The HEOS range is controlled by iOS and Android apps, with Windows Phone support planned for the future, and includes support for most of the major streaming services including Spotify, Deezer, TuneIn Radio, Napster and Pandora. Denon has also promised to add iTunes, SiriusXM, iHeart Radeio, Rhapsody and Beats Music to that list in the future. Given Denon’s history with high-end home cinema, it’s reassuring to see support for Control4 and Creston home automation as well.

Denon clearly has high hopes for the HEOS range, as it has already revealed it is working on a more entry-level HEOS 1 speaker which should compete directly with the Sonos Play:1. There will also be pre-amp and amplifier breakout boxes for adding multi-room support to existing stereo or home cinema equipment. The company is also launching a “90 days to be amazed” campaign, which will give customers a 20% discount on a second HEOS speaker if bought within 90 days of their first.

The Heos range should launch in the US later this month, then around the world in August, although prices and exact release dates have yet to be confirmed. We’ll be experiencing the HEOS range first-hand later today, so if you’re considering upgrading your home audio to multi-room make sure to check back this afternoon for our hands-on impressions.