( 4 reviews )
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Posted: 06-11-2009
The DHT-FS3 is a great product for "5.1 home theater sound" in those applications where traditional components may not be practical or suitable (or you just don't want to mess around with a lot of components and wiring). I needed my LCD TV, BD/DVD player, sound bar and subwoofer to fit into a single cabinet and could not install speakers or run wiring outside the cabinet. (See my shared customer image.) The cost is equivalent to a discrete component solution consisting of an AV receiver, passive sound bar (like the Polk SurroundBar), and an active sub; however, it has significantly less wiring and greater ease of setup/use. It arrived in 3 days using free Amazon Prime shipping. The Denon packaging is very high quality as is the product fit/finish. Both the main and sub units have a high-gloss piano black finish and matched the gloss-black finish of my Samsung LCD TV. I personally don't fancy gloss black finishes; but, I didn't have a choice and it seems gloss-black is current market trend. The sound is very good - though you won't get the full surround sound effects of a typical discrete component system with speakers in front and behind you. However for a single sound bar it has extremely good surround and low frequency effects when used with Dolby Digital/DTS sources (like DVD and BD discs). The volume can be turned up very loud. You can adjust a number of parameters to customize the surround sound to the size of the room and distance from the sound bar; however, I just ended up using one of the three pre-defined quick setup surround options. The biggest drawback is that it lacks video (HDMI) switching. (This has been noted by other reviewers...Google CNET DHT-FS3.) You need to directly connect your source devices (like a DVD/BD player, set-top box) to the FS3 using S/P DIF (digital) audio cables, and the same source devices to your TV using HDMI (or component video). This is a little bit of a nuisance because you have to go to the TV to select the source (for video) and then to the FS3 to select the source (for audio). Of course you can simplify using the system with a programmable remote like the Logitech Harmony One (which I plan to do). Denon needs to upgrade the FS3 to have HDMI. I would have given it 5 stars if it had HDMI input/switching.
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Posted: 05-15-2009
Denon fs3 soundbar exceeded my expectations. Great bass, and the sounds come out truly natural. This is money well-spent, and is recommended as a must-have for home theatre set-ups especially for anyone with a limited room area. A 5 to 1 audio experience in a compact-sized surround sound. Thanks Amazon. Delivery was fast and secure. Received the item in excellent condition, and came with the accessories as advertised. I will continue doing more business with this outfit. A limitation to this product is the non-HDMI cable connectivity. But nonetheless, it's just a minor inadequacy. (for me!) Also, ipod dock (asd 1r) has to be purchased separately.
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Posted: 05-06-2009
The short: at $799 I'm not so sure. No brainer if you can get it for half that. The long: Surround: 2 Well, more than none, but a lot less than any 5.1 system. It's pretty evident that the sound is coming from the bar under your TV, with the occasional shadow of surround/spread sound. Then again, I'm using it in a large 20'x20' room. I'm sure you'd get fuller sound and better bounce/fill in a smaller space. Sound quality: 4.5 Keeping in mind the configuration of the system (1.1) it sounds pretty dang good. I needed to set the bass to max for the sub to fill out my rather large space, but typical of Denon there's good crispness. Of course, you're missing that lower-mid oomph, but again, keep in mind the low profile and there's your tradeoff. Form factor: 4 Slick cabinet, nice size for flat panel. Easily mountable to wall or even connected to the bottom of the TV if the TV's wall mounted (like mine is, on a swivel mount). Sub is fairly compact and would easily slide behind a sofa or chair. Overall: 4 If I had paid $1200 for this I would have been disappointed (you can get a heck of a component system for $1200 these days). But at $428 with no tax and free shipping I'm pretty pleased. I would definitely recommend for someone with a smaller space who doesn't want to install 5.1 (or 6.1 or 7.1) and who can live with minimal surround.
