Denon HEOS Drive Multi-Room Audio System Preview

Over the past few years, multi-room audio has been rapidly moving away from the traditional mess of keypads or volume controls, IR repeaters, “dumb” multi-channel amps, and FM tuners. It has been moving towards streaming sources, IP control, and wireless single-zone amps. For the most part, I think this has been great for consumers, but has left many manufacturers playing catch up to the likes of, well, Sonos. With the launch of the HEOS Drive, however, it’s clear that Denon is no longer playing catchup and is now an innovator in the new reality of multi-room audio.

HEOS Primer

In case you’re not familiar with HEOS, know that it’s a wireless multi-room audio system. Currently, the product lineup consists of seven wireless products: four speakers (HEOS 1 - $199; HEOS 3 - $299; HEOS 5 - $399; HEOS 7 - $599), an amplifier (HEOS AMP - $499),  a pre-amp/source (HEOS LINK - $349), and an extender (HEOS Extend - $99). Forthcoming is a wireless soundbar, the HEOS HomeCinema ($799). Each component works together to create a whole home audio system that’s controlled with a phone, tablet, or computer. Users can explore, browse, and play music from an existing music library, online streaming music services, and Internet radio stations. More information can be found on Denon’s website and by watching this HEOS introductory video.

HEOS Drive Overview

The HEOS Drive retails for $2,499 and is an eight-channel multi-room amplifier (Class-D, 60WPC) with four HEOS zones. In addition to speaker outputs, each zone features a stereo analog input, stereo analog pre-out, USB port, and 12v trigger output. The analog inputs and USB ports, a total of four each, are zone agnostic. This means that it doesn’t matter which analog or USB input you use, as any of them can be shared across the entire HEOS system. The USB ports allow users to take a basic external hard drive or thumb drive and play its contents in any room.

Drive Rear Panel

The analog pre-outs can be configured as  stereo outputs to drive an external amplifier, or the left pre-out can be configured as a subwoofer out. In either situation, both the speaker level and pre-outs for each zone are enabled. This is great for situations where you have more than two speakers in a zone, as you can use the internal HEOS amps for two of the speakers and then hook up as many external amps as you need to drive the rest of the speakers in the zone. The four 12v trigger outputs are also configured per zone and can be used for any number of applications, though powering on external amplifiers or subwoofers are the most likely use cases.

Drive Front Panel

In addition to the above mentioned inputs and outputs, the Drive features two optical and two digital coax inputs. Again, these are zone agnostic and serve to set the Drive apart from other solutions on the market. Most other solutions only have analog inputs. The inclusion of four digital inputs shows that Denon is really trying to make the Drive as flexible as possible, hoping that it become the go-to choice for installers.

Why use the Drive instead of multiple Links or Amps?

Up to this point, you may be wondering why someone would choose the Drive instead of purchasing a few HEOS Amps or Links. The reason is simple, it’s about logistics and flexibility. As a custom installer, I can tell you that it’s not fun to install five, ten, twenty individual components like the Amps or Links. There is a giant mess or power cords, speaker wire, and Ethernet cables that need to be managed. Proper ventilation is a chore, and it’s difficult to even find space to fit all of the components. One thing is certain; they don’t fit well in AV racks. That’s really where the need for the Drive is at.

The Drive fits four zones of audio into a single 2U enclosure and includes rack mount ears. Two Ethernet jacks on the back allow you to take a single Ethernet connection and loop it through each Drive. And, it’s actively cooled to help dissipate heat. These three features make it easy to fit the Drive in a rack, manage cables, and ensure the components stay cool.

Drive Back Panel Close Up

Additionally, because each zone on the Drive integrates much of the functionality of the Link (USB, analog, and digital inputs, 12v trigger, plus analog outputs) and the Amp (speaker level outputs), it’s a potentially more flexible solution than purchasing individual components. If the installation needs change, you might be able to simply adjust the Drive to fit the news needs, as opposed to buying new components.

But wait, just like a true performer, there’s more. The amps are bridgeable, so you don’t have to worry about running out of power. The speaker level and line level outputs have mono summed capabilities, so you can use a single speaker in a zone. And, both the pre-outs and speaker outputs have adjustable high-pass filters, and when set as a subwoofer out, the pre-outs have  adjustable low-pass filters. It’s all of these features that set apart the Drive from the rest of the HEOS lineup and from the competition.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that Sonos has defined this product category for years, but for as long as they have been in business they have also largely ignored the requests of the custom install community. Focusing on consumer level products may have been a fine business decision, but it has left an opening in the market that Denon seems determined to fill. The Drive is a great step towards filling that gap. The competition better take notice because installers and consumer are sure to.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.