Denon HEOS 5chat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Sound quality earns real praise, but only inside Denon's own ecosystem. A couple of commenters single out the HEOS 5 for good sound, with one calling it an 'amazing speaker' despite hating its app, and another long-time Denon HEOS/receiver owner describing the quality as 'extremely good' and convenient. However, the same commenter who called it amazing spent his review criticizing everything around the speaker, and price complaints ($600 for a wired unit) suggest that sound alone doesn't feel like enough value to some buyers given what surrounds it.

No direct Bluetooth means everything has to run through the HEOS app. Multiple commenters are frustrated that the HEOS 5 can't be used as a normal Bluetooth speaker, forcing all playback through the app even when they just want to stream from a phone or laptop. One owner explicitly says he can't find a way to connect his laptop's audio to the speaker, another calls the app-only requirement 'Bullchitzzz,' and a third says needing internet just to play music from a connected phone or receiver is 'dumb.'

Connectivity dropouts and a buggy app are the most common complaints. Across several comments, owners describe speakers refusing to reconnect, stuck flashing red or blue lights, failed factory resets, 'no device found' errors, and speakers disappearing from the app entirely. Others report the app failing to recognize paired hardware like a Marantz SACD player, Wi-Fi failing once multiple HEOS speakers are on the network, and general unreliability that sometimes requires paid help to fix, leaving more than one person wishing they'd bought Sonos instead.