Denon DNP-730AE Network Player - Black

Great unit.I was looking for a radio to go with me existing Denon Amp (PMA-720AE) and CD player (DCD-720AE) and Denon list this as being designed to work with them. They clearly were intended to and do work together. There are free apps from Denon to control all three. The Apps aren't perfect, though as with all software, as you get the hang of them, it becomes easier and more predictable. I would have to say, control of this Network unit is generally easier from the connected app.Setting up the Wi-Fi and then the internet radio was quick and easy.Setting up the Music Server was slower and involved some trial and error.I was able to 'push' from Windows Media Player, though it seemed to mess up a lot of other settings. I then tried setting up Media Monkey as a Music Server. This worked perfectly and once set up, I simply open Media Monkey on my PC and then have all my music files available to play directly through this unit.Visitors have been able to send music through the unit from their iPhones with no trouble.I'm genuinely thrilled with this unit and it's capabilities.The only thing I would flag up, if you are after an AV unit and your Hi-Fi and AV are in the same room, the Denon AVR X2300W has all the same capabilities and surround sound. My AV and Hi-Fi are in separate rooms, so this works brilliantly for me.

As a general rule I only write these reviews on rare occasions to serve as a warning to fellow consumers so that they might learn from my failures. Congratulations denon 730ae you made the cut. I persevered with this overpriced paper weight for a gruelling three months. I bought it with the simple hope of being able to stream music from my phone or laptop via AirPlay to my denon hifi. Don't let the product description fool you, the denon 730ae is simply incapable of fulfilling this function with any degree of consistency, certainly not to the extent of other similar units currently on the market. My denon 730ae is located approximately 4 metres from my wireless router, but you'd think it were on Jupiter the amount of difficulty it seems to have forging a stable connection. The longest it lasts is about 3 songs before it drops out. The words chocolate and teapot come to mine. Unfortunately for me the time for a refund has long passed and I'm left only with a deep crushing regret every time I catch a glimpse of denon 730ae from the corner of my eye. Spare yourselves the same indignity.

Very impressed so far with this unit sound quality is more than acceptable.Yet to find out of more apps can be added to actual unit?I am streaming via hard wire do not problems to speak of yet next step is to add a Nasty drive! Definitely advise purchase for price!

I'm not sure if any network player is perfect...a lot of them come with the same software and technology anyway at this price. Three stars because while some aspects are very good, others are either irritating or bad.This is paired with a Marantz PM6005 amp and Q Acoustics Concept 20 speakers on stands - so the set-up is just under £1000. (The cables are just ordinary lengths of wire that need to be upgraded.)So start with the positives...most importantly of course, the sound. For me, with this set-up and the platforms I use for music, it is good. (And very good for the price.) It creates a strong sound stage; deals with complexity and has the most terrific base. If there is a slight off-note, it is the treble that can be a touch shrill on a neutral setting.Set-up? Very simple and is finished in minutes.Usability? Easy - although the remote is over-engineered and rather old-fashioned. However the app (as is the case with a lot of audio gear) is hit and miss. The UX is ordinary and sometimes irritating and it is prone to crashing. Navigation - well in the usual sense - is non-existent. I end up hitting random buttons hoping something will happen. Not a show-stopper though as I don't use it that much. (However it would be great if audio companies employed some UX people. Don't they ever look at Apple and think 'mmm that's good, why can't we do that?'Connectivity? This is the real hit and miss. Where it works - it works well. Airplay for example works perfectly and as I am an Apple user this is great for me. Connecting the unit to wi-fi directly also works well so I can connect to internet radio easily. (Though the interface to select a station is poor.)Connecting with an iPod Classic though the USB? Hopeless. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Even worse is trying to connect an NAS directly. I have yet to get the unit and NAS to handshake and in fact have just given up. Is this is a problem? Just irritating.Most of the time I play via my ALAC iTunes on the laptop, 'Extreme' streaming with Spotify through my iPhone, or use internet radio. To be fair, for my needs and my ears, in the environment where I listen, this delivers more than enough detail and sound quality. In fact it is very pleasing.Software Upgrade? Don't do it. Your unit can freeze. And this is another issue: the software is not the most stable and can crash but this something that all units in this price range can suffer from so not just a Denon issue.Inputs: really could do with more as the number and type are restricting if you want a more complex system than I have.Would I buy it again? Yes if I was buying in this price range but always with the expectation that there is some compromise with usability.