The Japanese company has revealed the new network audio player that according to TechRadar is aimed to mix modern day music use but with Hi-Fi sound quality. Owners of the new unit will be able to stream music from networked connected PCs or NAS drive via a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection. There will also be able to access Last.FM and Napster.

Other supported platforms include MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, FLAC and FLAC 96/24. Denon’s long history with sound quality has been utilized with the units 24 bit/192Khz DACs and ‘simple and straight’ circuit design.

The Denon will have to be hooked up to a stereo amplifier via the phono outputs on the back to hear the quality sound, so you will need a spare set on your amp. Like a lot of audio equipment now the DNP-720AE is AirPlay capable so users can stream their music direct from an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and from the iTunes library on your PC or Mac.

It is also Windows 7 certified for ‘Play To’ on Windows Media Player 12 and higher, and it can use the company’s remote iOS application with an Android version rumored to be on route. On the front is an USB port for content stored on portable storage devices, and you also get an AM/FM tuner built-in.

The Denon unit will be available in black and silver finishes and will be in stores at the end of the month for £430/$500. Will you be interested in the Denon DNP-720AE?

What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision are reporting the line up starts with the entry level AVR-1312, which costs $250/£250. There are five new models altogether with three of them have integrated Apple AirPlay. The AVR-1312 is a 5:1 unit with 110w per channel, and four HDMI inputs and one output. There is also support for HD audio.

All five units have support for 3D pass-through which is now becoming standard with AV receivers. The next step up is the AVR-1612 which has a front USB port for connecting an iPhone or iPod. You have to go up to the AVR-1912 before you start seeing the AirPlay feature which costs around $500/£500.

DLNA is also supported by the receivers which allow streaming of MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC and FLAC HD audio. You can also access over 12000 internet radio stations, as well as subscription based music such as Napster.

Head over to the official Denon website for more information.

I can still remember being sent a pair of Z Buds by Zagg a couple of years ago now to review; I can recall being pretty impressed – even if they were a little uncomfortable. The first thing that you need to do even before you get started is to select a set of the four soft ear pads; I found that the medium black pair worked best for me.

I can still remember having these in my ears for just two minutes and they already started to aggravate my ears – hence why I much prefer the over-ear headphones as mentioned in that previous hands-on review. These Denon AH-C560R headphones have the same finish quality as the Denon Ah-D510R model, but are very different to those Z Buds; those were heavier and the wire was very stiff, which did become a nuisance over time.

Before we even go ahead we thought we would just look at what technology Denon has packed into these headphones to help what they believe is a truly remarkable sound.

Proprietary Sound Technologies Provide Superb Playback: This helps to give the headphones smooth highs as well as dynamic lows, that’s not all the same technology even helps to give the sound more detail and fullness.

Sound Isolation for Immersive Listening: This is ideal if you tend to use these while jogging; they will also block out all the noise that you get from the outside world.

I thought it only fair that I should choose the same music as I did the previous pair of Denon headphones – so back to Mr. Bublé. One thing I would pick up on first, the jack plug is a much better design on this pair, as they are at a 90 degree angle, making it better when the iPhone or other such device is in your pocket.

You will notice right away that you seem much closer to the music, as well as the fact that you no longer need to have the volume set so high. However, this never seems to stop me turning it up just that little bit more. I found that even three-quarters of the way up is just loud enough, but I do still find that the bass levels are never as good on headphones such as these.

Having said that, I was more than impressed, but if you do go for a song that does not have those high base levels, then it will not be long before you need to give your ears a rest. Please do not think that I am putting these headphones down, as they are certainly the best of what I have tried before of this type. However, if I had to make the choice between the two then I would have to go for the Denon Ah-D510R Headphones.

The price for these Denon AH-C560R In-Ear Headphones is around £70 – £90 depending where you buy them from but for this you not only get the hardware but also a handy case to keep them in. For more details visit the official UK Denon website.

Other Features Include:

• Supplied with four sizes of soft ear pads for optimum fit and
• Acoustic Optimizer technology delivers balanced, natural sound
• Comfortable in-ear design helps block out external ambient noise
• 3 button inline remote control and microphone – compatible with select iPhone and iPod models
• Hybrid Metal Housing material improves detail and balance

More Photos Below

Let us take a look at the AH-D510R headphones first. From the moment that you start opening the package you know that you are in for something special. The headphones themselves do not feel heavy, but they are solid thanks to its hard plastic and hybrid metal design. We do know that these are by no means the best or most expensive in Denon’s range; but they will certainly be better than a number of other brands on the market.

Before making a decision about what headphones you want, you need to know what you will be using them for. So if you will be using them for over an hour, then you would most probably want to go for the over-ear type, as they will not ache your ears – that’s my little tip out of the way.

You will know from the moment that you place the AH-D510R Over-Ear Headphones on that you are in for a treat, as they seem to shut-out a certain amount of noise even without the use of noise-cancelation technology. We have since learned that this is because of the way that Denon has designed how the headphones sit on your head, as they leave no gaps. Even before I got started with listening to how they perform I sat with them on my head for a little while, just to see if they would become uncomfortable – they were not.

You can see in the images that I have an Apple iPhone 4, so this will be the device that I will be testing them on – then again they do say that they are made for this device, as well as the iPod Touch and the iPad.

Let us look at just what Denon has done with these headphones to make them so special. The first thing that we would like to mention is their Acoustic Optimizer system; this means that either side of these headphones will have the same amount of pressure. The end result is a perfect balance with sound, which is something that we do not see in some other branded devices like this.

As the AH-D510R headphones only weigh 153 grams you could often forget that they are on, which is something that makes these much better than in-ear versions.

There is always a tough choice to make when deciding what song you wish to try out first- I opted for a bit of Michael Bublé. The song is Cry me a River, as I just love the start of that band. Whenever trying out the sound quality you have to start off low and then get higher, but I can still remember that I took these up almost full – you really need to hear that band playing at the beginning of the song.

I have had many headphones over the years, and almost all of them have struggled when reaching the high levels – not for all songs, only some. It was an obvious choice to go with the Bublé, as he has such a smooth voice, and the AH-D510R headphones really bring that out.

You cannot get a true idea of how good headphones are with just trying out one song, so another choice was needed. The song had to be Boom Boom Pow by The Black Eyed Peas, as this can really test the quality of headphones due to higher bass levels. This is a very comfortable level, and the clarity was very good to say the least. Once the song got to the middle part more beats come in, so that was the time when the volume had to be turned up – ouch – that’s all I could say.

I was amazed that they never distorted once, which must have something to do with ‘Denon’s Acoustic Optimizer system.’ You will not be surprised that these headphones come with an inline remote, but you will be with the fact that they have a microphone for answering calls on your iPhone. To sum up, we would certainly recommend these headphones; yes they are cheap compared to other Denon headphones, but still more expensive than other brands out there – but is certainly worth paying that little extra.

The price for these AH-D510R headphones is £60 – £70, for more details visit the official UK Denon website.

Some of the main features include:

• 3 button inline remote control and microphone – compatible with select iPhone and iPod models
• Acoustic Optimizer technology delivers balanced, natural sound
• Comfortable, soft pads and ergonomically designed headband
• Hybrid Metal Housing (machined Aluminum Alloy and resin material) suppress unwanted vibration to deliver clean sound
• Lightweight, comfortable design for hours of listening without fatigue.
• Over ear design helps mute ambient noises