Denon S-52 Shelf System

I found the Denon S-52 easy and straight forward to set-up and use.

The sound is 1st class, in a class on its own - TOP OF THE CLASS.

The unit is packed with many great and helpful functions.

Interesting that John Lewis no longer sell this unit.

However............. Please be aware of three considerations when buying a Denon S-52.

Consideration 1
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The Denon S-52 does not support Real Media streaming format (RAM)

This means most of the UK BBC Internet radio broadcasts cannot be received on this unit as they only use Real Media streaming format (RAM).

This is documented in the General Help section on the Denon Radio WEB page as follows:

Why are some stations (such as the BBC) not available?
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Certain stations, like the BBC, broadcast in a format that the DENON Products do not support. The DENON Products play MP3 stations only, of which there are many available. However, it does not play stations that are in RealMedia or Windows Media format. AVP-A1HD,AVR-5308,AVC-A1HD,AVR-4308,AVR-3808,AVC-3808,S-302,S-52,S-32,ASD-3W and ASD-3N support Windows Media format.

Examples of BBC stations that cannot be received on the Denon S-52 Internet Radio function.

BBC London
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Bristol
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cumbria
BBC Radio Derby
BBC Radio Devon
BBC Essex
BBC Radio Gloucestershire
BBC Hereford/Worcester
BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Jersey
BBC Radio Kent
BBC Radio Lancashire
BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Lincolnshire
BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Merseyside
BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Radio Norfolk
BBC Radio Northampton
BBC Radio Nottingham
BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Somerset Sound
BBC Radio York
BBC WM
BBC WM Coventry/Warks

Consideration 2
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Do not loose/damage the remote or wifi,FM,DAB or AM aerial - very expensive to replace from Denon.

Consideration 3
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This applies when buying a second-hand Denon S-52.

Make sure your Denon S-52 purchase comes with the Userid/e-Mail and password that was that was allocated on the Denon Radio Web page to access Internet Radio.

Let me explain why......

The Denon S-52 Internet Radio function makes use of the Denon Radio Web page to access Radio stations. This access is achieved by the unique mac address of your Denon S-52. Details of this can be found in the Owner's Manual on page 15.

When you first go onto the Denon Radio Web page to set up your Internet Radio on your Denon S-52, you will be asked to supply the unique mac address of your Denon S-52. A userid/e-Mail and password will then be created based on this unique mac address of your Denon S-52 unit.

This Userid/eMail allows to you manage, maintain and update your Internet Radio preferences for your Denon S-52. This also enhances your listening experience and helps make navigation easier through tens of thousands of Radio Stations on the Internet.

Examples of key functions you will not be able to do without this Userid/e-Mail:

1) no access to new Internet Radio stations you identify
2) no access to new Podcasts you identify
3) no use of the Add Station function
4) no use of the Favourite function.

Having this Userid/e-Mail and password will make your listening experience so much better

Great product and as of September 2008 it is the only device of its kind to integrate an ipod dock/dab/internet radio and Cd function in one. It has other features too and produces some lovely sound for a small footprint.
Setting the alarm to wake up in the morning to a DAB station is not possible under the current firmware...or it is not obvious to me anyhow!
I bought mine on ebay and saved some money on the heavy price of a new unit and now I can charge my iPhone next to me while I sleep!!