Denon Ceol Piccolo Mini Networking Receiver Preview

[admin]

The Denon Ceol Piccolo is a small wireless network music player with two speaker outputs. When I say small, I mean small. It measures 3.55" H x 7.09†W x 9.22†D. This means that could fit almost anywhere, giving the system the ability to be placed on a kitchen counter, in the living room, or on a computer desk. It has a number of inputs and network features that allow it to do double duty as a stand alone music system or as an alternative to a soundbar for TV sound. A built-in 65wpc amplifier will allow it to power most speakers on the market and built-in WiFi makes it easy to connect to your network. I foresee this system being a great option for TV viewing as well as music in any room in the home.

Discuss "Denon Ceol Piccolo Mini Networking Receiver Preview" here. Read the article.

 

[slipperybidness]

I'm not currently in the market for something like this, but it is certainly appealing. I see that there could be a large market for it.

 

[j_garcia]

Price still seems a bit steep despite the massive number of features. Any chance that sub pre-out will have a crossover or is it just like most other stereo receivers just giving you the output and you dial in manually on the sub? I am glad the speakers are not included.

I am probably not buying at that price, but I am DEFINITELY interested in this thing. I've been looking for something to replace my shelf system in the bedroom.

 

[slipperybidness]

You know as well as me, there is MSRP, then there is street price. Nothing stays at MSRP permanently.

 

[j_garcia]

Amazon lists it as the same price currently. It will eventually go down...and then I will buy one

 

[bikemig]

I really like the idea or concept of this unit as I did its predecessor (the Denon RCD N-7, which has a CD player as well) but I have two reservations.

First, there is no way I'd buy the unit until I saw a few reviews that really took this thing through its paces when it came to networking. There are so many crummy networking devices out there and I don't intend on paying good money to be a product tester for Denon (or anyone else). Maybe the internet functions work great on this but I want someone else to figure that out for me.

Second, I'm a bit skeptical about the price. It runs $500. For that price, you could buy a squeezebox touch and a pretty decent stereo receiver. Granted this requires two boxes and the stereo receiver will be larger than the piccolo but you may end up with a more robust amplifier. I'd want to see some hard info about specs on the piccolo before buying one.

It does look cool, though, and I may get one one day . . . .

 

[j_garcia]

I really like the idea or concept of this unit as I did its predecessor (the Denon RCD N-7, which has a CD player as well) but I have two reservations.

First, there is no way I'd buy the unit until I saw a few reviews that really took this thing through its paces when it came to networking. There are so many crummy networking devices out there and I don't intend on paying good money to be a product tester for Denon (or anyone else). Maybe the internet functions work great on this but I want someone else to figure that out for me.

Second, I'm a bit skeptical about the price. It runs $500. For that price, you could buy a squeezebox touch and a pretty decent stereo receiver. Granted this requires two boxes and the stereo receiver will be larger than the piccolo but you may end up with a more robust amplifier. I'd want to see some hard info about specs on the piccolo before buying one.

It does look cool, though, and I may get one one day . . . .

I would presume the networking functionality is pulled from the regular lineup, so if it is good on those, it should be at least OK on this one. When you buy something this size, robust amp is not usually a factor. The unit I have now is more like the RCD N-7 and delivers 30W and it has served me well for over 15yrs but it is due for an update. Network capability is one of the main things for me, but 65W wouldn't hurt either, and even if that is optimistic, it would still be plenty for the typical bedroom. My issue is still the price right now, since I could definitely put together another system for that price, just not that small.

 

[slipperybidness]

I would presume the networking functionality is pulled from the regular lineup, so if it is good on those, it should be at least OK on this one. When you buy something this size, robust amp is not usually a factor. The unit I have now is more like the RCD N-7 and delivers 30W and it has served me well for over 15yrs but it is due for an update. Network capability is one of the main things for me, but 65W wouldn't hurt either, and even if that is optimistic, it would still be plenty for the typical bedroom. My issue is still the price right now, since I could definitely put together another system for that price, just not that small.

A quick glance through the Denon product page and I didn't see for sure.....

But, at that size and power rating, I'm guessing it is class D topology.

 

[j_garcia]

Odd that it doesn't say amp type, but I guess I never looked for that before. Shows 65W @ 8Ohms, 80W @ 4 Ohms in the manual. I hadn't thought about that, but it does seem like it might be class D.

 

[slipperybidness]

Odd that it doesn't say amp type, but I guess I never looked for that before. Shows 65W @ 8Ohms, 80W @ 4 Ohms in the manual. I hadn't thought about that, but it does seem like it might be class D.

Class D isn't necessarily bad in itself (despite its bad wrap), but I know that might turn some people away, but yeah, odd that it doesn't say outright.

 

[honeymonster]

I have a pair of B&W 686 bookshelf speakers in my bedroom and ideally want to play my TV sound through them, and also radio/ music files on my computer. Would the Denon CEOL Piccolo be man enough for the job, in your opinion? Room is 18' x 14'. Thanks.

 

[jcl]

Odd that it doesn't say amp type, but I guess I never looked for that before. Shows 65W @ 8Ohms, 80W @ 4 Ohms in the manual. I hadn't thought about that, but it does seem like it might be class D.

The spec sheet here lists 65 w/ch into 4 ohms, 1khz, with .7% thd - http://usa.denon.com/DocumentMaster/US/de_n5_e3_master_bg001.pdf

Still not bad. I was afraid they might be doing what parts express does with the amp boards touting specs that end up being at 10% thd.