Denon CEOL N10 Review

If you could have one thing at your home that’ll take care of everything that has to do with audio playback, then it has to be the CEOL N10 from Denon. Call it a music player, a CD player, a stereo receiver, Hi-Fi system and it’ll fit into the appellative.

Denon is a famous brand in the British audio marketplace. The company offers a complete package of beauty, performance, minimalist design, and value for money.

If you’re looking forward to the Denon CEOL N10, then here’s a thorough review of the music player. Are you in search of quality and reliable Hi-Fi system? Then this guide will be worth reading too!

What is CEOL N10?

CEOL N10 is an all-encompassing mini Hi-Fi system that’s part of the CEOL product range from Denon. The N10 is the fourth generation entry product that comes with a lot of improvements.

Being an all-encompassing system allows you to enjoy music the way you want. If you’ve got Bob Dylan vinyl records, then you can load them up and hear the highest quality of sounds through the speakers.

Or else if you’re a geek who follows nothing but the latest technique, then say “Hey, Siri. Play that Anne-Marie song”. Any other way of playing music you can think of between the two spectra, you’re going to find them in CEOL N10.

But it would be best if you were referring to the Denom CEOL N10 as a mini Hi-Fi system. It competes with other product range systems like the John Lewis Cello, Cambridge Audio One, and Panasonic SC-PMX82.

 

Design and Size

Many people are concerned about the aesthetics of their music system. And they do serve as a work of art rather than an appliance. So let’s start by reviewing the design of CEOL-N10.

The model is marketed as a mini hi-fi system. Hence it’s compact and lightweight that’s designed to fit into any room, any cabinet. The system comes with removable speakers that you can install somewhere else if you like. You can purchase the system without the speakers. That way, it’ll consume even less of space.

The network music system’s dimension is 28 X 30.5 X 10.8 cm, and it weighs 3.4 kilograms. It comes in black and silver variants, both of which can fit into any background.

The overall design of the CEOL-N10 model is very much similar to that of other CEOL model that it succeeds. The difference being it’s a little bit more sophisticated and slightly more prominent.

More About Its Design

You’ll have a hard-coated finishing on the system. To make it look even better, the designers insisted on having a scratch-resistant acrylic plate that sits at the front. The system’s top cover is equipped with back-lit LED controls that is touch-enabled.

So you can touch to control and not have to worry about the buttons. The front part of the device that displays the information is OLED.

The product is pretty user-friendly. The touch control and the OLED display are sufficient to let you control the system. But it ships with a remote control in case that’s your preference. You can control and change music from afar.

The connectors in the CEOL-N10 allows you too connect the hi-fi system to your TV and have it work. Or else, you can add a turntable too.

Finally, you have these USB ports at the front that allows you to plug in any USB drive. This allows you the flexibility to enjoy music your way.

The CEOL-N10 will, more or less, look like a TV set-top box, just more significant in size and sleeker.

CEOL-N10 Features

When the product costs around £450, you must be wondering what you’ll be getting in that price range. Well, the CEOL-N10 arrives with many useful features which makes it worth the money.

You’ll find them helpful in listening to music every day. In this section, we list the features you should be looking forward to.

 

HEOS Whole-home Solutions

HEOS is the signature offering of Denon that sets the company apart. You’re going to find the same world-class audio solution in the CEOL-N10 too. It is a wireless multi-Room sound system. So you can install the system and speakers at your preferred place and have them work.

Every room, thus, will have its HEOS sound capability. You’ll find the same sound quality that the HEOS technology has to offer to every room you walk in. And the control is even better with the HEOS app that lets you control from your smartphone. Connect the systems to a central wireless network and have them work seamlessly.

Superior hi-fi Sound Design

The network system is designed to offer the highest sound quality level, even better than wireless speakers. The two-way speaker configuration means you’ll have accuracy and clarity to every beat and rhythm.

The sum of the parts will enable you to hear every instrument clearly without much distortion. The technical reasons for this superiority are myriad. Stereo separation, stereo imaging, class D audio amplification are some of the reasons.

Every box of the CEOL-N10 is crafted for a specific rather, rather than handle everything. Thus, when they work together, they offer a better output than a single speaker handling everything.

There are also preamplifiers and power amplifiers that work behind the scene to produce superior audio. So when you’re purchasing Denon CEOL-N10, be rest assured that you’ll be listening to the highest quality of music.

Built-in CD Player

The CEOL-N10 will take you back to the retro days with its in-built CD-player. So if you’ve got CDs from your childhood days, you can relive the experience in this music system. To control the playback, you have intuitive buttons like play/pause, stop, rewind, fast forward. But you can always handle it via the app.

Music Streaming

Hi-fi systems may seem old-fashioned to some. But the music playback features that comes with CEOL-N10 certainly aren’t. It has an in-built receiver that allows it to fetch music from any music streaming service. So if you’re a Spotify premium subscriber, you can connect to the CEOL-N10 and stream music effortlessly.

Spotify, you also name any music service provider, and you can connect it to this system. Since the receiver supports all music formats, you needn’t worry about the formats too.

Intuitive Touch Panel and Display

The Denon CEOL-N10 has a touch panel in place that allows you to control the system just like a smartphone. It is placed at the top and comes with button overlays or stickers that offer immediate response to even soft touches.

The double-layer scratch resistant surface ensures you do not scratch the system in the process.

To provide the information about the song and settings, you have a display panel at the front part. It is a retro-themed black-and-white screen that displays the song metadata among other information.

Compatible with Alexa and Google Home

You can connect the Denon CEOL-N10 to your preferred voice assistant and control it from a smart speaker. Order it to play the next song, increase the volume, or shut down altogether with voice commands.

So besides the touch and smartphone control, you’ve also got the voice control. That’s a major plus for all buyers!

AM/FM Tuner

The system also has a receiver that is capable of receiving signals from your local radio stations. So you can always tune in to your favourite radio talk show and listen through the CEOL-N10 speakers.

 

Sound Quality and Performance

Since you’ll be buying a music system, the sound quality might be the most crucial factor for you. You already know that it’s a hi-fi music system. In this section, we’ll be expanding on the sound quality of Denon CEOL-N10 and let you know what’s the performance like.

There’s a punchy 60-watt amp that ensures the best volume and audio to offer the best sound quality possible. You’ll hear the background music crisp clear. The mids and the highs are equally excellent and clear for most ears. The stereos were accurate, just like they should be.

The CEOL-N10 comes with its own set of speakers. But you have the option of purchasing with them.

As per our recommendation, it’s best to go with the speakers since they’re designed to complement the RCD-N10 stereo amplifier.

Another standout feature you will like is the ease of use. It might have a myriad of features, but its simplicity is what gives it an edge. It’s effortless to set up and control. The unboxing takes a minute, and you’ll be filling up your home with your favourite music.

 

Connectivity

Wondering what the connectivity like in CEOL-N10 is? It’s seamless and fast as it should be. The CEOL range is popular among music lovers for compact design and high fidelity sound and efficient and reliable connection.

You can attribute that to its Bluetooth capability. Enable the Bluetooth and pair it with any Bluetooth pairing device. Thus, you can connect it to most devices, even with the ones that don’t have Wi-Fi. It is also AirPlay-enabled that will appeal to most Apple users.

As already mentioned, CEOL-N10 integrates perfectly with any streaming service provider. Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube – you name it. You can connect through the streaming app directly and have your favourite playlist blast off through the speakers.

But it’s the HEOS app that’ll impress you the most. You can connect up to 32 units at once and control them individually. But the units should be HEOS enabled. Through the app, you can access your local radio stations and stream music.

Denon CEOL-N10 vs Panasonic SC-PMX82

The closest competitor to the Denon CEOL-N10 is the SC-PMX82 hi-fi system from Panasonic. Both are marketed in the mini hi-fi category. Because of many similarities, they often leave the consumers confused.

Both CEOL-N10 and SC-PMX82 have 60W speakers that produce roughly the same sound quality and volume. CD player, AM/FM radio, USB socket all stay the same.

But that’s where the similarity ends, and the CEOL-N10 outcompetes the Panasonic hi-fi system in most areas. The SC-PMX82 has a remote control, neither an app like HEOS. Music streaming is not as seamless as the CEOL-N10. And finally, you won’t be able to order Alexa to play music through the SC-PMX82.

So in many ways, Denon CEOL-N10 seems to a winner for this category.

 

To Sum up

Denon CEOL-N10 gives you the best of both worlds. A retro playing style with CDs if you like and an advanced streaming option. It is perfect for multi-room audio set up and will adjust to any speakers you may already have.

Considering all the benefits, we say that this product is a dealbreaker. You don’t need to think twice before opting for a product like this. All in all, it’s an excellent investment to make if some high fidelity sound is all that you’re after.