Wireless multi-room audio has finally moved past the gimmick stage and is now a legit way to fill your home with music without messy cables. You’ve got your usual suspects—Sonos, Yamaha MusicCast, DTS Play-Fi, Amazon Alexa and Bluesound—not to mention Apple with their own wireless speaker ecosystem and upstarts like WiiM who also provide multi-room wireless capabilities. Meanwhile, HEOS can be found on all connected Denon and Marantz premium audio products like receivers, speakers and processors, and has been quietly gaining momentum.
Launched back in 2014, HEOS has been through a couple of major overhauls—in 2016, again in 2021 with version 2.0, and most recently a significant update in 2023 with version 3.0. As of 2022, there were over 4 million HEOS-capable devices installed globally, and that number has continued to grow. While it doesn’t quite match the 15 million+ Sonos households, nor Apple’s 15 million+ Home Pod speaker sales, it’s still a significant number of devices in customers’ homes.
Like the others, HEOS runs over your home network (ethernet or WiFi) but also supports Bluetooth, letting you stream to up to 64 devices across 32 zones, or group up to 16 devices to play in sync. Now that Sound United—which owns Denon and Marantz—has been scooped up by Harman, expect HEOS to get a lot more spotlight. It’s about time, too, because HEOS has grown into a robust whole home wireless music system, capable of giving industry leader Sonos a run for their money.
The HEOS App
HEOS is operated by the HEOS app (iOS, Android). This allows users to access songs and playlists from their favorite music streaming services or local digital files, and play these back easily, in high quality on one or more HEOS-enabled devices in their home.
Pro Tip: While HEOS offers apps for iOS and Android, don’t expect a desktop version for Windows or Mac anytime soon. If you’re hoping to control your system from a laptop or desktop, you’re out of luck—for now—unless you use a Chromebook or install an Android emulator like BlueStacks or Android Studio Emulator. However, with support for SMB 3.0 network sharing, HEOS users can access music files on NAS (Network Attached Storage) drives or even from a laptop or PC.
HEOS is designed mainly for integration with music streaming services. HEOS currently supports most of the popular streaming platforms, including Amazon Music, Deezer, iHeart Radio, Pandora, SiriusXM, SoundCloud, Spotify, TIDAL, TuneIn Radio, and Qobuz. HEOS even supports the more advanced “Connect” capabilities of select streaming services: Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect and Qobuz Connect (added May 15, 2025). While Apple Music is not directly supported, all Denon and Marantz devices powered by HEOS can access Apple Music wirelessly via Apple AirPlay 2.
In addition to music streaming services, you can use HEOS to access and distribute music from locally stored content on media servers, NAS drives or PCs. Digital music file formats supported by HEOS include MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, DSD, FLAC, WAV, and WMA.
Stream Audio from Physical Sources: HEOS can also be used to stream audio from physically connected sources (CD player, turntable, or audio cassette deck) that may be connected to a HEOS-enabled Denon or Marantz AVR or streaming amplifier to any HEOS wireless speakers or systems around the home. You can even distribute sound from your TV or video streaming stick all over your home if these devices are connected to a HEOS-enabled receiver, preamp or amplifier.
Pro Tip: You can also hook up a physical analog source using the mini auxiliary jack or USB on compatible HEOS devices.
What Makes HEOS Easy to Use? Key Features That Keep It Simple and Smart
Home Screen
The HEOS home screen acts as your personalized music command center. You’ll find quick access to recently played tracks, your favorites, and content from your go-to streaming services. You can also build and manage custom playlists—mixing and matching songs across platforms—so you can set the mood without bouncing between apps.
User Interface
HEOS keeps things clean and intuitive. The app’s layout is user-friendly and easy on the eyes, with a persistent “Now Playing” bar at the bottom that follows you through the app. No matter where you are, you can see what’s playing and control it with minimal fuss.
Universal Music Search
No more app-hopping to find a track. HEOS offers a unified search feature that pulls results from all connected streaming services and libraries. Whether it’s Spotify, TIDAL, Qobuz or your own stash of digital music files, it’s all searchable in one place.
Additional Operational Features
HEOS brings a few more quality-of-life features to the table: secure login support, seamless playback without dropouts, improved in-app control logic, tighter audio sync across devices, and even in-app messaging for updates and alerts. It’s not just about getting music to play—it’s about making the whole experience smoother and more seamless.
Creating a HEOS Account:
In order to use the HEOS app, users first need to create an account, which is free. Here are the steps.
- Open the HEOS app on your mobile device.
- Go to “Settings” and tap the icon in the top right corner of the app.
- Select the user icon (usually a profile picture or avatar).
- Select “Create Account.”
- Enter your email address and create a password for the new HEOS account. Tip: You may need to confirm your password.
- Follow any additional instructions to complete the registration process.
Once a user account setup is complete, it is time to enjoy some music.
How the HEOS App Works
After downloading the HEOS App on your compatible iOS or Android device and establishing an account, here are the steps to get you going.
Adding Devices: The app guides users through adding HEOS-enabled speakers, receivers, or soundbars to their network.
Network Setup: A working Wi-Fi or Ethernet network is required for the HEOS system to function properly.
HEOS Stereo: HEOS can stream music to a single, pair, or group of HEOS wireless speakers. Listeners have the option to experience stereo music listening by streaming to a pair of compatible HEOS wireless speakers or to any AVR or amp powered by HEOS.
HEOS and Surround Sound: Using HEOS to connect wireless surround speakers in a home theater setup is currently only available with the Denon Home Sound Bar 550.
Pro Tip: The two speakers you plan to use as a stereo pair must be the same brand and model, such as the two Denon Home 150 speakers ($199 each at Amazon) we used in some of our testing.
HEOS & Qobuz Connect
We were excited to see Qobuz launch its “Qobuz Connect” feature earlier this year. With it, you can use your phone or PC to access your songs and playlists in the Qobuz app, and play these back directly through your receiver or speakers in lossless or even high resolution audio format, without any additional devices getting in the way. HEOS was one of the Qobuz Connect launch partners so millions of HEOS devices gained full Qobuz Connect functionality right on day 1.
To get started with Qobuz Connect on HEOS, you first need a Qobuz subscription. The next step is to update your Denon or Marantz device powered by HEOS to the latest firmware and ensure your Qobuz app is also up to date. Open the Qobuz app, select some music, tap the Connect icon (looks like a speaker with a wire coming out), select your Denon or Marantz device from the list, and you are set to go.
How to Use Spotify with HEOS
Setting Up Spotify in the HEOS App
To get started with Spotify inside the HEOS app, head to the Home screen and tap on Spotify under Music Services. If you don’t see Spotify listed, hit Edit > Add More Music > Spotify. If you haven’t already installed the Spotify app on your mobile device, you’ll be prompted to do so—HEOS doesn’t handle Spotify natively without it.
Playing Spotify on a HEOS Device
Once the Spotify app is installed, open it and tap the small speaker icon in the bottom-left corner. This brings up Spotify’s Connect menu. From here, just select the HEOS speaker or device you want to use. Once selected, the app will jump back to the playback screen and your music will start playing through your chosen HEOS-enabled gear. It’s simple, but you’ve got to go through Spotify—not the HEOS app—for full control.
How to Use Alexa with HEOS
Using Alexa with HEOS is dependent on whether the device has a built-in mic. Devices like Denon Home wireless speakers and Denon Home Sound Bar 550 are labeled “Alexa Built-in”, which means they have their own microphones. For all other devices powered by HEOS, an Echo Dot or similar mic-enabled Alexa-device is required.
Enabling HEOS in the Alexa App
To get started, open the Alexa app, head to Skills & Games, and search for HEOS Home Entertainment. Enable the skill, and Alexa will be able to talk to your HEOS gear.
Discovering Devices
Once the skill is active, you can discover your HEOS-enabled devices in one of two ways:
- Manually, by going to Devices > Add Device in the Smart Home section of the Alexa app
- Or just say, “Alexa, discover my devices”, and let her do the scanning for you
Using Alexa with HEOS
After setup, your HEOS devices—like Denon Home wireless speakers—can respond to all the usual Alexa commands. That means you can ask them to play music, give you the time, check the weather, or handle any other compatible Alexa task. It’s hands-free control with HEOS baked right in.
How to Control Zones with HEOS
Grouping and Ungrouping Zones
Open the HEOS app and head to the Rooms tab. To group zones, just drag one room onto another that’s already playing music. They’ll sync up and play the same thing. To ungroup, drag a room out of the group and it’ll go back to doing its own thing.
Adjusting Volume
Tap on the currently playing track and select Sound Options. You can tweak the volume for each zone individually or use the Master Volume slider to raise or lower the volume for the entire group in one move.
Selecting Music Sources
Go to the Music tab in the HEOS app. Pick a streaming service (like TIDAL, TuneIn, Amazon Music) or a physical input source, and then select which HEOS device or zone you want it to play through.
Controlling Individual Zones
Want different music in different rooms? No problem. You can assign a unique music source to each zone and control their volumes independently—even if they’re grouped.
Using HEOS with Denon and Marantz AVRs
HEOS isn’t just for standalone speakers. If you’ve got a Denon or Marantz AVR, you can use the HEOS app to play music through your receiver and speakers. You can even send your music to a second or third zone (room), depending on the model.. You can also use the HEOS app to switch inputs, adjust volume, and even change sound modes—straight from your phone.
Listening to Hi-Res Music Using HEOS
Confirm Hi-Res Music Service
First things first—make sure you’re using a hi-res-capable streaming service and plan like Qobuz, Amazon Music Unlimited or TIDAL. These platforms offer audio quality well beyond the usual compressed fare.
Connect and Stream
Once your HEOS-enabled gear is connected to your home network, just fire up the app, pick your hi-res track or album, and hit play. HEOS takes care of the rest—streaming your high-resolution music straight to your system with no fuss. Hi-res audio format support includes WAV, ALAC, and FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz.
Pro Tip: Inside the HEOS app, there are playback options for “MAX” or “HIGH”. These quality settings are for the distribution of music BETWEEN devices powered by HEOS. It does not affect the streaming quality received from a streaming service, but the quality in which the devices powered by HEOS distribute between each other.
Using Roon with HEOS
Roon Ready Compatibility
Most HEOS devices are officially Roon Ready, which means Roon can automatically discover and stream to HEOS-enabled gear—no configuration headaches, no IP voodoo. Just launch Roon, and your Denon or Marantz AVR, wireless speaker, or streaming amp will show up as an available zone.
Bit-Perfect Streaming
When you stream music from Roon to a HEOS device, you’re getting bit-perfect audio—no unwanted compression, no quality loss. That means your hi-res FLAC or DSD files are delivered just as intended.
Simple, Reliable, Flexible
The Roon + HEOS combo offers serious networked audio power. It’s flexible, stable, and incredibly easy to set up. Whether you’re running a full-stack Roon Core or just using your laptop, HEOS devices integrate seamlessly into a Roon-powered system.
HEOS & Bluetooth
While Bluetooth isn’t the best choice for sound quality, it is certainly a convenient way to play music from a phone or tablet on another device. To use HEOS with Bluetooth, here is what you need to do.
- Make sure the Bluetooth setting on your mobile device is turned on.
- Press and hold the Bluetooth button on the HEOS wireless speaker or a compatible Denon or Marantz device (refer to the product user guide).
- Select “HEOS speaker“ from the list of available Bluetooth devices on your mobile device.
- Once Pairing is complete, you can start playing music or other audio using any app on your device.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re considering your first multi-room audio system or starting with components you already have, HEOS enabled products lets you control all your music listening preferences from a single app, without limiting yourself to a single brand ecosystem.
HEOS delivers a robust and feature-rich multi-room, multi-source streaming platform baked into a range of products from Denon and Marantz, along with a high-end audiophile preamp from Classé. It supports everything from hi-res audio and physically connected sources to voice control via Alexa—and it does all this with reliable performance and impressive flexibility.
Just look for the HEOS logo and you’ll be guaranteed it all works together.
