Denon D-M37 - Micro system - radio / CD / MP3 / USB audio player - black Review
Let me tell you, finding a good unit to play your favorite records is not easy. I started my search with a trip to BestBuy. Pretty disappointing considering the fact that they don't carry any moderately or high priced units anymore. I had to choose between Insignia (plays dvd) and Sony CMTBX-20i micro systems. 20 min of tests gave me enough to make up my mind, and I left the store with the Sony. The sound is quite pleasant however I was not getting as much as from previously owned 0 Aiwa. The suitable candidaes for an upgrade were Onkyo 325, Denon m37 and Yamaha MCR-730. I had a chance to test all of them except Yamaha. So here is some thoughts from listening same records with CMTBX-20i, Denon M37 and Onkyo. In my opinion, all of the included speakers are poor compared to what the systems are capable of, so the tests where run using a pair of Sony SS-B1000 speakers.
Sony - nice pleasant sound, a bit noisy on the high freq end, a slight touch of bass, very pleasant, relaxing sound. Some mid range is missing, and there is very slight distortion in sound, not enough though to turn your back o this unit. I'd probably choose Sony over Denon when Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is on for the musicality even if clarity is not there.
Onkyo CS-325 - sound is great in the high range, but the absence of low freqs and mid freqs was very disappointing. The high range though is very good, Some songs from Metallica reminded of those days when I has high end receiver. Classical music is smooth but absolutely non-realistic due to lack of mids and lows. The available adjustment for bass can not correct the problem, treble could be adjusted slightly, however +2 and +3 adds also noise, so this settings would not be practical. After listening to it for 4 hrs I packed it. Onkyo goes back to the store.
Denon M37 - sound is exceptionally pure. However, mid range is overwhelming. You can't hear as much polishing with high tsk sound and low booms as from Sony. As a consequence, jazz, disco, heavy metal sounds similar - unlike you expectation that different parts of sound spectra would be accentuated. The highs sound a bit metallic. I have a feeling that the designers simply decided to eliminate "difficult" parts of spectra where they could not meet specs. All the sound which is present is very very clear. Crank up the volume, and the quality of sound does not change a bit! FM Radio, AUX1 line from iPod and CDs play very nice, no noticeable noise. No equalizer is available, otherwise I'd just try to subdue the overpowering mid range, and would give the system 5 star rating. Tremble and bass adjustment does little and also affects the low and high sides of the mids, so not very helpful. Plenty of power, from what others mention, you can crank volume to 45 units. and I never turned it to more than 15. And this is with 8Ohm external speakers, which are not as loud as native 6Ohm speakers. It will certainly fill your room with good sound. I also enjoy the remote. You can point it any direction and it does the job. There is a numeric pad, so you can choose the track you like, or FM station (you don't have this in Sony stereo, where the presets are selected only with 'next' or 'prev' button). One of the reviewers noticed the mechanical noise from Denon when the CD is playing. I can assure you that absolutely same amount comes from the Onkyo system. I didn't noticed any troubling high pitch sound from Denon when SDB boost is on. Overall very consistent unit for what it is.
Build quality was was not a key factor in my evaluation, however I would rate 5+ the Denon, 4 Onkyo and 4-4- for Sony. Denon's brushed aluminum front panel looks truly attractive, Onkyo looked a bit toyish with the blue light on the volume control and somewhat too bright display (though I am sure some will like it!), the biggest disadvantage of Sony is the button (+ -) control of the volume.
For now, I decided to keep Sony for casual listening at late evenings and integrated iPod dock, and Denon for clear undestorted sound and good looks. I hope some day I will be able to replace them both with s single great sounding unit (Yamaha MCR-730 ???). If this happens, I'll let you know!
P.S. My brother visited me recently and was quite impressed by my M37 system. At home he listens to audio system which is worth more than K, so the compliment probably means something. I also tested USB port, the sound is way better compared to Ipod dock connection (I use Kensington docking station). After almost 1 month of tests, I say buy this stereo, it's very well worth the money!
Denon D-M37 - Micro system - radio / CD / MP3 / USB audio player - black Feature
- Front-loading single-CD player
- Plays CDs, audio CD-Rs and CD-RWs, MP3 & WMA CDs
- AM/FM stereo tuner with 40 presets
- 30 Watts x 2
- Two sets of analog stereo inputs
Denon D-M37 - Micro system - radio / CD / MP3 / USB audio player - black Overview
Combining legendary Denon design concepts along with European-engineered acoustical tuning, the D-M37 personal music system is the ideal choice for a compact music center that delivers a superb musical experience. The built-in CD player features precision Burr-Brown audiophile D/A converters, and features CD-R and CD-RW disc playback compatibility, along with MP3 and WMA playback capability. The D-M37 is fully prepared for portable audio players, and features a front panel USB connection port for MP3 players or USB drives. The powerful amplifier section features Denon's simple and straight circuit design philosophy, and includes a mono output for connection to an external subwoofer. The matching compact loudspeakers feature double layer inverted cone woofers and soft dome tweeters with extended high frequency response.
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jan 23, 2010 04:19:07
