Denon DM38S
At HiFi Reviews we try to not only cover the top of the range and “hot topic” products that various manufacturers come out with month in month out but also try to have some focus on the normal home user aimed products. The Denon DM38S Micro AM/FM CD System is one example of such a product, squarely amide at the casual music fan it is what I would describe as a “top end compact” system. While generally products in the small boombox category tend to sacrifice both sonic & build quality in order to make a cheaper consumer level product the Denon DM38S makes very few of these such sacrifices. Ones first impressions of this unit is that is actually nicely compact but well designed and attractive. A simple and to the point front plate with all the usual controls and buttons with the added bonus of a single USB port to enable you to plug your iPod cable directly into the unit. The rear plate includes twin speaker outs (Plus subwooofer) AM/FM antenna in 2 sets of aux ins (1 with an associated dock control) and a single set of aux outs. All in all as much as can be expected on a unit this small and at this price point. The stereo speakers supplied sport a single tweeter & woofer they are built very solidly and give the impression that can handle a bit of a bashing. The Denon DM38S can handle a reasonable level of power (60 watts @ 6 Ohms) and as such can provide very adequate sound levels in small to medium sized rooms. With this unit I found that there can be from time to time a minor amount of audible hiss in the circuits, but turning on Pure Direct sound mode removed this and produced an output with no discernible distortion or loss of sound quality. All in all I found the bass end to be quite controlled but still powerful and without any sense of boominess except at very high volume levels. The top end is nicely produced giving a well balanced overall tone to the unit, in all honesty the system is not going to win a shootout against a properly specified separates system but it can definitely stand up to anything in its class when it comes to sonic fidelity. The AM/FM reception on the Denon DM38S was solid even without a proper Ariel (of course this may vary dependent on the area you are in), the iPod docking was easy to set up and worked well with the DM38Ss remote allowing you to select tracks, fast forward and stop, etc all with minimal learning curve. One minor niggle was the fact that the iPod dock will not power your player when the Denon DM38S is turned off, this is a shame as it means you cant jut leave your iPod connected to the unit charging when it is turned off this is a shame and a bit of a silly oversight from Denon. That being said the Denon DM38S is actually a great bang for the buck halfway house between a “budget boombox” and a fully fledged separates system, if you are in the market for a radio/CD player with iPod compatibility this well worth taking a look at. Manufacturers Description Combining legendary Denon design concepts along with a European-engineered speaker system, the DM38S micro component music system is the ideal choice for listeners who demand superb musical performance and leading edge connectivity. This versatile compact music system is perfect for a bedroom, home office, business office or college dorm. The DM38S system is “Made for iPod” and “Works with iPhone” featuring a USB input for direct digital connection of these devices. The front panel features a deluxe two line dot matrix fluorescent display, which provides clear indications of source and function status. The DM38S is can be used with optional ASD-11R, 51N and 51W iPod docks providing additional features. The systems 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 AM/FM tuner features 40 user presets for radio listening convenience. The unit is equipped with a convenient timer function, which can be easily set up for Once, Daily, and Sleep modes. The included remote control unit features ergonomically designed buttons, with logical groupings for easy use. The powerful 30-watt/channel amplifier section is backed by a robust power supply that features dual power transformers and features Denon’s simple and straight circuit design philosophy. A mono subwoofer pre-out jack is included. The powerful 5 inch woofer features Denon’s Double Layer convex cone technology, which provides deep bass and clear mid-range free of coloration caused by cone flex distortion, and also features air venting for optimum cooling during extended passages of high volume. The 1 inch soft dome tweeter features extended response to 40 kHz, along with wide dispersion and high power handling thanks to the advanced coil and dome air venting system. The DM38S is a compact system packed with performance, features and value.
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