The specs for the Sony CMTBX20i Micro Hi-Fi Shelf System at first glance seem pretty much what you’d expect for something aimed squarely at the low end home consumer market. CD with mp3 playback, AM/FM radio with presets memory and the now ubiquitous iPod dock. So how does it fair when put up against the other name brand competitors in this market? Well I have to say it really comes down to what you are after form a system like this.

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The first thing to not is that it is not a single piece system (a main unit and 2 wired speakers) and so it not exactly portable in a boombox sense, but it will easily fit on bedroom or kitchen shelving. The build of the unit is decent but not exactly inspiring. I can imagine a knock off your shelf causing this unit to die in short order. Aesthetically it is very presentable and to my eye is modern and attractive looking, the digital display is clear and very legible the finishes are nice even though some of the parts are a little plastic feeling to the touch. The top mounted iPod dock gives a feeling of solidity, your iPod slides in nicely and feels like its being held confidently. No menu diving here the design is such that everything is obvious and you will be up and running with most of this units functions in a matter of minutes. The remote is similarly well designed and very easy to get to grips with.

Sound wise the Sony CMTBX20i is about what can be expected for this kind of money, a slightly obvious mid range (accentuating vocal frequencies) and a definitely digital sounding top end. Having said that the Sony CMTBX20is bass end is quite nice and doesn’t go for the often over the top accentuation of bass frequencies that less expensive mini systems seem to go for. I’ve seen some complain about the lack of bass, but I’d actually say the bass is the most natural and unaffected area of the sonic palette on this unit. You can of course customise the units minimal EQ (simple bass & treble) to deal with this. The actual power handling of the CMTBX20i is capable and will easily fill a medium sized room such as a bedroom or kitchen with no audible distortion. So maybe not one for the Hip Hop or techno fans out there, but it handles more sonically balanced music like jazz and acoustic music well but with a noticeable peak in the vocal frequency area. This of course means that the Sony CMTBX20i is great for listening to talk radio and the like.

So would I recommend the Sony CMTBX20i? For the audiophile user certainly not, the sound is definitely not “natural” or “sincere” and for the bass fiend this unit wont handle your hip hop or dubstep low end well. But for the average radio listener, old school rock, jazz or acoustic fan who wants a decent little compact for the kitchen or bedroom? Certainly, you be hard pushed to find a unit at this price that can do the job better and look this good doing it.

Technical Specifications

Speaker Dimensions: 1.6″ (4cm) Tweeter
Speaker System: Full Range
Woofer Size(s): 5.9″ (15cm)
Antenna System: AM: Loop Antenna, FM: Lead Antenna
CD Play Mode(s): Program, Shuffle, Repeat
Digital-to-Analog Converter: 1 Bit
Format(s) Supported: CD-DA, CD-R/RW, CDs with MP3
Frequency Range: AM: 530-1710kHz; FM: 87.5-108.0MHz
Station Preset(s): 30 (10 AM, 20 FM)
Display Type: LCD
Tuner Type: FM/AM Superheterodyne Tuner
Analog Audio Input(s) (Total): 1 (Rear, Stereo Mini)
Antenna Terminal(s): 2 (Rear)
Headphone Input(s): 1 (Front, Stereo Mini)
Dimensions (Approx.): Speaker: 5.51″ x 9.64″ x 8.26″ (140 x 245 x 210mm); Main Unit: 7.87″ x 5.19″ x 11.73″ (200 x 132 x 298mm)
Weight (Approx.): Speaker: 4 lbs 2 oz (1.9kg) (each x 2); Main Unit: 7 lbs 7 oz (3.5 kg)
RRP: $129.95 (Check Amazon for Current Pricing)

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.

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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.

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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.

• 30-Watt/channel power amp with minimalist high fidelity circuit design
• CD-R, CDR-W compatible, MP3 and WMA track playback capability
• iPod and iPhone direct connectivity via USB input
• Solidly built 120 mm D.D.L double-layered cone woofers and 25 mm soft dome tweeters.
• RRP: $399 (Check Current Pricing on Amazon)