Customer Reviews

Denon D-M33S CD/AM/FM Micro System

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up this system about 5 days ago.I needed something to replace my outdated Panasonic mini system.With that being said all give you my take on it.The CD's I've listened to sound absolutely amazing.It's down right soothing.It's built around the Burr-Brown PCM-1741 DAC from Texas instruments which makes sound quality exceptionable.Also the speakers are top-notch as well.Even at low or high volume they sound so crisp and clear with no distortion.This system also has a bass boost. What SDB (Super Dynamic bass)does is enhance the bass when you listen to the radio or CD's.However,you can only control the treble and bass with it in SDB mode.With it in s-direct mode the SDB is deactivated as are the bass and treble settings.Since I have a subwoofer I listen in s-direct mode and I would also highly recommend a subwoofer as it's almost essential to bring out what the Denon system is all about.I got the Mirage Omni S-8 subwoofer which works for me.If you can't afford one then I would recommend using the SDB as it does make it sound ok.Another important upgrade I found essential is to replace the provided speaker wire with the Audioquest Type 2 speaker wire.They sell it by the foot at two dollars a foot.I bought two 8' pieces and had them cut the first coating back 5" at both ends.When it arrived I stripped all the secondary coatings about 1" exposing the wires.Then twisted each secondary coating,black with black and red with red, together and then wrapped them with electrical tape careful not to touch the wires.After that all you do is twist the wires together and inserted the wires into the speakers and the unit that are clearly marked both red and black.After break in the difference was dramatic.Just one complaint.The provided antennas for the radio are rendered useless.You'll need to replace these with another antenna of some sort.When you take all this into account I'm thrilled to report that this system is really something special.Currently there is really no competition in this price range.In this case you really do get what you pay for.Highly Recommended

I bought the D-M33S based on Denon's reputation and the Burr Brown DACs but after using it for two weeks I was not impressed. I could probably piece together a better sounding system for roughly the same price. For example, if you are willing to spend a little more I would recommend the Cambridge Audio Azur line. The pros of the Denon system are excellent build quality, small footprint and good looks but the sound is flat and dull. Also I experienced distortion at loud volumes, bass heavy music made the speakers rattle a bit. Looking at the specs the D-M33S is clearly aimed at audio enthusiasts. The non audiophile might be happy with the sound but just keep in mind $500 for a mini system is quite expensive nowadays. Especially when there are $100 systems from Sony, Panasonic etc. which are perfectly capable for the casual listener. From my own experience, better sound can be had for less than the asking price for the Denon system. I ended up with the Onkyo MC35TECH instead which was cheaper, has a 3 disc changer and a more dynamic sound.

Rather than repeat what the other reviewers have said I will talk about some of the other points about this system that have not been mentioned. I have only had the system for a couple of hours.

Overall, I agree with most of the reviewers that is the sound is great for what your are getting in a mini/micro system. The build quality is also excellent. Stero imaging is also good, i.e. the speakers seem to disappear and the sound seems to be wider than the speakers and fills the space between the speakers. Keep in mind the system is sitting on my kitchen counter a foot from the edge of the counter. More careful speaker placement should yield even better sound.

You are not going to great bass performance from the system because of small physical size of the speakers. They cannot move much air, and the amplier does not have a lot of power to reproduce good bass at low frequencies. Bass performance is good if you do not want one of those thumper stereo systems.

My main criteria looking for a small stereo system is that it had to fit in a 11.5 inch high, 25 inch long bookshelf space in my condo, have great sound, play CD's that loaded from the front, play cassette tapes, and have an FM/AM radio.

That is a tall order to fill in this day and age. I looked at Best Buy and Circuit City and all they had was junk for $100-$200 or it looked like it came from outer space. The $500 price was at the top of what I wanted to pay for a system. Higher end audio stores did not carry these systems in my area.

I currently have a cheap Sony stereo in that space. The sound is OK but not great and the CD player opens from the top causing me to have to pull the system out everytime I want to load a CD.

This system does not play tapes and that is my only gripe. However, there are jacks for an external tape unit and one of playing modes is 'tape'. This system does not have a CD changer. My research showed that there are other similar Denon models that have CD changers but the reviews have not been very good regarding the quality of their CD changer. A CD changer is nice but not a must have for me. Just more stuff to go wrong. Keep it simple at this price point.

To evaluate the system I played some of my favorite CD's on a unit at Ultimate Electonics and loved the sound. If you cannot listen to the sound of the system go by the reviews as they are right on the money. You will not be disappointed.

I also agree with other reviewer recommendations to replace the speaker wire. If you are spending this much money a few bucks invested in speaker wire will make a huge difference. Lamp cord would be better than the speaker wire that comes with the system. The speakers are equipped with banana plug jacks. However the other end has cheapo, clamp style connectors where you insert the speaker into a hole and the wire is held by a spring loaded clamp.

Be sure you evaluate the sound of the system with the treble and bass controls at 0 equalization, i.e. there is no bass or treble added to the sound. The speakers did not break up at loud sound levels. Also keep in mind the sound should get better as the speakers break in over time. Be sure the bass boost system is turned off also.

This system has a bunch of different timers you can use to turn the system on and off when you want or set it to a specific time for an FM station to turn on or play a CD. This is a feature that I personally will not use very much.

FM and AM reception were good with the supplied antennas. The radio has a feature called RDS where you can see the name of the radio station, what song is playing and who the artist is. You can also find different types of music on the radio like easy listening, rock, pop, classical, etc. I live in a large residential area with 1 and 2 story homes. You may have reception problems if you live in a big city with tall buildings around you which causes multi-path distortion. Better antennas may be needed.

Overall, I had difficulty finding a store that carried good quality mini stereo systems and based and decided to checkout Ulimate Electronics and saw the Denon system. I then got on Amazon, read the reviews, and went back and played some CD's I am familiar with.

Be careful about the wattage rating as everyone plays games like using peak watts, or the total wattage for both channels. The one true rating for power comparison purposes is RMS watts per channel. The specifications state 22 watts per channel but I have no idea how that number was computed as RMS power was not mentioned.

If you are not fussy about sound quality I am sure you can find cheaper systems out there. However this system satisfied all of my requirements except being able to play cassette tapes which is less important to me than the physical size of the system and having great sound. Maybe I will look for a good exteral tape unit in the future.

I gave a rating of 4 stars as the unit should have had a cassette deck at this price point. Sound quality is 5 stars for this type of system.

I've owned this system for almost two years by now, and the least i can say is that it had never disappointed. Even new, the M33S sounded good; after a couple hundred hours of playing, the system really opened up, and have since provided great clarity and amazing full sound, considering size and price. The noteworthy attribute of the M33 is without a doubt the integrity of the sound it produces; the highs might not be exceptional, but are clear and never harsh; the mid-range is very good with quality impossible to match even by some systems above this price range; and the bass, without going very low, is quite natural and warm, avoiding the sharp mechanical sound that many mid-fi, and even hi-fi monitors generate, or the boomy one-note you get from commercial system's speakers.

All this is the result of the exceptional care given to system integration: a combination of a good quality DAC, match with nicely designed speakers, which in turn are supported by just the right amplification. It certainly does not sounds like 22W, if that is a concern to you. In a small room, you can get good and wholesome music that can go fairly loud without distortion. Just don't overdo it, and you will be fine.

I really do not know any other system that can give you this performance within the price range(I tried sony, onkyo, bose, etc.). My other system is an Arcam Solo and Monitor Audio RS6 speakers, and i must admit that with some types of music (adult alternative, world beat, garage rock, etc.) the Denon is quite competitive in terms of musicality and finesse. It is a far cry from the the clarity, precision and staging you get with the Solo, but then again, we are talking over two grands more than the amazing little Denon.

Just two hints for buyers and owners. Speaker's cable upgrading is a must. Even cheap Audioquest will make a difference. And second, if you are using bare wire, be careful that the ends of the wire don't touch the black plate where the speaker's connectors seat. I suspected that these plates should be non-conductive, but i spent quite some time trying to get rid of an annoying humming back noise, and once i did this, the back noise was gone. And believe me, it really did make a difference in the sound.

Very nice sound and looks great on the shelf. Easy to hook-up and easy to operate.I am very happy with this system. Absolutely no complaints.

I am amazed by the wonderful sound produced by this stereo, and the sound easily fills my 20' x 15' living room. . It is much better than I imagined for such a small set of speakers. I am not that knowledgeable about stereo equipment, but I do know that this sounds great - well worth the money.

I felt I had to write a review for this product. I was hesitant to buy this because I saw a negative review posted but I went ahead and bought a refurbished one anyways because I love denon products. I can only describe the sound as amazing, amazing, amazing. Even without a subwoofer the sound is full and deep. The speakers put out an amazing volume. The system is set up in my room, never expected to turn it up too loud anyways. I turned the volume up out of curiosity and was surprised by the sound. Sounds great! I would definitely recommend this product.

It has a switched a/c power outlet up to 100w on the back as well as mono jack for running a small room amplified subwoofer. Some subwoofer's have mechanical on/off switches (such as the flat Yamaha's), so it can be controlled from the Denon amp. The power outlet may have been included for the companion tape deck stacking unit, not subwoofers per se.
Fine sound for a mini system, but of course the fullest hi fi requires a high powered amplifier and large speakers, or specialized electronics such as Bose costing twice as much. This is clearly a cut above the lower priced book case systems.

This little stereo looks great on the shelf but the sound is just OK. Also organization of the remote is just so-so yet that is the only way to control the machine.

Forget about navigating MP3's on CD. It's just too difficult to be worthwhile.