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Title: Denon UD-M31 Mini-Component CD Receiver	views:1957
The Denon D-M31 system has been well-received by virtually everyone who has heard it. Even HiFi News' Ken Kessler raved in his review and then bought the review unit. The D-M31 comprises a CD-receiver and a pair of Mission-designed speakers. The CD-Receiver (UD-M31) can also be purchased on its own. There is also an optional matching companion unit (DRR-M31) which is a cassette recorder/deck. The UD-M31 is the successor to the UD-M30. I had a UD-M30 system in my study, when a nearby lightning strike resulted in a power surge that "killed" the UD-M30. I had been very happy with the UD-M30, so went out replace it, only to find that it had been superceded by the UD-M31. Undaunted, I bought the UD-M31... While I had been very happy with the UD-M30, I am ecstatic with the UD-M31. I have added the DRR-M31 cassette recorder. Let me decribe the unit: It is, in effect, a full-size component that has been cut in half from front to rear. Put the receiver and the matching tape deck together side-by-side, and the resulting combination is the same size as a normal width component. The unit consists of an RDS-equipped FM tuner, a CD player and a 22wpc (RMS) amplifier section. The rear panel is equipped with two full tape-loops (ie in & out) plus a sub-woofer line out linked to the volume control. A pair of spring-clip speaker terminals is provided, as is a pair of system remote connections for the optional modules. Connectors for both AM loop (provided) and an external FM antenna are also provided for on the rear panel. I have paired the UD-M31 with Tannoy speakers - a pair of Tannoy MX2 standmount units plus a Tannoy MX-SUB-10 powered (75w) sub-woofer, in a 2.1 configuration. The system is situated in my study (and is playing as I type this review) - sited on a shelf with the MX2's and the MX-SUB-10 is on the floor below the work-surface. For what it is, for what it cost, and for the purpose its used, this is one fine system. Diana Krall's "Live in Paris" sounds "real"; with Bruce Springsteen, it rocks; and it does a reasonaly creditable job on Beethoven's Violin Concerto. While it cannot compete with my primary system (it cost less than 5% of the main system's cost) - it does a very sterling job and I don't feel that the difference in quality is that crucial when I am working and not actively listening. I have not indulged in some of the off-the-wall pairing that Ken Kessler got up to in his review, but have driven a pair of Tannoy D700's off this little mite - and it did not disgrace itself in the least. Finally, I had a US houseguest a while back and he's an audiophile of note and passion. He was gobsmacked by this Denon and was most upset to find that Denon do not actively market it in the USA.

Review submitted: 2005/6/6