Denon UD-M31 Review

Overall Rating

Spectacular sound for the money
Beautifully styled
Linking sound and control of your iPod with the system remote (via the Denon iPod Dock which is an optional extra).

For this kind of money, absolutely nothing.

A year and three months ago I decided to get the Denon UD-M31 just because I could spend the bank's money. "Forget the interest rate hikes I'll deal with that when I have to pay through the nose", I thought. Silly words from a silly man! Of course by the time I was at the store, a demo model was the only one left. Contemplating the weeks I'd have to wait for new orders to come in, I whined furiously. Consequently someone said that they'd found one stashed safely at back. Goodness there is an angel watching over me. Either that or complaining does work. Of course I couldn't wait to put my hands on it once out of the box at home. The first thing that struck me was the obvious quality in craftsmanship, Denon certainly knows a thing or four about design.

Flawless of course until I plugged into the wall socket and turned it on. I was not impressed at all. The lack of sparkle, pizazz, power or poise I'd heard about baffled me. Dry and brittle to the point of sending me into the second rage - I swear I wanted to take it back, but it looked so damn good on my selves. Guitars sounded brittle and harsh, the midrange was much too muffled and yet voices had an amazing presence. After an hour of listening I wasn't sure whether I'd thrown my money down a drain.

After a couple of weeks of vigorous running-in and admiring its beautifully spaced controls, display and cute diminutive speakers, I discovered what an impressive (and deceptive) 20 watt system this is. The sound blossomed and flourished to no end. Even though the bass isn't the most powerful I've heard it tight and punchy. Not to mention the incredibly delicate, smooth and informative midrange. The togetherness of it all never fails to put me into a calm state of gratification. I just have to sit down press play and listen to a song and the next and next. One of the greatest parts is that it doesn't favour certain frequencies and/or genre you give it. Oh and the crisp high frequencies are just stellar. All in all does a fantastic job of presenting the music (or spoken word for that matter) in the best possible way it knows how.

I have recently bought an 80Gb iPod and the Denon iPod Dock because of CD storage (or lack thereof). Once again after the frustrating setup process it works like a charm and the sounds spectacular.

Aesthetics aside though, this is the best three and a half grand I have spent on audio equipment. I'm not saying this is the best system ever, but considering all this, the Denon UD-M31 it's a damn fine kit. I can only imagine what it will sound like when I get better speakers, stands and cables - though haven't found any speakers that look and sound as good as these, and maybe should upgrade to something better all together.
Unfortunately Denon has discontinued the production of the UD-M31 and introduced a newer but second-rate product (sound-wise as far as I've heard). My advice to you Denon, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". This is a damn good buy if you can still find one or Denon produces something better.