The great DABate: verdict on the Denon D-M35DAB

This is a world apart from the Sony CMT we looked at last week. The Denon feels solid and reliable where the Sony felt chic but flimsy. The Denon's speakers are weighty and firm, presumably hand-crafted by the indigenous people of wherever. They're laminate, but you'd be fooled into thinking this is hardwood -- the rear of the speakers use properly threaded bindings that will take a heavy gauge wire. Unfortunately, the bindings on the back of the DAB unit itself are not threaded -- they're those fiddly little clip bindings that won't take a speaker cable much thicker than fuse wire. Having said that, this is an entry-level system and it's unlikely anyone outside Camp Audiophile will want to replace the bundled cables with anything more exotic.

This is a footsoldier of the DAB revolution -- a step up from the bedside alarm-DAB radio combo. Sound quality is excellent for a DAB, though it's still got that unmistakable strangled sound to it -- DAB is still far from a match for CD, as there's just too much compression and not enough bandwidth to the signal. Hopefully things will change as the technology evolves, but even the best DABs leave us slightly disappointed. Switching from CD to DAB is like putting a bucket over your head. Nonetheless, the D-M35DAB is top of the troupe of freaks. -CS