Sounds awesome, fills up a large room

a little light on the bells and whistles. I like the graphical EQ which this system is missing.

This system is really the bomb. Everyone in my dorm buidling wants it. I only wish is had the cool colors like the new Technics mini system

Beautiful Looks; seems very durable; very strong bass; simplistic design, minimalist; nice speakers; great sounding headphone jack; overall beautiful sound (full, rich); plenty of outputs/inputs for future expansion

Remote is a bit overkill for features on basic DM-50S if you don't have the extra components; loud CD changer

This is for the Denon DM-50S, with matching mission speakers:

This is a GREAT little system! I have no complaints about the sound at all, but rather praise. It is clear, precise, and very full. Huge sound in a small package! Even a full bass end; there is no reason to have a subwoofer unless you like LOUD bass.
Takes a while to get the speaker positions worked out to get the most out of the unit, although they'll sound good wherever you put them. This system can get VERY loud and will easily fill any sized room with quality sound-- so don't let the 60Watt rating fool you.
The looks are pretty classy. The new mission speakers are really nice looking and great to display. The minimalist design is truly more, without the gaudy and tacky graphics on systems that haven't half the sound as this unit. Even a huge Sony system, for the same price, that had 5 or 6 speakers with it didn't sound near as nice as this unit.
The remote has been modified since past years and now includes a pause button. It also has buttons to control every possible function of the compatible cassette player, minidisc recorder, and cd recorder, which is only nice if you are using these components. Otherwise, it is a bit much and only makes the remote oversized. The remote is very light, however.
I got a good price on mine, but being a college student it was still quite expensive for me. But i'm glad I made the purchase, as this is a great system. But definitely shop around.. there is no reason to pay the 599 dollar retail!
I also find Yamaha's Pianocraft systems to be comparable as far as sound quality. It was the looks of a system that made me choose Denon-- but both sound great, though! If you are looking for quality sound in a small, economical package, I suggest looking at either.
In my opinion, it deserves 5 stars in both value and overall!

Similar Products Used:

tested Yamaha Pianocraft, and many other shelf systems.

wonderful modern but sleek styling, great sound and bass for size

remote, expensive at most online stores...although I found mine for 400 which I think is good

I ordered this unit after reading all the previous reviews and it seems some things have changed. Firstly, I'm most pleased with the great sound that this unit offers for it's size. It's even better than I expected! Secondly, with this newer version you can adjust the bass and treble yourself along with a low volume bass boost control; a very usefull tool. Thirdly, the remote now has a pause button (not a mute button) which alleviates what I know was a major complaint.

The remote I suppose is really my only complaint...as stated by many reviewers. It has an awkward layout, but it is useable. I also don't like the fact that you can't turn off the 'Random Play' function once it has been selected if music is playing. But, that's about it.

Overall I'm very pleased and wouldn't really consider any other system for what I was looking for. It looks absolutely wonderful, as well.

Similar Products Used:

none...looked at teac ref130

After first seeing a DM-10 system as part of a bundle at a CSW store and being told they couldn't unbundle the included tape deck, I went looking for a similar, all-in-one unit of similar quality and so far I have not been disappointed with the DM-5. The included Mission 5s speakers are a little weak in the lower octaves (no suprise due to their small size) but the unit drives my old Boston Acoustics A60 II bookshelf speakers with no problem. I intend to eventually replace these with CSW New Ensemble II or III, as I'm looking at several moves overseas in the coming years and the BA's are a little too large.
The unit's flaws are mostly minor: some of the controls can only be accessed from a behind the sliding panel on the rather large remote control; the CD changer mechanism is quite a bit louder than the carousel type; and there is a largely insignificant, but nonetheless perceptible hiss from the left channel only when listening to the FM tuner. Several units I listened to did the same thing, and I decided not to return it because it's such a minor problem, only noticeable when standing next to the speaker during a quiet passage. I'd be curious to know if other DM-5 owners have noticed the same thing.

Overall, a great sounding little system, certainly a cut above the JVC UXC-300 and FS7000, which I also looked at, and priced reasonably at $600 (Mission speakers included).

OK, I'm not an audiophile.. It's music that I love, not technology.. I don't worry about things like watts, amps, and the likes because it simply does not interest me.. But I love music.. Oh, I adore music.. I've lived all my life with crappy systems by SONY and AIWA and the likes and decided that now that I'm 18 and have a credit card, I will buy a decent system.. Passionately, I ran down to the local Circuit City, mastercard in hand, and told the clerk there that I'd like a Bose Lifestyle system. I was excited as hell: all my life i'd been told. brainwashed.. that bose was the BEST.. I listened to the system.. It was sweet.. Very sweet.. The bass wasn't that great, but the music sounded pretty darn clear.. Then I got knocked over the head with the price.. 999 bucks.. Ouch.. I ran to the Wiz looking for a better deal.. I found the DENON DM5 for $599.. Expensive, but still in my price range.. It was gorgeous.. Sleek, stylish and kinda cute too.. I like how the buttons felt.. They didn't feel cheap like that aiwa crap.. they responded to my touch smoothly and I appreciated that.. It was a little guy so I had my reservations..That was until I popped in VAST's debut album.. I was wowed.. Cyrstal clear, deep bass.. Perfect.. I had to have one of these baby's.. I ran home, jumped online and order one for only $299.00 bucks.. That'S $700 less then the inferior bose system (enough for me to buy a subwoofer and the optional minidisk player).. It sounds even better on my little desk and my parents are just sooo jeolous.. Pick on up if you can.. My next system will def. be a denon and bose can go to hell for charging so much for so little product..peace
*****