Pretty good sound for the size.

Day -to-day ease of use. Hisses at low volume. Pathetic remote.

OK, I was sold by the sound quality in the store compared to the rest of the stuff around this system (including the Nakamichi systems). However, I would not buy this unit again. It's size and some of it's features make it perfect for use in a bedroom, but there are some really annoying things about the system.
First, the display is really bright and is on all the time. It is so bright I can read by it at night - it's brighter than my kid's nightlight. Yes, I put something in front of the display, but defeats the purpose of the remote. My VCR dims at night. My Yamaha CD changer has a dimmer control on the remote. Something designed for the bedroom ought to have a display control.
Second, there is no access to the tuner presets from the main unit, only on the remote.
Third, there is no pause (CD) or mute (handy when you want to turn off the commercial breaks in radio) control on the remote. Duh.
So to use the thing in a real live world, you need to have both the main unit and the remote to hand. It's worse than not having the remote at all. The very basic remote that came with my Yamaha receiver controls all the main functions of the receiver, the CD player (including pause), MD player, etc.. with no problem. The Denon remote is pathetic.
There are so many features on the unit that have nothing to do with sound quality, you'd think they get the basic functions right. How many timer options do you need?
There are a bunch of new component systems that are promising competitors to this unit. I would opt for the Yamaha Pianocraft next time.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha Pianocraft

at the store:
i came across the dm-3 - denon and mission - while browsing around the good guys in stonestown shopping mall in san francisco. i was quite surprise to see a mission brand matched up with a integrated mini system. (the FAR-west joins the far-east.)

i spent over 3 hours listening to it with my own cd's and was please with the system's overall sonic performance that i bought it along with a pair of 16 gauge cables by monster cable.


the system:

the integrated unit is rated at 20 watts per channel and 10% THD. but what did you expect from a mini system priced under 400$? the unit has a feature called sdb, super deep bass (nice) that is only accessible with the remote control (not nice). it also has other features like sound settings for rock, classical, pop, and jazz (not accessible on the remote). i never use those features, only the sdb while listening at low volumes.

the speakers are rated for amps between 20 and 75 watts per channel, and frequency response between 75-hz and 20khz at 3db. they sound quite big on the 20-watts-per-channel integrated unit. nice speakers.



listening at home:

i set up the system on a shelf, and the speakers are set about 3 inches away from the wall on the same self in my bedroom.

the speakers are quite neutral, open, airy and spacious sounding with fairly nice imaging.

the speakers sounded like physically larger speakers, but they do not draw your attention to their physical presence -- they seem to "disappear."

overall, it is a pleasure listening to these speakers. they are quite "invisible" sounding that you could sit back, relax and enjoy the music and not notice their presence. not bad for a mini system.


recommendation:

this is a really fine sounding integrated mini system for under 400$

if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive and fine sounding integrated mini system, i think you should consider denon's dm-3.

if you do get denon's dm-3, consider matching a pair of good speaker cables with the mini system, i think that would do it justice. maybe cables by mit? most certainly an overkill, but monster cables would do quite well :)

Compact, strong sound.

Inexcusably terrible remote. No pause??? Unable to fiddle with fixed equalizer settings from remote. Plus, it's big and ugly.

Space was a big issue. Unlike most buyers, this is to be my main system in a small apartment. On the plus side - it fills the place no problem. I considered getting the DM5 but I never listen to more than one cd at a time so why spend more.
The design is sleek, stylish and simple.
My taste is all over the map. I like classical and mellow and the DM3 shines. I also like rock and pop and although the bass may not handle like a super system, it's excellent for what I need and my neighbors can stand.
A good price for something that puts bigger boomboxes to shame as well as bigger component systems. The speakers are tiny powerhouses.
Now if only they would redesign that damn remote.

Similar Products Used:

JVC, SONY