Denon D-F102 DAB

Small is beautiful for Denon's hi-fi separates.

This mini system is actually "proper hi-fi" kit according to its makers, and each component is available separately. Don't need the speakers? Just buy the receiver and CD player for £400, squire.

This isn't just audiophile flim-flam from Denon. The CD player and amp/DAB are solidly engineered - check out those thick metal frontages, lads! - and the speakers supply plenty of sonic muscle, while the disc tray has "a nice action" to coin a phrase.

Everything's easy to set up. Some reassuringly heavy-duty speaker wire is provided, and the CD player gets its power direct from the receiver rather than using another mains socket. Just hook up the system connector and you can use one remote for both units.

Compared to something like Bose's spendy Wave Music System (T3 132, 3/5), you get a hell of a lot for your money. There are DAB and FM tuners, a crisp display, MP3 and WMA compatibility via the CD player and tons of inputs for connecting other audio components; there's even a turntable input.

All the features in the world ain't much use if the sound quality is dodgy (to use a technical term), but thankfully the Denon doesn't disappoint here, serving up lively and dynamic sound. Its handling of Outkast's Roses puts Bose's much pricier system to shame and the DAB tuner also sounds brilliantly crisp. Some basic tweaking options mean you can tailor the system to fit your room, and an optional iPod dock means it can coexist happily with your pocket pal.

"Proper" hi-fi or not, this is handsome, versatile and makes sweet music. It's hard to think of a compact hi-fi that offers as much for so little.