Having been in the market to downsize my old hi fi for something more compact, I've settled on the Teac reference 300 mkIII with DAB tuner. Its a 3 box system as opposed to the other smaller one box systems manufactured by Teac and others such as Denon, Arcam and Onkyo. As such, although being larger, it is more user friendly to use and has more power at 45 wpc RMS. At around £500 rrp it stands up favourably in price to the Arcam Solo Mini and comes in silver or black finish with machined aluminium fronts and a classy blue display on each unit. It actually appears slightly retro in appearance although the remotes are a bit cheap looking. The silver units can be found for as little as £349 without speakers so its quite a bargain.
Sound quality for such a small unit is really clear and well defined with a warm bass typical of Teac. The MkIII model has been accoustically re-engineered to make it more in line with European manufacturers sound and is far superior to the Arcam and Denon systems I tried. Tested through Mordaunt Short 902is and Gale Gold Monitors, the sound through either puts more expensive systems to shame. The 902i's are the better matched option but the Gales are preety close and a fair bit cheaper. Get some decent interconnects though as the standard bell wire cables don't do it justice and a pair of reaonably priced Monster of Ixos cables significantly improves the clarity and detail.
All in all a good looking, great sounding system at a bargain price
Good review...I could also do with a new sound system, but I also want to cruise Italy in 2010 so I will forego the music and put the money in the cruise fund. Thanks. J.
helpful by (100%):
