Micro hi-fi systems have long since been a popular choice for those with little space. And, while early all-in-ones featured only basic features such as a radio, CD and cassette tape, many of today’s mini wonders, including Denon’s DHT-M330DV, are fullyfledged home A/V systems offering 5.1 digital audio and DVD playback.

The DHT-M330DV consists of three units – an A/V receiver that supports all the common audio formats such as Dolby Digital 5.1, Pro Logic and DTS Neo:6; a DVD Player with progressive scan; and a 5.1 speaker system. Everything is simple to set up.Just attach the two main units to each other and connect the colour-coded speakers to the ports on the back. However, because there are three main components, it requires three power points and a load of cabling, which does counteract the notion of a compact micro system somewhat.

Nevertheless, sound quality is excellent, especially for such a small system. You can select the size of your room and listening position from the Quick Set-up feature, which will adjust the sound output to suit its environment. We tested it in a number of listening locations and found each of the five satellite speakers clear and the subwoofer punchy. The DVD player is progressive scan, which means you’ll be able to get a great picture when using plasma, LCD or projector displays – as long as you use the component connection.

There’s also an RGB SCART for conventional televisions. The DHTM330DV will also automatically detect a DVD disc’s sound format (Dolby Digital or DTS) and start playing it,so that you don’t have to worry about manual settings.

As well as DVD movies,the DHTM330DV will also play DVD-Audio discs, and MP3/WMA files from a CD. It also supports JPEG images on a CD, so you’ll be able to view slideshows of your holiday snaps. There are loads of connections on the back,incuding digital audio in/outs, a composite video output and S-Video out. Unfortunately, the integrated radio isn’t DAB, but it does support RDS and p rogramming for 40 channels.

The DHT-M330DV’s sound isn’t powerful enough for a huge space, but for most living rooms this is an affordable and high-quality system.