Denon F102 Mini Compo System

In this world of surround sound entertainment, aluminum satellite speakers, and monstrous subwoofers, there still prevails a band of enthusiasts who prefer nice-sounding, pure audio. That's the reason why stereo systems haven't died out, and I hope they never do.

Speaking of stereo systems, there's Denon, a high quality brand originating way back in 1910 in Japan, though under a different name. These days the company is a leader in AV receivers and DVD players, so let’s see if it lives up to its reputation. Yes, we're going to see how good Denon's latest stereo speaker system is.

The product is a stereo receiver, CD player and bookshelf speaker combo – that is, a mini component audio system. The 'mini' can be misleading; these are very powerful systems, best used for quality music listening at home. The individual names are DCD-F102 for the player, DRA-F102 for the stereo receiver, and SC-F102 for the speakers. For convenience' sake let's call it the F102 system!

Form Factor
The electronics part (CD player and receiver) are clad in a metallic finish chassis, with a façade of similar, but thicker material. No clutter is seen anywhere, both the player and amp have their fronts as neat as a fresh haircut. The buttons too adhere to the monochrome scheme, so no flashiness. What remains is a classy, yet sober system.

Left corners of the front panels sport the power pushbuttons, while the largish volume knob on the amp is located on the right. The CD tray occupies the prime center of the player, with a neat matrix of buttons to its right – which handle play/pause, navigation etc.

The two-way, bass reflex speakers are part of the family with their simplistic design; bearing rectangular PVC finished MDF cabinets, with smooth rounded corners at the top and bottom edges. The cabinet colors vary; we received a maple colored one.

The front baffle does not look like a regular speaker; the tweeter is aligned below the woofer. It's a 'soft dome' tweeter (as claimed by the manufacturer) while the woofer is a WOK-style design (no dust cap in the centre, just a sparkling white concave laminated diaphragm). This contrasts well with the jet-black tweeter.

The total power drawn by the system can be as much as 120 watts. It plays CDs and MP3 CDs, plus AM/FM.