Review: Denon RCD-N7

Early this year, the press pap about Denon's new multiformat network receiver flew across my digital beam and my sonic spidey sense immediately began tingling.

It's sleek, white and miniature. It's also one of the first systems to arrive with built-in capability for AirPlay, Apple's technology that lets you stream your music with CD-quality from any iTunes installation on your network. Additionally, it's locked and loaded for streaming from several internet sources, plus Wi-Fi network streaming from PCs, Apple iOS devices and Android mobiles.

Could the Denon RCD-N7 be the holy grail of mini systems? Could one device blend CDs, traditional radio, internet radio, online subscription services and digital audio libraries streamed at lossless fidelity, yet be simple to use?

I was buzzing about it, but still feeling incredulous as I pinged my editor, got the green light, and waited patiently for the UPS truck to arrive.

Right out of the box, I noticed how simply the front of the Denon is appointed. The three-line OLED display is crisp and clear and can be easily read from across the room. There's a headphone jack, USB for memory stick music playback, a CD tray and aux input and volume control buttons.

The speaker connections are in back, along with FM/AM/Wi-Fi antennas, Aux in/out, optical in, subwoofer in/out and an ethernet port for hardwiring it to your network if you choose. On top is a 30-pin iPod/iPhone dock.

Setting up the N7 was pretty simple – until I got to the networking instructions. They look like a two-page document left over from the Tower of Babel that had been hit by a tsunami – just completely incomprehensible.

My best advice is once you've hooked up the speakers, plugged it in and turned it on, just press the Menu button on the supplied remote and the N7's screen will guide you through accessing your wireless network and saving the password. Bottom line, it's actually pretty intuitive unless you rely on the instructions.

Denon has created a pair of matched speakers for the unit. The head and the speakers are separate pieces, as Denon figures you may already have your own sound boosters. If not, the matched set goes for $200. I tested the 65-watt system with both the Denon speakers and, just for grins, a pair of similarly sized Totem Mites that go for about $700 a pair. While the system will easily overpower them, the Denon speakers still sounded good and had a pleasing mid and upper range, but were a little weak on the low end.

The Totems are audiophile speakers, so they were predictably richer and silkier on all levels, especially in the bass range, and had far superior off-axis reproduction. But if you haven't already sunk a bunch of money into speakers and your budget is limited, the Denons won't disappoint you.

Beyond the tried and true Denon sound quality, the really big draw of the N7 system is its platform-agnostic wireless networking capability.

The big banner here is obviously Apple's AirPlay technology. It delivers a pleasingly noticeable bump in wireless audio quality from what I'd been accustomed to hearing through AirPort Express.

Apple claims AirPlay can stream 24 bits at 96 Hz. Frankly, I couldn't technically confirm that on my system. But anecdotally, from just listening and comparing the sound from the two protocols, AirPlay is much better. There's more detail and clarity in the reproduction of lossless music files. There are very few dropouts, and when they do happen, they're almost exclusively a result of the signal strength and interference, like if you're using a powerful microwave nearby.

One caveat – to enable AirPlay on the N7, you have to buy a $50 upgrade. Kind of a bummer that you have to cough up the extra change, but if you want crystal-clear streaming, that's the deal.

Knowing the world is mostly populated by PC users and that Android is a competitive mobile platform, Denon was clever enough to integrate DLNA compatibility into the system. Hence, it can stream music coming from PCs as well as Macs, and can be remotely controlled by Android devices like the Droid X. All this means you can quickly, easily, intuitively drive the system and, actually, a multitude of networked N7 systems with the Denon App on both mobile platforms.

This Denon system really nails it on features, performance, design aesthetic and ease of use. It more than lives up to the deep heritage of the Denon name: The company has been producing audio equipment since the 1910s. It will definitely put out to pasture a lot of older, bigger and even more powerful systems.

WIRED Small, smart, clean design that fits in nearly any nook or cranny. Wireless streaming from Macs and PCs works with ease. Ready to roll with AirPlay, Pandora, Napster, Last.fm and internet radio.

TIRED Included networking directions are a total yard sale. Matched speakers underperform slightly. AirPlay is an extra $50.

Photos by Jackson Lynch/Wired.com

See Also:- Wired Test 2007: Home Audio: Denon AVR-4308CI

• The Hidden Secrets of Apple’s AirPlay
• Gadget Lab Podcast: Motorola Atrix, AirPlay and WebOS
• AirPhones: Wireless Audio Streaming From Mac to iPhone
• Photo: iPad Powers BMX Bike-Stereo