Denon is going for style appeal with its first network system, but it also delivers fine performance, says James Vesey

The rise of the streaming music system seems almost unstoppable: what was once something of an enthusiast pastime – seeking out strange minority-interest audio streams from far-flung places and playing them through speakers attached to the computer, rather in the manner of those old ‘radio hams’ – has now gone mainstream, and become available to all.

It’s well worth exploring: have a browse around the lists of stations available on the internet, and you’ll find much more than streaming versions of your favourites wherever you happen to live. If it’s being broadcast somewhere in the world, chances are it’s available on the internet, which means the classical music listener can quickly build up a list of stations to suit their needs.

As well as those internet radio stations, these network-connected systems also allow you to store and stream music at home, either in the form of purchased downloads or ‘rips’ of your CDs, and stored on the home computer or a network storage device. It quickly becomes second nature to call up a favourite work and have it playing within seconds.

That’s a major part of the appeal of Denon’s CEOL system, which combines the RCD-N7 network receiver and the SC-N7 loudspeakers in a package listing for around £660, but readily available for well on the right side of £600. Alternatively the RCD-N7 can be bought without the speakers, at prices as low as £470.

The name has attracted some debate about its pronunciation – everything from ‘keel’ to ‘seal’ to ‘cool’ has been suggested – but for now the official line seems to be ‘kee-ole’, which apparently is Gaelic for ‘music’.

Less complex is the system itself: it’s a simple white unit, combining CD player, radio tuner, iPod dock, network client and stereo amplifier, and looking for all the world like it was styled to match the old ‘plastic’ MacBook laptops and early iPods.

The system also has three auxiliary inputs – one on a 3.5mm socket on the front panel, and two conventional RCA phono pairs round the back –, an optical digital input, a USB connection for ‘thumb drives’ and the like, and a choice of wireless or wired network connectivity.

A remote control handset comes as standard, or the system can be operated over a network using a free Denon Remote App, which is downloaded from the Apple iTunes store onto an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

Using this, it’s possible to turn the system on and off and control the volume, tuner and CD playback, as well as browsing and selecting stored music and internet radio streams on the portable device’s screen, thanks to the two-way communication between the app and the Denon.

Talking of matters Apple, the system can also be upgraded to operate with Apple’s AirPlay service, offered as part of the latest version of iTunes, and the most recent operating systems for the company’s portable devices. This enables music stored on the portables to be streamed wirelessly to AirPlay enabled devices such as the Denon, which then act as remote wireless speakers.

So you could be listening to music on your iPhone while walking home, or via a connection to your car audio system, and on arrival simply tap a ‘button’ on its screen to send the music to the Denon and continue listening.

Or, of course, you could simply drop the iPhone or iPod into the dock hidden under the flap on the top of the Denon, which gives a direct digital connection to the player, but then you wouldn’t have the player in your hand for control of the music being played.

In other words, the Denon system may be simple to operate, but it offers a wide range of capabilities: in fact, the only significant omission appears to be DAB radio in the tuner section, which is FM/AM only, but then the internet radio function allows it to access stations at a quality at least as good as, if not better than, DAB offers.

The system will drive a single pair of speakers, using amplification quoted by Denon as 2x65W, albeit measured into 4ohms at just 1kHz and with 0.7% total harmonic distortion, and designed using the company’s usual simple, straight signal paths.

The standard SC-N7 speakers combine a 12cm mid/bass unit and 25mm tweeter in a reflex-ported enclosure, have 6ohm nominal impedance and are styled to match the main unit.

PERFORMANCE
It’s hard not to look at the RCD-N7 without thinking of the Marantz M-CR603: after all, the two brands have the same parent company, and the two systems, if not twins, are at least sisters under the skin!

There are, however, significant differences beside the styling: the Marantz has a DAB radio tuner but no wireless networking as standard, while the Denon makes up for its lack of DAB with Wi-Fi capability and an iPod dock (on the Marantz iPod connectivity uses the USB socket and the standard iPod dock connector lead).

What the two do have in common is the option of buying with or without ‘package’ speakers, and while the standard offerings are pretty good for the money, adding about £100 to the price of the RCD-N7 alone, they’re not the last word in sound quality, and the receiver unit is capable of more than they suggest.

I’d definitely suggest taking the ‘receiver only’ route and partnering the electronics with some over-performing budget speakers such as the Mission MX1s or Tannoy Mercury V1s, either of which will leave you a good amount of change from £200, or even stretching up to the likes of Monitor Audio’s Bronze BX2 speakers (£250/pr) or the Epos Epic 1s tested last month, at around £325/pr.

So partnered, the Denon defies its compact dimensions with a sound that’s big, rich and powerful, whether playing music from its built-in CD player or an iPod, or streaming it from internet or network storage. As ever, the sound quality with iPod or streamed files depends on the bitrate and codec used to store the music, but all things being equal the Denon manages to be peppy and detailed without ever sounding harsh or brittle, and manages to deliver plenty of bass weight – there’s even a socket for an add-on active subwoofer if required – while at the same time sounding taut and agile.

The balance is excellent: this isn’t a system with any notable sonic characteristic, sticking instead to an even-handed delivery of the music it’s asked to play, whatever the source.

This is a very fine-sounding little system, and more than capable of challenging similarly-priced systems of CD player and amplifier on performance alone, while leaving them for dead in terms of ease of use and flexibility.

For those sticking their first tentative toe in the water of networked music, those wanting a high-quality set-up for a second room, or even first-time system buyers or upgraders after a future-proofed package capable of filling small to medium-sized rooms with music to a high standard, the RCD-N7 has much to commend it.

Denon CEOL
Type Networked music system
Price typically £600 with speakers, £500 without
Amplifier 2x65W
Tuner FM RDS/AM
Audio inputs 3.5mm stereo on front panel, 2 sets RCA phonos on rear panel
Digital inputs Optical, USB, iPod dock
Audio outputs One pair of speakers, line out, subwoofer, headphones
Other connections Ethernet, Wi-Fi, radio antennae
Accessories supplied Remote handset, Wi-Fi/radio antennae
Dimensions (RCD-N7, WxHxD) 28x11.2x29.9cm, (SC-N7 HxWxD) 23.3x14.5x23.6cm
www.denon.co.uk