Here are the packages of cables and remote control in the bubble wrap sitting on top. Pretty much everything is here for connecting up the S-301 except an S-Video cable so that you could use the On Screen Display (OSD) from the S-301.

A typical instruction manual comes with the S-301, but for me, the two page foldout shown below was much easier to use. It has the basic steps for all the connections in a diagram format. (Click on the diagram to see a larger version.)

It was very straightforward except for the TV connections, which need a little more clarity (the cable at the top is apparently an HDMI connection, but it is not easy to figure that out unless you have experience with HDMI, which I don't).

One of the cables goes from the System Connector jack on the back of the main unit to the System Connector jack on the subwoofer.  In this photo (below) you can also see the speaker outputs (red and white in the lower left corner) and the AC cable jack.

I plugged one of the speaker cables (red) into the appropriate jack here. These are proprietary jacks and plugs, so it would be just about impossible to plug the wrong thing into them.

Connecting the other end of the speaker cable uses the same connector, but you first have to push the cable through the opening in one of the speaker stand plates, slide it down the cable and then push the connector onto the speaker.

The two speaker cables, being color coded, are marked in the diagram as left and right, so you don't get them set up backwards.

After that, you use a screwdriver to mount the stand onto the back of the speaker.

Listening

Finally, it was time to listen to some tunes. I have this set up in the bedroom with the subwoofer behind a door. Wait, before you roll the eyes, San Francisco lacks in square footage for individual rooms within a flat.

The sound is wonderful! Plenty of volume, no shrill character to the highs that you get with some inexpensive setups, and the bass is powerful but not boomy. Overall, a very big sound from a small package. The S-301 has Dolby Virtual Speaker to give a surround effect with just the two speakers, but you need to be in front of the S-301 in the right spot to get that effect.

Even in my small space, I love how it looks in the room. It fits and there are only a few cables that I can easily hide behind my dresser. This is a huge plus for me. I don't want to see the cables.

One thing that bothered me was the sensitivity of the play/pause button on the main unit. I tried to turn the volume up on the main unit and accidentally brushed my finger against the play button, and it automatically switched over to the CD. Minor, but annoying.

So how does this hold up on my dresser? I had two other judges rule on this. The cats, Toby and Scooby, got a closer look at the system, and I can tell that they were impressed with the sturdiness of the speakers. How could I tell? One specific cat likes to rub her gums on furniture. The speaker held its ground against the orange football with four paws.

Not only is this HTIB sturdy, but it is very attractive. I could picture this in a lot of my friends' places here in SF. It is a small system with a lot of sound capability. I use the iPod with it all the time when I work at the computer.

I use the S-301 tuner quite a bit too, even though I have the XM Radio hooked up in my living room system that includes the a Denon AVR-4806, which has XM satellite tuning built in. A tuner is nice option to include in any HTIB. But then I have a lot of good stations here in the Bay Area.

Conclusions

HTIBs have been around for awhile, and they actually sound very good for their modest size and cost. The Denon S-301, at $1,599, is a star performer in this arena. It has a few things that need improvement like any product, but I have to say that I was really impressed with how easy it was to set up and get down to listening to my music.

 

- Cynthia Johnson -