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Alastair Stevenson says a 1998 What Hi-Fi? review of the Denon D-M3 helped spark his love of hi-fi. The compact micro system seemed made for the bedroom listening space he wanted as a teenager; although he never got to own it, the review became part of a lasting memory about discovering music and wanting to hear it well.
How What Hi-Fi? became part of family life
In his 50th-anniversary essay, published on 25 September 2026, What Hi-Fi? editor in chief Alastair Stevenson recalls growing up with the magazine on the family coffee table. His father was an audio enthusiast, and those copies gave Stevenson an early way to learn about hi-fi.
The anniversary issue looks back over five decades of hi-fi history and also considers the future of hi-fi and home cinema. The magazine’s 50th-anniversary coverage brings together other retrospectives alongside Stevenson’s personal account.
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The 1998 Denon review that caught his attention
The product he remembers is the Denon D-M3 micro system. Stevenson says he saw its review in a 1998 issue of What Hi-Fi? At the time, he had a cheap turntable but wanted a CD player. He recalls that his local record shop had largely stopped stocking new records, and he wanted to listen to music in his bedroom without asking his parents to leave the lounge.
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A full separates rack would not fit the space he had in mind. The D-M3’s compact format therefore mattered as much as the promise of good sound: it looked like a system that could bring capable music playback into a bedroom.
Stevenson recalls the review calling the Denon “a great all-rounder, and as comfortable playing hardcore rap as it is a string quartet”. That description is available here through his 2026 recollection; the original 1998 review has not been independently checked. He also remembers the D-M3 costing £300 at the time, a price he attributes to his memory rather than a separately verified archival record.
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He never got the Denon
Stevenson asked his father for the D-M3 for Christmas and tried to make the case by offering better grades, doing chores and contributing money. He says he did not get the system that year or the next. He eventually received a Panasonic SA-PM37MD micro system instead.
That distinction matters: this is a memory of being drawn to a product through a review, not an account of owning or auditioning the Denon. Stevenson says he never listened to the D-M3 at the time. Its significance was what it represented—a way to enjoy music in his own space and hear it as well as possible.
Rank #3
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- BLUETOOTH SUPPORT AND DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY – Extend your audio experience with unlimited sources. 2 Optical, 1 Coaxial & 1 phono input to connect CD Player, Blu-Ray turntables & more. Pairs with your smartphone via bluetooth home stereo built-in DAC
- LISTEN TO SONGS WITH IMPECCABLE PRECISION – Bluetooth amplifier for speakers, Powered by Denon Advanced High Current (AHC) push-pull circuit power amplifier; BALANCES HIGH POWER & MUSIC DETAILING PERFECTLY for clean, rich, immersive audio
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Why the memory lasted
In the anniversary essay, Stevenson says the review helped focus his love of music and his desire to hear it in good quality. He describes the memory as fundamentally linked to happiness, which is how hi-fi should feel. The D-M3 stayed with him not because he could report on its performance from experience, but because reading about it gave shape to an interest that had already begun at home.
Read Stevenson’s full anniversary essay for his account of the magazine, his father and the Denon review.
Quick Recap
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- Amplify and enjoy your home audio experience in the comfort of your home.Frequency band : 2,400 MHz – 2,483.5 MHz, Maximum output power : ≤ 5.0 dBm..Connector Type: Bluetooth
- 100 watts x 2 (8 ohms, 1 Kilo Hertz). Speaker impedance - 6–16 ohms
- Phono input, 4 stereo RCA audio inputs, 3.5 millimeter input, stereo RCA output
- Built in Bluetooth lets you wirelessly stream your favorite music service, podcasts, and more from other Bluetooth devices.
- Connect up to 4 speakers; A/B switching to play all at once, or in separate zones
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- FULL VOICE CONTROL COMPATIBILITY WITH ALEXA & OTHER MAJOR VOICE AGENTS lets you sit back and enjoy music on your home stereo amplifier without having to reach for the remote adjust volume skip or change tracks or switch inputs absolutely hands-free
What this story does—and does not—say about the D-M3
- It identifies the Denon D-M3 as the micro system Stevenson remembers from a 1998 What Hi-Fi? review.
- It explains why its compact size appealed to a teenager hoping to set up bedroom listening without room for separates.
- It does not establish the system’s specifications, present-day availability, condition, or current value, and it is not a present-day buying recommendation.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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