Kenwood K-701

Towards the higher end of micro Hi-Fi systems in terms of price, Kenwood's K-701 is a simple product that comes with just a CD player and radio with a pair of two-way speakers. The speakers complement the styling of the CD player to give an overall attractive aesthetic. Also included is a very functional and well laid out remote control.

Setting up this package is an easy task, as would be expected with a micro system. Just connect the speakers to the player with the supplied wiring, and power it up. An auto calibration microphone is included to normalize speaker levels if they are not placed in equidistant positions in the room.

Music playback was better than expected for a system of this size. The middle and upper registers were clear, and with the addition of the D-bass setting, bass was surprisingly good. Everything from opera to rock to dance and pop music sounded great - if we had to pick a fault it would be the lack of very deep frequency response. Again, this is only if we were really pushed to find a weakness, as this system really does produce great sound - especially considering it only has two way speakers.

Music could be pushed to a fairly high volume and there was little distortion present at this range. Sound felt very flat with no equalising, but with the adjustment of a couple of settings a warm and encompassing sound was easily attained.

There is a host of equalisation settings available, including a seven band equaliser, bass and treble isolation adjustments as well as a D-bass setting. With all these of these combined you would be hard pressed not to find a configuration you were content with. On top of this there are three presets to save your favourite settings. Getting lost in this world of equalising is not a problem as it can all be switched off with the press of a button.

There are few connectivity options with the K-701 unfortunately, but for a micro Hi-Fi system this is not too great a concern. There are four RCA ports - three inputs for devices such as a tape deck or record player, and one output. There is also a subwoofer pre output, which is a handy inclusion if you ever wanted to add an extra dimension to the system, as well as AM and FM antenna ports.

The K-701 will certainly appeal to people who are willing to spend a little more for a micro Hi-Fi system in return for great sound quality and a sleek design.