Berlin
A new provider from Berlin with the Auna brand and others with European roots such as test winner Grundig are competing with the top dogs from the Far East.
The testers checked 15 mini hi-fi systems, all with CD players, VHF radio, separate loudspeakers for stereo sound and, apart from Denon, also with DAB + digital radio. Four devices are network-compatible, so they also play internet radio and music from streaming services via WiFi. This also works indirectly with devices that are not network-compatible, since all compact systems can fetch music via Bluetooth, for example from a cell phone. Which one sounds good? Is the volume enough for a living room party? Which ones are easy to use in spite of their abundance of functions, do the recommended smartphone apps send unnecessary data to the Internet?
Louder than a truck
The best compact system in the test comes from Grundig (218 euros), which, among other things, won the test with a very good sound, which received a grade of 1.3. Grundig’s compact system is the only one in the test with an overall rating of very good. She benefits from her voluminous boxes. Each Grundig loudspeaker box is roughly the size of a 20 liter canister and weighs more than five kilograms. That creates a lot of pressure. With 93 decibels in bass, the Grundig is louder than a truck – and sounds great. Another Grundig (139 euros) and one each from Kenwood (194 euros) and Panasonic (272 euros) are just as powerful.
Quieter than a vacuum cleaner
Small boxes save space, but are often quieter than large ones. Lenco’s loudspeakers have a volume of less than five liters and, at a meager 62 decibels, are quieter than a cylinder vacuum cleaner. In terms of dimensions, it is basically one of the micro systems in the test. After all, they sound good.
Critical comfort
Auna, Denon and LG offer ease of use with their smartphone apps – remote control via touchscreen. Denon even controls other devices from Denon and its sister brand Marantz that are integrated into the home network. The apps from the other providers practically only bring in streaming services. Grundig does not have its own app, but recommends the Spotify streaming service for the top model. The testers rate the data transmission behavior of three apps critically. They sent unnecessary data for the function, such as a unique device identifier to the Internet radio services.
Quick start draws electricity
If you prefer to stream music instead of listening to CDs, you can use one of the four network-compatible systems from Grundig, Denon, Auna and Lenco and perhaps activate network standby: If a streaming service is then started, the systems wake up faster than from normal standby. However, the quick start costs more electricity compared to waking up by remote control. With the Denon system, the additional consumption of 3.6 instead of 0.4 watts is out of date.
