Teac Reference 300 MKIII Review (optional DAB)

Also known as the Teac 300 MK3 this is an improved version of the very successful MK2 that broke many hearts with its stunning good looks and a grown up sound. Much of the success of the Teach Reference range is down to the looks, solid build quality and a affordable price of under £500 that can not be matched.

The MK3 is identical apart from a re-tuned amplification stage and it certainly sounds a little better at low volumes making speaker matching easier. I do recommend some larger speakers than the Teac’s own that are only suitable for bedroom sized rooms.

The Teac 300 MK3 sounds good and neutral at all levels. It sounds nothing like having an exciting NAD amplifier with strong tuneful bass guitars and (arguably over) extended sound stage. The Teac's "grown up" sound comes down to personal preference and is typically Teac. Sadly the over-sensitive tone and balance control never help. The AG-H300 MKlll Stereo Receiver at 35 watts per channel the does play very loud but not as loud as a NAD or ROTEL but this could be down to Teac's reserved levels.

The Teac comes with T-H300Mklll AM/FM tuner but if you want DAB then you must select the excellent T-H300DABMklll where you can listen to many niche stations such as XFM and Chill. With both tuners you can wake up to a radio station thanks to a digital clock and timer function perfect for the bedroom. There is nothing much more to say apart from the remote control is adequate and the system is also available in black however silver gets my vote every time.

The negatives of the system apart from the unexciting sound quality is unlike my Teach Reference 255 there is no USB to connect directly to an MP3 player, USB memory stick or external hard drive. This would have really helped with sales figurers.

Final words; stunning, unique looks with good but unexciting sound that may be enough for some fashion contentious audiophiles. 8.5/10