Well it sure doesn’t look like much on the outside.

In fact, it looks a heck of lot like dozens of other micro-bookshelf stereos on the market.

But turn on the Nano HiFi, and it’s a whole different story.

The sound that this diminutive system creates is spectacular.

Now just so we’re clear: I’m not an audiophile, and I don’t spend much time auditioning lots of different sound systems and you will never, ever hear me claim that a $1,000 pair of specially shielded speaker cables will make your music come alive.

Heck, I don’t even listen to much music these days when I’m not in the car or at the gym.

But I have had a chance to listen to some of the small stereos on the market in the $250-$500 price range and I can tell you that as far as these untrained ears are concerned, none of them come close to the Nano HiFi, and its suggested retail price is $350.

The makers of the Nano HiFi claim the little unit’s audio prowess comes from the speaker design. They used terms like “multi yoke technology” and “higher sound-pressure-levels” but I have no idea what any of that means. What I do know, is that I’ve never heard such deep, rich and clear sound come from such a small package.

There is one thing I should share as a sort of caveat to my gushing praise: The unit I listened to was perched inside a curved acrylic wall. I asked the company rep if the curved shape of the wall was having any impact on the sound I was hearing. He claimed it made no difference at all. So while I’ll have to take his word for it, a small part of me remains a tad skeptical.

You’ve never heard of Nano HiFi, and even when I Google them, nothing comes up – not even their official website with the obvious name www.nanohifi.com. Talk about flying under the radar.

But if these guys land a distribution deal in Canada (any takers?) I think you’ll be hearing a lot more from them soon.

Nano HiFi features:

• iPod/iPhone dock
• Slot-loading DVD/CD player
• FM radio
• USB port for accessing audio files from a thumbdrive
• Bluetooth
• remote control