Sony Micro Stereo System with CD PlayerFM Tuner

1. ( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Sep 1 2008

   * Positives: I live half a kilometer away from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), one of the busiest airports in the world, awash in radio waves of all sorts. Friends have trouble getting cell phone reception at my place. Saying that, the reception on this unit is superb. I can get all local stations crystal clear, even some weakly powered college radio stations. I bought this unit for work because it has a headphone jack on the front of the unit, which is becoming a rarity these days. The sound through my expensive headphones is very good. The unit is quite clear. Better than I was expecting - better than a 'generic mobile mp3 player'. Way better. This unit has real hi-fi components. Not audiophile quality, but not cheap mobile junk either. You can hear the difference. Compared to every other 'small' system I have, from portable to "boombox", this unit sounds better. This system also plays mp3 discs (if burned correctly) and is able to go multiple folder levels deep in order to find & play the songs. * Negatives: Sony's design A-team was not assigned to this unit. It looks like something that would have been offered several decades ago. The main unit is big and bulky (but solid). The entire package - especially the CD tray - is an odd mishmash of styles. It's labeled a 'Micro' system, but its more like a normal hi-fi unit that got shrunk in the wash. Mini, maybe, but not micro. Also, the speakers are very cheaply made - this is where they cut costs. If you have your own speakers, I recommend you use them instead. Some of the controls are only on the main unit (like DSGX), while others are only on the remote control (including tuner preset memories, clock/timer settings, and EQ), so don't lose that remote, or the stations you initially preset will be the only presets you ever have. There are 20 preset FM radio stations, and even if not filled in, will be gone through when going to the next preset. In other words, if you preset 10 stations and are on preset #10, in order to reach preset #1 you will either have to go down through each preset, "9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1", or go up through all the presets you haven't filled in yet, "11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-1". You MUST go through all 20 presets, filled in or not. As there are no number keys anywhere, you cannot reach a certain preset out of order. Kind of irritating, unless you actually have 20 stations you like to listen to. Finally, no mute button. * Sum: Sound is very clear. Look is very quirky. Main unit is solidly built, if bulky. Speakers are not spectacular. If sound is more important to you than looks, consider it, especially if you plan on listening through headphones.

2. Posted: Jul 3 2008

   Ironically it is not that easy to find a home component system. There are plenty of $50 specials floating around but you end up spending that money and get ok sound. On the other hand you might not want to spend a few hundred dollars for sepearate components or a 'high end' system. For good sound at a good price this system rocks. We got it for our master bedroom which is large, 20 by 20 and this fills up the room no problem. In fact I have not come yet to max sound so I am not sure exactly how loud it will go. It has way more than enough pre-sets and very good sound on the tuner. It really shines on CD though. Very accurate, crisp sound. The aux in, located in the front is icing on the cake. Just plug and wholah great sound from your mp3 player. The remote has all the functions you would want. The receiver is not large but it is fairly deep. If you are thinking of putting it on a narrow shelf, check the dimensions in the product description and your shelf depth and go from there. One of the better sony products I have bought...and stylish to boot. Excellent choice for great sound in an apartment or dorm or really any situation.

3. ( 1 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: May 30 2008

   Big. Clunky. Awkward. Heavy. The label claims that the stereo is from Sony, but the design violently contradicts it. For all that, your average clock radio gets better FM reception. Plan on holding the antenna wire whenever the radio's on, unless you enjoy the overpowering hiss of noise. CD performance is at best pedestrian. The controls are poorly laid out and overly complex for the relatively few features they provide. Don't put the unit on a shelf that's above eye level, as most of the controls are on top.

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