Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)With 50 watts per channel, generously large speakers and a well-laid out remote, this should have been one killer bookshelf system. And it's certainly not a bad one. For starters, it has a simple drawer-loading CD mechanism that works nicely and inspires more confidence than the Rube Goldberg-style folding-doors on some competitors' models. The volume knob is a knob, not a maddening set of flat plates blended into the side of the cabinetry. And, unless you're on the verge of blindness, the display is readable from across an average-sized office.
Perfect, yes? No. Considering we're 20 years into the "CD revolution", it's amazing that the controls for these systems keep getting worse. For example, matching the controls (black plastic) to the enclosure (black plastic) and making them all identical ensures you'll always have a bit of a hunt for the right one. To add to the fun, the play and stop buttons are separated by 'Audio In' and 'Tuner' buttons, giving a sort of randomness to the design. The controls are on top of the unit, which keeps the front free of clutter, but unless you put the system on a fairly low shelf you might not be able to read the icons near the buttons. As a bonus, they aren't lit or even luminescent. And they are all the same shape, so touch won't guide you. This is redeemed (sort of) by a remote control that will make you want to swear off the unit controls. Except that in a single CD player you'll be approaching the system to swap CDs, so those controls matter.
Worse, the power and 'open' buttons are on the front and -- like all other controls -- are unlit and devilishly hard to find. Miss these buttons while groping and you'll add to the collection of fingermarks likely cover the impractically glossy front panel.
Next, the power output ratings may have you thinking you should shake the plaster off the ceiling with this unit and a couple of rap CDs. Wrong. Sony has given us possibly the least efficient speaker system in its lineup, so it's hard to say what all of that amplification has actually bought us. For background music, it is adequate. However for active listening it is no match for a true home audio system.
I've yet to use the Bluetooth capability, so can't comment, but that -- and the XM/Sirius capability -- would seem to be the primary benefit of this system. Using those through the remote control, it should be a good set for a home office. The sound quality is quite good for one of these smaller systems, and it dissipates heat well so that the components inside should be relatively long-lived. (A Denon unit I had earlier felt like a frying pan on top after an hour of operation.)
If the XM/Sirius/Bluetooth features matter to you, and if you plan to use the remote control exclusively, the Sony CMT-HX7BT is worth a look.
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