Awesome Stereo
Written: Feb 20 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Customizable equalizer, records to MDs at 2X speed, CD-Text, Reads CDRW's, Auxiliary Port
Cons: Awkward remote with few controls,
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this player because of it's versatility, sound options, customizable equalizer, MD and CD playback, CD-Text, strong radio reception, and great sound quality.
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| RedLazarus's Full Review: Sony DHC-ZX50MD Shelf System |
My friend was telling me all about his new stereo, and the more I heard the more I wanted one for myself. Once I discovered that this system was on sale this week and there weren't many left, I decided to go for it and hope for the best.
When I got it home, it was better than the best. It plays 2 cassettes, 1 MD, 5 CDs, and AM and FM radio. Not to mention it has an auxiliary port for a DVD player or other peripheral, as well as an optical line-in port. With all of those options, it's hard to imagine what this machine can't play.
The CD player of this system plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs all with ease. And if you make your CDs with text info, this player can read that and tell you the names of your songs and even album. I have yet to find any store bought CDs that have CD text, but I hope they are available soon. There are 5 lights, one for each CD compartment, to tell you which ones are full and which are empty. While one is playing, you can change the other four. This allows for non-stop music action!
The MD player on this system can read and record MDs at 1X and 2X speed, and has the option of 2LP and 4LP modes to double or quadruple the length of information on one MD. It can record off CDs, cassettes, the radio, or the optical line-in port. Recording in LP mode may make the MDs unreadable in other older Minidisc players, so be careful about that. And when recording from CDs with text info, it claims it can copy the text info into the MD as well. Mine has failed to do that by itself, and if I want to get the song name onto the MD I have to do it manually during recording, or type it in after the MD is finished. Still, recording is great otherwise and the MDs made in this player in regular (not LP) mode work fine in my personal MD player, and vice versa.
The tape player works fine, although I have not used it extensively. The radio works great, and picks up stations that other stereos in my house do not. You can store 10 AM and 20 FM stations, and you can even name them if you like. Also, when recording from the radio, the unit starts the recording 6 seconds BEFORE you hit the record button in order to get the beginning of a song off the radio. I thought that was pretty cool.
The sound options on this unit are many. There are surround, cinema, grove, V-grove, and Ex-grove settings, as well as an equalizer with about 6 preset setting and 5 more that you can customize. The visual sound display is very pretty, and can have 3 styles, or be off completely. The speakers are awesome, being very large and very loud at the same time. The bass on these speakers can be almost shattering, especially with the v-grove setting. The speakers are actually 3 in one, and do a good job of simulating a surround sound environment. There are only 2 speakers, however. I think a unit of this caliber could have included 2 or 3 more small speakers to help get the surround sound feel. Nevertheless, the sound is still great.
As much as I love this unit, I do have some complaints with it. The remote is the largest. It's small and awkward to hold, and only has basic controls. Recording is impossible to control from the remote, as are most of the sound options. The equalizer can be changed, but not the sound mode. And you do not have direct control to any CD number you want, you must go through them all to get to the one you want. Most of the controls have to be done at the unit itself, which can get annoying for the lazy people like me. Also, the power button has to be hit first in order for anything else to work. I personally prefer units where you can hit any button and it just starts up. A small complaint, but a complaint nonetheless. Also, the options are a little tricky to learn at first, but after you get the hang of it they become second nature. Finally, the forward and reverse controls for the MD, radio, and CD player (same buttons) are quite small compared to the others. And some of the buttons (Sound options, REC buttons) are split up and placed in different sections of the unit. It looks better this way, but it makes it a little harder to get around.
Overall I love this stereo. I did get it for about half the recommended price, and I'm not sure I would say it is worth $600, but if you see it cheaper it is definitely worth it. It looks so very sleek, and its pros outweigh its cons. Certainly a great stereo for the audiophile.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
RedLazarus
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Member: John Lankau
Location: Centereach, NY (Long Island)
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 5 members
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