Too Many Lemons On This Orange Tree
Written: Jun 06 '05 (Updated Jul 21 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Innovative design; commendable bass considering size; weighty, solid remote; wall-mountable
Cons: Very questionable build quality; hums with current when off; LED display illegible at indirect angles
The Bottom Line: For looks, sound, and wall-mounting, this CD shelf system is awesome. However, this model suffers from low-grade build quality; even after we tried THREE of these systems, problems persisted.
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| kedsand1's Full Review: Brookstone AcoustiClearâ„¢ Shelf System |
For the longest time, my wife and I searched for a small CD system for our bedroom. There were several criteria that shaped our search. The first criterion was that the system had to have good bass sound -- the kind of sound one may get from a sub-woofer. The second criterion was that the system had to be compact and unobtrusive, which ruled out numerous boxy shelf systems. And, the third criterion was that it had to be pleasing to the eye -- this ruled out cheaper, Wal-Martesque systems that seem more suitable for a 14-year-old's bedroom than in an adult master bedroom. Of course, beyond these three criteria, we sought a system that would be relatively inexpensive in consideration of the previously stated criteria.
At first, we purchased a Philips CD Micro Hi-Fi Stereo System (MC235), from the aforementioned purveyor of inexpensive (and sometimes downright "cheap") goods, Wal-Mart (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3167619). This system (with its wafer-thin profile, attractive vertical-CD loader, and wall-mountability) seemed to fit the bill, and had a very enticing sub-$80 price tag! However, the remote control's operation proved to be intermittent and limited, and the sound was a bit too tinny and lacking bass to be a truly great system. Next, my wife and I combed the Internet for a while and considered such blockbusters as the Bose Wave System ($500) and the Cambridge Soundworks Radio CD System (740) ($350), but both were prohibitively expensive, despite having been rumored to provide excellent sound (but no wall-mountability). Then, my wife and I stumbled upon a system available at Brookstone: the AcoustiClear Desktop CD System. When we saw it, we thought long and hard about purchasing it before we passed up more expensive offerings by Brookstone and picked it up.
When we first removed the AcoustiClear Desktop CD System from the box and plugged it in, we tested it with a couple of our CDs. From the beginning, we were impressed by the clarity of the treble, the commendable bass output, and the projection of sound through those mesmerizingly clear speakers (i.e. great volume). Besides the sound, the unit was very captivating -- after all, who would not fancy clear speakers! Those clear speakers gave the illusion of a smaller unit, which was definitely what we were looking for, and they add to the feeling of the shelf system being technologically advanced.
There were other aspects of this CD shelf system that stood out. One was the ability to deactivate the LCD backlight, which is normally a bright blue tint; this is useful, especially if you wish to sleep with white noise playing, but not have a piercing blue night light on all night. The unit also loads CDs vertically, which is visually appealing and, once again, suggests a technologically advanced system. Plus, the remote control felt solid and heavy, which was comforting; flimsy circuit-board remote controls do NOT inspire confidence. On top of these reasons, radio reception and clarity were excellent, with crisp, clear vocalizations coming via a very effective wire antenna.
With all of these wonderful features, this Brookstone system seemed to have a lot going for it. However, as we went about using the system, we noticed minor annoyances. First, the LED display: though the display is backlit by a comely blue tint, if you do not look at the display directly, the characters become illegible. We initially placed the system on top of a 5 ft. tall chest of drawers; this made reading the display difficult for my wife and annoying for me, since the unit (when left on its desktop base) rests in a slant. Wall-mounting at eye level may solve the issue, but an LED display must be legible in order to know what the system is doing, right?!
The second annoyance we noticed was a clicking sound that the system made WHILE a song played. It sounded like the movement of the CD laser lens mechanism as it tracked the correct location on the CD, but that annoyance was very noticeable and discouraging. It was on the basis of this "malfunction" that we returned the system and got a replacement. Sadly, the replacement did the same thing, SO we called Brookstone and asked them to ship out a replacement, which they did. Now, this system (our third one, if you have lost count) seems to not have that clicking sound, though there is now a less obtrusive (but still irritating) whirring sound that happens from time to time while any song is played; it happens but once or twice per CD, but it is worry-inducing.
The third annoyance we encountered was the low hum that the system made, even when deactivated. It must have been the sound of electrical current running to the system, but the sound is somewhat noticeable at 6 a.m. This may not be an issue, operation-wise -- my guess is that the bass sub-woofer is probably a bit too close to the electrical power wiring. But, I'm not an electrician, so who knows...
These three annoyances add up to one thing: questionable build quality. To encounter issues with an electronic item is not uncommon; to encounter the SAME issues with the replacement of that item is very uncommon. Even the third unit, on which we have acquiesced/settled, has its issues! This all would lead any sane person to question whether owning this CD system is wise or not...
Along with the uncertain quality of the system, there was one thing that we noticed as we opened and packed the two previous systems: the boxes for the first two systems we had tried appeared to have been opened at some point in the past! The third unit we got had blue protective packing plastic over the speakers, where the first two units did not; this suggested to us that the first two units were probably used. Moreover, all three units had varying degrees of scuffing on the outside of the system's frame, due to less-than-superior packing. Top these off with (at least for the first two systems) boxes that looked a bit abused during transport, and one begins to doubt not only the build quality, but also the packaging standards and the return policies of Brookstone (do they really return defective stereos, or do they recycle them?!)...
My wife and I have grown weary of hunting for a CD shelf system for our bedroom, so we shall put our third Brookstone AcoustiClear Desktop CD System through its paces. The innovative, clear speaker design, coupled with the pleasant bass and general sound quality of the unit, have made it easy for us to overlook the "minor" annoyances of this functional unit. We may have more faith in this system than is healthy to have, but we have not found a CD shelf system that looks and sounds like this one at this price AND it be compact and wall-mountable. Hopefully, the "third time is the charm," though I am trying to not be TOO hopeful.
Then again, if I sacrifice a little bass, perhaps that Phillips CD system would not be so bad to try again...?
(Author's Note: as of 6/1/05, Brookstone no longer features this system in its paper catalog -- they now feature a 3-CD version. However, the reviewed item is still sold at Brookstone locations. Perhaps, the reviewed item was a prototype for the current 3-CD AcoustiClear system, but my feeling is that the 1-CD shelf system was defective, and now they have removed it from the catalog. This is just a theory...)
Update (7/10/05): my wife and I finally returned our THIRD Brookstone system. That clicking sound (which occurred during track play) had increased in frequency to the point where it became overly irritating. We've since moved onto another system (a TEAC CD shell system -- read my review at http://www.epinions.com/content_190573350532). Thank goodness for 60-day return policies!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
kedsand1
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Location: Circle City, USA
Reviews written: 123
Trusted by: 34 members
About Me:
Even if you're homeless, you can still write Epinions at the local library.
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