Great quality for a good price
Written: Apr 13 '01 (Updated May 19 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: sweet looks, primo sound, smart functions
Cons: hmmmm...won't fit on my shelf, display difficult to read when off
The Bottom Line: If you are like me - a poor student who loves your music - it is more than adequate and will impress your friends
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| naomii's Full Review: Sony CMT-CP11 CD Shelf System |
I have been without a stereo for the past six months so finally I can listen to MY music - music that isn't secondhand from my flatmates.
I went shopping for a stereo for my bedroom and looked at several models before I settled on this one. I liked it at first glance, attracted mainly by its slick silver body and wood-grain look speakers - a nice combination of high-tech space age sleekness and (although fake) natural wood. Well, I'm a sucker for that kind of combination. Unfortunately, the demo CD was Mariah Carey, but i believe that that was what made me buy it. If the stereo could make Mariah sound good, imagine what it could do for my rock-the-party CD collection! Sold.
The stereo incorporates a single tape deck, single CD player, tuner with 20 presets, a hole to plug in headphones and a hole to plug in a minidisc system. So you have the option of adding on if you want - room to expand! It has an alarm function, bass and treble controls, repeat CD function, shuffle track, record to tape, and good FM sound. I did find the FM a little fuzzy on other stations, but I think it may be my location that does it - my flatmate's stereo isn't too hot on Radio One either.
It was also attractive because of the reasonable price. I paid $NZ450, but it was advertised for $NZ599 so I got a good deal. I'm not sure what that translates into US but I think it's worth around $US300, if that helps. Go to www.sony.com to grab the price.
A TV show here in NZ - "Holmes" - ran a programme on mini-systems - trying to find the best quality model for the best price. The CMT-CP11 won. I just found that out after I bought it so I was pretty happy! I guess I could have gone for a model that actually incorporated an MD unit into the main system, but I reckon MD players are out and besides, I didn't need or particularly want one. I believe there are similar Sony models out there with an MD player though.
Anyway, For all you techno-freaks wanting to know about the specs, here's a list plagiarised from the website:
Drawer-loading (single) CD Player
Dynamic Sound Generator (DSG) - (this makes it sound so much better I wonder why they didn't just incorporate it permanently)
Dual Mode Transparent Display - (orange see-through - looks pretty natty)
Rotary Bass and Treble controls - (change treble and bass to suit your taste or the type of music - seven settings on each)
Full logic, auto reverse Cassette Deck with Dolby B NR
30 watts/channel, x2, 4 ohms, 120 - 10,000 Hz, 10% THD
Frequency synthesis tuner with 20 FM, 10 AM presets
2-Way speakers with wood style cabinets
Remote Commander remote control
I gave the Sony a 4 on ease of use because it took me a wee while to find out how to set the presets on the radio station, but i think I may be just ignorant. There is also a bit of confusion with the remote and main unit - you have to use a combination of both for some features, like presetting the radio or the timer which I thought was a bit silly, but again, I may be just an ignorant git. It took me, on average, 1/2 an hour to plug it in and set up the time, presets, timer and find my way around it. Very easy but I still give it a 4 for the combination main unit-remote arrangement.
My biggest gripe about it is that the display - i.e. the clock when turned off - is difficult to read from across the room in bed at night. The display is bright orange and easy to read when on but when off it fades and I can't read the numbers. And I have good eyesight.
In my small to medium sized bedroom, the stereo performs well. I'm not sure I would recommend it for a large room or lounge - it's a bit small - but for my uses it is perfect. So it looks pretty and sounds totally cool - which is what I was after and I think I chose well.
Note: There is one other epinion on this model, the author says he/she found it hard to find MD button. I had no problems here, you just push the button, man! Good luck.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
naomii
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Location: Dunedin, New Zealand
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
I'm feeling like some sun.
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