[REVISED Oct. 1] Bargain at twice the price
Written: Jul 18 '00 (Updated Oct 01 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, many inputs and outputs (keyboard!), great sound quality
Cons: Reliability questions, fan prone to stop, complicated remote
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| Zzach's Full Review: Sharp MD-X5 Shelf System |
<go to the bottom for the update>
I purchased my MD-X5 from shopaudiovideo.com roughly one month ago when I found they had it on sale for $99 from minidisc.org (an excellent source of MD information). Actually, I purchased two units, the other to sell and recoup a bit of the cost. Enough background, now the review:
THE UNIT:
The unit itself is quite stylish, in my opinion. It is roughly six inches wide and a bit over one foot tall. It features a tray-loading CD player, front loading MD player, tuner and LCD display with clock. It has a small internal fan to keep the components cool and in operation I've found you cannot hear the fan at all (unless you rest your head at the back of the machine. The controls on the unit itself are minimal. Volume, X-Bass, track forward/backward/tuning, MD recording controls, eject buttons, input record level knob, AM/FM band button and a power button are on the unit. The volume controls are easy to use, as are most other buttons, though I do think the track buttons could be more responsive.
On the back of the unit are a slew of ports: two digital inputs (coax and TOS-link), additional analogue RCA input and outputs, speaker attachments, antenna attachment, and perhaps one or two others that I cannot think of right now. It also features a PS/2 type keyboard port on the front of the unit for easy titling.
FUNCTIONALITY:
Operating the X5 is quite simple. When using a CD, it features all of the standard shuffle, loop, repeat modes. When using an MD, the X5 has the same features. In addition, you can have it display the MD track titles, time elapsed or remaining. The tuner function of the X5 includes the standard AM and FM ranges. It features up to 40 preset stations as well as the ability to name the preset stations. The X5 also has a clock on the LCD unit which features various timer modes, so to fade out in the evening or come on at some time in the morning, using any of its three audio sources (MD/CD/Radio). Though you have to read the manual the first time you set it up to do this, afterward it is easy to perform. The morning alarm must be set every night, however. The LCD also has two brightness levels while in operation which can be selected from the remote.
The simulated equalizer features six distinct modes, (Heavy-2, Heavy-1, Flat, Soft-2, Soft-1, and Vocal), which all sound different. I've found Flat or Vocal more appropriate for jazz, while the Heavy settings are better for more rockish music. The unit also features X-Bass, which is operable from a button either on the unit or on the remote.
It is a simple procedure to copies of a CD to a minidisc. You can record an entire disc, one track, or a selection of contiguous tracks. You cannot, in effect, set up a playlist of songs out of order to record; they must be recorded one at a time. When recording from other sources, the MD recorder can do synchro-starts when using either the tuner or an external source for the recording. This is a handy feature which is on most other units, but still nice.
UPDATED: One feature I had yet to explore when first writing this opinion was the keyboard input option. Using a keyboard, titling tracks is very easy and quick. Two special features I'd like to mention are 1. You can title while the track is playing (a feature absent on some portable recorders) and 2. You can title a track while it is recording, a feature I find very nice.
ACCESSORIES:
Speakers: The speakers included with the unit are nice looking, 12.5W units which produce a very nice sound for their size. They are appropriate for any small to mid-sized room. They have not produced any distortion for me at higher volume levels. The speakers have a light/mid brown woodgrain finish over a standard plywood/particle board material.
Remote: The remote included with the X5 is what allows you to perform the majority of the functions available on the X5. Titling, setting times, selecting pre-set stations, etc are at a single (or a few) button press(es). The only button missing from the remote is a mute button. To stop the sound you either have to turn the unit off, pause or stop the music, or turn the volume all the way down.
FM Antenna: The antenna is a loop-type antenna which plugs into the back of the main unit. It performs entirely as promised(!).
Manuals: The included documentation is well laid out and clearly describes how to operate the unit.
OVERALL:
I feel this unit is a good value for the money. If you have a portable recorder and want something to play the discs in an easier fashion at home, are seeking an easier way to title your discs, or are looking for a first step into MD, this may be the unit for you. I have read it is still available on the net for ~$125. As you may have read (or will read soon), some of the other reviewers have experienced problems with their units, so be forewarned. I was wary of the unit initially, but figured at the price it was just too good to be passed up. I would not recommend this unit as a gift for a friend, with its questionable reliability record. However, thus far I have been most happily surprised, though should I experience any problems, I will be sure to let you know.
UPDATE September 7, 2000
Well, I guess I should have believed the old adage, you get what you pay for. As I will recommend to anyone who purchases this machine now, CHECK THE FAN periodically. As I read elsewhere, a few people mentioned the fan on this unit being a little dodgy. When I first purchased my X5, I listened and it was working fine. Earlier this week I checked again and much to my dismay, it was no longer working. I opened the case up (which was actually quite interesting to see how they have everything crammed in there, but I'm just an amateur electronics player-around-with-er), took a look and sure enough, the fan wasn't moving. I nudged it and it made a few half-hearted revolutions, but not much beyond that. Got some lubricant to see if that would do the trick... unfortunately no go. I'm now trying to decide whether or not to just pull the fan out and find a new one to plunk in, send it off to Sharp service, or what. Will update again soon.
UPDATE October 1, 2000
Hopefully the final chapter in dealing with my X5: I decided to try and fix the machine myself. I removed the fan from the system and tested it with an AA battery: fan worked fine. Attempted to attach a different small electric motor and see if it would solve the problem: still no fan rotation. After some trial and error, determined the connection at the end of the fan wires (where it plugged into the circuitboard) was faulty. Didn't have extra connector and didn't feel up to trying to solder to the board itself, so I used an AA battery for a while. I borrowed a multimeter from a friend and confirmed my suspicion about the wiring. While fooling around with the multimeter, I found the fan would run when I had one of the wires connected and another grounding out to the stereo frame. Not sure if this is a dangerous solution, but is working very well so far. The stereo sounds great and is operating at a cool temperature.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Zzach
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Member: Zach Zaletel
Location: Montreal, Canada
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 2 members
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