Sony CMTBX20I CMT-BX20i 50w Micro Hi-Fi Shelf System Black

I have had this system since early January '09, and paid $129+ tax. I am, overall, very satisfied with the purchase. There were no surprises. It looks and performs as represented on the Amazon page. I rate it a B+, or an 8.5/10 overall compared to similar priced bookshelf systems.

PRO:

*Great looking in basic black, fits (style-wise and otherwise, it's also quite small) into anyone's living/bed room or office. Nice bright, clear, easy to read display.

*Solid Sony construction and quality. Materials and assembly are first rate.

*Operation is straightforward and relatively simple. I learned basic functions in 5 minutes, and seldom needed to consult the fold-out style minimalistic manual.

*Sound is clear and accurate, and volume is ample enough to fill a typical room. Very little distortion or clipping even near top volume.

*Has controls or all basic functions on top of unit as well as remote, so you can still use it during times when you can't find your remote. Remote operation is intuitive AND logical. No stupid gimmick functions no one ever uses to get in the way, but does what it needs to do from across the room

*iPod mounts atop unit (unit charges iPod whenever connected). Slides in easily. Easy to view iPod display. Position is practical; iPod does NOT tend to get in way or fall out as they do on a number of other like systems/docks. There is another jack for additional input (like connect to an Apple Airport Express/Extreme to run Airtunes and listen to Pandora/streaming or tracks in non-iPod formats).

*Plays custom MP3 CDs, including displaying ID3 tags. This means (if you burn the disc correctly) that playing an MP3 CD, you will see artist/album, and then track name. I find this a nice feature, though I guess its becoming pretty common.

CONS:

*Limited bass response, with no provision for connection to external subwoofer. Most of the time not really noticeable, but for heavily bass driven music, you miss feeling the beat. Bass is there though, and is accurate and proportional. EQ is simple +/- separate treble and bass controls. Use of standard iPod EQ profiles has little effect on sound, though custom settings imported from iTunes DO work better.

*Speaker grilles not removable. Wiring passes through part board enclosures, and no strain relief mechanism, so it would be both a pain to replace speaker wires and over time more likely to need it. Wires are long enough for now at about 8 feet, and you could always splice more length in if needs be. Thats not ideal, as would be if you had easy access inside enclosures. I haven't tried the unit with other speakers, since the system impedance is 6 ohms and the various speakers I have access to are all 8 ohms (which is, or was, the standard, isn't it?).

*CD player recognizes only MP3 or CDDA/AIFF format discs/tracks. It really wouldn't have raised the production cost noticeably to include AAC, WAV, WMA, and most of all FLAC/ALAC.

I recommend this system to anyone looking for good sound (quality and quantity) on a budget, with the reservations mentioned about bass response. Likewise, its a solidly made unit that will last for years of use. I think it may be the best overall of its kind for use with iPod, at least until you get up to the Bose, Harman-Kardon, Denon, Bang/Olufsen class models (all of which retail at $350 and [way] up).

I purchased this model at Best Buy for $109 after trying and returning an all-in-one Memorex shelf unit that was more expensive. I should remember that for the future, "Sony no baloney." I have a larger Sony component system for the past 16 years which never gave me any trouble. I like this model for the following reasons:

1. Good sound. 50w total power makes a big difference compared with lower rated shelf systems. It will definitely fill a room without putting it on maximum volume.
2. Elegant design and white display. Shows clock when unit is powered off on standby.
3. Controls are easy to figure out on unit and on remote control.
4. CD is sliding tray type on the front. Not the top loading type with a button in the center. I hate those.
5. Headphones jack is in the front where I want it.

Be aware though, that the "EQ" is really just treble and bass controls from -4 to +4. There is no balance control. This was not really a disappointment. The sound is great.

What I didn't like was minor:
1, The rear of the particle board speakers is not painted like the black enclosure. Depending on where you place the system it might not look as nice. You could always paint them yourself. I put mine where you won't see this. If you put these speakers on a shelf, you won't notice.

2. The supplied AM antennae is ok, but the FM antenna is just a single wire that attaches to a coax terminal. I could not get much reception where I put the unit. But that's much better than systems that just have a single non-detachable wire coming out. Because, with the coax terminal I attached a $10 RCA FM/VHF/UHF antennae which works fine.

All in all I still give it 5 stars because it does the job for me with no headache.

I am very impressed with this system. It has the sleek styling you expect from Sony and the quality too. The speakers have good sound especially considering their size. We had been searching for a system with multiple cd trays to replace our old one, but settled on this and we are very glad that we did-it made us really appreciate ipod technology. The system is also the perfect home for an old ipod (1.4.1) with a defunct battery. Really great product and very well priced for what you get.

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