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Philips MCM530 5-CD Microsystem (Silver/Wood)

Philips MCM530 5-CD Microsystem (Silver/Wood)

List Price: $169.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Searching for this kind of Mini Stereo...
Review: I definitely like the sound quality of this mini stereo. After buying and returning several mp3 stereos, i decided upon this one, and was surprised that it was able to rewind/fast forward through mp3 files (something critical that most mini stereo manufacturers touting mp3 capability have yet to add). Although the sound isn't audible while rewinding on mp3s,(minor drawback, but the positives outweigh the negatives).

I finally invested in a stereo in which, i feel the manufacturers made mp3s their main focus. Other manufacturers treat mp3 capability as an after thought. With a large collection of mp3 cds, i enjoy being able to listen to them without changing cds all the time. (have yet to hook it up to pc via usb,though)--My main concern was mp3 cds.

The sound quality is excellent. It produces a clean, balanced sound, not too bassy(more natural). DVD movies sound very good through the auxilary inputs. Only issue, is the stereo has a fan built in it, in order to keep from overheating (i guess), which isn't noticeable unless you have very quiet songs or volume turned down low. (the fan is built at the back of the unit and turns on when the unit is on(similar to a computer drive).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A little powerhouse
Review: I was a more than a little leary of ordering this. I've not had good luck with Philips electronics in the past, but this little wonder put those fears to rest.

First of all, it looks great. I love the styling, although I'm still not real fond of the blonde speaker cabinets, but it's growing on me.

The unit sounds like a washing machine when you first turn it on, I guess it's checking each of the CD drives. The main reason I bought this was the MP3 capabilities, and I believe Philips has optimized it for that purpose. Instead of a single platter type changer, it has FIVE separate cd trays. You can play all 5 CDs straight through, but shuffle and repeat modes only apply to the current disk. So, if you load this thing with 5 CDs, it won't shuffle between all 5 disks, only the current one, then it switches to the next CD. This is fine if you want to shuffle through a homemade MP3 CD each with hundreds of songs, but not so good for plain old audio CDs.

The best feature of the unit is the sound, it is enormous for such a little thang. I have a big Sony system in my with den with huge JBL speakers, and this little dynamo sounds darn near as good.

I've compared standard audio CDs versus my homemade MP3 CDs, and I really can't tell the difference in sound quality. It has 4 equalizer and 4 reverb settings, they all sound great to me. The MAX SOUND is basically a loudness button on steroids, boosting both the highs and lows and adding some reverb. Again, I hate to keep repeating this, but it sounds great for such a little unit.

It has a clock display and a timer feature. The FM tuner is okay, it comes with one of those dopey wire antennas, I wish it had a telescoping type instead.

Overall I am very happy with this unit and would recommend it to my friends.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great sound, Fits in a bookshelf, Plays music from computer
Review: This is very good sounding for a small room, I have it in the basement, gets the whole family dancing. It plays CDs (CD-R and CD-RW) with MP3s on them as well as normal audio CDs. And hooked up to the computer with USB cable I can listen to the music before burning CDs, also internet radio.


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