Rating: 
Summary: Stay away from this product! (background noise/hiss)
Review: I too have had problems with the audible hiss/static/background noise with this stereo. Basically, if you play a CD at a reasonably low volume, you will hear an annoying hiss in the background. This hiss is also audible in the MD (auxiliary) input, which is one feature I tend to use a lot to play MP3s from my computer. It's possible that the hiss is also a problem with the radio tuner as well -- but since my signal reception is so poor, it's hard for me to tell. (Note: other stereos I have purchased have gotten significantly better FM radio reception than this one; however, your mileage may vary.)Aesthetically, the style and user interface are fine, but the poor sound quality alone should be enough to keep you away from this unit. I would have expected more from Sony.
Rating:
Summary: CD Tray Did Not Open
Review: In my earlier review, I said that this was a nice sounding system and that I didn't hear the hiss that the other reviewers had mentioned. But now that I've had it over a week I know EXACTLY what they were talking about. There is a constant level of speaker noise regardless of the audio source. While a certain level of noise is to be expected when using the tuner (and to a lesser extent, when listening to tapes), it is unacceptable when listening to CDs. Playing soft background music is out of the question, and classical pieces with soft passages are a complete loss. You have to turn the volume up to at least 7 (the max is 30) to be able to hear anything clearly over the constant hiss. Even spoken word is noticeably distorted. Even with the volume up to midrange to minimize the hiss, the sound is not clean at all. While I still maintain that this is a very attractive product, and that the CD changer does NOT make an undue amount of noise for a multitray system, the speaker noise is just unacceptable. I'll be returning it as soon as possible. What a disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, THAT hiss...
Review: In my earlier review, I said that this was a nice sounding system and that I didn't hear the hiss that the other reviewers had mentioned. But now that I've had it over a week I know EXACTLY what they were talking about. There is a constant level of speaker noise regardless of the audio source. While a certain level of noise is to be expected when using the tuner (and to a lesser extent, when listening to tapes), it is unacceptable when listening to CDs. Playing soft background music is out of the question, and classical pieces with soft passages are a complete loss. You have to turn the volume up to at least 7 (the max is 30) to be able to hear anything clearly over the constant hiss. Even spoken word is noticeably distorted. Even with the volume up to midrange to minimize the hiss, the sound is not clean at all. While I still maintain that this is a very attractive product, and that the CD changer does NOT make an undue amount of noise for a multitray system, the speaker noise is just unacceptable. I'll be returning it as soon as possible. What a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: piece of junk
Review: My husband bought this for me because I had been harping for years about the giant system in our bedroom. This was small but I can't even listen to the radio the reception is so horrible. CD's are fine but the changer is ridiculously loud. He spent way too much for this since I usually just turn on my clock radio to listen to the radio and only use this unit for cd's.
Rating: 
Summary: Good sound noisy changer
Review: My system has excellent sound quality, unlike some that have described hissing and other system sound. The bass with the "Mega-Bass" is very true, yet not boomy like some systems. The sound of this system was more like systems costing twice as much. The sound of the cd changer is lound and disconcerting. Overall, great sound quality for the price.
Rating:
Summary: Great features, but just not worth the noise...
Review: Several of the other reviewers complain about static or noise at low volume. I noticed it when playing music through the speakers, but it was very mild and doesn't bother me at all. Where is it extremely annoying, however, is when listening through headphones. I know the problem isn't my headphones, they work fine attached to anything else. But on this unit, the static buzz is so pronounced, I had a headache literally within 2 minutes of starting a CD. My other major complaint is the CD changing mechanism. It is LOUD. The whole reason i bought this unit is because it is small and it has single- and all-disc random play. What's the point of all-disc random play when you have to listen to loud clicking and whirring noises between almost every song? Admittedly I have not investigated other compact multi-cd units, this may be a common problem, but if you want a small unit for background music (or even recreational listening), the CD changer noise on this one will make you wish you'd bought something else. Other than that, it's small, has a good design (though the disc select and eject buttons are somewhat awkward to reach while the tray is open), and easy to use.
Rating:
Summary: Don't come near this unit.
Review: The unit looks fine, and the gray/wood look blends in well with furniture. After one year of operation, I began noticing the hiss mentioned in other reviews. Whenever the unit is on standby (no music playing), you can clearly hear a radio station playing in the background. It's absolutely torturous. Imagine watching a DVD on a laptop connected to this device. Every time time there is a pause in the action, you hear a faint sound resembling a radio playing in low volume. If you pay attention, you can make out entire songs. If you live in an area with bad reception, you won't hear songs like I do, you'll simply hear hiss. The sound will not go away when you play CDs...you can drown it out by playing music loud enough. Unfortunately, that defeats the purpose of a bookshelf system. I called Sony, and they have no information on this problem. Stay away from this extremely disappointing unit. I purchased it for $200, and it still retails for $150. It sells on Ebay for $55.
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