Rating: 
Summary: Best available, but not perfect yet.
Review: I bought this system specifically for the MP3 support and because Rio's Volt is such a good player. Unfortunately, the song navigation of this system is no where near as good as the Volt. You cannot browse by ID3 tags or folder names because the song names are only visible once the song starts playing. The system allows you to rapidly switch from folder to folder or song to song, but you can't tell what they are. I've resigned myself to just using the "random" feature which shuffles the whole disk. The presets for the equalizer are slightly confusing as well (what is the difference between "Samba" and "Salsa"?) On the plus side, the sound is great. The subwoofers fill out most songs nicely without being obnoxious. The thing looks wicked cool, too. For the next version it would be nice if it was flash upgradable, like the Volt, allowed viewing of folder names, and had a digital input for the DVD player.
Rating:
Summary: No color display for me :-(
Review: I checked this unit out when BestBuy used to carry them and it blew away anything else in its size or price range for sound quality. I bought one online and within 2 months the backlight colors started going out. It started as the blue light just flashing all the time, then green, then all I was left with was solid red (not too bad though) The nightmare came when I tried to get warranty service. As if not being able to talk to people who SPEAK ENGLISH isn't bad enough, nobody seemed to know how to handle the problem. Finally after about a full month of this hassle I was able to send the unit in for repair. It only took about 3 months of incessant calling to finally get me EX1000 back!!!Now, about 6 months later, the backlight on the display is going out again, and I am stuck with RED!!! However and this is a BIG however, the sound on this thing is killer! I guess the backlight isn't that big of a deal.
Rating:
Summary: noisy cooling fan
Review: I got the system yesterday. It sounded great at first. Then I noticed some annoying noise from the system. Upon further investigation, it turned out it was coming from a small cooling fan which got activated once the volume was turn above half way (15 on the display; maximum is 30). I could not stand it since when the music was not loud enough I could hear it clearly. I am going to return it. Another complaint is that there is only 2X20 watts of power going into the main speakers which is not a lot.
Rating: 
Summary: A tank!
Review: I got this system as a gift for my birthday, and after reading many reviews saying it wasn't up to snuff for them, I'll have to disagree. The look:
For a girl, this system, to me, is very sleek and modern looking. The LCD display changes colors, which I like because I get sick of one after a while. The volume dial also has a lit blue ring around it that blinks when you use the remote. The brushed aluminum and frosted teal glass make it look like it cost a pretty penny. The tape deck is located on the top of the system, which I don't mind since I don't use tapes anyway. The speakers are laminate wood and the covers have stretched fabric over them (feels like pantyhose). The main unit is big and heavy, a tank as I like to call it. But I don't mind the bulk; to me it just seems durable. The technology:
One thing I absolutely love about this system is it supports MP3 CD/CD-R/CD-RW playback. This means I can take a rewriteable cd and keep adding new tracks as I please. When you first put an mp3 CD in the player, it loads for a few seconds; this is because it rearranges the tracks alphabetically according to ID3 tags. When you play a song it scrolls the artist and song name...once. This is something I don't care for; I wish I could set it to scroll the name in the middle of the song. But I think this is a petty thing to care about when it can do so much. The hook-up:
On the back of the main unit there is an AUX input (I hooked my stereo up to my computer) 2 standard clips for the 2 speaker cords with wires, 2 plugs for the subwoofers, and input for an AM and an FM antenna (included). Many people complained that there isn't enough power going to the speakers, which I don't notice since this unit isn't in a big room. But I also put 2 huge speakers attached to those clips, so I have 4 speakers running off a main unit that supposedly can only support 2 small speakers. And I have yet to see any problems and I have had this stereo on every day, for about 5 months. This unit isn't as weak as people are saying. My other 2 speakers are 3 foot tall 120Ws and this stereo hasn't showed any signs of not being able to handle them. The remote:
I love this thing. From the remote you can set the clock, set an alarm, set the equalizer, tape deck controls (including automatic rewind) CD controls (with a skip forward 10 tracks button) am/fm controls, and volume. The max volume is 30, with 3 bass settings (1, 2, and 3) and at 30, and max bass my windows rattle. Some people have noted that at volume 15 a fan comes on, but with the volume that high I don't understand how they could hear it, I sometimes do when I press stop after playing songs for about an hour, but it's not loud enough to annoy me. I love this stereo, the good things about it far outweigh anything that is lacking. If you don't think this unit is for you, wait a while until the technology gets better.
Rating:
Summary: Just recieved it
Review: I was skepitcal about purchasing the RIO EX1000 after reading the many negative comments, but I went ahead and bought one and I am glad I did. I have not had any problems with it so far. MP3's and CD's sound great. The bass is deep and pounds, it can be a little muddy but overall the sound quality is on par. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a MP3 home stereo. Few things that bother me: - forced EQ settings, seperate bass, mid, treeble would be ideal. Digital volume adjustments over Analog. I can not vouch for the system's long term use yet considering I just got it.
Rating:
Summary: Good for the Money, but a little Chunky
Review: If I hadn't already purchased this system, I'd be a little confused after reading the reviews. Unfortunately, it seems like there may be some quality control issues with this unit and there's a chance you might get a defective unit. When this does happen, and for most of us it hasn't (at least not yet to me), it seems to occur right away. So, if you do buy it, be sure it's from a place you can return it right away if you have problems. It seems like trying to get warranty support is a nightmare. One issue that has not been brought up is the size of the unit. Although the main unit is not as high as most shelf systems, I was disappointed that it's fairly deep. It won't fit on a 12-in shelf for example. Check the depth if that may be an issue for you. The stuff about the different colors on the LCD seemed to really upset some people. Unless you seem to have a bad unit, it's pretty easy to set the LCD color on one of about 5 - although someone said they get a choice of 10. Whatever. I have a soft blue color I like, a girl reviewer liked the changes, someone liked red... Just pick a setting you like. Everytime the unit is unplugged or the electric to it goes off, however, the colors will loose their setting and will switch to rotating colors again. I've had my system for several months for a bedroom in a ski rental condo that's a little tight on space. I don't have room for the boom box and the sound is still pretty good. For the money, it's not a bad deal. My major issue is that I'd like it better if it was a little more compact. Also, you would think that it shouldn't be long before Sony and some others are making some shelf systems with MP3 playback. So, if you don't need this right away, you may want to wait.
Rating: 
Summary: Great stereo for the money
Review: Nice looking well built Microsystem. I would recomend this system to anyone who wants a nice stereo but doesn't want to pay a arm and leg.
Rating:
Summary: The Best So Far
Review: Out of all shelf systems that play MP3's, this is the best thus far!!!
Unlike any and all Philips products, The Rio EX 1000 reads mp3's at a fast pace and quickly displays titles.
I originally bought the FWR55 from Philips(not worth the paper the ad is printed on) and had nothing but slow reads and horrible quality not to mention poor customer service. Those factors prompted me to return it to Amazon.com for a refund. Philips needs to go to MP3 school!!!!
Then I heard about the RIO EX 1000.....and have not been disappointed..
This system has only a couple of minor drawbacks:
1.Could use a little bit more power as well as true surround. 2.Did not like the speaker connections; esp to the sub-woofer.. All in all, The Sonic Blue team is the BEST when it comes to MP3's as they make their product with firmware updates(Philips has no such thing and probably is not capable of thinking outside the box).
A major recommended system if you want to play mp3's... You will not be disappointed!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Expected better product from Sonicblue
Review: Product is good as Cd player and Mp3 player but the cassette player has a lot of back ground noise (specially if volume is high).
Rating:
Summary: Great System
Review: This is a wonderful system to buy. It is cheap compared to many of the mp3 capable music systems. It also generates a nice crisp sound which can fill your whole room. The backlit display is also a great feature.
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