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Rating: 
Summary: simply better then others
Review: +++
To what I see on the market it is the best in its category. Everything can be controlled from the remote. ( some other models make you to come over to the unit to control the tape, start the recording, it a BIG minus and a BIG PLUS for XL-HP500) The sound is fine, well, try to use a better pair of speakers, and use the original in your garage :). You cannot expect good speakers within this price range.
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Where is the mp3 play back mode? It is time to have it as a default option for all CD players with no extra charge. Well, this CD player was a gift for my grandma, so she does not know anything about mp3, so not a minus.
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good, well thought out unit.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Happy with this Stylish Little Number
Review: Bought this six months ago. I needed a small stereo for a tiny room, tried out several in person, Sony and others, but this one has the best sound and look for the buck. You can change CDs while another one is playing, which is very handy. The extra bass feature reduces the tinniness of small stereos, so you can crank it up a bit without major distortion. Would be great throughout the house or dorm. Brushed silver case is attractive, speakers come with silver mesh over them.
Rating:
Summary: simply better then others
Review: I bought this item after comparing it to the Panasonic SC-PM18, as well as a few similarly priced units from Sony, all of which sounded roughly the same to my ears. First off, it looks very nice, and that's really what triggered my decision to buy it. Unfortunately, the sound quality from the CD player is roughly comparable to the sound quality I get from the cassette player in my car (I drive a Hyundai Elantra with a stock radio), and to make matters worse, the manual specifically forbids using metal or CrO2 tapes in the cassette recorder (meaning I can't make good CD dubs to play in my car). Even with headphones on, the sound is flat, with no real dynamics to it. The "X-Bass" bass booster offers only tepid reinforcement of ill defined low end sound, and the treble lacks any texture to it. All in all, I'd say that the headphone sound quality is inferior to that of my 12 year old Sony Discman. I don't know if this is a problem with the CD player, or a problem with the speakers. The equalizer, which is really just six presets, doesn't do much to color the sound one way or the other. I sound tested the unit with Miles Davis' "... Brew", a sonically complex and challenging recording. I am sad to say that most of the album was inaudible at lower volume levels, and even at higher levels, I had difficulty discerning between the various instrumental parts. I never considered buying one of the higher end shelf systems, mostly because they're so (...)ugly and take up way too much space. With 26 days left on my return guarantee, I'm seriously considering other systems at the moment.UPDATE 11/24/03:
I returned this unit to Circuit City when the timer function stopped working (within 2 weeks of purchase). All in all, I'd characterize this unit as one of the better "executive shelf systems" I've tested. Basically, it (...), however so do most of the other units out there that are competing with it. The Sharp XL-HP500 is cheaper than most, and includes a pre-out for a powered subwoofer, which I've come to realize is almost unheard of in one of these mini-systems. Unfortuneately, when I convinced a Circuit City salesman to allow me to demo the unit with a powered subwoofer attached, it didn't sound significantly improved. Certainly not enough to justify spending an additional $100 on a powered subwoofer, bringing the grand total to somewhere in the neighborhood of $250. If you absolutely need must have a sound system with these specs (ie, small), then this is probably the best one to get in terms of price/value. If you have any other options available to you, I'd suggest attempting to assemble a rag-tag set up of mismatched, possibly used components. The additional $100-$200 you spend will hopefully return in the form of much better sound quality and the promise of future versatility/expandability.
Rating: 
Summary: Good looking shelf unit with weak sound, poor reliability.
Review: I bought this item after comparing it to the Panasonic SC-PM18, as well as a few similarly priced units from Sony, all of which sounded roughly the same to my ears. First off, it looks very nice, and that's really what triggered my decision to buy it. Unfortunately, the sound quality from the CD player is roughly comparable to the sound quality I get from the cassette player in my car (I drive a Hyundai Elantra with a stock radio), and to make matters worse, the manual specifically forbids using metal or CrO2 tapes in the cassette recorder (meaning I can't make good CD dubs to play in my car). Even with headphones on, the sound is flat, with no real dynamics to it. The "X-Bass" bass booster offers only tepid reinforcement of ill defined low end sound, and the treble lacks any texture to it. All in all, I'd say that the headphone sound quality is inferior to that of my 12 year old Sony Discman. I don't know if this is a problem with the CD player, or a problem with the speakers. The equalizer, which is really just six presets, doesn't do much to color the sound one way or the other. I sound tested the unit with Miles Davis' "... Brew", a sonically complex and challenging recording. I am sad to say that most of the album was inaudible at lower volume levels, and even at higher levels, I had difficulty discerning between the various instrumental parts. I never considered buying one of the higher end shelf systems, mostly because they're so (...)ugly and take up way too much space. With 26 days left on my return guarantee, I'm seriously considering other systems at the moment. UPDATE 11/24/03:
I returned this unit to Circuit City when the timer function stopped working (within 2 weeks of purchase). All in all, I'd characterize this unit as one of the better "executive shelf systems" I've tested. Basically, it (...), however so do most of the other units out there that are competing with it. The Sharp XL-HP500 is cheaper than most, and includes a pre-out for a powered subwoofer, which I've come to realize is almost unheard of in one of these mini-systems. Unfortuneately, when I convinced a Circuit City salesman to allow me to demo the unit with a powered subwoofer attached, it didn't sound significantly improved. Certainly not enough to justify spending an additional $100 on a powered subwoofer, bringing the grand total to somewhere in the neighborhood of $250. If you absolutely need must have a sound system with these specs (ie, small), then this is probably the best one to get in terms of price/value. If you have any other options available to you, I'd suggest attempting to assemble a rag-tag set up of mismatched, possibly used components. The additional $100-$200 you spend will hopefully return in the form of much better sound quality and the promise of future versatility/expandability.
Rating: 
Summary: Pass on this one
Review: I bought this yesterday and wish I hadn't. It seemed decent enough in the store, but when I got it home and plugged it in, it sounded like the cassette player was going to explode. After testing it out this afternoon the cassette player was already dragging a tape.I brought this back to Best Buy pronto.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely the BEST!
Review: I purchased this CD player last night. My dad told me he would pay up to $120 on any CD player I wanted, and I chose to get this one and pay for the difference myself. I'm a teenager who absolutely loves Christian Pop/Rock and I depend on music! I love this CD player because of, 1. It's style- I absolutely hate CD players that are black and red and have things sticking off of them and are just really 'futuristic' looking. I love how this CD player looks, on the other hand, because it is small, silver, simple (while still not being plain), and I think it looks great. 2. It's sound quality- This is only my 3rd CD PLayer I've ever owned. My first 2 were both $50 or cheaper, and this is definetely a step up. THe music sounds great and it has Bass controls so it's kinda like a built-in sub woofer. 3. It's size - My first CD player was a little BoomBox and my second was a big Cd Player that had 2 speakers . To give you a little idea of how big that one was - it wouldn't fit on my fairly large nightstand. But this one fits just perfectly on my nightstand and it fits great in my 12x11 foot bedroom that is packed full of furniture. 4. Perhaps the best thing out of all of these- the REMOTE CONTROL - my first CD player didn't have a remote, my second had a remote but it only controlled the track #, but this one, it has everything, and more than the main player itself! 5. The radio tuner - I like listening to a certain radio station that is a very difficult one to pick up on a tuner. My second CD PLayer had a manual tuner and I hated it. But this one has a digital tuner that picks up my hard to reach station. Overall:
For a reasonably priced, smaller unit with 2 speakers, I would recommend this to anyone who has a limited amount of space and wants to have a great looking, sounding, and great overall CD PLayer. I hope this review has helped you to decide, and I mean it all with my entire heart!
Rating:
Summary: For the size and price--it's a deal
Review: I shopped around for a small bookshelf unit that sounded great and I found it with this set. The sound is impressive for its size. Many units of this size don't produce a desirable sound. I've had 2 other sets fail me with a broken cd player after a few years of use so I'm not a big fan of spending big dollars on a stereo system if that's the way they stand up today. The others I bought were more expensive than this player.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Product!
Review: I was looking at a Panasonic system when I came across this one. It is perfect for my office. It has great sound at low levels and sounds great when cranked up. I like the multiple CD changer - let's you change each CD separately without pulling the entire rack out. I am very happy with the sound quality, price and style. Glad I happened across it.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: I've had this system for about three months now and it's already broken. The cd player can't read the disks so it won't play or even open any of the three slots. Its basically a piece of junk.
Rating:
Summary: Great sound, great looks, great price
Review: We bought this unit about a month ago and have been very pleased. We are huge music listeners but don't have the money right now for a full-blown component system. However, this unit provides all the sound we need. The features and sound are so great I see no need to spend $1000-plus on components anymore. It seems these smaller units are marketed for offices or bedrooms, but it honestly provides all the stereo we need for our house. It fills our living area and kitchen with rich, full, clear sound not even turned up halfway. I don't know why anyone would need it louder unless you wanted to hear it outside the house. Looks were important to us because we don't have an entertainment center and needed the unit to sit on a bookshelf in clear view without making our living room look like a college dorm. This is a very classy, clean looking system. I love the play exchange feature, which allows you to change the other CDs while one is playing. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but it would be an annoyance if you couldn't. Also, it moves from one CD to the next very quickly and quietly, unlike many of the others. Another important feature for us was the auxilary input for our TV or DVD player. We would have preferred 5-CD capacity, but have found 3 to be adequate. The display is uncomplicated and easy to use, as is the remote. A great value all around.
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