Customer Reviews

GE 75290 Spacemaker CD/FM/AM Player with Built-in Subwoofer (White)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I installed this product in August, 2001, and on balance, I am pleased with it. Certainly, it is a great radio, and CDROM player, for a kitchen radio. It is loaded with features and vastly exceeds any kitchen radio I have used before it, including sound quality. Some other critics feel the sound is poor, but what are they comparing to? Heck, this is a kitchen radio, not a home theater! The best feature of all, in my mind, is that the radio is out of the way, as it is mounted beneath a cabinet. Kitchen deck space is scarce and I like to minimize clutter.

In the last few months, I have learned more, though. Though the best thing about this radio is the radio itself, the worst thing about it is the support behind it. Ironically, there are numerous, well-informed people who can help; but I had a devil of a time finding them. I expect support when I need it, and unfindable support is support denied.

In summary, I am shocked by the trouble I have had in getting the radio to "behave"! You would think I had adopted a stray cat, instead of buying a brand-new radio. The "manufacturer" has neglected to consider the plight of the consumer, who might just have an important question or two. So at least one little problem became a big problem. It would be funny, if it had not been so aggravating.

Chapter 1 - User Manual inadequate. I had to dream up my own method to properly mount this radio. OK. No big deal. Been there, done that before. I am good with tools, by the way.
Chapter 2 - User Manual, again, inadequate. Had to figure out how to program some of the fancy features of this electronic device on my own. I am an experienced electronics engineer, by the way.
Chapter 3 - Last weekend in October. Time change, so I moved all clocks back an hour. Done that before, right? No sweat, I managed that with this radio.
Chapter 4 - For some God-awful reason, this radio started "terrorizing" my wife with an alarm at midnight, every night. I slept through it, but my wife had to get up. After it was obvious the alarm was a permanent fixture, I took this to task.
Chapter 5 - User Manual, again. No help here. Besides, this is not an "alarm clock." The only related provision is a short-term timer. The manual is silent on any remedy. I pushed buttons and could not figure out how to remedy this problem.
Chapter 6 - User Manual. I thought it wise to inquire with the manufacturer. Couldn't figure out how to do that from the manual. A mechanized phone service told me to pack the product and ship it to Texas.
Chapter 7 - The plot thickens here. The identity of the manufacturer became a question in itself. Though the GE logo is all over this product and its literature, GE has nothing to do with this product. The GE name is a deceptive sales device, I guess. The manual indicates that warranty claims should be made to Thomson Consumer Electronics, in Texas. I looked up phone numbers and got nothing that worked.
Chapter 8 - After more frustration, I used independent means to find the phone number of GE Corportate headquarters in Connecticut. I was told that GE had spun off the (RCA) division several years prior to Thomson, a French company, which retained the right to use the GE name until 2002. I received a phone number in Indiana from an intelligent human in Connecticut.
Chapter 9 - So RCA of Indiana is the manufacturer, owned by Thomson Multimedia. (Too bad they didn't put the proper name in the User Manual, so at least I could look them up.) Now I spoke to somebody about the alarm, and got a remedy. (See below.)
Chapter 10 - internet. How are you supposed to inquire if you don't know where to look? The GE site is little help - it's not their baby.
Chapter 11 - phone numbers. The best one is RCA at (317) 267-5000. Other numbers are rife with unattended "operators" who route you around in circles, and direct you to ship your product to Texas for a warranty claim! Get out! All I want is a little help! I HATE those autorouters.
Chapter 12 - What a waste of time and aggravation. I've complained to customer response center. I've gotten emails from them, all written by machines, not people. I've gotten mechanized post cards. They tell me how much the company cares, and then I'm routed into another impersonal box to punch numbers indicating my satisfaction level. I'm absolutely convinced my complaints are vapor - management couldn't care less. I still get email from RCA imploring me to buy more stuff.

So buy this radio, and now that you know the (317) number, you might get help if you need it. Otherwise, expect little from a distant and uncaring French company that doesn't even put its proper name in the User Manual. That's Thomson Multimedia, not Thomson Consumer Products.

And if an alarm sounds at midnight, UNPLUG the radio's power cord from the wall receptacle, WHILE that alarm is sounding. Wait at least 20 seconds, and re-plug to power. Sleep in heavenly peace!

I received this as a Mother's Day gift, and I am very pleased with the quality of sound it provides and with all the smart features of this product.

The remote control is an awesome convenience - I leave the remote on the kitchen table and use it more than the actual controls on the radio. There is capacity for 10 pre-set stations, which is also a great feature, so you can easily flip to another station when you're in the mood for something new. All the features are included on the remote, so you can turn it on/off, adjust volume, change stations, and switch from AM to FM to CD without getting up.

Also, it was super-easy to install. The instructions were clear, and there was a cardboard template to tape to the bottom of the cabinet with pre-marked holes for drilling. It was installed in 10 minutes.

For this spacemaker you will want to lower your expectations. Installation was not bad however we did not get a template in the box. Sound quality is like a little protable radio so don't expect it to be the quality of, say a boom box...it's not there. The Bass Boost is worthless, I notice no difference when it's on. You should also be aware that the reception is very poor. I was not able to get stations I can get on all other radios. The attenna is in the power cord which must be stretched all the way out for mediocre reception so plan on having run room for the cord. I was very dissapointed with this product and would not recommend it. For half the price you can get a small boom box or radio that will sound much better. The stations are not easily set. You have to scroll through the stations so plan on having presets or spending plenty of time holding down the tuning button. Based on functionality and materials quality this product shouldn't cost any more than $50 tops.

The good: digital tuning, decent sound (not great, but good) for the size, doesn't take up a lot of space. The bad: listen to the other reviews about reception - I can't get an FM station on this device that I can with every other radio (including my car) I use in the house - and I am only about 10 miles from the transmitter. Most stations come in just fine, but if you are at all concerned about an iffy station, you will probably not get it on this device. Last complaint - no volume indicator and the machine resets volume to low level every time you turn it off, so you have to hold the button and wait to get the volume you like everytime you turn it on. The ugly: no one else is making a comparable product. If you want to save space in the kitchen, for now this is the way to go. Anyone reading these reviews who has some money to invest - go find someone to build a *quality* space saver CD player! GE, are you reading this? Can you *show* us the volume level and leave them in memory, and do something about the reception?

I purchsed this under cabinet radio/cd because we spend lots of time in the kitchen and lack counter space. The radio and Cd sound ok for the price but there are several problems. 1st - the volume constantly goes up and down without a pattern. 2nd - there has been many nights where some alarm goes of at midnight for no reason. 3rd - I find the controls awkward and the directions provided are useless

Wished I had read reviews 1st. Absolutlely terrible radio reception. I also get loud whooshing sound in background of fm stations, and can receive almost no am stations. Remote has never worked. Technical or customer assistance from GE is nonexistent. Only function that works is CD player.

I purchased this for my wife this Xmas. I already had the older version of this radio with the casette tape. It was time to get digitial tuning and a CD.

Overall this things works just as expected. It is not a boombox so don't expext it to fill the house. It was designed to fill the kitchen with music and it does a very good job.

Likes: Digital Tuning, CD, Remote, LCD Display

Dislikes: The "chicklet" style buttons. I think they will help with cleaning, but I hope they will last. And I think the mounting holes should have been arranged to match the holes of the previous version. I can't be the only owner who upgraded and hated drilling new holes!!!

Installation was very simple and nice hardware was provided to compensate for different cabinet designs. I especially liked the friction-fit plastic spacers which held onto the screws when I lifted the stereo up to cabinet. This made it very easy to hold the stereo with one hand while I tightened the screws with the other hand. Even without the template installation would have been simple because there are only 4 necessary holes and they are spaced on the corners of a simple rectangle. Other great features are the space on the back which allows you to wrap up the excess cord and nicely hide it from view, the easy-access light bulb door which simply hinges down when you need to change the bulb, the LED display which emits a very nice glow with large numbers, and a handy little spot to keep the remote. The Bass Boost may not boost as much as one may expect, but it definitely makes an audible difference. The sound quality is just fine for a kitchen. The switches and controls are nicely organized. I have no concern at all about the type of "buttons" it has because they are basically "membrane switches" and they have always worked well for me and were very durable in other products I have had. FM reception is actually BETTER than I expected. If you know anyone who lives in Raleigh, NC, ask them to try to tune into 92.3 FM and tell you about the reception they get. This radio station is in Greensboro, NC, and surprisingly I pick it up very well with this stereo. I have had plenty of other tuners that had trouble doing this. Also, I had no trouble at all with the radio station presets. Setting them is a very logical process and results in 10 clearly identified preset stations. I love this stereo. My ONLY criticism is that the unit is actually very light gray in color instead of a brighter white I expected, but this does not concern me a bit because it still blends in just fine with my white kitchen.

We wanted to clear up the counter so we received this unit for Xmas. It was never used because of the POOR FM reception. We kept our boom box out right next to it for 4 months. I finally opened the unit up and uncoiled the small, black FM antenna that was wrapped around the power cord. After feeding it thru the remote control hole, we can pick up every station that the boom box could get with even less problems. So, if you want to fiddle with the "internal" antenna, the unit does perform reasonably well.

I installed this radio with most of the power cord wrapped on the provided spools and a short line to an outlet. It only got ONE FM station. I had to unravel the cord which doubles as an antenna and distribute it under my kitchen cabinets like Christmas garland. That helped but unwanted signal rejection is poor. It makes a lot of static noise reminicent of an old short wave radio. The CD player seems designed to gobble every crumb that falls from the cabinet above. It has a prominent Bass On/Off button that lights up that transforms what ought to be basic fare into a "feature". The woofer is at the other end of an acoustic tunnel fastened to the bottom, but don't get excited, its all for visual effect. GE did manage to handle the mechatronics of a CD player, a radio with a digital tuner, and a remote combined with a under-counter light that has two brightnesses. Gone is the timer feature that turns on appliances plugged into the radio that previous GE under-cabinet radios had.