Aiwa NSX-MT920 Home Theater Compact Stereo System

by Aiwa

Product Details

Product Manual [16.45mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 69 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B00000JYJ0
• Item model number: NSX-MT920
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,953 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Packing five speakers and a total of 299 watts, the Aiwa NSX-MT920 has about the most power and flexibility of any compact shelf system, making it a superb addition to any small or midsized living space. This Dolby Pro Logic-decoding surround system is ideal for start-up home-theater systems, letting you enjoy four-channel Dolby Surround (left, center, right, and rear) from VHS tapes, DVD, and television broadcasts. The system also accepts decoded 5.1-channel analog signals from multichannel formats such as Dolby Digital and DTS, though you must use a surround-decoding DVD player (or other external decoder) to appreciate this. A dedicated subwoofer output completes the picture, letting you integrate a powered, bass-chuffing speaker of your choice for even greater impact from action movies and multichannel music mixes.

In the home stereo department, the NSX-MT920 features a three-CD changer, a dual auto-reverse cassette deck, an AM/FM tuner, a coaxial digital input and output, and a cool karaoke function that will make you the life of any party.

Setup is quite simple, with clear instructions; we were up and running in about 10 minutes. Though somewhat bulkier than most compact systems, the NSX-MT920 uses that mass to its benefit--the sound is nothing short of impressive.

The system delivers a whopping 100 watts to each of the front left and right speakers, making for more power than you might ever need (depending on your space). The bass is deep and satisfying. The equalizer comes with five preconfigured settings, and you can also create and save up to four customized settings of your preference. Then there's always that subwoofer output, should the system's own Super T-Bass circuit not rock the house to your liking.

The system not only booms, but looks great, too--the silver and black styling meshes nicely with most decors. In standard sleep mode, we found the multicolor display somewhat gaudy--and it might keep you awake if it's visible from your bed. Thankfully, you can turn the display off to show only the time. In addition, the system includes a slot-machine-like game that you can play at any time, whether the system is on or off (but we think it's fixed, as we never managed to win).

The karaoke feature, while probably a draw for only select users, is pretty cool. It almost eliminates the vocal portions of any song so you can play the star using either of the two microphone inputs on the system's front panel. You can also mix in your own basic beats and croon to those, too--the system supplies a variety of percussion-driven rhythms.

Our only gripe is the very limited warranty (90 days for parts and labor), though Aiwa will supply new or rebuilt parts up to one year from the purchase date. But if you're in the market for an inexpensive yet powerful compact system with surround-sound capabilities, the Aiwa NSX-MT920 certainly delivers the most bang for your buck.

Pros:

• Terrific, powerful sound for a small system
• Easy to set up
• Fun karaoke features

Cons:

• Somewhat weak rear speakers
• Limited warranty

Product Description

299 watt total system power, 5.1 channel inputs for Dolby digital, Dolby prologic surround sound system w/Digit. signal processor, AM/FM digit stereo tuner w/32 station preset memory, 3 CD changer w/20 track music calendar, dual auto reverse cassette deck, karaoke function w/vocal faser, mic mixing, digital echo, and dual microphone inputs, 3 way bass reflex spkr system, rear surround sound /center channel spkrs indluded, full function remote control

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great system! But there are other options..., December 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Aiwa NSX-MT920 Home Theater Compact Stereo System (Electronics)

Prior to purchasing this system, I also demo'ed its sister lower-endsystem (NSX-MT720) and two other systems I wasinterested in: the Panasonic SC-AK57 and Sony MHC-RXD7AV in retail stores. I listened to Miles Davis and other jazz CD's on the Aiwa, Sony, and Panasonic in stores before buying, and was duly impressed with the sound I got from all three. At the time, however, I was most impressed by the sound I would get from the Aiwa for less $$$, and so far I have not been disappointed with the bang-for-the-buck that the NSX-MT920 has delivered. I have not had any problems with "muffled" sound that I've seen in other reviews, although the system, if anything, could be too powerful for the one-bedroom apartment I live in. The Dolby Pro Logic system delivers excellent sound with Dolby Surround-encoded VHS tapes and gives me more incentive to go to Blockbuster video and actually rent something.

If you want to listen to rap music and boom your stereo all day, the Aiwa system is certainly for you. However, if you are more concerned with clarity (i.e. if you are listening to classical, jazz, and the like), either the Panasonic SCAK57 or Sony MHC-RXD7AV I think will serve you better for the same price... I still believe the NSX-MT920 is a good value for its current price. Additionally, I believe the NSX-MT720 is also more than enough for the casual listener's home theater needs.

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Reliability questionable, December 29, 1999

By 

Bob Daniel (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aiwa NSX-MT920 Home Theater Compact Stereo System (Electronics)

I have noticed that most of the reviews regarding this product are recent. I bought an AIWA system for my college age son. We both felt it was a great value for the money until one month past the warranty expiration when the CD changer quit working. A couple of months later, the tape deck went out. Everyone my son knows with an AIWA product has run into the same problem. My college age daughter reports the same. I tried contacting AIWA, but their web site does not even provide a way to send an e-mail. After an extended wait on their 800 number, I was told there was nothing they could do once a product was 3 months past warranty other than charge what I considered an exorbitant fee for repair. Bottomline: if well-cared for AIWA systems barely last more than a year, how great is the value?

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Looks ain't everything: Junk is Junk., January 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Aiwa NSX-MT920 Home Theater Compact Stereo System (Electronics)

AIWA technically looks good, but it's poor quality ~ that comes with an unbendable, three month, sad warrenty. I purchased an AIWA system last year, and to date, it's junk. The radio is the only thing that is working (with poor reception). The tape player never did work properly and by the second month, the CDs began skipping and by the third month, it was a corpse. Call it lazyness, but by the time I got around to boxing it up, paying 15 bucks in postage, and returning it for a full-refund, the warrently had expired (by three weeks) and they returned it to me parcel post with a mass-produced letter of explaination regarding the warrenty (or lack of warrenty)Even if I were to have paid them to fix the system, the repair work would have only carried with it a 3 month warrenty. My advice? Save your money for a Sony.