Philips MC 320 - Micro system - radio / CD / cassette - black, silver

Product Details

Product Manual [1.30mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 22.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 22.8 pounds
• ASIN: B00008Y1AH
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,004 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 26, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Boasting a design that would make George Lucas proud, Philips' compact MC320 stereo is equally perfect for the style-conscious and the space-constrained. The system packs a single-disc CD player, FM/AM tuner, and autoreverse cassette player into a boxlike chassis that matches its twin speakers in look and size. And it's no slouch in the power department: with 20 watts per pint-sized channel, you'll enjoy clear, solid sound at any listening level (most weaker systems sound weaker at quieter levels).

The two-way speakers' ported design gives them greater bass presence than they'd have otherwise. Features include a unique front-loading design; repeat, random, and program play (with 40-track sequencing); and tuner's auto channel scanning with 40 station presets.

That's not all, though--conveniences extend to the unit's handy sleep timer, which powers down the system after preset durations of 10 to 90 minutes (in 10-minute increments), and an alarm feature that lets you wake to a cassette, a cherished CD, or a favorite radio station.

What's in the Box
Main unit, two speakers, remote control, remote battery, AM loop antenna, FM wire antenna, and user's manual.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars kudos to Philips, August 7, 2003

By 

C. Sammarco (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips MC 320 - Micro system - radio / CD / cassette - black, silver (Electronics)

I am extremely pleased with this purchase for a number of reasons.

1-Unlike 95% of comparable systems, this unit doesn't look like its a nuclear reactor. Infact Its style recalls the 70's era of plastics...when plastics had integrity and solidity. The unit is simply beautiful to look at, and even if retro isn't your thing, I think the flexibilty inherent in this design will impress. The speakers and the main unit are all the same size and shape which makes them interchangeable. You can stack them or shuufle them in any order to suit your space requirements. The units themselves sport clean lines and are inspiring to look at (in fact this particular model won design awards this year)

2-The sound that comes out of this unit is simply amazing! I used to thump 4 15" subs in my car so I know about bass. It only uses 4" speakers (plus tweeters). How is this possible? Design and engineering. The speaker boxes are properly engineered for the speakers and the plastic cases are very rigid which means that these babys are efficient. More than can be said for most other brands... Also, the gain on the amplifier has been set at a rather low level so the amp will not clip, even at highest volume. In fact, I was surprised at how little distortion occured when cranking up heavy bass music. I think this shows attention to engineering and concern for longevity of the product on the part of Philips.

3-Price. I can't believe all this is possible for [the price]. Some glorified boomboxes go for more than that and they simple don't compare. I actually felt empowered walking out of the store knowing I had gotten more than I paid for (or more than I could have with another brand!)

Is this product perfect? No. It has some flaws, the most glaring one for me being that some of its basic features like base enhancement and eq settings are only available through the remote. Lose or break the remote and you are SOL. I aslo think they could figure out a way to connect the speakers to the body, giving the user the option of using it as a boombox (though I realize that is not what this unit was designed to be). Also, being able to create your own eq rather than using standard presets ( like "jazz" "rock" etc...) would be nice. But hey for [the price] I can't complain.

I always considered Philips to be a bit Euro-Trashy. It was overpriced and under-specked. I now stand corrected. While its true I could have had more features for the same price, it wouldn't sound or look as good, nor be as solidly built as this unit. My Sony days are over...Thanks Philips!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality for the price, February 13, 2004

By 

Nadia Lehmejian (Huntington Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips MC 320 - Micro system - radio / CD / cassette - black, silver (Electronics)

I reviewed lots of small stereo options before making this purchase, and I'm really happy with this product. I bought it just so I could have a small stereo in my bedroom with fairly good sound quality. This system has exceeded my expectations. It's small, easy to use, was inexpensive, and sounds great! It's perfect for a bedroom or office. The remote is really small and chincy-looking, but it all works great.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great price, good sound with only minor issues, March 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Philips MC 320 - Micro system - radio / CD / cassette - black, silver (Electronics)

Great price, good sound and classy, low-key design all in one package. The issues I have are only minor and may or may not influence your decision but I'll let you know what they are.

Pros:

- The picture Amazon shows is a little different. It actually comes with plastic grills that cover the speakers. These can be removed easily but it's best to leave them on so you don't accidently puncture the speakers.
- Buttons on the unit are firm and very responsive. They require only a light press.
- Remote is flat and has useful features. You can mute, reverse a tape, and if you press shuffle, CD play begins automatically. It's also responsive and worked from 25ft away.
- Alarm clock and sleep are nice bonuses. You can wake to any track on a CD. The sleep gradually lowers the volume when you get near the end of the timer. I thought this was a nice touch.
- Auto powers down after a few minutes if there is no tape or CD activity.
- Has aux input. You can use these as computer speakers if you buy a mini plug to RCA audio cable.
- Clean and crisp sound. Bass is adequate. (Don't expect chest-thumping.)

Cons:

- Clock is in 24 hour format which most people are not used to. But it doesn't matter since the clock font is too small to be of any use.
- Easy to accidently press record since it requires only one button.
- Headphone jack is on top and towards the back. This was inconvenient for me since I keep the unit in a computer desk shelf and it was difficult to access.
- Not much difference between the classic, jazz, rock tones but this seems pretty common with sound presets.

Even with the nitpicks, I gave it 5 stars due to the low price and sound quality you get. [...]