Philips MCM530 150-Watt Micro Shelf System with 5-Disc CD/MP3 Changer and Digital AM/FM Tuner

by Philips

Product Details

Product Manual [1.56mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 20.5 x 16 x 14.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 28 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000278KKI
• Item model number: MCM530
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,571 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Philips MCM530 micro shelf system offers robust power and a host of great listening features in a sleek, compact package, making it a great choice for offices, kitchens, and finished basements. The system centers around the five-disc CD changer, which lets you play hours of uninterrupted music in a single setting. The CD changer also plays self-recorded CD-Rs and CD-RWs, so you can create your own soundtracks, along with MP3s recorded on a CD-R/RW. Because a single MP3-CD can hold up to 10 hours of music, adding five of them to your changer results in a staggering 50 hours of consecutive tunes--enough to satisfy even the most zealous music fan. The CD player also includes a variety of essential playback modes, including 99-track programming, repeat (one or all discs), and shuffle play.

Adding to the MCM530's value is the system's USB PC link. Simply connect the stereo to a PC via the included USB cord and you can start streaming audio directly from your laptop or desktop. The function is a great way to listen to MP3s recorded on your hard drive or enjoy Internet radio stations broadcasting from across the country. Plus, it's easy to manage your computer's audio files by installing the included MusicMatch software onto your hard drive. Listeners who want a more traditional radio outlet can opt for to activate the system's digital AM/FM tuner, which has room for up to 40 memory presets for quickly changing channels or surfing through the full dial.

The system's rich audio stems from the pair of two-way bass reflex speakers, each of which boasts a 5.25-inch woofer and 2-inch tweeter. The speakers (75 watts per channel) are also quite powerful for a shelf system, especially when teamed with Philips' Max Sound technology, which boosts both the highs and lows for a louder, cleaner overall sound. Additional features include a CD/radio alarm with a sleep timer, an auxiliary input for connecting an iPod or MP3 player, and a headphone jack.

The MCM530 measures 6.9 by 10.6 by 12.4 inches (W x H x D) while each speaker checks in at 7.1 by 10.6 by 8.7 inches. The system also carries a one-year warranty.

What's in the Box
Main unit, two speakers, FM wire antenna, AM loop antenna, 32-key remote control, two AA batteries, AC power cord, 3-meter USB cable, CD-ROM (with USB PC link driver, MusicMatch, software, and Sound Agent software), user's manual.

Product Description

Philips Micro Shelf Sys., 150 watts, 2 way wood spkrs, 5 CD, USB link for MP3 playability

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

133 of 134 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little powerhouse, July 10, 2004

By 

Rick Tharp "the_rxrick" (Plattsburg, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philips MCM530 150-Watt Micro Shelf System with 5-Disc CD/MP3 Changer and Digital AM/FM Tuner (Electronics)

I was a more than a little leary of ordering this. I've not had good luck with Philips electronics in the past, but this little wonder put those fears to rest.

First of all, it looks great. I love the styling, although I'm still not real fond of the blonde speaker cabinets, but it's growing on me.

The unit sounds like a washing machine when you first turn it on, I guess it's checking each of the CD drives. The main reason I bought this was the MP3 capabilities, and I believe Philips has optimized it for that purpose. Instead of a single platter type changer, it has FIVE separate cd trays. You can play all 5 CDs straight through, but shuffle and repeat modes only apply to the current disk. So, if you load this thing with 5 CDs, it won't shuffle between all 5 disks, only the current one, then it switches to the next CD. This is fine if you want to shuffle through a homemade MP3 CD each with hundreds of songs, but not so good for plain old audio CDs.

The best feature of the unit is the sound, it is enormous for such a little thang. I have a big Sony system in my with den with huge JBL speakers, and this little dynamo sounds darn near as good.

I've compared standard audio CDs versus my homemade MP3 CDs, and I really can't tell the difference in sound quality. It has 4 equalizer and 4 reverb settings, they all sound great to me. The MAX SOUND is basically a loudness button on steroids, boosting both the highs and lows and adding some reverb. Again, I hate to keep repeating this, but it sounds great for such a little unit.

It has a clock display and a timer feature. The FM tuner is okay, it comes with one of those dopey wire antennas, I wish it had a telescoping type instead.

Overall I am very happy with this unit and would recommend it to my friends.

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Searching for this kind of Mini Stereo..., July 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Philips MCM530 150-Watt Micro Shelf System with 5-Disc CD/MP3 Changer and Digital AM/FM Tuner (Electronics)

I definitely like the sound quality of this mini stereo. After buying and returning several mp3 stereos, i decided upon this one, and was surprised that it was able to rewind/fast forward through mp3 files (something critical that most mini stereo manufacturers touting mp3 capability have yet to add). Although the sound isn't audible while rewinding on mp3s,(minor drawback, but the positives outweigh the negatives).

I finally invested in a stereo in which, i feel the manufacturers made mp3s their main focus. Other manufacturers treat mp3 capability as an after thought. With a large collection of mp3 cds, i enjoy being able to listen to them without changing cds all the time. (have yet to hook it up to pc via usb,though)--My main concern was mp3 cds.

The sound quality is excellent. It produces a clean, balanced sound, not too bassy(more natural). DVD movies sound very good through the auxilary inputs. Only issue, is the stereo has a fan built in it, in order to keep from overheating (i guess), which isn't noticeable unless you have very quiet songs or volume turned down low. (the fan is built at the back of the unit and turns on when the unit is on(similar to a computer drive).

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Take your chances -- It's been the BEST and the WORST, April 2, 2006

By 

W. TAYLOR (northern Sierras) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips MCM530 150-Watt Micro Shelf System with 5-Disc CD/MP3 Changer and Digital AM/FM Tuner (Electronics)

Have to rate this 3 stars -- averaging the very best and the worst.

I go along with almost all the favorable reviews posted here. The sound is awesome and the excellent speakers are driven exceptionally well for my music tastes (65% classical and opera therefore a very wide dynamic of sound, with single selections going from extremely soft passages to forceful crescendos over a wide tonal range that will put any sound system to the test). This comes close to matching my home system which cost easily five or six times the price of the Philips unit which I bought for my mountain cabin. The sound fills my large 18' x 22' bedroom impressively. For quality sound output I don't think you can do better for the money.

Despite some negative comments about the prefixed equalizations I feel Philips has done an excellent job here of giving enough selections to match almost any music to any room accoustic. The "Max Sound" however is overrated. I turn it on only when playing lo-fi radio programming that I get over the internet (there's no radio reception available at the cabin), but much as it boosts highs and lows, for my money it takes all the subtleties out of decent recordings that this unit is capable amplifying well. Even at low volume levels the sound reproduction is excellent -- rarely the case with inexpensive electronics.

My speakers are placed about 8 feet off the floor on a recessesd wall shelf about 7 feet apart with the player/tuner box across the room on my work table. The wires are concealed inside the walls. I would never have gone to the trouble of this type of installation if the quality of sound weren't as excellent as it is. Unfortunately although the speaker wires clip into the main box they're permanently attached to the left and right speakers which means that unless you splice additional speaker wire you can only place them about a yard left and right of the main unit. There should be clips on the speakers as well so you could substitute your own better quality cables. Speaker placement is important because the unit lacks left and right balance controls. I don't miss an extra subwoofer...perhaps if my taste ran to rap or hip hop I might.

The cabinetry is fairly plain and belies the low price of the unit. Yes the CD changer clatters and grinds like a noisy clockwork toy, but I've gotten used to that.. in fact it kind of amuses me, lendng the MCM530 as it does, its own quirky personality. The remote has all the features I need and works well -- I often turn the machine off at night from my bed that is some distance away and out of direct line-of-site. I've used the wakeup feature once, but as someone else observed, it is the changer clatter that wakes you--not the music. Still I've heard a lot of alarm clocks that sound much worse.

FIVE STARS so far... Here is the ZERO STARS part:

About three weeks after I installed the player, it locked up on me with four CD trays containing fairly rare out of print recordings. I called Philips -- they told me to unplug the unit and to wait 30seconds before repowering. The trays ground but wouldn't release. I was next told to send the unit to Arkansas at my expense and after it arrived Philips would ship me a replacement, but they wouldn't be able to extract my CDs. My only option for that was to take it to an authorized service center and pay $25-$30 to get the discs salvaged. I was told not to attempt to take them out myself or I'd void my warrantee (!!???) I asked if I could just pay to have the service center repair the unit and Philips told me NO. These machine are ONLY swapped out --they have no parts to supply the service centers. UPS would charge me close to $30 for ground shipping from the Sierras. Bummer. I was about to remove the disks myself and junk the machine when I remembered reading on this site about how helpful Amazon had been to someone else who's also had a changer lock up. Luckily I purchased the unit from AMAZON and THEIR RESPONSE WAS ABSOLUTELY GREAT. They sent me a label to return the player at their expense and immediately shipped a replacement which I received in a couple of days. The Philips route would have taken weeks. THANK YOU AMAZON!

I really love the sound quality and the look of the MCM530, but I have taken to duping every CD I play, because if this one locks up on me I can ship it back or toss it and only be out a buck and a half maximum for the music. So BUYER BEWARE! For every dozen satisfied reviewers on this site there seems to be at least one who's had my exact experience with tray lock up and that is way way too many.