Customer Reviews

Sony CMTBX1 CMT Micro Component System with MP3 Playback

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I was a little skeptical at first when I ordered this, but after reading the reviews and the reasonable price of the unit I thought I would give it a try. I am impressed! It has excellent sound and more than loud enough. I bought it for my wife for her studio and she just loves it! The MP3 and CD sound just incredible. It comes with be an FM and AM antenna and it is decent but for me the highlight gain is the CD / MP3 player.

If you want a unit for good tuner reception I am not sure about this one, but then again I live remotely and maybe it is just bad reception due to where I live. If you want a unit with incredible sound with CD's, this one I recommend!

It is also very easy to setup and use. The nice thing is that you do not need the remote to work it as all the controls are on the top of the unit as well!

It was definitely worth the money.

The little stereo has clear sound for acoustically recorded music.It is great for chamber music and opera. The stereo takes very little space and is quite easy to hook up and operate. It is perfect for the night table, and can even be programmed like an alarm clock, to wake one up with music at a certain time.

I'm very satisfied with this purchase - the price was right and it looks right at home on my desk. The squared off angular design looks sleek and professional, and the compact size of the main unit and the speakers don't overwhelm my small desk. I tried the MP3 feature and it works well - displaying the ID3 tags and the disc name perfectly from my CDRW disc. The biggest drawback to the system is that it doesn't really output enough volume to fill a larger room, if that's what you're buying it for. At higher volume levels, you can literally hear the speakers strain and struggle to maintain clarity and fidelity. At lower volumes, it maintains very good sound quality. The controls on the top of the main unit are replicated on the remote, so you can use either and still maintain full control of the stereo. One note - in the product illustrations, the LED display is blue, but in reality, it has a backlit amber display.

this stereo is well priced, and looks nice. However, I gave it a three star review for one component that was missing.

It has a good design, and fits well in a home. It is not flashy and does not attract attention. To me, that is a strong point. The sound is good, and it plays MP3's. That is a major plus. The LCD screen is small, and easy to read. Sometimes, stereo units have flashy screens. This one does not. Nice and small, readable, and well designed.

Cons-no RCA jack. you can plug an ipod in, but you cannot plug your TV in with out a special adapter.

The Sony Micro Component System is perfect for any bedroom. It's small, it sounds great, and it's sold for a reasonable price. My only complaint is that it didn't come with the cable that connects the mp3 player to the stereo. I still highly recommend this stereo system.

* Positives:

I live half a kilometer away from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), one of the busiest airports in the world, awash in radio waves of all sorts. Friends have trouble getting cell phone reception at my place. Saying that, the reception on this unit is superb. I can get all local stations crystal clear, even some weakly powered college radio stations.

I bought this unit for work because it has a headphone jack on the front of the unit, which is becoming a rarity these days. The sound through my expensive headphones is very good. The unit is quite clear. Better than I was expecting - better than a 'generic mobile mp3 player'. Way better. This unit has real hi-fi components. Not audiophile quality, but not cheap mobile junk either. You can hear the difference. Compared to every other 'small' system I have, from portable to "boombox", this unit sounds better.

This system also plays mp3 discs (if burned correctly) and is able to go multiple folder levels deep in order to find & play the songs.

* Negatives:

Sony's design A-team was not assigned to this unit. It looks like something that would have been offered several decades ago. The main unit is big and bulky (but solid). The entire package - especially the CD tray - is an odd mishmash of styles. It's labeled a 'Micro' system, but its more like a normal hi-fi unit that got shrunk in the wash. Mini, maybe, but not micro. Also, the speakers are very cheaply made - this is where they cut costs. If you have your own speakers, I recommend you use them instead.

Some of the controls are only on the main unit (like DSGX), while others are only on the remote control (including tuner preset memories, clock/timer settings, and EQ), so don't lose that remote, or the stations you initially preset will be the only presets you ever have.

There are 20 preset FM radio stations, and even if not filled in, will be gone through when going to the next preset. In other words, if you preset 10 stations and are on preset #10, in order to reach preset #1 you will either have to go down through each preset, "9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1", or go up through all the presets you haven't filled in yet, "11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-1". You MUST go through all 20 presets, filled in or not. As there are no number keys anywhere, you cannot reach a certain preset out of order. Kind of irritating, unless you actually have 20 stations you like to listen to.

Finally, no mute button.

* Sum:

Sound is very clear. Look is very quirky. Main unit is solidly built, if bulky. Speakers are not spectacular. If sound is more important to you than looks, consider it, especially if you plan on listening through headphones.

I really enjoy this system. It is slick looking, easy to set up and has amazing sound quality.

This was just the item for our small living room. Has great sound as long as you don't need to crank it up to the max. Speakers are a little weak for the max volume but sounds great through out the rest of the volume range. The remote allows you to do all but load the cd's. MP3 play back and small size were my main reason for purchasing this item. AM/FM reception is exellent with the included antenna's. 4 stars just because of the speakers being under powered, if your like us and don't need booming volume but just good sound you would like this system.

If you're looking for an inexpensive, nice sounding stereo CD/FM system, this can't be beat. Great sound -- not exactly audiophile, but fine for a bedroom or workspace. Has all the features you've been looking for, including a fairly comprehensible remote, in a really compact size. The somewhat cheapo looking speakers sound fine, thanks to a strong amp, and it has plenty of power for a small or medium space. And it's a Sony, which I trust to be a notch above an unknown brand in quality. For $100 you can't go wrong with this micro.

Good product. Excellent in most ways. The AM reception in my office is a bit weak, but that might just be related to location. Definitely recommended.