One Solid System - Antenna Solution Included!
Written: Apr 20 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great sound, great looks, upgradeable, all around excellence!
Cons: Included speaker wire is lousy, its somewhat large, antenna instructions suck.
The Bottom Line: A great system that looks great and sounds divine! You must check out this system now! Forget the gimmicky systems - go with the good stuff.
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| rizzah42's Full Review: Sony MHC-NX1 Shelf System |
At my age - most electronics companies use me as a target to sell large shelf stereos that: are ridiculously shaped, are ridiculously oversized, have ridiculous disco lights on the display, and have ridiculously overpowered and distorted bass (i.e.- JVC MX-GT90 Mini System) . I, a born stereophile, was really feelin' the ridiculosity. I knew that good sound came first, and I knew I had to shake off that child-like feeling you get when you see something with bright colors, flashing lights, and crazy shapes. Those are just pure plastic.
So when my Sharp 5-speaker three-cd dolby prologic piece of crap broke after only 3 years, I decided to look for better quality that will last me well into my college years(this meant smaller, and better). Don't get me wrong, the sharp wasn't terrible, it wasn't gimmmicky, but it's sound wasn't remarkable, the speakers were underpowered, the rear speakers were just paperweights, and the dolby left the trebley center speaker dominating the sound. I turned to to the stereophile magazines and websites, and of course checked the reviews on epinions :) .
I came up with a really long list of potential stereos. Some were systems like this, with a wood finish, designed for adults and executives, though most were smaller. Some were your standard silver&black plastic shelf systems. And one was in between - basically a big version of these small contemporary wood-finished or silver-finished bookshelf systems, which can be just as gimmicky - tricking people into thinking that a sleek modern shape makes for good sound (ie JVC FS-SD1000 Executive Stereo System). One of the things on my list was the Sony MHC-NX1 Bookshelf Audio System.
I found this system to be a cross between the two styles. A big bookshelf system. This really wasnt important.
So I packed up my best collection, of jazz, classical, techno, and hip-hop (the most acoustically complex types of music) and headed out searching. I went to Tweeter(a local hifi chain - more expertise, better known) because I was unimpressed with the selection of stereos listed as in-stock at bestbuy's and circuit city's websites. In Tweeter I found that the selection of complete systems was limited to one silver&back shelf system and a boatload of these contemporary stylish systems. I immediately began scanning for the sony with 2 boxes and found it. The guy came along and without mentioning which one i was looking at, i asked him what ones he recommended(i didnt want him to favor the unit i was looking at just so he could get a sale.) He recommended some $900 unit(ya, sure... i have $900) as well as this sony. I was delighted. I threw in a soulive cd and cranked it.
!!!!THE SOUND!!!!
Good God! It blew me away. You hear every note clearly. Perfect seperation of tones. If you love music, just listen to this system. It was like a bose. Everything was clear. It was pristine. It was the garden of eden of inexpensive audio. Previously, I dissed those gimmicky systems for their bass.... Well let me tell you, this systems got bass! Especially when you press that "Groove" button! Each speaker has a built in subwoofer - not just a low-range speaker. The woofers blew enough air that I had to adjust my sox hat. But the difference between those systems' bass and this systems - is this is clean, clear, pure, strong bass. There is no distortion, no cracking, and even with the subs pumping, everything is clear. Its the best of both worlds, a music lovers dream.
!!!!!Beauty Is Skin-Deep, Maybe.!!!!!!
Aesthetically - the system is gorgeous, the silver, the wood tone, and the orange illumination are stylish and tasteful. You'd see this system fitting in well in any modern apartment, but it'll work anywhere. I have the main hub boxes, which are silver, sitting on a chrome rack, and I have the speakers, which are wood sitting on my wooden furniture. Its beautiful. Makes me wanna keep my room clean(never happen.) Works anywhere.
!!!!!The Drawbacks!!!!!
The antenna instructions are useless. I included my own, see below. Its kinda big, but not huge like those shelf systems.
But most of all - the biggest problem- all the other reviewers forgot it - the speaker wire! ARG!
The speaker wire is about 18 gauge, which is way too small for a systm this powerful! It's like sippin a slurpee through a coffee stirrer! You need a big fat slurpee straw. The included wire is also too short. By yourself some 14 gauge slurpee straw Monster Cable and appreciate the quality of this system. Sure its $.60 per foot but it's worth it.
!!!!Antenna Instructions!!!!!
As I mentioned earlier, the speaker wire(black and red cords) included with this unit is probably around 18 gauge, which is too weak for such a system, plus the wires are waaaaay too short. But instead of throwing them both away, keep one - it'll work great as an fm antenna.
The big black antenna loop included with the system is for AM only, as AM is harder to pick up than FM. However you might find it necessary to increase your FM pickup, so this wire will work perfectly.
On the back of your system you'll see 4 black wire boxes as in the diagram accessed by the link below link below. Hook the two splits at the end of the antennas wire up to the two left most boxes, as shown below. Now take some speaker wire and on one end, hook one color up to the (forkthingy) box, and the other to the FM(Omega) box. Now you've got yourself good AM and FM antennas. Ain't that some McGyver sh*t!
http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/c46392cf/bc/My+Photo+Album/rizzahantguide.jpg.jpg?bcdjrE9AoWSfad0m
^Copy that into your address bar to see my instruction illustration!
I hope this review helped and I also hope these antenna instructions helped those who are having trouble. Thanks for taking the time to listen to me.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rizzah42
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Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I'm a 17y.o. guy from Boston.
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