Audiovox RS2001 CD Audio Shelf System
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- Number of Discs: 1
- Sound Type: Stereo
- Functions: CD Player
- Output Power: 30 Watt
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Good sound but CD-R problems
Pros
Good sound, full-logic tape recorder, good radio, full-feature remote control, attractive design, small size.
Cons
Had problems playing CD-R disks that would play fine in other brands.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The small size, good sound, full-featured remote and attractive design should put this at the top of your list if CD-R playback is not important. Otherwise, look elsewhere.
Opening the box and setting up is very easy, with good instructions and easy hookup of the speaker wires. On any stereo, connecting speakers out of phase (+ to – and – to +) will result in a strange echo sound in stereo audio. To prevent connecting the speakers out of phase, RCA has color-coded the speaker wires to match the proper connectors.
The RS2001 is attractive, styled in woodgrain and aluminum. Some of the buttons on the front panel have embossed markings in the same chrome color, making them hard to read. You can figure out most functions without having to read the manual. The remote control provides full control of all functions. Unlike most bookshelf systems, which measure 14 to16 inches deep, the RS2001 is only 9 inches deep, allowing it to fit on a standard 12-inch shelf. You should measure the actual depth before buying any bookshelf unit. Be careful of published measurements, because they may not include a protrusion that sticks out of the back of many units.
The RS2001 features AM, FM, Tape and CD. Power output is 15w per channel. There are four preset equalizations, plus a flat setting which I liked the best. For those that like extra bass, there is an X-Bass setting. The sound is actually quite good and doesn't sound distorted at full volume. The unit includes clock with alarm and sleep timer, making the RS2001 useful as a bedroom stereo.
The AM/FM receiver worked as expected with easy digital tuning. You can store up to 30 stations in the preset memory. FM sensitivity with the wire antenna provided was fine. The AM antenna is internal which means you don't have as much AM reception flexibility as you would with an external loop or rod which can be moved around for the best reception.
The tape deck will record from the radio or CD. It is set for Type I (standard) tape. You can use chrome tape, but you won't get the best sound. The tape player has full logic control, meaning that it will stop at the end of fast forward or rewind. It will also stop the deck if the tape jams. The remote control provides all tape control functions, including one that is missing from many other bookshelf units -- you can use the remote to start the tape recording. This allows you to catch a song on the radio no matter where you are in the room. Like virtually all other bookshelf units in this price range, the tape deck does not have Dolby noise reduction. Tapes recorded in the RS2001 sound just fine when played back on the RS2001, but may have hiss when played in a regular component system with an extended treble range.
The single-play CD player is on the top of the unit. It has all the usual features including track programming and intro play. However, for me the CD player was the weakest link. It works just fine with regular CDs, but even though the unit is rated for CD-Rs, the RS2001 had continual problems with skipping on CD-Rs even though the same disks would play just fine on any other CD player. I had one CD-R it wouldn't read at all. I took that CD-R to the store and it would not play on any RCA unit, but it would play on all other brands, indicating that RCA was using a CD system that just wasn't that CD-R friendly. The salesman at the store did say that the older RCA models had problems with CD-Rs, but some of the new ones were okay, though none of the models he had on display would handle my test CD-R. The RS2001 is an older model. Try before you buy and be sure you have return privileges.
Since CD-R playing was an important for me, I ended up returning the RS2001. That is a shame, because I liked everything else about it but I needed CD-R playability and the RS2001 couldn't meet that need. After much research, I replaced the RCA RS2001 with a Sharp XL-55. Unfortunately, at this time there is no place for me to review that model on Epinions, but suffice it to say the Sharp XL-55 does everything the RS2001 does and plays all of my CD-Rs, including the "bad" one that the RS2001 couldn't read at all. The RS2001 did sound a bit better than the Sharp unit does.
The RS2001 is attractive, styled in woodgrain and aluminum. Some of the buttons on the front panel have embossed markings in the same chrome color, making them hard to read. You can figure out most functions without having to read the manual. The remote control provides full control of all functions. Unlike most bookshelf systems, which measure 14 to16 inches deep, the RS2001 is only 9 inches deep, allowing it to fit on a standard 12-inch shelf. You should measure the actual depth before buying any bookshelf unit. Be careful of published measurements, because they may not include a protrusion that sticks out of the back of many units.
The RS2001 features AM, FM, Tape and CD. Power output is 15w per channel. There are four preset equalizations, plus a flat setting which I liked the best. For those that like extra bass, there is an X-Bass setting. The sound is actually quite good and doesn't sound distorted at full volume. The unit includes clock with alarm and sleep timer, making the RS2001 useful as a bedroom stereo.
The AM/FM receiver worked as expected with easy digital tuning. You can store up to 30 stations in the preset memory. FM sensitivity with the wire antenna provided was fine. The AM antenna is internal which means you don't have as much AM reception flexibility as you would with an external loop or rod which can be moved around for the best reception.
The tape deck will record from the radio or CD. It is set for Type I (standard) tape. You can use chrome tape, but you won't get the best sound. The tape player has full logic control, meaning that it will stop at the end of fast forward or rewind. It will also stop the deck if the tape jams. The remote control provides all tape control functions, including one that is missing from many other bookshelf units -- you can use the remote to start the tape recording. This allows you to catch a song on the radio no matter where you are in the room. Like virtually all other bookshelf units in this price range, the tape deck does not have Dolby noise reduction. Tapes recorded in the RS2001 sound just fine when played back on the RS2001, but may have hiss when played in a regular component system with an extended treble range.
The single-play CD player is on the top of the unit. It has all the usual features including track programming and intro play. However, for me the CD player was the weakest link. It works just fine with regular CDs, but even though the unit is rated for CD-Rs, the RS2001 had continual problems with skipping on CD-Rs even though the same disks would play just fine on any other CD player. I had one CD-R it wouldn't read at all. I took that CD-R to the store and it would not play on any RCA unit, but it would play on all other brands, indicating that RCA was using a CD system that just wasn't that CD-R friendly. The salesman at the store did say that the older RCA models had problems with CD-Rs, but some of the new ones were okay, though none of the models he had on display would handle my test CD-R. The RS2001 is an older model. Try before you buy and be sure you have return privileges.
Since CD-R playing was an important for me, I ended up returning the RS2001. That is a shame, because I liked everything else about it but I needed CD-R playability and the RS2001 couldn't meet that need. After much research, I replaced the RCA RS2001 with a Sharp XL-55. Unfortunately, at this time there is no place for me to review that model on Epinions, but suffice it to say the Sharp XL-55 does everything the RS2001 does and plays all of my CD-Rs, including the "bad" one that the RS2001 couldn't read at all. The RS2001 did sound a bit better than the Sharp unit does.
