Sony CMT-CP100 Audio Shelf System
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- Included Accessories: Remote Control
- Playable Disk Types: CD (Audio)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Sound Type: Stereo
- Functions: CD Player Radio Tuner Cassette Deck
- Output Power: 70 Watt
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Ok for a bedroom, but best left for the teenagers.
Pros
Attractive, easy to use, plenty of features
Cons
Poor sound quality - lacks depth and warmth
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
I think I'll pass this one off to the kids. Not that great, although its competitors aren't any better.
I've had my CMT-CP100 for 2 years now. I believe my Australian model is different to the others reviewed here as mine has bass and treble controls.
The unit is a nice looking one and will fit in well in a room with modern beech wood and silver highlights. The orange screen on the tape deck door is easy enough to read in moderate light, although impossible to read in direct sun light.
It has some useful features such as an AUX input (using RCA connectors) and a Digital output for connecting to a MD player or similar device. The controls are easy to use, and the volume knob feels very solid and has a nice smooth action. The CD player's tray is quite thin and its low position on the unit means you have to keep a clear path in front of it if you keep the stereo on a desk. The remote control looks like a child's toy, and is generally annoying to use. However it is useful having a volume control on it.
Now the important bit - sound quality. This 30w unit produces plenty of volume for a moderately sized room, and the sound remains undistorted at high volumes. However, at low volumes the sound is quite flat, lacking depth and generally dulling the dynamics of the music. When the volume is pushed above level 12 the sound is markedly better, although still lacks depth and warmth. The bass is pronounced enough in pop music, however classical always sounds quite flat. No amount of fiddling with the bass, treble and DSG controls will cure this. I have currently worked around this deficiency by playing my cds in my computer and using it to boost the bass (running the sound through the RCA input on the back of the Sony). Theoretically you shouldn't need to even play with bass or use a DSG type loudness control to make the sound bearable.
The bottom line is this sound system will be fine for a teenager or for the spare room. For the money I'd rather pick up a pair of half decent bookshelf speakers and buy a second hand amp and cd player.
The unit is a nice looking one and will fit in well in a room with modern beech wood and silver highlights. The orange screen on the tape deck door is easy enough to read in moderate light, although impossible to read in direct sun light.
It has some useful features such as an AUX input (using RCA connectors) and a Digital output for connecting to a MD player or similar device. The controls are easy to use, and the volume knob feels very solid and has a nice smooth action. The CD player's tray is quite thin and its low position on the unit means you have to keep a clear path in front of it if you keep the stereo on a desk. The remote control looks like a child's toy, and is generally annoying to use. However it is useful having a volume control on it.
Now the important bit - sound quality. This 30w unit produces plenty of volume for a moderately sized room, and the sound remains undistorted at high volumes. However, at low volumes the sound is quite flat, lacking depth and generally dulling the dynamics of the music. When the volume is pushed above level 12 the sound is markedly better, although still lacks depth and warmth. The bass is pronounced enough in pop music, however classical always sounds quite flat. No amount of fiddling with the bass, treble and DSG controls will cure this. I have currently worked around this deficiency by playing my cds in my computer and using it to boost the bass (running the sound through the RCA input on the back of the Sony). Theoretically you shouldn't need to even play with bass or use a DSG type loudness control to make the sound bearable.
The bottom line is this sound system will be fine for a teenager or for the spare room. For the money I'd rather pick up a pair of half decent bookshelf speakers and buy a second hand amp and cd player.
