DESCRIPTION

In a first for a category Aiwa helped popularize, the company's bringing out a mini-system with a built-in CD-R/RW recorder. Many a mini-system has a tape deck, and mini-systems with MiniDisc are also common, but CD recorders have until now been restricted to separate components.The XR-C3RW's recorder can write to both CD-R (write once) and CD-RW (rewritable) discs, of course using the "audio-only" and not the less expensive "data" discs. It can record from the 3-CD changer or via optical digitaland RCA analog inputs, the latter with an adjustable record level. The CD changer also has an optical digital output for connection to MD recorders. Aside from the CD recorder, the C3RW is very full-featured. Its 80 watts of power are divided into 30 watts per channel for subwoofers and 10 for the midrange and tweeters. Aiwa includes its standard "T-Bass" and three EQ presets (Rock/Pop/Classic). The dual auto-reverse cassette deck is full logic and controllable from the remote. The digital AM/FM tunersports 32 presets, and a seven-band spectrum analyzer is present to fulfill the dancing-light requirement.-- DK