Price Paid:  $200.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I recieved this system as a Christmas gift in 2000 or 2001. This system is a wonderful "bang" for the buck. I'm now 16 and have cranked it up all 30 volume notches. I have had minor problems with the tweeters on the mains and have had to switch from the 'Rock' to the 'Pops' equilizer to save the the tweeters from the agony of techno at level 30. My room is 10ft x 10ft so (after correctly placing the 5 speakers) the 180w amp provides enough "oomf" to fill my room quite adequately. However I did add a heafty 120w powered sub to genourously compliment the system's low end. The result was wonderful; until you turned on the 'X-Bass': then it was astounding! Nothing has been straight on my walls, the kitchen walls, and family room walls! I hooked up a DVD player and a flat screen tv. The result was a respectable home theatre.

Strengths:
Great equilizers, great main speakers, nice display, great bang for the buck, 'X-Bass' pushes subs well beyond their limits, Phantom mode is great for sound-tracks and Blue-grass cd's (I cranked the Titanic soundtrack (I know; I'm sick, lol!) just to see how it (the system would handle it) with the sub and new surrounds and on phantom mode it was breathtaking! The room was shaking and the speakers put out music that was quite crisp and defined. This system is a real diamond in the rough and has great potential.

Weaknesses:
radio tuner is pathetic; I can barely get the strongest stations in (and I'm on the second floor!) and I've placed the antenae everywhere (my other old manual tuning radios get better reception), center and rear speakers are pathetic (I upgraded to a pair of 3-way KLH's for under 50 bucks including 8-gaudge wire), speakers crackle (especially the old rears and center) when operating at or under #10 volume notch. Low amp power, only Dolby Pro-logic; 4 channel (not Dolby Digital; 5.1 channel) 'random cd' selection is quite poor (will repeat songs before playing through all the songs).

Similar Products Used:
KLH, Sony, Infinity, Techniqes, JVC

Price Paid:  $105.00 from pawn shop

Summary:
I bought this just thinking it would maybe have a fuller sound to it than most small stereos. And for $100 I couldnt pass up the offer. I am sure glad I bought this system. I hooked it up to my Tv/vcr/dvd and everything sounds great. It has a low rumble during action movies, the dolby digital turns movies into a 3d audio experience. And you can turn it all the way up without worrying about the speakers popping or blowing. There is also an output to a amplified subwoofer if you want some more room shaking sound.

Strengths:
sound price clarity

Weaknesses:
dont like burnt cd's will skip over them every once and awhile

Similar Products Used:
Aiwa, sony, emmat

Price Paid:  $324.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
At first this seems to be a great mini system. For all the features and the surround sound, it's pretty cheap too. But... beware, this system uses a cheap amp. My amp blew after a year right after the warranty expired. Now its crap but I do use the bookshelf speakers as rear surrounds in my DTS theater. They sound great surprisingly.

Strengths:
Nice bookshelf speakers with this unit. NOT THE CENTER CHANNEL OR SURROUNDS- CRAP!!

Weaknesses:
Cheap amp, cheap surrounds and center channel.

Similar Products Used:
Aiwa, Sharp, Sony