Price Paid:  $280.00 from A&B

Summary:
I purchased it about 6 years ago, and I have to say that it's held up very well. It gets used every morning (alarm clock), whenever i'm on the computer, or whenever we need sound out on the deck. I should note that it's even taken a fall or two off the desk.

Strengths:
What impressed me most at first was the clarity in the midrange and treble. Very detailed sound for a unit in this price range. The controls are very easy to use and laid out well (sans the wierd metal-touch eject button). Having also used the head unit to test other speakers, I can attest that it makes a very clean 15 watts/ch. Then....there is the look. I wanted somthing that had a bit of style, and presence without looking like (as another reviewer put it) "a prop from an 80's SCI FI movie". And from the looks of it, i'd say Mission Accomplished.

Weaknesses:
Well....., it needs more inputs, and the optical jack should work in either direction, not just out. The headphone jack is in the wrong spot. There is no bass/treb control. I'm not one for too many "Bells and Whistles" but come on. It also needs larger speaker terminals. I, like everyone else, found that the bass was lacking, even with the DSG on 2. The solution was simple, find a sub, (settled with a Yamaha YST SW80). With the bass taken care of, I could relieve the little sony speakers from trying to produce it. My only other gripe is the eject button. If they could have only used either a real button or moved it away from the Volume buttons a bit more.

Similar Products Used:
cheaper mini systems

Price Paid:  $290.00

Summary:
I love its incredible crisp and clean sound, decent bass and slick 007 design. Its a conversation peice as well as a great little sounding system for a good price!!

Strengths:
Great sound. Neat looking. Small and compact. Easy to operate.

Weaknesses:
Its cool to p loading feature can be a bit of bummer in some cabinets, because you need plenty of room to take the disc out. Also I found the "sorround sound" feature to be useless since I can't spot much change in the sound when off or on.

Similar Products Used:
This is my first mini-system and I must say it beats my Sony stereo system with Szabo speakers quite easily in the crispness and sound. Im no audiophile , but I do know what I like and this was a good purchase for me.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I have used the CMT EX-1 for over a year now and love it. I have used it as my bedroom system and about 6 months ago I connected a 13"dvd combo to it. I have to say that DVD's sound great with the cheeseball surround on! I would prefer it have just a bit more wattage, it distorts a little easily. If I had known about the CMT EX-22, I probably would have bought that instead. Great remote control, access is easy and intuitive. Overall a great buy if you can get it for under $300. I bought mine for 250 and the next day they had the price at 300. I must have caught a sale or something. It really is more like a 200-230$ unit in my opinion, but the uniqueness was worth the little extra I paid.

Strengths:
Looks, uniqueness, decent sound for it's size and application

Weaknesses:
speaker jacks are on the bottom, hard to put in thicker speaker wire, not quite enough juice to fill a large bedroom

Price Paid:  $285.00 from best buys

Summary:
The novelty of this piece is its best feature. It sounds a little better than any "boom box". Of course in purchasing a piece like this, expectations aren't very high, but I was looking forward to a little more potential. Although the equipment is at the $300 price point, it should have possessed better lows and more resolution. Sony could have built a better product. The ergonomics are exceptional and it’s easy to utilize the remote for all options on the unit. The only awkward thing is the 1/8 inch headphone jack in the back of the unit. Advice for purchase: I would recommend purchase, however at a price range of no more than $150-$200.

Strengths:
great looking, proportionate sound for size

Weaknesses:
...just not enough

Similar Products Used:
denon dm-3, aiwa dont know which model, sony cd radio, nad l-40

Price Paid:  $350.00 from HARVEY ELECTRONICS

Summary:
LISTEN, MY REASON FOR THE REVIEW, IS TO LET YOU KNOW THERE IS ANOTHER UNIT OUT THERE, THE SONY CMT-EX22. FOR ANOTHER 50 BUCKS IT'S A MUCH BETTER UNIT WITH EVEN BETTER LOOKS. IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE SAME SET, HOWEVER IT IS FINISHED IN BLACK LACQUER, HAS BETTER SPEAKERS AND GIVES YOU BASE AND TREBLE CONTROL OR DSG WITH A CHOICE OF SURROUND ON BOTH. SPEAKER PLACEMENT AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF DOES NOT SEEM TO MATTER, IT SOUNDS GOOD. FORTUNATELY, THE DIFFERENCE, WAS POINTED OUT TO ME BY AN ALERT SALESMAN AT THE WHIZ. I RETURNED TO HARVEY AND EXCHANGED THE EX1 FOR THE EX22. I THINK SONY WOULD HAVE DONE BETTER TO PRESENT THE CMT-EX22 IN WOOD OR BLACK LACQUER AND DELETE THE HOLLOW, HARSH SOUNDING CMT-EX1. I HEARD THE BOSE WAVE, ALSO THE TIVOLI 1 AND FOR YOUR OWN PRIVATE SPACE AT $350.00 THIS IS A BETTER SOUND.

Strengths:
TOO SOON TO TELL. UNIT IS STILL BURNING IN. HOWEVER, I LIKE WHAT I HEAR SO FAR AND IT'S GETTING BETTER. SHARP LOOKING.

Weaknesses:
YOU WILL NEED A BETTER FM ANTENNA THAN THE ONE PROVIDED.

Similar Products Used:
FIRST MICRO SYSTEM.