Price Paid:  $150.00 from circuit city

Summary:
see above.

Strengths:
i bought this to be a stereo alone - and it rules. The music it produced, from classical to rock to punk was great. then I did something i swore i'd never do. I hooked up my ps2 and then my computer, which i use tyo watch dvd's. The results for both were the same. It WAS loud, and all encompassing, with great bass and mids. BUT, there is no center speaker in a two speaker system, so if people in a movie are speaking in a music-backed scene, then their voices are lost. Same for video games: you lose the game sequences in the background music. as a stereo this was top of the line - even tapes were magnificent. great value. I sold it for 20 dollars less than i bought it for to a friend, b/c i bought it with a five year 'like new' plan. I purchased the 240-watt five speaker system yesterday to replace it as both a stereo and home theater, this time, as i have a klipsch sub to add on to it. If you are going for home theater rather than stereo, you must have more than two speakers for proper surround sound. I am not an auiophile, and i found this out the hard way. if you have an extra 100 dollars around, go for the extra rear and center speakers, as well as the add-on option for a woofer of the Sony MHC-RG70AV Mini Hi-Fi Component System. That's what i did.

Weaknesses:
not very good surround sound for movies or PS2 - no center speaker. no rear speakers either. - as a stereo alone, it is an awesome value.

Price Paid:  $145.00 from CIRCUIT CITY

Summary:
FOR THE MONEY THIS IS THE VERY BEST IN MINISYSTEMS AND I
AM NOT USUALLY CRAZY ABOUT SOME SONY AUDIO SYSTEMS AT ALL.
THE SOUND OF THIS SYSTEMS SURPASSED SOME THAT COST TWICE AS MUCH.

Strengths:
VERY GOOD RICH SOUND. DEEP BASS AND WELL THOUGHT OUT EQ
SETTINGS. SURROUND SOUND ACTUALLY WORKS WELL WITHOUT THE
SOMETIMES TINNY TREBLE INCREASE ON THE HIGH NOTES. VERY
GOOD LOOKING UNIT-I GOT IT IN BLACK INSTEAD OF THE SILVER,
IT LOOKS MORE SOLID AND SERIOUS. A NUMBER OF UNITS DO NOT
HAVE ANY AUX JACKS AND 24 TO 30 WATTS IS THE USUAL RANGE FOR
THE MINI SYSTEMS WITH THESE MANY FEATURES, THIS SYSTEM HAS 120 WATTS. THE CD IS A SOLID RUNNING 3 TRAYS NOT THE NEW AND VERY NOISY ELEVATOR SETUP.

Weaknesses:
RECORDING FROM TAPE TO TAPE IS A LITTLE TRICKY.

Similar Products Used:
THIS IS MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO MYSELF AND I SHOPPED AT 5
PLACES AND ON THE NET TO CHECKOUT 25 MINISYSTEMS.