TEAC Reference 500 Mini Systems

TEAC Reference 500 Mini Systems 

DESCRIPTION

Mini system consisting of receiver, tape deck, CD and MD players

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 25  
[Nov 08, 2002]
Tarquinius
Audio Enthusiast

I'm considering this system. Can anyone comment on the TEAC LS-500U speakers designed to go with the system? Also who actually makes these speakers (is it TEAC?) and also are they suitable for wall mounting? (Any other suggestions for wall mounted speakers that go well with the 500 appreciated). Thanks

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Aug 04, 2002]
hop889
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great sound, great looks, well built, large size quality

Weakness:

Standard CD-player is disappointing, remote has to be pointed exactly at the system to work

I went "basic" when buying his system: no surround, no DVD, just two channel stereo and CD (and tuner). At first I was a little bit disappointed when I set up the system. I had gone for the great looks and promissing reviews, but I missed the definition my previous system (NAD amp., Onkyo CD-player) gave. When buying the system I had already contemplated buying the VRDS9 high-end CD-player, but decided against it because of it's high end price and the fact that most of my CD's are copies. After about a year of playing the system (connected to my Quadral Certo speakers) and oftentimes being disappointed by the somewhat feeble sound I had to take the CD-player in for repair of the tray's motor and connected my ancient 1985 Philips portable CD-player and found that the sound was double as good as with the reference 500 CD-player! That was it! I had to get the VRDS9, but of course at a reasonable price. I found a demo unit at appr. EUR 900 and got a very good trade for my "old" unit so I went and bought it right away. And WAUW!! now my system is much better than I bargained for when I bought it! If the system will last as long as the sturdiness suggests I will never have to get another system.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Feb 27, 2002]
LEEJINX
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Looks, Sound and build quality

Weakness:

Remote control is weak. Will not play CDR/RW and multiregion dvd''s

I bought the Teac AV-500H dolby surround amp & DV500 dvd/cd player for a steal! (£400 instead of usual £750) Looks the nuts, sounds great. Very impressed.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 13, 2002]
dandares
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

elegant looks easy to opperate

Weakness:

dosent play cdrs my oppinion that makes it a very poor dvd player in this day and age.

teac dv h 500 no trouble with picture or opperation but wont play cdrs.But however ive got 1 cdr and will play it ( strange ) Basicly not impressed with it becuase of not playing cdrs.Seems to be old hat.

Similar Products Used:

phillips dvd players (EXELLENT )

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Jan 18, 2000]
K.F.
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Amplifier very dynamic and detailed. Tuner receives many stations. Beautiful gear for the money.

Weakness:

Remote too sensitive.

I have the AH-500 integrated amplifier and TH-500 tuner. It is a very dynamic and detailed amp. I use Kimber PBJ interconnects and the sound is really outstanding. I have it hooked up to Mission 702e floorstanding speakers (89db efficiency) and this little amp does an excellent job; it never strains to produce VERY loud levels. I have much more expensive gear in my main system(Audio Research CL-120 tube amps) and consider myself fussy. This system is in the bedroom and it is really great to be able to listen to music late at night and dim the readout and have it go off by itself(it has a timer). If you are looking for a mini system look no further; this gear is like having separates only it doesn't take up much space. It is wonderful to look at as well and it makes my $1600 Denon DCD-S10(also gold faced) really smoke.
The tuner is pretty good. I have it hooked up to an amplified Radio Shack antenna (I live in a fringe area) and although it picks up a lot of stations is has a lot of hiss.
I do not have this on the Denon TU-800 tuner that is hooked up to the same antenna but the Denon was twice the price new as this little Teac. It's still a very good tuner for the money. It has RDS but there don't seem to be any RDS stations near me. You can enter the call letters of the radio station (which I think is kind of neat) but then the clock display goes away. Who cares what time it is anyway.I don't think you can buy better(mini/semi-mini) gear for the money. This stuff got a BEST BUY Award from WHAT HI FI? Magazine last year(British) and I think they're right.Five stars.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 04, 2000]
big red
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

yes

Weakness:

"binding posts"

what can i say?

this is one fantastic "mini system".

solidly built with exceptional rock solid sound. i haven't
come across any other mini system that can compete with it
for pure dollar value.

about the only bad thing i can say about the teac is those horribly terrible, crap-awful, good for nothing, bottom-feeding,
cheap "euro-style ce" "binding posts" that seem all too common on many of today's amp.

despite that still a 5 star product.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 02, 2000]
Manoj Keswani
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great sounding Amplifier (A-H500), CD Player and Tuner. Excellent detail and clarity in sound. Excellent buid quality and finish.

Weakness:

Cassette player's bass response is a little lacking. Remote control is a bit directional and weak.

I got this system a few months ago on special (Cassette deck was thrown in free) along with some Australian made Whatmough C-30 speakers (www.whatmough.com.au).

I have been amazed by the sound quality I can get from this system. The CD Player sounds great on all types of music from Rock to Classical.

The tuner is equally good with some great features in it. If there is an FM station broadcasting RDS (only 2JJJ in Australia) it sets its own clock off the RDS signal.

The cassette player has a lot of features but its bass response is a bit lacking for my liking, however, a slight tweak of the tone controls on the amp fixes this reasonably OK.

The amp is very quiet and drives the speakers very well (91dB sensitivity, 4 ohm, 2 way floorstanders). The amp does generate a fair bit of heat and therefore should be kept well ventilated.

The remote control's only problem is that it has to be aimed carefully at the amp - it is very directional and its signal is a bit weak.

Overall, the system is (as a previous reviewer said) really like a proper separate system. It is good value for money and provides an excellent sound.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 09, 2001]
John Cantabery
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Excellent build quailty, great performance/price ratio, AH500 amp easily exceeds its power rating

Weakness:

remote is very picky on how you aim it

For the money, these components are a steal. I bought the pdh500 cd player and ah500 amp. Together, these make a great combo. The amp is the real star, since it can produce more than its rated 50w a channel. The imaging is terrific, and bass response is tight when paired with my mission 701s. The amp includes a phono input, which is also of great quality. Overall, the system sounds great, and I would recommend these components to anyone wanting a great system for little money. (I paid $250 for the cd player and $350 for the amp at soundcity.com).

Similar Products Used:

Creek

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 16, 2001]
Brian
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Size & Style, AV AMP

Weakness:

AMP's remote (minor), DVD Player is junk!

Buying these were a mistake, even though we shopped around and thought we have found the combination of performance, quality and style we were looking for. We've read such good things about the Reference 500 line.

We first picked up the AV-H500D amplifier and like it. The only minor quibble is the weak remote control. Too bad about the DVD player though.

The DV-H500 DVD player on the other hand is complete other story. The audio annoyingly trails the video and the player frequently skips, freezes and generally screws up. At first I thought some of this was due to rental DVDs, but we've tried plenty on new ones. It doesn't even play some. We often have to resort to unplugging the unit to get it to reset. This would seem to be a first generation DVD player or just very low quality.

Our dealer has been trying to get us a new one or this one serviced, but they can't seem to get a straight answer from TEAC. The first story was that the problem was known, fixed, and that we just got a old unit or something. The second was that they would fix it in just a couple days and I'd have to send it into get serviced. The newest story is that the new EPROM's are on their way from Japan. That was three weeks ago (they must be sending them by boat.) It has been over two months since I first tried to get this resolved.

This is a pretty pricey DVD player from a well reviewed line. I would expect good quality. At this point I would settle for mediocre quality. Also for the price, you could get a progressive scan DVD player with component outputs with loads of other features. Every thing from the poor quality to the jumpy fast scans suggests this is really an old player in a new gold box. There is no way to justify the price on this one. At this stage in a technology's life, anyone should be able to put out a decent DVD player.

Unfortunately I feel I have to include the amp in the low rating, as what's the point if its meant to go with the DVD player.

I'd be interested to hear if others are experiencing similar problems. From what I understand from the dealer, you should be.

I'd suggest looking into all the other manufacturers' 'mini' A/V components, especially DVD players, coming out in the market.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Oct 08, 2001]
Kevin van Niekerk
Audiophile

Strength:

(It's a 2001 model by the way.....)
Sound per $ =high; Style per $=high;
Small(ish)

Weakness:

Need to turbo-charge that remote... and enclose batts. plse.....

ok
so i just moved here from london, england. left behind my audiolab pre/power outfit, denon cd, nak tape deck and huge b+w330i speakers. got linn to change the power on my turntable from uk 240v to canadian 110v - so that's all i brought with me....
having now arrived, i'm living in a small rental flat. given that, in buying a new system, i wanted high quality audio with phono stage and "some" style just to get me going before i get the audiophile system later on. the thinking therefore, was to go the "mini/midi" route. also to relegate this purchase into my second system for the study come the day i up-grade.
so i listened only to nak, teac & denon offerings. the looks of the 500 got me snagged. sound of the nak chillingly thin. so down to the denon and the 500. not for long. when i put b+w's new 303 speakers with the 500 i just knew. bought it then and there.
i got the 7 disc cd to save hassle and likewise the receiver to save space (one box not 2). got the tapedeck also. put everything together 3 days ago and the wonderful b+w 303 speakers on stands are just beginning to break in - likewise the amp.
to summarise my experience so far - i.m.h.o. this is the closest and easiest route to great sound and great looks without the hassle of different sized, shaped, & coloured separates. please note the 303 speakers are a must. if teac fix that remote, boost the directional sensitivity; add backlight and a "mute" so i can answer the phone then bob really will be my uncle.....

Similar Products Used:

none; only grown-up separates

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 25  

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