 Probably the best compact stereo for the money |
| Review Date: September 21, 2008 |
| Reviewer: FlangeMechanism, |
I was on a mission: find a modest, space-conscious stereo system for my living room that included an iPod port, AM/FM radio, and CD player, could be wired through a subwoofer, and be relatively cheap without looking, feeling, or sounding cheap.
Onkyo has a decent compact shelf system that starts at $300, but that was a little pricey for me, particularly when it doesn't even include an iPod port, much less iPod remote control. Other makers like Sony, Philips, and JVC have similar setups, tailored for iPods, for $100 or less, but everything I found in my browsing was either ugly, shoddy-seeming, seriously underpowered, or all of the above.
Enter this system from LG, the Korean electronics maker formerly known as Goldstar. Like all current LG products it has a sleek, stylish, distinctive look. The two remote speakers are reassuringly heavy and rather futuristic-looking (the recessed disks on the front, contrary to appearance, are not some strange new type of woofer, but only decoration; the actual woofers are hidden behind grilles on the outer sides, hence the "3-way" speakers). The remote is compact but has the range of any standard stereo remote (the drawback of the tiny remotes that usually come with iPod products is that you have to get right up next to the unit for the signal to reach). The sound, for a relatively inexpensive bookshelf system, is really impressive (in part thanks to the exposed tweeters). I wired the speakers through a Polk PSW10 100-watt subwoofer (currently available for 50% off from Amazon, incidentally), and the combination sounds as spectacular as anything I could have hoped for.
As much as I like it, there are a few minor drawbacks. The main control panel, the "eclipse lighting touch," is theoretically an upgrade on the famous iPod clickwheel but seems to have only gotten halfway through development: it's never consistent with how or even if it will respond to touch--so don't lose the remote because it's the only real way you can interact with the stereo. Your iPod will lose its place when you plug it in and/or turn the unit off and on, which can get annoying if you're in the middle of a big playlist. If you input commands directly into the iPod while it's plugged in, it will often stop responding to the remote until you unplug and then replug it back in (and you'll probably want to use the clickwheel for scrolling through a large playlist, as scrolling via the remote is slower than molasses). And if you leave the iPod plugged in while the stereo is off, for some reason the backlight will continually activate, which will eventually drain the iPod's battery.
But these problems are small, and overall I highly recommend this as a compact stereo with great sound. |
Great product with some slightly frusterating flaws
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| Review Date: February 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: P. Thomas, Clarksville, TN USA |
| My wife and I ordered this LG micro system hoping to get an easy to use, elegantly designed, and great sounding audio system. LG delivered 100% on all but the "ease of use." The "iPod" wheel is frustrating to use. It is a great idea that doesn't fully deliver. It is usable, but be patient. The trick is to use the outer edges of the the wheel with a light touch. Other than that, the system sounds great at all levels and all ranges - great bass. The looks - well, just look at the picture, very elegant. |
Great sound, fan noise and user inteface not so good
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| Review Date: July 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. Simonovic, |
This is review of LG with video capabilities (LG LB163 in Europe), but should be same as this one with regards to audio.
I was looking for a micro HiFi system with USB interface. After reading reviews I planed on buying micro HiFi system from Onkyo or Denon. In shop I AB reviewed all micro Hi Fi systems they had (Sony, Philips, Panasonic and Denon D37DAB), and Denon had far better sound quality than aforementioned, but price tag as well. I somehow didn't liked size (it's not micro) and look of LG, but when I tried it, LG sound was similar to Denon's, and I even had some preferences for LG sound, but price made me close the deal.
Now good stuff:
- Sound quality is superb, there is plenty of power if you like that. It will easily fill the bigger room with sound at lower volumes. Parties - not a problem.
- LG has a mysterious Virtual Sound Matrix (VSM). It's not an equalizer, and I could only describe it as making sound more 'full'. Some music sounds better with it, some not.
Bad stuff:
- I use lower volumes, and at silent parts of music I can hear fan noise if I concentrate. At slightly higher volumes it's not an issue. I started observing it after couple of days so it is really not that bad, but still, I will replace it with some silent computer sinks / heat pipes just for fun. Bare in mind this LG is with video capabilities and this may be reason for fan noise (video chip inside was warm, although I didn't connect it to TV). Btw. the work inside looks quite good.
- User interface is not great. Display is not matrix. It is segmented display, and it is not easy to navigate to different artist if USB is used. With TV connected you would probably have real menu, but I didn't tried it. Remote is not the most responsive one.
- LG FB163 has DVD (instead of CD). At lower volumes you can hear spinning of the CDs, but it is comparable with fan noise.
- There is one more remark, although small. Front bottom 'speaker' is not a speaker. It is a decoration. I don't like decorations / fake stuffs. I would prefer if they didn't placed it at all.
Bottom line: If you think you will need / use 160W of power, go for it. If you prefer lower volumes, and can not imagine your self needing more than 20-40W, and have more money to spend, go with Denon or Onkyo. |
Mediocre sound and DRAINS iPod battery
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| Review Date: November 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Not buying LG again, |
| My wife and I purchased one of these units to replace an old sound system. We figured that, with the iPod dock, we could put all our CDs on the iPod and then have access to all of them without swapping discs all the time. The sound was ok - nothing great, but probably commensurate with the price. As the previous reviewer noted, the touch pad on the front of the device is hit-or-miss - using the remote is much easier. The big problem, however, is that when placed in standby mode, not only does the iPod fail to charge but its battery is actively *drained* because the screen keeps coming on every minute or so while it is docked. When I talked to LG they (eventually) responded that this was the designed behavior for the unit. Apparently the statement on the front of the box saying you can dock and charge your iPod does not apply to standby mode. The result is that you need to remember to undock your iPod *every* time you stop listening or the battery gets completely drained within hours. |
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