NAKAMICHI SoundSpace SS5 Stereo Music System
From NAKAMICHI
NAKAMICHI SS5 - For your office, studio apartment or dorm room, it's hard to envision a more attractive, great sounding mini audio system. The main unit houses a 3-disc CD changer, AM-FM tuner and preamplifier. Function control buttons are arranged conveniently on the top panel. A front window displays changer operation, and can be subtly illuminated in blue or green! Keyhole provided for wall mounting Analog Inputs & Outputs + Optical Digital Output Dedicated Left & Right speakers, each with integrated amplifier, 2.5cm dome tweeter & 20cm midrange / bass driver Dimensions - 10-5/8H x 8-11/16W x 3-11/16D (Main Unit); 10-5/8H x 8-11/16W x 3-11/16D (Speaker)
Amazon Sales Rank: #97394 in Consumer Electronics Brand: Nakamichi Model: 5 Dimensions: 24.00 pounds
Nakamichi's SoundSpace 5 is a 3-CD compact stereo designed for places where full-sized audio components just won't fit. The 3-piece system is small enough for the kitchen or bedroom and stylish enough for your library or office. Why settle for bad sound, cheap build quality, or ugly equipment? SoundSpace 5 was designed to deliver stereo reproduction to rival the concert-hall quality of full-sized Nakamichi components. Its 3 components, styled in contemporary brushed metal and acrylic, can be arranged in different ways: standing, tilted like easel frames, or even hung on the wall. Your choice of charcoal, blue, and green speaker grilles are included for coordination with any decor. The main unit houses a MusicBank 3-disc CD changer, an FM/AM tuner, and the system preamplifier and volume control. Operational buttons are arranged conveniently on the top panel, and a front window lets you witness the operation of the changer, which subtly illuminate in blue or amber (user selectable). The MusicBank changer needs no magazine and is as easy to load as a single-disc CD player. It permits fast, safe disc handling and never touches the disc's playing surface. This changer allows full control over playback functions, including all-disc memory play, random play, all repeat, and memory-repeat play. The speakers are unique in housing their own power amplifiers. Each uses a 3.9-inch midrange/bass driver and a 1-inch semi-dome tweeter. The power amplifiers are optimized for the speakers they drive, ensuring proper stereo "imaging" and wide dynamic range. Nakamichi's FM/AM tuner offers one-touch preset settings for 20 FM and 10 AM stations as well as convenient preset scan or seek tuning. A high-performance quartz-synthesis tuner provides stable, high-quality reception. SoundSpace 5 includes an optical digital output for feeding accurate, digital CD signals to a minidisc or a CD recorder. There are stereo analog RCA inputs and outputs for a cassette deck, as well as auxiliary inputs for a video source. The RCA-type subwoofer output permits connection of any optional subwoofer with a built-in low-pass filter. Plugging in headphones automatically mutes the speakers. For your convenience, the system comes with two separate remote controls. The primary remote engages all functions, including disc eject, while the secondary remote controls major functions and allows blind key operation. What's in the Box Main unit, 2 speakers, 3 sets of speaker grilles (charcoal, blue, and green), 2 remote controls, remote batteries, a 220-240V AC power adapter, a user's manual, and warranty information.
Disappointing over time. I loved this system when I first bought it four years ago. Sleek, cool, and stylish; I bought it more for the way it looked than for the way it sounded (and it sounds great). It still looks great, now if it only PLAYED as well as it looks. After four years it's almost unusable. I've already had to have it repaired twice because of poor soldering inside, and just about any CD I put into it skips. It's gotten so bad that I need to burn a new CD just about any time I want to play something. The shuffle feature is terrible -- it plays the same songs over and over again, which is pretty bad considering that even cheap boomboxes "remember" which songs they've already played and remove them from the playlist. The remote has lots and lots of tiny, tiny buttons, impossible to use or read in dim lighting. Yeah, it's possible that I got a lemon, but getting it repaired was also an incredibly difficult chore. None of the 800 numbers listed in the manual worked, none of the e-mail addresses I tried worked, and even when I got a valid address, it took four e-mail messages and three angry phone calls before I finally got the address of an authorized repair center. The guy there told me that if I needed new parts I may as well buy a new system; if the parts arrived at all, they would be very exepensive. I know that only used versions of this are available, and maybe it would be worth buying if you can get one for less than three hundred and have immaculately dust-free, brand-new CDs. I paid almost eight hundred in 2003, and I wish I had the money back. Not worth the $$$$$ I too have owned this stereo system for a little over 2 1/2 years. PROS: Sound is okay. Cool sleek look... Slim profile. CONS: By far the biggest complaint is the proprietary speaker connections. The speaker wires provided are thin (like a cheap extension cord), EXTREMELY short, and hardwired directly into the back of the speakers. The "loose end" that connects to the main unit has this rectangular plug connection that is not found on any other device I have ever seen or owned. Even if you want to, you can't extend the cable or replace the speakers because the the idiotic speaker end connections. Unless your willing to cut the ends off and take a chance with making 2 splices in the speaker cable. If you want to replace the speakers, that would require 3 splices. Nakamichi website says that they offer speaker cable extensions for this item although I have never seen them offered for sale anywhere. NOBODY sells them and to order them, the site directs you to a non-toll-free phone in Singapore (from the USA) to get details. I am not sure if all Nakamichi stereos have these type of speaker connections but it would be something to look into before buying. Remote is useless as I cannot read the small print under each button. I memorized where the power on/power off and volume up and down buttons are and use them. Other than that, I get up and make changes myself at the unit. All control buttons on the main unit are on the top rear and every button is the same size and shape. I found to even access the buttons, the top of the unit has to be at least 3 inches below eye level if you want to see what you are pressing. The unit is about a foot tall. So if you are of average height for a girl (5'4") you have to place this unit no higher than 4' off the floor to see what you're doing. CD access is from the top so enough clearance (the diameter of a CD plus) has to be provided above the unit. Unit can't be placed in the middle of a bookcase unless shelf above is far enough away. I'm sure these CONS are common among many mini stereo systems, but this one cost so much more $$$$. There just aren't enough PROS to offset the cost. For the price (I bought new for $649), I would have thought these inconveniences would have been worked out. I will most likely be selling mine for a fraction of it's original cost and buy something else that's a little more flexible. Sound Space SS5 Excellect equipment for the price; next tier up is Bang & Oluffsen. Nakamichi brand once more in a high pedestal.
