For your ears only

GIZMO GALLERY: Fantastic sound quality should be the foremost thought before one plunges into buying music units.

TEAC would like India to sample a few of its silvery rhythmic beauties. But why buy a TEAC system if you can afford a Bose, Harman-Kardan or even a high-end Sony, AIWA or Sansui system? There can be several reasons to consider a TEAC MC-DX20 CD Shelf System (which sounds like an apt title for Enigma's album).

First, it is inexpensive at Rs 10,999. Second, the large sub-woofer included adds a fair amount of bass and third, the system (with its thin speakers and narrow profile) looks welcoming enough for the shelves, taking up only a modest amount of dresser acreage.

Not to mention, the unit is sleek and modern with a vertical-loading CD player, a fancy light-emitting diode (LED) display and a tiny remote control for additional flexibility.

Its wafer-thin profile is indicative of the NXT technology, with plastics limited to the CD-loading door and system buttons. The best part "� the speakers and the main unit can be wall-mounted quite comfortably.

Booster needed
TEAC's Micro Hi Fi System does have bass but it could definitely do with a boost. Measuring 15.6 x 8.3 x 8.1 inches, the unit packs in 'some' punch with its 45 watts power (15 watts x 2 speakers, plus a 15-watt subwoofer).

Albeit, the subwoofer is good enough only if you can arrange it close to the speakers. The MP3 interface of this slim CD player can be dampener for those who have sifted through AIWA, Philips or Sony systems.

Example "� once turned on, the unit reads the CD but does not play it immediately. Once the play button is hit, it re-reads the CD (takes almost a minute) and this can peeve many.

During testing, skipping between songs (at least in the shuffle mode) was cumbersome. There is no 'eject' button on the remote, so if you have to change the CD, then you have to come to the main unit. The lack of an equaliser is felt quite badly.

The good part, the mini stereo has a digital AM/FM tuner (with 10 presets each). The usual 64-track programming, headphone jack, an auxiliary input and random play format are bundled too.

TEAC's SR-L50 is one of the best sounding CD-clock-radios in the Rs 7,499 price range. Talking of sound output, highs are clear with no distortion as is the bass (no muddy, distracting thumping in here). And, unlike so many units on the market today, the mid-ranges are also excellent.

The bass boost (although amateurish) is satisfying (remember prices here). This sassy looking tabletop CD stereo system's audio system comes with a built-in 3 watts subwoofer in the sound chamber. Measuring 390 x 208 x 118 mm, and only 2.9 kg, bundling of an USB port makes life easier to play music conveniently.

There is no noticeable distortion even with the volume turned up. But SR-L50 produces an annoying hum in the standby mode, making it an impossible companion on the bedside table.

Why does the unit not display time when playing the radio or a CD, is beyond logic. You have to press a button to get time and even then it is shown for four seconds.

A few might ponder, what's the point of having a CD-clock-radio that doesn't display the time? Also didn't quite understand why was there no audio input on the back?

Value for money
A full-function remote control with bass boost and a wake-to-CD or wake-to-radio function is reminiscent of the Bose Radio-CD systems. This one comes with digital AM/FM tuner with 20 station presets, clock timer, snooze bar, LCD display with dimmer, headphone jack and an auxiliary input.

TEAC's cheapest offering is the SX at Rs 6,499. A blue-back lit display, and a digital clock with an analog layout is cool. The machined aluminum front panels lend a sense of elegance and durability besides a promising 4 watts of output power.

The SX, measuring 340 x 110x 230 mm and 3.5 kg, includes AM/FM tuner and a compact remote control that will operate most functions of the unit, except eject.

The SX comes complete with an audio input for the iPod and includes a cable for connection. All of this would be meaningless if this wasn't the best sounding compact system we've heard for the money. It easily rivals the sound quality of CD radio's at twice the price.