cd players

Amazon doesn't currently have a picture, but this is an odd looking piece of equipment. It's basically a big square, intended to mount standing on one corner like a diamond and divided into 4 equal boxes. Two black fabric covered speakers make up 2 of the boxes. The top section is a CD player and the bottom has button controls on it. It comes with a full function infrared remote control (HH Scott doesn't include batteries so you will need 2 AA batteries for it).

You can mount it on the wall with the included bracket and screw anchors, or you can use the included stand. It requires about 2 feet of vertical space and has a footprint of about 12x8". It's easy to set up and the only required tool is a small phillips head screwdriver.

For wall mounting you will need to drill a couple of holes for the screw anchors. You won't need the stand in this case so it will just be the square part on the wall. It does have an AC power cord, so be aware you'll need someplace close to plug it in and there will be the black cord to deal with aesthetically. It does come with 4 little rubber feet to give it about 3/4" of wall clearance for the power cord and any line out cords you attach to it.

RADIO:

I'll get the radio part out of the way first: like most shelf units of this type, the FM reception is by means of a thin wire that uncoils and has to be arranged in some orientation. FM reception on this unit is average. It will receive very strong stations fine, but you won't be pulling in transmissions from any but the most local relays.

AM reception appears to be very good, and the antenna is incorporated into the cabinet of the device, so you may need to turn it this way and that to get optimal signal quality.

CD & CLOCK:

However, it is apparent that this isn't meant to be a radio, per se, but primarily a CD player and a clock. The clock features a programmable alarm mode that will turn the unit on at a preset time, so you can wake up to your favorite CD or radio station.

The CD tray does not have a manual release, so the unit must be powered on to open and close the CD compartment. It slides up on motorized rails, which looks pretty cool although may be one of the first parts of the unit to fail when it gets older. Don't touch the thing while it's moving, since you can break it.

The CD function is very versatile. You can program it to play the tracks on the CD in any order you wish, skipping any as you desire. The remote includes all available functions (except CD tray operation), including volume and programming. The remote operates at a distance of up to 16 feet. CD also has "repeat track" and "repeat disc" functions.

APPEARANCE:

The unit, stand and remote are silver, with the speakers covered in black fabric, so it has sort of a chessboard appearance in the 4 division. The pole on the stand is chromed metal, although other parts are the silver plastic typical of stereo components. It's not cheap looking, and has a brushed aluminum quality.

The LCD display is backlit so you can read it in the dark, with a nice sapphire blue glow. Display characters are about 1 inch high so it's not too difficult to see from a few feet away. Controls are all digital buttons and not analog (no knobs or dials). The CD is visible through a little round window, so you can watch it spinning while it plays. This adds another interesting artistic effect to the system's overall look.

SOUND:

As stated above, radio reception varies, but I will address performance with a good CD source.

Considering that this unit has only two 5-1/2" speakers, it sounds really excellent. There is a built in equalizer that can be set to "classic", "rock", "pop" and "none" (flat). Unfortunately it isn't customizable, but the available options are more than adequate unless you're really an audio freak.

I can't find any specs on the speakers themselves, but if I had to guess, they probably respond in the 70Hz - 25,000kHz range or so. Bass response is decent for speakers this size (you won't be rattling windows), but mid-range is outstanding, which is really what speakers this size are good at. There is good depth and clarity to the sound, perhaps slightly thin depending on where you put the unit. Obviously it will sound better on a solid surface with some reflective surface behind it. On a bookshelf it sounds a bit hollow.

BUT, worry not! Because this unit comes with 2 features I haven't seen before in a small shelf unit: a subwoofer output jack, and RCA line out jacks for an external amp.

So you can go out and buy a dedicated subwoofer (self-amped although you could plug in an external amp and plug the sub into that). That would make this unit a true shelf stereo system. I do not have a sub to test currently, but I think it would complement the frequency range of the built-in speakers and would probably sound excellent.

There is also a headphone jack, although it's on the back, which may annoy some people in terms of function, but it avoids the aesthetic weirdness of a big hole on the front.

The SMV122 is not easy to find, but it seems to cost $99-125 depending where you find it. Amazon lists it "new & used" from $289, but that price refers to two items that are not the SMV122, but other HH Scott systems. I won it at my company's holiday raffle. I have no idea where they got it since I've never seen one on display in a store around here.

Overall a very unusual and nice gift for someone who can use a tabletop CD stereo and appreciates a funky, modern, sleek appearance. This will not disappoint any but the most hardcore audiophiles.