Aiwa LCX-150 - Great HiFi (Aiwa NSX-SZ40)

Member Name: danwilkie

Product:	Aiwa NSX-SZ40
Date:	07/11/01 (1690 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of features

Disadvantages: None

INTRODUCTION - THE PURCHASE

A few years ago now I had finally decided to make the step from cassettes to CDs. I had already bought a couple of CDs and played them in my computer, but it was now time to look for a HiFi for use in my bedroom. As with the Aiwa Walkman you may have read one of recent ops about, I had a look in Argos for a company that I trusted. I had bought Aiwa products before and I thought (and still do) that they are a very reliable company with good quality products., so when I saw this HiFi for £100 (it is cheaper now - read on for the current price), I immediately read about its features and ten minutes later it was in the boot of the car on the way home. The unit plays CDs, cassettes and the radio, as well as having several other useful features.

The Aiwa LCX-150 was very easy to set up even for me, and since I bought it I have had no problems with it (except for one small occasional fault detailed later) and have hardly any reasons to want to buy a newer HiFi as the LCX-150 is of more than satisfactory quality for what I need and it is still in perfect condition.

As is said before, I bought the system for £99.99 but now as technology may have moved on somewhat, you can buy it for a much cheaper price (I don’t know the exact price at the moment. However, as well as this, there are newer versions of this model such as the Aiwa LCX-155, which is priced less than £80 depending on where you shop. You should look around for cheaper offers. One problem with the Aiwa LCX-150 is that it is not so easily available any more now that newer models have come out.

When you buy the system, as with all Aiwa products, you are given a warranty stating that if the system is damaged during the set amount of time (I'm almost sure it was 1 year), and it has not been tampered with, then if you have proof of purchase you can get the unit repaired for free.

Enough about the purchase, let's move on to have a
look at what the system has to offer.

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY?

In terms of hardware, the Aiwa LCX-150 package includes the system itself, allowing you to play CDs and cassettes as well as listen to the radio. Also included are two speakers, described later, a remote control, an FM radio antenna, a MW/LW radio antenna and paperwork including a manual, warranty info etc.

FEATURES

I will list the features under four main category headings, which will be marked with an asterix (*).

*Playing a CD*

Obviously this compact disc stereo system will allow you to play CDs, this can be controlled either with buttons on the system or with the remote. The unit has a top-loading CD system, which can be opened simply by pressing down on the lid, which will cause it to pop open. There is also a small window on the top so you can see if there is a disc inside.

The usual buttons are included - Play/Pause, Stop, Skip Forwards and Skip Backwards. If you tap a skip button you will go to the next/previous track, but if you hold it down it will fast-forward through the current one. The four aforementioned buttons are on both the system itself (on the front below the screen) and on the remote.

To improve your CD playing, there are numerous additional features to help customise your listening experience.

Repeat - This repeat button will allow you to cycle between the following three modes:

NORMAL, where the CD plays through once then stops, REPEAT ALL, where the CD plays continuously over and over again, and REPEAT 1, where the current tack is repeated.

Set a Play list - You can create a play list so that the songs appear in the order you want them to. This not only useful for getting your preferred order, but you can also get it to miss out certain tracks altogether, great if you have an album with a couple of weak links that you'd rather not listen to.

There ar
e other useful features that improve the sound of your CD playing, which will be described later.

*Playing a Cassette*

Playing a cassette is pretty much the same as any other system, with the following buttons that are not included on the remote (very annoying), so you must press them down on the HiFi system: Play, Record, Rewind, Fast-Forward, Stop/Eject and Pause. The cassette can be inserted by pressing the eject button, which will result in a small door just above the buttons opening slowly. The door has a small window so you can see if there is a tape inserted or not. The annoying thing about the cassette function is that if you turn the unit off with the standby button, the PLAY button will stay pressed down, so when the power is turned back on the tape will start playing again, even if you are listening to a CD or the radio. Newer HiFis will have digital cassette buttons that can be included on the remote and do not stay down when pressed.

*The Radio*

You can listen to FM, MW and LW radio with the LCX-150; they are all here. The FM radio has an antenna that is basically a thin wire that I personally blue-tac to my wall. The MW/LW antenna has a stand so it can sit on a windowsill or on top of a TV, for example. The frequency range of the system is 87.5 to 108 MHz for FM, and 531 – 1602 kHz for MW. For LW it is 144 kHz – 290 kHz. The radio also has the following function:

Preset Stations – You can preset numerous stations on FM, MW and LW and save them with shortcut keys if you like, so if for example you wanted quick access to radio 1, just go onto Radio 1 and hold down the SET button to store it as your number 1 preset station for FM. Then, when the radio is on you can hold down 1 and Radio 1 will come on.

*Other Features*

3-Mode Equalizer – You can set this to Rock, Pop, Jazz or off. It enhances the sound being played to suit those three styles of music, so if you s
et it to pop the vocals will be made louder and clearer whilst instruments will have less emphasis. This has excellent effect for different styles, my advice is to experiment with all three.

Headphones – You can insert headphones so that you don’t disturb people, there is a port at the bottom-left of the system.

LCD Screen and Clock – On standby mode this screen displays the current time, when turned on the screen will show a track number or radio station that is currently being listened to.

Easy to turn on – Not only can you use the standby button, but when the system is off, simply pressing PLAY or BAND(radio band) the unit will automatically turn on. The standby button on the unit is also a sensor for the remote control.

Sleep – I use this frequently now and I absolutely love the feature. If you want the unit to switch itself off after a certain amount of time, use the sleep function. This is useful for me as if I have a new CD that I want to listen to but don’t have time, I play it quietly as I go to sleep, and set the unit to turn off just after the CD ends. Sometimes I fall asleep, sometimes I listen to it all, but it Is very useful anyway.

Aux Mode – This allows you to connect a keyboard, a GameBoy, or several other devices to the HiFi and play the sound through the two speakers, with effective results.

OTHER HARDWARE

Remote control – The remote is black with green and white design and has practically all of the buttons mentioned above. The remote is light and takes two size AA batteries. It fits into your hand easily and the sensor is the standby button on the unit.

Speakers – The two speakers are the same size as the unit itself (roughly) and can be placed anywhere in the room thanks to long leads that are connected to them. I just have them right next to the HiFi, though. It is effective to have them on opposite sides of the
room as songs with stereo will give excellent effects. The speakers play very clearly and can go quite loud, the volume goes up form ‘1’ to ‘30’, this will need to be varied depending on the time of day. Speaker dimensions are 150 x 236.2 x 210.5 mm.

Manual – the instruction manual is very clear and helpful with all necessary information for safety, maintenance, setting up the unit, and how to use the various features. There is also a comprehensive list of contact numbers for Aiwa that stretch around a massive amount of countries.

PROBLEMS?

The remote and the unit seem to be very durable, I am rough with remotes and often play with the battery door but neither the unit nor the remote have any marks on them and they work perfectly – except for one occasional fault. Sometimes now if I press the repeat button (located below the standby button on the unit), the system turns off as if I have pressed the standby button. This is for an obvious reason of a connection moving slightly out of place I guess, but doesn’t happen too often. Keep in mind I’ve had the unit for a few years now. Other than that it is fine, so I am very impressed with Aiwa for that.

AESTHETICS

Similar to my Aiwa Walkman, the HiFi is silver with silver speakers and a lovely gold Aiwa logo. The remote and radio antennae are black. The unit looks attractive and impressive, partly why it caught my eye in the first place, and the LCD screen has a light that turns on so you can still see if it is dark. The screen with a greenish backdrop looks good against the silver unit, so overall I am very pleased with the way my HiFi looks. Dimensions of the unit are 160 X 236.2 X 209.3 mm. It weighs 2.6 kg and is easy to carry.

POWER SOURCES

The HiFi comes with a lead to connect to an AC socket on your wall, and the battery takes two size AA batteries, which last for an extremely impressive length of t
ime. I don’t think I’ve replaced them at all yet. The lead to connect to a wall socket is long enough to reach without getting in the way. The power required is 230 V AC, and the power consumption is 30W.

IN CONCLUSION

The HiFi is available at an excellent price and has some fantastic features. It is reliable and also looks good, so I really can’t think of any disadvantages here. Radio, Cassette and CD can be listened to, with many extra useful features, so the Aiwa LCX-150 is fantastic HiFi system at an affordable price

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