I've only had this system a few days... and given the frequency of breakage from this models cousin (from previous reviews) I hope I wasn't foolish for not purchasing the extended warranty.

In general, it DOES seem to be a fairly dependable machine, and is the first unit of this type that I've owned in 7 years. The previous one from Aiwa, with its single cd, and double-cassette worked fine until the cd mechanism died... about 2 years ago. As far as this Sony goes, I'm a bit concerned about the mechanics that have to keep track of 5 cd's!

Regarding general operation; the sound is very good, as are its features. I wish it had more of an equalizer, instead of only allowing a slight variation between bass and treble. The extra bass feature is good though. I've heard the models from Panasonic and believe they have TOO MUCH bass! The Sony's remote is pretty good, except I wish it had numeric access for the station presets. This raises my BIGGEST complaint; when tuning a preset AM or FM station, the preset "number" appears in the display right before the frequency, separated only by a "dash". For example if you're tuned to 101.3 and the station preset is #4, the display would read "4-101.3" or if it's #17 it'll say "17-101.3" In my opinion the preset number should be smaller that the frequency digits or be in a different portion of the display. I've NEVER seen this before on ANY unit, and find it very confusing. Aside from that, I'm quite impressed with the reception (both AM & FM) that the radio produces with the antennas provided. Better than my old Aiwa. The tape however, is NOT auto reverse! The tape will not operate with its "hatch" open, and the little window is quite useless.

I like the sleep and timer functions, the cd exchange, the cd "synch" feature, and the handsomeness of the unit.

Fingers crossed that EVERYTHING continues to work!!

This Sony system is rocking!!!

Sound Quality - The sound of it is wonderful, and clear. Those 400 watt stereos do have a much better bass, but there design is lacking, and the treble is very muffled. The CMTHPX9 has great treble, and may not have 400 or 500 watts in it, but it still delivers some extreme bass.

Design - As I said before, the CMTHPX9's design is excellent. Not only is it easy to use and to set-up, but it is decent looking, unlike the HXGX7, which looks like a techno design mayhem. Also, the system is pretty small (though a bit big for executive), so it will fit on a normal 3-shelf bookshelf (system at the top, speakers in the middle, your stuff at the bottom, something like that).

Features - Do NOT LOOK AT THE SYSTEM TO SEE IT'S FEATURES. The system does look like it has low features, but the remote has tons more. Including an equalizer, clock, special display features, and much more.

Cost - This is a low point for the system. The 400-watt system is about 50 cents per watt, while this is about $1.06 per watt, making the more watted units more than double the value.

Overall - This may cost more than most units, though the design and features overway some of the more watted units like the HX-GX7, MHCGX450, and the SCPM39D. And for some, the CMTHPX9 outways just of the design (some of these shelf units make my eyes bleed a.k.a. HXGX7).

4.5 stars/5 stars (rounds to five)

I recently obtained one of these systems by accident when santa got a bit confused and purchased this system instead of the one i had requested. You can imagine my delight when i realised the quality of the system santa had delivered was far superior to the one i had picked. This system satisfies my needs in every way. Its design is slick and modern, solid and fairly tough looking and it doesn't look like it's about to start shooting lasers at you when you turn it on. Nor does it look like you could climb into it and fly to another planet. I see this as a good thing but thats just personal taste. As for sound quality, you can crank it loud without the system freaking out, and it is particularly bass friendly (just ask my neighbours). The dvd function is a great way to obtain good quality sound for movies and having everything hooked up thru the one system cuts back on messy cords etc around your tv. Only fault there is you can't watch a movie with the sound down whilst crankin tunes.The karaoke function is pretty much a non event but lets be realistic who really uses that anyway. Only other fault i could find is it takes a moment to play, especially burnt cds. Aside from this the system is an absolute winner, quality sound, stylish look, good price. It is the love of my life. Highly reccommended.

Just got one of these and it is great! Like all Sony products - READ THE MANUAL -to fully understand and enable its many features.