loved this stereo at purchase and for years and actually still do, HOWEVER, several years ago the CD player started acting stragnely... will not play a CD, tray will not stay closed if power is on - - randomly opening and closing, although the CD change (tray spin) does NOT work either. pretty disappointing, as most of my music is on CD. considering researching cost to fix this problem. doing some online research today to see what i can find out. don't remember what i paid for it. i was a recent college grad at the time, low earnings, so i remember i did finance it, so i'm guessing around $400.

Sound's good even after 14 years, tuner gets good reception, remote control.

CD player is crap! expensive considering it broke just a month out of the one year warranty.

Ok, so this thing cost a lot of money back then. It sounded great, looked cool, had full logic control over the tape decks (almost non-existant at the time), recorded music from CD's with crazy good clarity and volume, and had a 3 disk CD changer that you could change 2 CD's while listening to the 3rd (also unheard of back then). It was great, for a year. Right after the 1 year warranty was up, the CD player crapped out, skipping, going back in time, etc, then not even spinning a disk up. Fast forward to 2008. This thing still has a great tuner/amp section and one working tape deck. The surround speakers got thrown in the trash years ago, but the mains are good yet and the mic is tucked away and functioning in a drawer. So what gives? Top notch components except for the cd? MCM has a pickup for $40 that might fit (I'll take the cover off and check), but it's made by Aiwa too and I'm not into wasting $40 for an old player that only see's occasional duty. My main system is HK AVR 220 with Polk Rti line speakers, and my secondary system in the bedroom is HK 3385 with Bic america DV62si speakers. Anyone replace the pickup themselve's with good lasting results? I would love to join a class action suit for this POS CD changer as most poeple who bought one back then, everyone I know who had an Aiwa shelf system ran into this same exact problem, regardless of model.

Customer Service

non-existant

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Superb sound quality.

Lots of neat little effects and settings.

Looks really cool.

Probably cheap and easy to come by these days.

That DAMN cd player. It haunts me night and day.

*sigh...
Seems like it's the same story across most of the board; sounds great and would be perfect save for the cd player crapping out. Wish I were one of those lucky exception people that have been writing five star reviews here.

Yup, after a few years of use the cd player completely stopped working. It was having problems with skipping even before that. It won't even recognize a cd no matter how much you clean the lens or the cd (I've bought brand new cd's just to see if this thing could read them, no dice.) This machine had been in a dust free cabinet when the cd player first started exhibiting problems by the way, so it must have be a factory defect. On the bright side, at least the blinking lights coming from the cd player look pretty cool :)

Other than this major caveat, the sound is far superior to most mini systems out there, even factoring in it's age. I've had no problems with the surround speakers or anything else except the cd player, so the unit still does get some use. The system offers an incredible bass booster that will wake up the neighbors, and a few preset equalizers and stadium effects to enhance listening. The tape deck works fine for those of you who still care in this day and age. Also has karaoke ability that I've never used personally. Sadly, if you're a vinyl record person like myself, you'll have to buy a pre-amplifier to use most turntables.

Bottom line--- If you're looking for something cheap on the resale market and have an external cd player lying around, this system is a good bet.

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Emerson MS9923TT (which is nowhere near as good in the sound quality dept, but the cd player works at least)

Everything works 12 years later. It doesn't take up very much room. I love it!

None

I just wanted to say how pleased I am that I purchased this system 12 years ago and it still works beautifully. I think the key to success with all electronic equipment is keeping it clean and following all of the manufacturers directions. I read several reviews where people complained about the surround sound speakers not working. What do you want to bet they are not connected to the right connections. The main reason I was looking for information on the NSX-5200 is that I would like to transfer music on my cassette tapes into my computer. So far I have been unsuccessful in accomplishing that. I wondered if anyone out there has done this and could tell me how I might do it. Thanks, Jo Ann

p.s. I do not remember where I purchased it or how much I paid for it.

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Great bass

Bought this system at a second hand store for 48 and just love it. Everything works.It came w/o a remote but a few months later went to the same second hand store and found the remote and bought for 99

GRAT SOUND from 4 speekers.

NONE

The aiwa NSX-5200. One Of the best I have ever had. Grat sound and BASS. Nothing like coming home and tern it on slip in 3 of my best CD's and Terning it up. The Sound from the 4 speekers make you feel you there. Even it not a srounned sound set up it still gives grat feel to my movies. Just like being in the movies. Never ever had anything go bad.

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ALL digital everything!Backlit buttons,remote,BASS,DSP,Alarm clock,toooo much to note!!!

cd player skipped, but easily fixed.

I bought my Nsx-5200 last month used. It has spectacular sound. It has a FULLY functional remote and 3 disc changer,dual decks, and surround speakers.Like all of you others I too had a cd skipping problem that was VERY VERY EASILY fixed by siping the lens with a Q-tip.It works great now. This sytem is probably the best out there even now.Surround speakers don work but from what i hear they suck.THis is a beautiful system.It also has ALL BACKLIT buttons and fiber-optic cd outputs.The cassette also has a very convenient music sensor.The tuner reception is great and the sound is phenominal!

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Sony Minisystems,rca,Phillips

This system is a great radio and tape player that's it. You have to tape the surround speakers to your head in order to hear them. The CD player quit after 2 years of light use.

Size. Sound is OK for 100W system.

"Surround sound" sucks. Might as well use the speakers for target practice.

Paid 450 for this aberration back in 1994. Worked well for the first year, then Dr. Jekyll turned in to Mr. Hyde. The CD player skipped incessantly, even after cleaning. I called AIWA in CA and they let me ship it to them and repair it free of charge. Worked well for another year and then Mr. Hyde reemerged. This thing is a piece of crap and from the reviews I've read, those of you who are happy with this system are by far the exception and not the rule. I'm filling out the class action lawsuit paperwork I received in the mail today which confirms the fact that this system is a piece of crap! Hopefully now I can get this thing fixed for free once and for all. 'Bout time someone made AIWA liable for the crummy products they sell. As a sidenote, I don't listen to CDs everyday. This thing probably would have crapped out a lot sooner otherwise.

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Bass! Small, compact, and sounds awesome. Karaoke feature for voice recordings. I could go on and on. It's got a ton of strengths in my opinion

My one and only complaint is the preset equalizer functions (rock, disco, live...). It sounds great, don't get me wrong, but I'd like to control the sound a bit more on my own.

I have to say I am surprised at the reviews I am seeing for this stereo. I bought my stereo brand new back in the summer of 1994, and after many years of faithful service, being hooked up to many TV's, stereos, and other equipment, speakers and the system itself falling on the ground resulting without one problem, only now has the playback deck croaked on me. I love this stereo, and I have more than gotten my money's worth, and I am going to try to get it fixed. I make audio cassettes, and the karaoke feature on this allows you to make voice recordings (with mic plugged in, you can make voice recordings on the "video" setting) which are second to none. You can't get a home stereo with mic ports anymore it seems. I've had no problems with the CD player (knock knock knock). It's a great system.