Nice design, sound (for what it is), and concept but it performs poorly.

Lid Problems same as described in numerous other reviews. Releived to know it is a common issue.. but is there a remedy? Please share if there is.

Thnx,

Look and flexibilty

costly repairs and not performing to it's expectations$$$$$$$

Just threw into the garbage. After dealing with the cd door opening and closing then finally using a weighted coaster to hold down the door. The darn thing decided not to display the time on one of the clocks. I loved the design utilizing two clocks for each night stand with the one music source.

Does anyone else make a better system? Will not buy this system again because of all the mechanical problems.

alarm

Won't play CDs.

I really loved my sound scape 3 when I purchased it. After 3 years, the unit failed to start recognizing the CD. I sent it back for service ($115.00) and it worked for about another year. Now it is not recognizing the CDs again, and therefore, I can't play them. Does anybody know a quick fix? I love the alarm--very peaceful, but it is a very expensive alarm clock!

I have owned the SS 3 for a few years and am just ready to toss it in the junk pile when I read these other reviews. I wish I had seen them earlier. I have had the same lid problems as othes that just comes and goes. now the speaker on the main unit goes in and out. AND the programing is so illogical I have to keep the manual in my nightstand to just re set the time and presets everytime the power goes out. What a pain. I will never buy Nakamichi again.

Good concept Good looks Good sound quality, with subwoofer.

Lid mechanism Radio presets Too many cables No memory backup Repair is a pain Remote control confusing and works on main unit only Programming awkward

I don't know about other Nakamichi products, but this one was probably made by engineers with a drink problem. While the SS3 is in itself a great concept (a clock radio-cd that sits on both sides of the bed) and looks impressive, it has many flaws. It seems to me that it wasn't built the way it should have been. I see hardware and software problems with the design. A - HARDWARE PROBLEMS: A1 - THE LID NIGHTMARE EXPLAINED: Many people have problems with the lid mechanism, which seems to have a mind of its own. It really suffers from poor design, and it took me quite some time to figure what was wrong, since I'm not a technician. After we push the lid control button, in order for the unit to "know" that the lid has actually opened or closed, it relies on two tiny switches that are inside the unit, attached to the lid. Over time, these switches wear out and stop sending the message properly. The result is that it keeps bouncing up or down (depending on which one is bad), to the point where you can't use it any longer. As the nearest Nakamichi repair center is about 600 miles away frow where I am, and convinced it shouldn't be rocket science to fix it, I decided to do it myself. It's not exactly hard but is quite tricky. UPDATE: after receiving more than one hundred requests for information on how to fix the lid from desperate owners of the SS3, I've put together a web page describing the process to make it easier for everyone: http://www.geocities.com/cagamba/index.html Just for the record, I've heard of people stacking up books on the unit to keep it closed, people shelving their units, giving them away or throwing them in the trash altogether and so on. A2 - Too many cables connecting the units. They make up a lot of clutter and are great... to collect dust under your bed. Don't know what's the deal here, but it seems like they wanted people to awe at the many connections needed. They should have condensed all the cables into one only cable. A3 - The remote control can only be used on the main unit. It totally defeats its purpose since if you are the "chosen one" to get the side of the bed that gets the auxiliary unit, the only control you have there is the "snooze", so you cannot change stations, play CDs and so on. You eventually can bounce the signal from the remote control on the wall, but it doesn't work all the time and it's very aggravating to do it as you wake up. In order to fix this, I'm dead serious into considering connecting both units with fiber optics. A4 - Remote control design is not intuitive, many buttons have more than one function. It's confusing. B - SOFTWARE PROBLEMS B1 - The memory for radio stations is divided in "FM1, FM2 and AM1", each with 10 presets. Why not unite the FM presets in one only program? You end up forgetting there are more stations on the dial since you always use the same division. B2 - Radio station programming is awkward and if you unplug the unit for a few seconds, the memory is gone. It should have a battery-operated backup. B3 - Alarm programming is awkward. Besides having to push too many buttons in order to get the programming straight, the volume can only be set in jumps of 5: 0,5,10,15,20 and so on. I understand that after 20 (as one listens to music during the day) the loudness of the music gets blurred, but between 0 and 15 (where we normally would set music to wake up) we should have access to all volume levels, since each CD and radio station play at a different level. For me, the optimal level for waking up is BETWEEN 5 and 10. Lame, lame, lame. Note: I appreciate any comments or suggestions. And while we're at it, why not "rate this review" using the drop-down menu on the left? Thanks

Looks. Sound.

Lid design. Remote.

Like many of you, I was a die-hard Nakamichi fan, having owned lots of their equipment since the mid 80s, including a CD player that still outperforms my new big-buck DVD player when playing pure Audio. When I was in the market for a high-end clock radio, the Nak SS3 was an easy choice since I hate Bose and am loyal to the Nak brand. Big mistake. The sound from the SS3 is fine considering its compact size, but the lid problems which surfaced early in its life have been the source of constant frustration. When the problem first reared its ugly head, I promptly sent it back for repair, but the unit performed flawlessly for them and no repairs were made (ie: they probably didn't want to or know how to repair the phantom lid). The lid is so problematic that I hesitate to open the unit to change the alarm or the CD, so, the unit more or less serves as a very expensive alarm clock. Easily the biggest piece of crap Nakamichi ever made. Not sure I would buy the brand again, given the SS3's problems and Nak's attitude about the problems attributed to the SS3.

Similar Products Used:

None

Looks good

Unreliable - breaks down Ordinary sound Customer service from Nakamichi Expensive

An absolute lemon. I have had this Nakamichi SoundSpace 3 in for service for a faulty lid that keeps opening & closing as if it was possessed on 4 consecutive occasions over the past 24 months which has taken over 6 weeks on each occasion to be fixed. I DEFINITELY would not recommend the Nakamichi brand of equipment for its poor reliability and ordinary sound.

Looks great, nice features, better sound than a regular clock radio.

LID GONE WILD is a showstopper. Overpriced. Poor customer service.

Great idea, very nice design, decent sound - HORRIBLE EXECUTION !! For something priced at MSRP $499, I expect much better build quality - and better customer service. I bought this unit for the same reason as many others - it looks great, sounds good and is feature rich. The dual heads/alarms and ability to snooze/cancel the alarm from either side works great for those of who unfortunately, have to get up much earlier than our SO's. I, as many others, encountered the dreaded 'lid with the mind of its own' problem about 6 months after I got the unit. But for me, the story gets worse. Now the lid doesn't even open - it makes a rumbling, rattling noise - as if the gears aren't catching. If I apply some pressure, it finally does - but let me tell you, when this happens at 2am, its not pretty.

Styling, features.

CD Lid design is functionally flawed. The placement of the alarm keys is flawed as well. The weird sets of cables is just incomprehensible.

This was an impulse purchase and I wish we'd taken the time to read through some reviews. We brought our first unit home, unpacked it and discovered the CD lid was broken. This should have warned us off, but instead we returned to the store and got a replacement unit. The replacement set up quickly and worked well for several months. After about three months the CD lid started acting up and now, after about 1.5 years the CD lid is practically useless (it will mystically open and close at random times during the day, especially annoying at 2 in the morning). Although the design is excellent and the sound quality is acceptable, I am very disappointed in this product by Nakamichi and would not consider the brand again.

Similar Products Used:

Sony Dreamspace

Looks; Good sound quality, with subwoofer.

Lid mechanism Radio presets Too many cables No memory backup Repair is a pain Remote control confusing and works on main unit only

Don't know about other Nakamichi products, but this one was probably made by engineers with a drink problem. While the SS3 is in itself a great concept (a clock radio-cd that sits on both sides of the bed) and looks impressive, it has many flaws. It was just not built right. A - HARDWARE PROBLEMS: A1 - THE LID NIGHTMARE EXPLAINED: I see many people have problems with the lid mechanism. It really suffers from poor design, and it took me a LONG time to figure what was wrong. In order for the unit to "know" that the lid is open or closed, it relies on two tiny switches that are inside the unit, attached to the lid. Over time, these switches become worn out and stop sending the message properly. The result is that it keeps bouncing up or down (depending on which one is bad), to the point where you cannot use it anymore. It took me a LONG time to figure this out. As the nearest Nakamichi repair center is about 600 miles away, I had to fix it myself. If anyone wants to know how to fix this, just write me and I will be glad to explain, since it gets a little technical. It's not exactly hard but is quite tricky. A2 - Too many cables connecting the units. They make up a lot of clutter and are great to collect dust. Don't know what's the deal here, but it seems to me like they wanted people to awe at the many connections needed. I'm surprised they didn't put a "caution: nuclear isotope technology inside" sticker just to look fancier. A3 - The remote control can only be used on the main unit. It totally defeats its purpose since if you are the "chosen one" to sit on the side of the bed that gets the auxiliary unit, the only control you have there is the "snooze", so you cannot change stations, play cd or so. You eventually can bounce the signal on the wall, but it doesn't work all the time and that's very aggravating when you're waking up. In order to fix this, I'm seriously considering connecting both units with fiber optics. I'm dead serious. A4 - Remote control design is not intuitive, many buttons have more than one function. It's confusing. B - SOFTWARE PROBLEMS B1 - The memory for radio stations is divided in "FM1, FM2 and AM1", each with 10 presets. Why not unite the FM presets in one only program? You end up forgetting there are more stations on the dial since you always use one of the divisions. B2 - Radio station programming is awkward and if you unplug the unit for a few seconds, the memory is gone. It should have a battery-operated backup. Alarm programming is also awkward.