Beautiful to look at, with a very clever design. Top quality materials, excellent sound at low to mid volumes

Remotes (2) could be better. Proper wall install is not for the faint of heart!

I saw this unit at Sharper Image for $ 899.00 and decided I had to have it. Jumped on EBAY and picked one up for $ 565.00. Nakamichi cleverly places the power transformer in a wire link to the main unit, with plenty of cord. In that way, you can move the heat-generating power source to an area where it can circulate air, and enclose or wall mount the main system.

For a wall mount, you'll be drilling a 1.25" hole in the drywall then taking the power and antenna wires to an outlet somewhere beyond the wall. In my instance, I mounted it on an outside closet wall in the bedroom, then used the light switch inside the closet as a power source and ran the power leads in the closet.

Sound is fantastic for a unit this size. My unit is a 'fresh production' piece and shows none of the 'clicking' during CD playing that I've read elsewhere in the reviews.

For low to mid-level listening volumes, you'll be quite pleased with it.

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TEAC mini-system

Crisp, clean sound; sleek design.

Multifunctional control buttons on both unit and small remote can be confusing (for myself, anyway.)

A great stereo for a small to medium-sized room, especially for someone (like myself) looking to take the next step up and away from mainstream shelf systems like those from aiwa, sony and the like. Highs are clean and airy, mid/bass is suprisingly substantial for such small drivers (are they really only 4" large??). Really awesome looker...your cool rating amongst visitors will skyrocket with one of these. I've had mine for a year, and just this weekend picked up the new Nakamichi SW-5 subwoofer (designed specifically for the Soundspace 5--see website) and it seems to have been a worthwhile investment in low-end response extension. Not a boomy subwoofer, but very, very tight and accurate. Without it, however, the SS5 can surely hold its own. The unit produces clean, tight sound for room sizes it was designed for, and does so really well while looking gorgeous in the process! I wouldn't, however, use it for large rooms. It wasn't intended for them anyway. If you're considering this system, my advice would be to pick one up. You won't regret it!

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Mainstream Aiwa/Sony systems.

Design, functionality, very good sound for such a system

Somewhat underpowered, don't expect to blow the roof off

Wanted a smaller and slicker system (didn't enjoy the black component system anymore...) for the living room, with CD-changer capabilities and a tuner. This system is the best looker on the market, including everything from B&O. The sound is crisp and clear, but the entire unit is somewhat underpowered. If you want a system you can crank up to get the neighbours crying, forget this one. The overall sound-picture is smooth and clear, with a lightness to the mid-range that suits easy-listening music. Add a subwoofer (mine is a JCV SP-2600)- gives depth and richness to the sound. Three CD-changer system without tray works great, tuner does a good job with the right antenna, two remotes are ingenius, both work very well. Obviously the designer knew what he was doing. I looked at a lot of systems (incl. Bose Lifestyle) before buying this one. If design matters, and you're looking for good sound quality without the need to blow your ears off, or spending you're entire savings- this is for you.

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Bang & Olufsen, Nakamichi SS8

Cool looks, slim design

Ticking

This is a mini-system and is definitely not meant to shake your house. There is some distortion at high volumes and the speakers start to shake. But played at mid volumes, this system sounds superb even in large rooms. I paid $580 + $35 for shipping at etronics.com - a pretty good deal compared to retail and other online stores.
I give it high marks on its looks, but I did notice the ticking sound at very very low volumes. You have to put your ear right up against the speaker to notice it ticking with the CD timer clock - it ticks per second. I'm disappointed considering it's from Nakamichi and the price I paid. I'm sure they've known about this problem. You'll find several units sold on eBay.com and uBid.com as refurbished. So there must have been a defect. Mine was manufactured in Jan 2001 so I thought it wouldn't have this defect that other reviewers had mentioned. Don't buy this stereo. I would send it in for a fix, but seems like a waste of time, since you can only hear the ticking at low volumes but is not noticeable when using headphones. Go with a lower priced Denon system or Sony even.

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Sony

Design, appearance, construction, tonal quality

None noted within the parameters of its design.

A stunning looker. The SS-5 looks and feels like a work of art. It will be hung on my wall soon, even the template is provided. Given the 30 watts (RMS) capacity of the amplifier, it does produce excellent sound. I connected a Yamaha subwoofer (YST-SW45) to the unit, giving the bass an extra underpinning. It will not compare favorably with high wattage system amplifiers, nor was it designed to compete with these units. For the smaller room it is just right. The tonal quality is amazingly flat, with enough adjustments to the bass, midrange and treble to satisfy most tastes. The reception on FM is clean and free from interference. Fortunately I had none of the defects noted by some of the other owners (notably the clicking sounds when playing CDs). A little overpriced, but then it is a Nakamichi. I'm enjoying it even when it's turned off.

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Denon, Sony

clear separation of sounds, presentation, crisp

bass gets a bit weak if you play hard stuff

i've been shopping around for a new mini-system after being stuck with the sony CMT-MD1 (it bombs, but heck i got it free!). after doing some research for stuff within my budget, i went down to listen to the bose accoustic wave and the soundspace 5. to be fair, i must say the bose sounds great when playing jazz and instrumental pieces, but thats about it. it cant really handle rock or metal (dream theater et al). i listened to the SS-8 and was instantly blown away by how crisp and clear it sounded. great sepearation, better soundstage than the bose. i particularly liked the mid-range: clean yet not too 'piercing', but i wouldn't call it mellow. also the SS-8 sounds more "powerful" than the acoustic wave. the only flaw is the slightly weak bass, but heck, overall its a great system for the price.

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sony, aiwa (sucks BIG time, what was i thinking??)

The slim profile allows for tabletop or wall hanging placement. Routing cords takes a little thought to reduce visibility, but is not hard to do. The case lighting and various color included speaker grill cloths allow for attractive installation.

I have not noticed any of the ticking associated with earlier CD transport units. The mechanism operates quietly.

Regarding the sound quality though, I do not consider the unit to be up to my expectations for Nakamichi. The first thing I noticed is that speaker placement is very critical. I’ve tried the unit in two different tabletop locations in a large open room, and the sound quality varies widely. The speaker enclosures seem to vibrate and produce noise when set on a hard wood top. The small vinyl damping feet are critical to damping the case and keeping the speakers from walking. I ended up placing a drink coaster under the back foot to further reduce vibration coupling. These speakers probably need a damping mat if placed on hard wood furniture. On a glass tabletop the speakers weren’t bad, but I noticed the FM vocals to be a bit hissy. Hanging these speakers is probably a better approach. No matter what, the high frequency response remains muddled. The low frequency response is very poor.

It is easy to overdrive the speakers using any CD. Turning the unit up above half volume produces the equivalent of blown speaker sound in the CD setting. It isn’t that I bought this unit for loud volume, but I would expect it to behave well within its own design parameters.

Adjustment of the bass, mid, and high range settings is also finicky. Turning the bass or mid range setting up too high produces distortion. Turning them down too low produces extreme distortion again like listening to a blown speaker. The mid range adjustments produce listenable sound, but not crisp.

This unit seems like it would benefit greatly from a subwoofer, but I can’t find any documentation on the crossover to indicate that the bass would be filtered off and reduce the distortion of the main speakers. Adding a subwoofer might simply further overwhelm the high-end frequency response.

The system features are reasonable in terms of the CD changer, remote controls (two provided), AM/FM presets etc. but these don’t compensate for the low sound quality. I’d equate the sound quality to that of my wife’s $80 Panasonic boom box, but even that holds the sound tighter at higher volumes. A nice added feature to the unit would be a time-of-day clock and alarm/timer. Considering its size the unit could be a reasonable clock radio. Other cheaper similar units do have the clock this piece lacks.

I’ve just received and installed the unit, but my first impressions are unlikely to be changed. The cosmetics of the unit are outstanding. The sound quality is marginal.

Had I paid full price for the unit I would return it immediately. Considering my remote location from my retailer, discount price, and the delays in replacing it, I’ll probably keep it and continue to work with speaker placement until I get reasonable performance, but the unit will never produce even close to audiophile sound.

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Yamaha, Panasonic

The slim profile allows for tabletop or wall hanging placement. Routing cords takes a little thought to reduce visibility, but is not hard to do. The case lighting and various color included speaker grill cloths allow for attractive installation.

I have not noticed any of the ticking associated with earlier CD transport units. The mechanism operates quietly.

Regarding the sound quality though, I do not consider the unit to be up to my expectations for Nakamichi. The first thing I noticed is that speaker placement is very critical. I’ve tried the unit in two different tabletop locations in a large open room, and the sound quality varies widely. The speaker enclosures seem to vibrate and produce noise when set on a hard wood top. The small vinyl damping feet are critical to damping the case and keeping the speakers from walking. I ended up placing a drink coaster under the back foot to further reduce vibration coupling. These speakers probably need a damping mat if placed on hard wood furniture. On a glass tabletop the speakers weren’t bad, but I noticed the FM vocals to be a bit hissy. Hanging these speakers is probably a better approach. No matter what, the high frequency response remains muddled. The low frequency response is very poor.

It is easy to overdrive the speakers using any CD. Turning the unit up above half volume produces the equivalent of blown speaker sound in the CD setting. It isn’t that I bought this unit for loud volume, but I would expect it to behave well within its own design parameters.

Adjustment of the bass, mid, and high range settings is also finicky. Turning the bass or mid range setting up too high produces distortion. Turning them down too low produces extreme distortion again like listening to a blown speaker. The mid range adjustments produce listenable sound, but not crisp.

This unit seems like it would benefit greatly from a subwoofer, but I can’t find any documentation on the crossover to indicate that the bass would be filtered off and reduce the distortion of the main speakers. Adding a subwoofer might simply further overwhelm the high-end frequency response.

The system features are reasonable in terms of the CD changer, remote controls (two provided), AM/FM presets etc. but these don’t compensate for the low sound quality. I’d equate the sound quality to that of my wife’s $80 Panasonic boom box, but even that holds the sound tighter at higher volumes. A nice added feature to the unit would be a time-of-day clock and alarm/timer. Considering its size the unit could be a reasonable clock radio. Other cheaper similar units do have the clock this piece lacks.

I’ve just received and installed the unit, but my first impressions are unlikely to be changed. The cosmetics of the unit are outstanding. The sound quality is marginal.

Had I paid full price for the unit I would return it immediately. Considering my remote location from my retailer, discount price, and the delays in replacing it, I’ll probably keep it and continue to work with speaker placement until I get reasonable performance, but the unit will never produce even close to audiophile sound.

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Yamaha, Panasonic

Amazing style, two remote controls, build quality

Random play has no track memory, and doesn't seem random enough

It's a great mini system. I've had none of the problems that other reviewers have found so frustrating. Midrange and treble are clear and crisp even at high volumes and bass is acceptable but not outstanding. Even though it won't blow the doors off, it's easily enough to get me kicked out of the country if I play it with the windows open. It's not my first Nakamichi (I have a 600 cassttte console) and it won't be my last. Everyone who's seen it has been very impressed. Recommended.

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Is there a similar product?

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ticking

AFTER OVER 2 MONTHS AT NAKAMICHI IT STILL TICKS!!!!!!!!!!