small, good sound, cheap, expandable

not user friendly

I bought this off of samsclub.com for a steal. I have always been impressed with pioneer equipment and it still holds true.

Size, appearance, price, PERFORMANCE

Durability (handle with care)

Needed to replace a boombox that had been used for bedroom listening. Thought of everything from another boombox to Cambridge Soundworks 88CD.

Poked around several places. Best price performance had been a Sony portable at around $119. Best performance to size for bedroom listening had been Sony vertical CD unit with MDF speakers @ $299.

Really stumbled across NS5 at Sam's and gave it a listen. Surprised at how good it sounded. Demo unit had been severely abused (hey it's Sam's Club). Read the features off the tag and box, took a good look at the unit and decided to give it a chance.

Set it up at home and was AMAZED at quality of sound based on price and size. Speakers rated @ 45hz - 20khz (okay it's Pioneer and you have to be careful of their claims). However, it passed the Dragonheart soundtrack test with flying colors. Didn't shy away from bass at all. Highs came through nice and clear. No this won't be replacing my Onkyo/Boston Accoustics setup in my LR anytime soon (highs and lows aren't as tight but I didn't pay $5k for the whole setup like I did in the LR either). For the price, this is a terrific little unit that I recommend heartily.

The one downside is that the unit and the speakers appear to be somewhat fragile. Handle with care, set up and leave alone and be AMAZED at the quality of sound.

Similar Products Used:

Boom Boxes

Very Stylish looking hifi.
when all components are added this HI-FI looks like it cost a fortune.
The system is easy to use and is easy to set up.
The big display is cool you can see what tracks are playing from across a room.

Could have had other components such as a dvd player a cd recorder (cdr).
Could have had bigger speaker terminals for different/bigger speaker wire.
It takes a while to set the surround sound settings to how I like it and when the mains power is turned off the system resets. really anoying.....

I first bought the NS-5 and the MJ-l5 minidisc recorder as a package.
Once I got it home and wired it up I was amazed at the quality of the sound coming from such small speakers.
After a few weeks I was hooked, I went out and bought the CT-l5 tape deck and the SP-l5 sound processor with the surround sound speakers.
The system has been mounted on a glass Optimum HI-FI rack and the speakers have been changed with KEF Cresta 2`s mounted on Atacama Speaker stands.
All Speaker wires have been changed for some wire that is a bit more heavy duty.
And the system rocks man!
Since I have owned this system i have been listening to all sorts of music because it all sounds so good.
I have had HI-FI seperate systems in the past and I decided that I wanted something discrete but a good sound maker .
But I`ve ended up with a beast that is the beauty.

Similar Products Used:

denon

This is just da bomb!!!, I'm no expert on amps, etc but I can say for a mini system this is brill!!, The sound is unbelievably loud clear crisp!!. also its style is just cool, Pioneer have created just the style of system for my house!!!, Nice one!

I dont think there is one!, oh yes, It clicks a lot where changing sides on a tape

Brill System, overall

Similar Products Used:

Sony CD345, Panasonic etc

Crisp sound, great lows for such small speakers, and good add on options.

I don't like the remote

This is a great little system, with a nice clear sound from two wonderful speakers. The display is brilliant. I use it as my alarm clock! I can't wait to get my hands on the MD recorder!

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic, JVC, Aiwa

Looks, The Quality of Sound Productions Especially at high volumes

The speakers are not very well crafted a little light Weighted

When i bought it a year and bit ago ago it was the bee's knees, and still shines and sounds as good as when i first got. The HiFi has lost about $200 since i got it and in the price range it is ludicus. No Lifestyle system comes anywhere near to the sound production of the NS-5, and with surround sound, Tape, & MD there are plenty of addon's to this system.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood, Sony, JVC etc......

Beautiful design and nice display. Great Cd player and Headphone amp.

No RCA outputs for a Subwoofer.

I just got my NS-5 last night, I immediately set it up and first used it to drive my Sennheiser HD-565 Ovations. I was very surprised at the performance that the unit deliverd through the headphone jack. It was actually better than my Harman Kardon AVR-10 which cost a lot more. Next I assembled the cool little remote. I must say that most credit card type remotes suck. The only one that I have ever liked is the one in my car which I use for my Sony head unit. Mainly because most credit card type remotes use a membrain type of button rather than actual rubber buttons. The pioneer remote does use the membrain type of button but it makes up for it with an interesting holder for the remote which actually makes it easier to find the remote and it makes using it easier.

After assembling the remote I went to my basemtent, which is where my stash of AV equipment resides. I dug out my Klipsch KSB 1.1s, which recieved a rave review from HIFI magazine. After gathering the necessary monstercables I got out my BellOgetti stands and began to set things up. The little pioneer is quite heavy about 13lbs it doesnt look like it but it really has a good heft to it. Once the cables and stands were set up I put in a cd and started listening. The little Pioneer with the Klipsch 1.1s sounded very nice. I set the Bass at +3 and left the treble alone because the horn tweeters are very sensitive. The unit's 2X 18watt is plenty to drive a pair of 1.1s. I now use them in my bedroom which is no larger than 12' by 12'. The speakers are 92 Db sensitivity and have a Responce of 60Hz-20KHz. The NS-5 has enough power at 12 of 36 to drive the 1.1s at a normal listening level. Most people look at this unit and think its laughable but it's not. This unit with a pair of small klipsch or PSB alphas is a real audiophile system. NO JOKE. Yes it may be inexpensive but its by no means cheap.

I like the aesthetics of this unit a lot it fits very nicely in a bedroom setting. The motorized display is actually usefull. Especially when you dont like glare in the display. speaking of which the display is very legable from across the room. Yea it actually is, with text display of nearly an inch tall on a dot matrix flourescent display. Try reading the JVC-FS7000 or 5000 or any little jvc from across the room. It is simply not possible and I have 20/20 vision. Poor design on JVC's part.

The unit functions very well. It doesnt feel cheap either. The unit looks quite respectable and it operates as such. The motorized display is very smooth and silent. The CD tray is also very smooth and silent the unit makes no noise whatsoever. unlike the JVC which makes all sorts of noises when you adjust the volume or open the top. The NS-5 has a digital optical output. This I like because I have Minidisc players and recorders. It makes the unit more versitile than any of the small sonys or aiwas. The buttons on the unit dont feel cheap or loose and the idea of having the display drop down when the unit is turned off is great especially for those who have children or pets.

I am very captivated with the design of this unit and I am equally pleased with its acoustic performance with my Klipsch speakers. The best part is yet to be told THE PRICES of these two componets. This is where all sense is lost and the words that you used as a child come back "gimme gimme". Yes well I have seen the complete NS-5 system for sale in america ranging from $179 (sams club) $200 (brynmawr) upto and including $320 on the net. However the NS-5 comes in 3 flavors. 1. The complete unit with speakers in either cherry or grey. 2 The Reciever/CD/Tuner/amp with remote and antennas (new). I had rationalized buying the entire system from Sams club for $180. Until I saw the reciever on ebay for only $50 new not refurbished. Amazed at that I went aroud the net to find it at a simmilar price. I found it on Ubid.com auctioning for $69.00. I promply placed my bid. That was monday. I recieved it on Thursady. Ubid has auctions on the NS-5 all the time. Now The Klipsch KSB 1.1s have been discontinued however they too are available for about $50 each on Ubid.com. Or if you want to go one step better in sound get a set of PSB alphas from hificiti.com. Tonight I am going to test a pair of alphas with the NS-5 tomorrow you will see the review. For a measly $150 you can have a pair of alpha minis or for $209 you can have a pair of Alpha A/Vs or for an astonishing $145 you could have a pair of Alpha mites. All are brilliant and well worth the money. YOU WONT FIND BETTER SOUND FOR TWICE AS MUCH MONEY.

So for just under $200 you can experience a very nice mini hifi system at the price of a boom box. Or if you opt for the Alpha A/V speakers you can spend just under $300 and get even better sound Either way you shake it bake it or nuke it, this is an amazing deal and I would seriously reccomend it to anyone who wants a small stereo with sound that makes a Bose wave radio look like its made of cardboard.

Think about it $200-$300 for a CD player with a digital optical out ideal for MD. An amplifier a tuner and some real HIFI Speakers that have recieved rave reviews from Magazines like audiophile and HiFi. What else is out there at that price that offers this value. I havent found anything but if I do I will buy it until then there is only the NS-5 and the Klipsch KSB 1.1s or PSB Alphas.

A sound investment worthy of appreciation and consideration by all who enjoy beautiful sound.

Similar Products Used:

JVC FS-7000 and other Mini Systems.