Small size for speakers and unit, musical, Fm reception, Built quality

no bass reproduction (needs a sub) but for me is good enough for a second system.

Bought this unit as a second system, first time I listen to it told my self not bad...not bad for a mini system.
When to another dealer to listen to the Denon DM3 (with Paradigm speakers), did not like it as much as the Teac.
Due to the lack of room on top of my armoire I purchase the Teac and it was more musical then the Denon.
I use it for background music (CD's and FM broadcast) and listen to crappy recorded CD's on it because they are unlisteneable on my main stereo. For the price can't be beaten.

Similar Products Used:

Denon DM-3

sound, size, ease to use

none for what it is...& for what it costs

I had played with the ref-130 a few times in a few different stores & loved it. I was going to buy one for my girlfriend until I read these reviews & one guy said he got the mc-d80 model from costco. The mc-d80 is the 1 disc & they had the 3 disc version mc-d90 also. It does look a little different than the ref-130 so I called teac & they told me it really was the same unit on the inside but it looks a bit different. I was thrilled to save $200 ...they are selling the 3 disc one for only $200 & the 1 disc for $150. I'm gonna go back & buy myself one for my bedroom. I have a nice main system that I have $8000 invested in(so far) & felt a little embarrassed by how good this thing sounded for only $200. The 1st disc I played on it was one of my girlfriends favorites, Sonic Youth's jet set-no star disc. She'd played that cd a million times on her old mini system
that is completely junk but this time she said "oh wow, that's what the singer said?! ...I could never understand those lyrics before...this stereo is way clearer"
I spent a little time setting the radio presets & then played one of my favorite discs, the walkabouts "satisfied mind" I couldn't believe how good the soundstage was. I didn't expect to like it this much. I'm starting to salivate
just thinking about it again. I got her a little subwoofer also (the 3 disc version has an rca sub out). It's really not needed since neither of us like bass heavy music but it does make the soundstage seem even bigger. I'm getting myself a d90 on payday. I played some Jazz cd's & they really shine on this little guy. Also some people mentioned the remote not working well...hers works great all the way across the room. I tried jvc & denon mini systems & they were both pretty fun but for $200 (plus a $40 costco membership) this one is the best choice. I might get everyone in my family one for x-mas.

sound quality, small size, style

cd changing mechanism

This review is for the TEAC Reference-130, which is not available as a model at audioreview.com (yet).
I chose this unit after auditioning it and several JVCs... it blew them away in term of sound quality and features. It easily fills my bedroom with crisp, rich sound, and with the additional sub output, I'm sure it will be able to keep up with the size of future bedrooms. I found it had several advantages over comparable microsystems: three disc changer (more on this later), 2-way speaker design and expandability. The remote control is good (haven't had a single problem yet) and have I mentioned the sound quality? :)
The only real concern I have is with the disc-changing mechanism, which is overly loud, and takes too long. I initially thought it was a mechanical problem, but apparently all the units are like that. Given that I usually like to listen to CDs all the way through, this isn't a big problem for me. I'd buy this one again in a flash.

Similar Products Used:

jvc fs-7000

Simple to use, more than one aux input.

Speakers are a bit cheezy

Purchased this unit (REF-100) 6 months ago for my wife as an alarmclock/computer speaker setup and have been very happy with it so far. Most minisystems are restricted to one aux input, this has three (AUX, tape and Minidisk)and was one of my primary reasons for getting it over a JVC FS7000.

I have this setup in our bedroom as a alarmclock (wife originally wanted a Bose waveradio, I didn't care for them at all), also connected to TV set as well as her computer. Bass is a bit lacking, I installed a 10" powered Audiosource sub and it worked wonders. Build quality is impressive, decent powersupply and weight on the main unit, kinda cheezy on the speakers. One other feature that this has is quality 5-way binding posts for the speakers, something most minisystems don't have.

Overall, very simple to use even without the remote, most functions are easy to access from the front panel without needing the manual. Alarm is easy to get to and set as well and my wife has no problem operating it.