Looks are amazing, no flashy bullsh*t. Sound is very clean. The display is quite broad compared to other mini systems. Tape deck is very high end for mini system. Ymersion is excellent for most genres of music, excluding songs with huge bass.

Remote is a little large. Blue ring around volume doesn't dim with the display's dimmer, (very minor complaint)

I'm 17 and I had my JVC for about 8 months when the CD Player quit on me. So I returned it and got full credit.
I went shopping, and came across the Kenwood XD-53, the store didn't have it so I got the XD-73 for the same price. This system had its good points, but overall it sucked.
Finally I got the Yamaha GX-500. This thing is amazing. The small 3 way speakers really put out a lot of sound, even at very low volumes. Even when the volume is at 1, the sound is very clear. Highs are good, and bass response is extremely crisp. If you want more bass, it has a sub output.
Cd player is good, takes time to get used to all the features, which is a good thing since it works well once mastered.
The tape deck is very quiet which is hard to find in a mini-system.
Ymersion and equalizers actually do something to the sound which rarely happens. I was pleasently surprised when I opened the front panel to find that I could adjust the Bass and Treble even more, the limits of combinations are endless, no need for Custom Equalizers.
Tuner is very strong, can pick up better then most receivers. Presets are catagorized, so the station is easy to find.
The looks are absolutly awesome. I love the expensive look it has, no flashy in your face I'm a cheap piece of sh*t gimics.
CD loading is a bit slow, but 2 extra seconds isn't a big deal.
I highly recommend this system. It is the best mini system for the price, and has a 2 year parts labour waranty, so you know they stand behind their product. I never imagined I'd own a Yamaha system, it's the best purchase I've ever made.
Definitly a 5 star rating.

Similar Products Used:

JVC MXJ-10, Kenwood XD-73

Pretty near everything

Wouldn't mind bigger speaker ports for the wire.
Factory speaker wire

This is a follow-up. Still works beautiful,but I highly recommend that you buy some better speaker wire, makes a huge difference in the signal the speakers get. You thought you had crisp sound now, get some Monster 12 guage.
Only thing is the wire is a little tricky to get into the small holes Yamaha gives you, otherwise it's totally worth it.

Similar Products Used:

JVC, Kenwood