PHILIPS FX10 Bluetooth Stereo System for Home with CD Player , MP3, USB, FM Radio, Bass Reflex Speaker, 230 W, Remote Control Included

Paid $170 for it, so all information in this review is based on that price point. To give you an idea of the kind of listener I am, as a lifelong musician/composer/producer I've gotten pretty picky over the years about sound quality. I listen to music pretty much all day 40 hours a week and have been using only headphones for it for years, (I cannot recommend VMODA's Crossfade Wireless 2's enough!) so when I switched jobs and found myself able to be home for work I thought it would be fun to have the option of listening on actual speakers too. The genres I listen to the most are: - Metal of all kinds but mostly symphonic metal (Dimmu Borgir, Mechina, Fear Factory, etc - it's very fast metal with an entire symphony or a load of keyboards playing at the same time, so very sonically rich/complex) - Drum and bass (Black Sun Empire, Doom Poets, Technical Itch, Upbeats, Misanthrop, Hive, Skynet, KYROS, etc) - Original movie scores / trailer music (mostly symphonic and some choir elements) - Rap/hip hop (mainly old gangster stuff like Mr. Doctor, Dre/Cube, etc) Here's what I was wanting / expecting when I went looking for a stereo and eventually picked this one, and then how it matches up to my expectations. Transparent sound / clarity - 4.75 out of 5. To me a good set of speakers or headphones is better the LESS they change the sound of what I'm listening to. I want to hear the music as clearly and closely to the original mix as possible. To be specific I don't mean I want a WIMPY sound with no definition - I want a system that STRONGLY pumps out the sound so I can clearly hear every element, but the way the original engineers meant for it to sound. For the most part this system kicks out strong, very clear sound. But the reason I knocked a quarter point off is that I really don't understand why there is no way to TURN OFF the EQ function. In case you're not a raging audiophile nerd :), the way the EQ function works in all stereos is that it routes the original sound through an audio processor that then changes the sound around to match each EQ setting's target (for example, "ROCK" EQ presets usually crank up the bass and treble and cut the mids, "POP" usually pushes up the mids and emphasizes vocals, etc). However, the reason that can sometimes be really bad is that someone has ALREADY very obsessively tuned every sound and moment of what you're listening to in order to make it sound as good as possible - the original engineer who mixed the record. So going with our original example, if you're listening to really heavy metal and the engineer has ALREADY engineered it to have heavy bass and high elements, trying to stack another change to sound on top of that can sometimes make it end up sounding crappy or not clear. It's just frustrating to have what's clearly a fantastic amplifier > speaker > box setup, but be unable to pipe sound through it without the unit changing it. I should make sure to say it still sounds amazing, but I would have really liked a simple option to turn off the EQ (or if they'd just included a "FLAT" setting). Speaker Response / Accuracy - 5 out of 5 If anyone reading this is wondering what I'm talking about with speaker response, I'm referring to whether or not the system can handle pumping out music with a lot of complex elements at extremely high speeds while maintaining an accurate picture of the overall sound (in other words, it doesn't get "muddy" or "sludgy" sounding). This system does this excellently and in fact is much better at it than I expected. For reference check out something like Dimmu Borgir's "Maelstrom Mephisto" or Mechina's "Praise Hydrus" - both songs with a massive variety of sonic elements, and it blasts those out perfectly (and can get pretty freakin loud doing it). Both of the above songs sounded amazing even when pushed pretty hard. Build Appearance and Quality - 5 out of 5 The visual styling is definitely making a loud statement (that statement being "I'm futuristic and tech-looking and belong at home in a game like Deus Ex"), and it's something I personally love since the techwear/futurist aesthetic complements my already futurist-ish office setup. The quality of the build seems quite solid as well - head unit is all framed in metal and is relatively heavy (a good sign...means the internal components aren't cheap garbage). The speaker boxes are definitely a touch above your average bookshelf speaker and certainly seem durable enough. I don't think there would have been any harm in putting grilles over the actual speaker cones...but provided you don't have Gremlins throwing ninja stars around in your office, I think you're good ;) Bass Response / Low Frequency Handling - 4.90 out of 5 The bass response is 85-90% perfect and in fact is really quite remarkable for a system that doesn't have its own dedicated separate larger subwoofer. I'm actually pretty impressed at how low the frequency response goes on this thing - it slams drum and bass way harder than I was expecting, and even symphonic death metal comes through super clear and slamming with a clean but powerful kick drum sound. The only reason I knocked off a tenth of a point was that (only in very specific tracks - "Dark Helmet" by Doom Poets/Technical Itch is one example) the lowest end of the sound very slightly bogs/clenches up because the speakers are trying to push out bass that is probably a little lower (frequency) than what the speakers are actually capable of reproducing. But reminder...I'm being pretty picky about this, probably...and I'd bet 98% of people wouldn't even notice or care. Doohickeys / Bells and Whistles Features - 3.0 out of 5 I honestly don't personally care almost at all about these kinds of features but thought I should be thorough and rate them in case anyone is interested. So what I'm lumping in here is additional options like "Bass Boost", "MAX Sound", etc. The features themselves are fine and work just fine, but here's why I give it only a 3. Both of these features have been bog-standard in stereo gear for as long as I can remember (at least 20-30 years), but stereo companies just keep re-naming it and claiming they're some kind of innovation LOL. "Bass Boost" (aka MEGA Bass, Thump Bass, Super Donkey Bass, etc) has been around forever. All it is is cranking up a certain couple of low end frequencies. And "MAX SOUND" (aka Loudness, Loud Boost, XTREME!, Planet Crusher, etc) is nothing new either - it's just effectively cranking the sound so it makes it "sound" louder (which by the way almost inevitably makes it sound worse). Both of these features work just fine on this unit and the Super Donkey Bass does punch clearly. But the reason I gave it 3 stars is that for something branded and sold as a "mini hi fi system" they could have at least included a few "fake surround" modes or something. Connectivity / Input Options - 5 out of 5 Very impressed with the wide range of ways you can pipe music into this thing. USB, CD, aux in, Bluetooth, (and the CD player handles MP3-only data cd's too, I believe). Input options this rich should be standard on all stereo gear, honestly. Overall Score - 5 out of 5 For what I paid for it, what I use it for, and the things I care about it doing, I give it a 5 out of 5. Given the price point the only reason I could possibly think of NOT to buy it if you're in the market for a system is if you really hate the visual styling (strong black and gold color schema with an inescapable futuristic/techie slant). And then you'd REALLY have to hate it because this is a killer system.

Nice system, sound is very good easy to use. Not bad for the price, I would definately recommend.

Four stars. A bit pricey for the sound output overall. HOWEVER, not disappointed. For what’s its worth. For such a small footprint it does deliver quality sound. Just not head banging sound. Don’t will get the job done neatly with plenty of clarity and some bass depth. Portable. Very. Remote nicely done. Ease of use is a breeze. BT recovery upon power up is very responsive. At least for my iPhone. As much as I would love to give it five stars. It’s just not 5 star material at the price tag it’s at. Maybe $149 would be a better starting point for this unit. But then again. It’s old material and last years old stock which is from what I see not even made now. So def buy it while you can if your looking for that small sized full range clear volume with some bass.

A versatile mini stereo system with a quality sound. It really looks too small for the amount of sound it is able to generate. Very compact but powerful enough. Its ability to be connected via bluetooth, a USB port, 3.5MM cable connectivity, AV in, a CD player, and the FM radio; really makes it a must have for every music lover. I was impressed with Amazon and their delivery partners for delivering the item 3 days before the ETA. I didn't have much to do with the instruction manual included in the box because I had downloaded one from Philips website before evening placing the order. Installation was very easy for me. The system is user friendly. It is very easy to use. Keep it up Philips.

This is a great little unit. It is small, very attractively designed and really packs a BIG sound! Set up is a piece of cake. The controls are easy to locate and operate and everything functions smoothly and as it should. The remote works from long distances. I've used it from 30' away with no problem. I really like the ability to adjust the bass/treble sound for different types of music, and you can crank it up to max volume with no distortion. No need to spend a lot for high priced units when you can get this one for a couple of hundred bucks!

This unit is fairly impressive for its size. The sound is crisp and clear. I liked it for the CD player aspect. I stream my music mostly. Once in a while I enjoy playing a CD. I realize the technology I like is out of date. If you are looking for something to rattle the windows and shake things from the shelves, this is not it. It does have good sound quality at a respectable volume. If you want a little more, you can hit the max power boost. There is also a bass boost on the remote. I like the sound around a 10-14 with none of the boosts on. Very nice crisp clear sound. I’m sure I’ll use the boosts available at a later date when the mood strikes me. It is worth the money I paid for it and I’m glad I bought it. I like it.

My mom loved it! It was a gift for her for Christmas. It came packaged very well, everything was in tact, looks like the picture, and the sound quality was definitely A+. Bluetooth works good as well. With remote control easy to function. Very satisfied with this purchase.

It had ok sound quality and it seemed like it was going to be a good, not great stereo until I found out it had some weird speaker connectors. You can only connect the speakers that came with the stereo. If you want to use the enclosed speakers. But the wires are too short, you will have to cut the wires and spice in more wires. Two sets of wires per speaker.