Sony CMT-EP313 Executive Microsystem with Single CD Player (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Used this little stereo for years before the CD player gave out and then the tape player. Used it for radio only for years. Recently was able to it open up and do a non-professional repair job. Successfully replaced the tiny drive belt (for tape player) with a black rubber band. The speed is slower & funky, but the song is recognizable. Ha, ha... still listening to cassette tape in the digital age. Cleaned the CD area inside pretty well and now it is working again. Yippee for cheap electronic and repair know-how.

The unit is fine although I would have like a multiple CD player. I don't think the sound is as good as my previous Phillips but it fit the space left after a remodeling job.

My faithful and reliable Advent 420s, which I purchased in 1962, finally gave up the ghost. It had served me well in all the offices I had occupied throughout the years. Now I needed a replacement for my present office. You will remember that The Advent 420s was perhaps the first integrated tabletop high fidelity radio. Henry Kloss introduced the KLH Model 8 when he was with his partners at KLH. He moved to Advent and introduced the Advent Model 400. The Model 420s, the stereo version of the 400, was introduced after Kloss left. Advent model 420s a stereo retained the modern look and excellent sound of the 400So, instead of repairing my Advent, I decided to join the 21th Century, and buy a new system. At the same time, I would take this opportunity to buy a system, which included a CD player (iso the separate one I had connected to the Advent). No problem, since nowadays most, if not all tabletop radios include CD players. After shopping in several local department stores, I came to the conclusion that what I was looking for would be in the $80.00 -120.00 price. Several models were available, and I settled for the Sony Micro Hi-Fi Component System CMT-EP313. This Sony system looked solidly built. Sony had and still has a reputation for quality, so even though I could not find any reviews on this product, given the small financial investment, it would be OK.The SystemThe unit has a nice appearance, with all the electronics and control contained in a compact silver plastic enclosure, about 5-3/4" x 9-1/4" x 8-1/4" (w/h/d/) and weighting 6.40 lb. It has two separate speakers with blond, fake-wood veneer enclosures, 5-3/4" x 9.0" x .5-1/2" and weight 2.90 lb, each.Speakers. Base-reflex type, full range 4 in. diameter cone type.Audio Power Specifications. Nothing special for sure. The frequency range is 120 - 10,000 Hz. With both channels driven and from 250 mwatts to the maximum rated 10 watts, in 6 ohms @ 1 kHz, the THD is 10% (!)CD Player Section. Semiconductor laser (780 nm). Stop and start buttons, track selection, forward/backward; search a point on a track. Using the remote only, all the tracks or a single one can be repeated: one can make a program of up to 30 steps. One can also synchro record the programmed tracks onto a cassette tape.Tuner Section. FM tuning range, 87.5 - 108.0 MHz (50 kHz steps); FM lead antenna in 75 ohms balanced. AM tuner, 530 - 1.710 kHz (10kHz steps); AM external loop antenna. On the set or using the remote, one can manually tune in the different stations. One can preset up to 32 FM and AM stations. It comes with an AM loop antenna, and a FM lead antenna.Tape Deck Section. Frequency response, 50 - 13,000Hz. Wow and flutter about /-0.15%. One can record a whole CD on a tape or selected tracks only, as well as radio programs.There is a Sleep Timer and a Daily Timer, which allows one to set the system to turn on and off at pre-programmed times. The system comes with a remote and a one-year limited parts and labor warranty.ResultsAudio. As the specs above indicate, it is not exactly what I would call a Hi-Fi system. Even considering its low price, I would have thought one could do better with not much efforts. But maybe I was dreaming...The CD Player. After introducing the CD in the player, it takes about 10 seconds before a number of tracks on the CD and the total playing time appear in the display window. One must then press once the start button for the first track number to appear and it blinks until you finally press the same button a second time for the music to start. Why must one push the button TWICE?Tuner. The sensitivity is nothing to write home about. I live on a hill, near a large metropolis, but I have difficulties in bringing in some of the stations I usually bring in on my (Sony) Walkman.Clock. This is where I thought my Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics would come handy. Forget it. The instructions in the operating manual were obviously written with some other clock in mind. Through trial and error, I managed a couple of times to set the time. However, few days later, the time had disappeared from the display window (no, there had not been a power interruption). So, I gave up and now when I want to know the time of the day, I just look at my watch...Conclusions. The punch line is still the same: you get what you pay for. But I never thought I would get so little for my money. I think I'll get some brownie-points with my nephew and give him the system. Then, I'll have my Advent (real) Hi-Fi system repaired.

i bought this after owning the hundred dollar systems of phillips,rca, emerson and jvc. i had thought i would have to endure the annual trip to walmart for another cd player .i decided to try sony in the same price range. i wanted a changer as the thought of a single disc player didnt appeal to me but the budget at the time was limited and i liked the wood grain speakers that didnt look like a space ship decoration. i took a chance after all they only last a year right? wrong , its two years old , sounds better than my daughters thousand dollar system. i love it everyone who visits loves it and i bought one for my office as it fits in small spaces like the third one i bought for my rv. and the kids like it as i bought two more for grandkids off to college. there arent many products i endorse to friends and have a sony clock radio im not thrilled with due to tinny sound but this system is awesome. by the way ive never fiddled with the clock or settings and could now afford a higher priced unit but when you find something this good who cares about price or clocks i play rod stewarts classic love songs and he is in the room.if it quits today ill buy another just like it.

I live in an apartment so I am limited by not only size but also by the level of loudness I can extract from my stereo. I have only had a boombox for quite some time until I purchased this unit. My furniture, for the most part, is maple so this system fit well with my general decor. I have shopped for systems for sometime and then stumbled upon this one. Generally, in regards to what I have seen, I am either pleased with appearance and disappointed by the audio or vice versa. This system made the cut on both counts.I have the speakers separated and while I can understand folks that may wish to keep them together I would say that for the best sound you need to space them apart.Another thing that is great is the analog input. I have all my video components (TV, DVD/VCR, GameCube) all routed through the stereo if I wish to listen to it that way. So while it is not 5.1 or 6.1 sound it is a definite improvement over my TV's speakers.The only negative thing I could say is that the tone control is very limited. You can only bump up the treble and/or bass by three "clicks". To counter that the DSG feature adds a nice depth to the sound.For 100 bucks you cannot go wrong...and it looks smart.

The clock and alarm can be set whether it is on or off. The 3 buttons you need push is the Mode, then Memory or Timer, forward and backward buttons are used to change the time; the memory is pressed to change the hour and minutes; once you press the memory and the time blinks, you have to start changing the time before it stops blinking or you have to press memory again. You can set the clock to come on at a certain time. It can be set to turn off at a certain time or not turn off when it does come on. The memory button allows you to also program 20 stations in AM and 20 stations in PM; once you have the station you like, you press memory, the number, and memory again. I found this post after I had the same problem, then I read about the 11yr old who did it and the PHD who could not figure it out, I'm an appraiser and I looked into the difference and what did work and what did not and figured it out.