» Yamaha MCR-E810SL DVD Mini System

Yamaha MCR-E810SL DVD Mini System Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: best micro system with sound that belies its status as such
Comment: One reviewer compared the quality of the speakers to NS-10s (studio caliber playback monitors). They're pretty close. I'm thoroughly happy with this system. Don't kid yourself, though, in that if your room is of decent size, you really do need to add a subwoofer. Just make sure the sub you get isn't too powerful for the system. I recommend the Yamaha SW216. I figured I had Yamaha components, so I might as well get a Yamaha subwoofer as well. It's a total of 100 watts, which makes sense in compatibility because the E810SL is 65 watts per channel (130 total), and I never turn the sub up more than a 1/3rd of the way to get my added bass. It's not "boomy" but just accentuates and delivers the lows as it should. I got it online at amazon for $89.00 from JR Computer World or something like that.

The cost of the MCR-E810SL is higher, but worth it, even with the added expense of a sub-woofer. The E810SL basically has higher end, bigger component quality but in a compact size. No eq on the tuner, but the lack of it doesn't bother me. Easy hook-up; simple user friendly controls on the tuner. Subwoofer out on the back of the tuner; tons of features for additional hook-ups. If you're going to get a mini-DVD system, this is the way to go if you really care about sound quality relative to music. I'm very picky about sound and this is probably the only mini-system that hasn't disappointed me. Relative to music, its deadly accurate and warm sound is astonishing for a system in this price range. I never crank up the system more than a 1/3rd of the way; and keep in mind I have a good sized living room. Believe me when I say that it's just fine for DVD or tv sound as well. I would get this mini-DVD system any day over a 2.1 simulated surround sound type system.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: not bad sound, but poor mechanism
Comment: First, I need to say that the quality of the sound produced from this system is quite good for its price. If you are only looking for sound, you may like this machine.

However, everything else is wrong with this product.

First, even if I want to turn on the radio, the CD/DVD player automatically starts working. I often find the CD/DVD player working and playing (without producing sound) while I am listening to the radio. It is quite irritating.

Second, the remote controller sometimes does not work. As someone else pointed out in the review, if the controller does not work when I am using CD/DVD function, I first need to change the mode into something else (say, radio) and then go back to CD/DVD. It is quite irritating.

Third, if I, for example, want to play track 6 of a CD, I need to press 06 on the controller. (It applies to any single digit track.) So, if I mistakenly press 6 on my controller without first pressing 0, the controller will assume that I am trying to play track sixty-whatever. The only way I know to recover from that situation is to go to radio mode (or any other mode) and come back to CD/DVD mode, and press 06. It is quite irritating.

Finally, the speed of the starting up of the CD/DVD player is quite slow. If I turn on the power, it will take 32 seconds for this player to start playing a CD. It is quite irritating.

Among the problems that I listed, the most irritating function of this product is that it automatically starts playing CD/DVD whenever I turn on the power.
I seriously regret buying this product.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great sound for a small system
Comment: Great sound for such a small system. We totally love the rich sound it gives and ability to add on to this unit with more speakers as well as an mp3 player. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a system that takes up little space for such wonderful sound. Good job, Yamaha!!!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice sound, cryptic operation
Comment: Yamaha MCR-E810SL DVD Mini System looked like a good bet. I listened to it at a local stereo store and was impressed by the sound. I should have played with the controls however & am now paying the price. My wife hates it because she does not understand how it works. My best friend who is a stereo nut likes the sound but was also turned off by the control issues. I'd return it but I feel I've had it too long to justify a return. It does sound nice but one should be able to use it easily & not have to open a manual to change the radio station.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Incredible System
Comment: I had been in search of a system (or some kind of configuration) that would work for my application, which was playing high-fidelity music from my Mac, and wow, this IS IT. By the end of my search I had decided to go with a mini system, and after researching the Onkyo and Denon options, I decided to go with the Yamaha. And I've got to say, I'm so glad I went with the Yamaha...all the rest had one negative or another, but this Yamaha has it all - incredible clear and precise sound, great bass performance without a sub, but incredible with one, peerless aesthetic fit and finish, and marvelous build quality. Just in the weight of the amp/receiver, one can feel the heft of Yamaha quality. And the speakers - heavy, meticulously crafted, and the finish, wow, if you sat it on top of a Yamaha grand piano, it would disappear. Other pluses: subwoofer out (obviously), plenty of inputs, simple and capable remote, excellent iPod compatibility (with purchase of the dock, which is reasonably priced), and Yamaha's PureDirect feature, which is present on the company's high-end hi-fi amps and receivers, and allows the input signal to bypass all the internal processing of the receiver. This is excellent if you are using, for example, an SACD player, and you want to hear the most direct, unencumbered sound that can be output by the player. The DVD/CD also seems very capable, admittedly not for today's HD applications, but with progressive scanning and component video output it ought to get by quite well in an office type of setup. And there are little details I appreciate as well; for example, on the remote, there are dedicated input buttons, for CD, tuner, aux, etc. rather than one input button that forces you to scroll through all the inputs to get to the one you want. Overall, I would say I am extremely pleased with this system - there's nothing mini about its power output or capability, only its size.

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