Home > Consumer Reviews > Aiwa XS-G3 Compact Stereo System

i've always wanted an aiwa shelf system and this christmas i finally got one. this thing is great! the prominent speakers blast a quality of sound that my deprived ears just aren't used to in a personal stereo. there are a million settings and fun ways to play with this new toy - the motorized window panel being a favorite - although the somewhat confusing remote control can take a while to get accustomed to.. another tiny complaint is that the cd tray makes a noise louder than preferable when switching discs. but overall, i love this unit. it all fits on one shelf, has exceptional sound and performs better than far more expensive competitors.

We bought this shelf system for our living room and are very happy with it. It's features include a 3 disc CD changer, cassette deck, tuner and an input channel which you can use to play stereo sound from you TV. The system produces very good sound quality and uses two proprietary enhancement methods for extra bass and less noise. The tuner searches automatically for stations and can memorize 15 stations.

Operating the system is relatively easy with some exceptions - you need the remote in order to operate the CD player functions and the remote requires a rather direct aim at the set, the buttons are also somewhat randomly placed on both the remote and the set. Finally, skipping to a track takes a while and the set does not respond very well to shocks (when the kid jumps harder on the floor next to the set it sometimes skips a little - I guess hhe's grown). Other than those minor complains - we love it.

This is obviously not a home theatre system but if you are looking for a good practical sound system this is an excelent coice. It also looks pretty good- the front is sort of curvy and the blue glowing front panel gives it a pretty sleek look.

The XS-G3 is definately the best system in its price range. I've listened to others, and they just don't compare in sound quality. For you audiophiles, this thing has very low THD, only .08%. Others in this price range are mostly around 10%. In other words, your getting hi-fi sound at an incredible price. One great feature it has is auto shut off. The only thing that is annoying is the remote control. It takes time getting familiar with it's functions. The speakers sound great, but are a bit bulky compared to the main unit. Overall, it looks cool and sounds great! I'd recommend it to anyone.

I don't know what cd's all the other reviewers were listening too, but when I heard mine on this stereo, sometimes I had to turn it off. Some instruments just sound awful on this system, distortion you wouldn't get in any old boom box. Some acoustic guitars, some pianos even. Pianos! How do you make a piano sound bad? This stereo manages to do it. Most songs will sound good, but there are songs on all of my cd's that will be distorted on this stereo. Radiohead fan? Amnesiac and The Bends are static-y. The piano in "You and Whose Army" is scratchy all the way through. Just an example of what you can expect from this one. I don't know about watts or anything, but if that's the case, then go for one with more than 120, like this one. Way more.

This stereo is all that I hoped for and more when I bought it. It sounds great, looks good enough to put in a finsished room and I thought was very reasonably priced compared to similar sytems. Perhaps the only negetive, if I have to find one, is that it does not have a equalizer to finesse your sound preferences and relies upon settings for pop, jazz, classical, etc. (see prior reviews, though I do not believe the sound quality suffers) I personally don't find this to be a problem and did not buy the stereo to be the equivalent of a $500 system.... Overall I think its a really great system.