Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony CMT-EH45 DAB Micro System

My sister, husband and I recently purchased this as a gift for my mum, as she has recently downsized to a cottage and wanted something to replace her antique stacking system that she'd had for umpteen years. This micro system fitted the bill perfectly. Simple to set up, simple to use and great sound for such a small system. The DAB works really well, though she is in a good signal area, the CD player is easy to use, and the sound clarity of both is very good. I haven't used the tape deck as we don't own any!! And haven't tuned the FM radio as the DAB does more than we could use the FM for anyway. So couldn't comment on these two parts.

The only drawbacks for me are the mains lead is moulded at both ends, the speaker wires aren't the longest and it has a very plasticy feel about it.

But if it's a reasonably priced, quality sound, idiot proof, good brand micro system you're after. you can't go far wrong with this.

This does all I wanted it to do. I'm not too adventurous, so judge from that as you will. But, for a small system, it packs a punch, and all its bits and pieces work fine. If you want more balls from your sound, you can always (presumably) get bigger speakers, but the small ones that come with it are fine for an average-sized room. One aspect I like, and one that will become more important, is the ability to play MP3s on a disc. So you can just load your MP3s onto the disc, i.e. you don't need to convert them to a different format, and it will play them. Same with the audio input from an MP3 player (lead not supplied, but get one of a good length if you go for this, since you'll be treating your MP3 player on your end of the lead as a remote control, and you don't want to be getting up every time you want to flip to another piece of audio; my lead is 2m, which is fine for my small room, since my chair is fairly close to the system).

All in all, a good product, and having the DAB quality - plus the extra stations it brings you - is good, too, especially if, as I do, you live in an area where some FM signals (notably those from the BBC) aren't too good and you can't get stereo with them).

The cassette facility is handy if you still want to record the odd programme you don't have time to listen to right now, and for playing anything you already have on cassette. Although cassettes seem soooo yesterday, I think it's a handy addition.

Bought the Sony CMT-EH45 as a replacement for a JVC micro system which was faulty and having now been using it for 2-3 months I think it an excellent little system. We use it in the kitchen/dining room to listen to the radio but the reception has always been poor but the DAB is crystal clear, the sound quality from the speakers is excellent for their size and the unit seems well built. Overall really pleased with it, in fact I was on to purchase another one for the bedroom when I noticed the pretty poor quality of reviews so decided to add my own! paid £68.99, for the money I think it is well worth it.

I've just bought the Sony CMT-EH45 as a replacement for my old midi system which eventually gave up the ghost. The hardest part of setting it up was untangling all the cables from my old system. Physically setting up the system involves only four steps...
1) unpack it all
2) attach the speaker wires to the main unit
3) attach the FM/DAB aerial to the main unit
4) plug in.

You're now ready to go! I was expecting to have the tedious job of tuning in radio stations to do, but as soon as I turned the Sony CMT-EH45 on, it started scanning for DAB stations, and within a couple of minutes I had a list of more radio stations than I knew existed (and this in an area that has poor reception!). Setting everything up took only minutes.

It's a sleek and good looking thing (and I'm pleased to find it doesn't have half as many awkward nooks and crannies for dust to get stuck in as my old one!), and though they're small, the speakers pack a powerful punch. The system's ideal for a smallish room such as a bedroom or study where a huge system and equally huge speakers just aren't needed. The instruction leaflet isn't great (I don't think the 'large folded sheet' format helps), but the system's idiot proof, and everything works fine.

A CD, cassette (though I only have a few old tapes left, I still like one), FM radio and DAB (and the added advantage of being able to play MP3s ) all in one compact package, and at a great price...if you're looking for a micro system that has just about everything, I'd highly recommend this one.

But this is a great value for money little Hi-fi, I paid £73 for it from Amazon and I am very pleased with it, very good sound that can fill a fair sized room! I was dubious as no seperate bass or treble control (not that I have found anyway) I have a good quality full size hi-fi in a different room, but I bought this for my study and it does the job very well indeed

I didnt expect massive performance and the 10w RMS gives you a clue but this is the best 10w I have heard, DAB reception is superb (I am a fan of DAB!)with 26 channels available and I am in the middle of nowhere, FM is the same, no problem at all

So excellent little set IMO and very easy to set up and use, just what I expect of a Sony unit