Most of the time the team here at DigitalReviews get to write about the latest and greatest gadgets and equipment. We even have a scoop or two every once in awhile but today we are reviewing a sound system from Akai that has been on the market for over a year and a half. Why? Funnily enough things don’t change all that much in the audio and sound world when it comes to Hi-Fi systems. The Micro Music System we are writing about now has all that you need in a modern system: an iPod dock, MP3 capabilities through USB and card reader as well as all the other standard things like CD player, FM and AM tuner, alarm clock and remote control. So let’s turn up the volume and let’s see what this particular model is made of.
I remember that the first Hi-Fi system I’ve ever bought-over 30 years ago-was also an Akai system. It lasted at least a dozen years without any problems until finally one component gave up. At that time it was a top-of-the-line system with PLL tuning and a great sound. Guess what? This system is not all that different but has a few additional media formats, like MP3 and iPod. This time it’s not a top-of-the-line music system by any stretch but the sound is still good, given the smallish 4 inch speakers, but still pumping out a decent 40 Watts RMS.
I’ve put in a number of my favourite CDs and turned the volume to the max. There was no distortion at this level but the output was enough for my office. In a large lounge you would want to have a bigger system but for a bedroom or office this is quite sufficient. I also tested out the card reader and USB features as well as the radio and there are really no surprises there. It all just works. The only thing I did not check out was the iPod connectivity, basically because I did not have one handy. Interesting that the manual mentions that are eight iPod adapters in the box but no such luck! I did not even realise that there were at least eight different types of adapters for iPods alone….
I’ve read elsewhere in various forums that other people also had to make do with the one adapter but it seems to be the most universally used one. It would really be a bummer though if your iPod needed a different adapter with this system…. The remote control has additional functionality that you don’t find on the main unit such as selecting the pre-programmed FM stations or sleep functions. Similarly, equaliser and Dynamic Bass Boost and mute are only found on the remote, so don’t lose it! Talking about losing it: the only gripe I have is that there’s no built-in battery for the clock. So if the power goes out in the middle of the night you might have a problem waking up in time…
The build quality of this Akai system is not outstanding but quite reasonable given the street price of around $140 Australian. The design of the AMAICD06 is very standard, pleasing and easy to use.
But I was very surprised in my research to see that there has not been a decent write up on this system-at least not on the first four Google pages. I can see why as it is a fairly ordinary system and relatively unexciting to write about this technology but still, there is a bedroom in my house where this unit is very welcome.
Conclusion
Good sound? Certainly.
All the features you need? Even some you might not need.
Value for money? Absolutely.
Akai make great products but I am not sure if they are a top seller in all the areas of this crowded marketplace that they are a player in. We have always had good experiences owning and reviewing Akai audio products and probably the next logical item would be to do an in-depth report on one of their latest full HD televisions. So stay tuned!
This unit kindly provided by Audion Innovision, the Australian distributor.
Features
• Front Loading CD Player with Programmable CD Memory
• CD/CD-R/CD-RW/MP3/WMA Disc Playback
• Alpha Numeric LCD Display with ID Tag
• FM Radio with Preset Stations Memories
• Universal IPod Docking
• USB Interface, SD / MMC Memory
• Card Slot
• Clock Function
• Sleep Timer
• Preset EQ Function
• Dynamic Bass Boost System (DBBS)
• Stereo Headphone Jack
• Full Function Remote Control
Package Contents
iPod CD / MP3 Micro Music System
User Manual
Remote Control
Specifications
– Output power: 20W x 2 (Max.)
– CD/CD-R/CD-RW/MP3/WMA Disc Playback
– Alpha numeric LCD Display with ID tag
– USB interface
– SD/MMC Memory Card Slot
– PLL Radio with Preset Station memory
– Product dimensions: 445 (W) x 285 (D) x 220 (H) mm
