New Compact AIWA Music System

For those who favor industrial chic for their interior décor, AIWA has just the music system. The company’s compact new XR-X7 appears to have been machined out of a solid block of aluminum, offering a sleek, sculpted look wrapped in a satin silver finish. Only slightly larger than an office desk phone, the AIWA XR-X7 can be used virtually anywhere, including where space is often tight, such as an office, bedroom or kitchen. A dominant design element is the CD player that looks as if it were chiseled into the top of the unit. The top-loading player is protected by a clear acrylic panel that provides a view of the spinning disc and pops up at the push of a button. The system includes a pair of narrow, 13-inch tall speakers with softly curved silver cabinets that taper at the top and bottom. Silver grilles are fitted, plus two alternate sets of speaker grilles are included: a light green set and a dark green pair.

In addition to the CD player, it offers a digital synthesized AM/FM tuner, a 16-watt-per-channel amplifier and a full function remote control. A pair of auxiliary audio inputs allows listening to other devices through the XR-X7 — a portable MP3 player, for example, or the sound from a video source. In addition, a digital output on the rear panel makes it possible to record from the CD player onto a CD recorder. And for those who want a bit more oomph to their sound, the XR-X7 provides a connection for a powered subwoofer.

Other features include the ability to select up to 12 different illumination colors, Qsurround to create a surround sound effect, a front panel headphone jack, 32-station preset tuning, and random, repeat and programmed (up to 30 tracks) CD playback. Enhancing the XR-X7’s appeal as a bedroom system is a built-in clock with a sleep timer that will automatically turn the system off after a specified time, and timer playback that turns the system on — tuner or CD — at a specified time.

The AIWA XR-X7’s main unit measures 9-7/8” (W) X 3-3/4” (H) X 13-7/8” (D) and weighs seven pounds, 13 ounces. Each speaker measures 3-7/8” W) X 103/8” (H) X 7-5/8” (D) and weighs three pounds, 10 ounces. $300.00. www.aiwa.com

SOURCE AIWA