Sharp XL-HP500 3-Disc Executive Microsystem

The XL-HP500's hefty 50 watts per channel will make your CDs sound great in small to medium-sized rooms, when you're cranking them up and when you're playing them quietly; an overshadowed benefit of high power is that you get full sound, even at low volumes. You can listen straight through a disc, set the player to repeat, or set it to play random selections.

Load up to three CDs at a time and listen to them continuously, in random mode, or one at a time--you can even swap out two of the discs while the third is playing. The system's two-way speakers are magnetically shielded to allow distortion-free placement near TVs or computer monitors. Detachable grilles expose the speakers' generous 5.125-inch woofers, dome tweeters, and bass-enhancing ports.

The single-well cassette deck offers full-logic controls and autoreverse playback for hands-free extended listening. The 30-preset FM/AM digital tuner automatically scans available stations for easy programming. Use the X-Bass circuit to boost the speakers' bass output, or choose from among five preset equalizer curves to tailor the sound to your preference.

A dedicated subwoofer output facilitates hookup with an external (and optional) powered subwoofer to fill out your music's bass frequencies, while stereo RCA analog-audio inputs accommodate an external device like a DVD player, MP3 player, voice recorder, or VCR. Want to listen in private? Plug a pair of headphones (not included) into the unit's .125-inch headphone jack. This system is Energy Star compliant, meeting all guidelines for energy efficiency.

What's in the Box
Main unit, two speakers, an FM/AM antenna, a full-function remote control, remote batteries, a user's manual, and warranty information.

The sound is impressive for its size. Many units of this size don't produce a desirable sound.

I've had 2 other sets fail me with a broken cd player after a few years of use so I'm not a big fan of spending big dollars on a stereo system if that's the way they stand up today. The others I bought were more expensive than this player.


Pass on this one   November 18, 2003
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

I bought this yesterday and wish I hadn't. It seemed decent enough in the store, but when I got it home and plugged it in, it sounded like the cassette player was going to explode. After testing it out this afternoon the cassette player was already dragging a tape.I brought this back to Best Buy pronto.


Good looking shelf unit with weak sound, poor reliability.   November 13, 2003
G. Rao (san francisco)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I bought this item after comparing it to the Panasonic SC-PM18, as well as a few similarly priced units from Sony, all of which sounded roughly the same to my ears. First off, it looks very nice, and that's really what triggered my decision to buy it. Unfortunately, the sound quality from the CD player is roughly comparable to the sound quality I get from the cassette player in my car (I drive a Hyundai Elantra with a stock radio), and to make matters worse, the manual specifically forbids using metal or CrO2 tapes in the cassette recorder (meaning I can't make good CD dubs to play in my car). Even with headphones on, the sound is flat, with no real dynamics to it. The "X-Bass" bass booster offers only tepid reinforcement of ill defined low end sound, and the treble lacks any texture to it. All in all, I'd say that the headphone sound quality is inferior to that of my 12 year old Sony Discman. I don't know if this is a problem with the CD player, or a problem with the speakers. The equalizer, which is really just six presets, doesn't do much to color the sound one way or the other. I sound tested the unit with Miles Davis' "... Brew", a sonically complex and challenging recording. I am sad to say that most of the album was inaudible at lower volume levels, and even at higher levels, I had difficulty discerning between the various instrumental parts. I never considered buying one of the higher end shelf systems, mostly because they're so (...)ugly and take up way too much space. With 26 days left on my return guarantee, I'm seriously considering other systems at the moment.

UPDATE 11/24/03:
I returned this unit to Circuit City when the timer function stopped working (within 2 weeks of purchase). All in all, I'd characterize this unit as one of the better "executive shelf systems" I've tested. Basically, it (...), however so do most of the other units out there that are competing with it. The Sharp XL-HP500 is cheaper than most, and includes a pre-out for a powered subwoofer, which I've come to realize is almost unheard of in one of these mini-systems. Unfortuneately, when I convinced a Circuit City salesman to allow me to demo the unit with a powered subwoofer attached, it didn't sound significantly improved. Certainly not enough to justify spending an additional $100 on a powered subwoofer, bringing the grand total to somewhere in the neighborhood of $250. If you absolutely need must have a sound system with these specs (ie, small), then this is probably the best one to get in terms of price/value. If you have any other options available to you, I'd suggest attempting to assemble a rag-tag set up of mismatched, possibly used components. The additional $100-$200 you spend will hopefully return in the form of much better sound quality and the promise of future versatility/expandability.