SWEET DEAL: Sharp SD-SG11 CD/MD/FM 1-Bit Mini System

F-100 · « **Reply #40 on:** 6 Nov 2003, 07:08 pm »

Got my unit yesterday from hififorless.com and hooked it up with my Ascend CBM-170 for the kid's room. The sound is very impressive for a unit that cost only $120. My 6 years old boy is very excited with his new toy and the ability to change the display to 7 different colors.

Does anyone know where I can pick up some cheap minidiscs to test out the minidisk option? Thanks....

djklmnop · « **Reply #41 on:** 6 Nov 2003, 10:14 pm »

The cheapest I've managed to find from a retail store is at Circuit City. 10 Pack of memorex crystal for $12.99.

If you go to http://www.minidisc.org you can read up on the recording modes. Standard SP, LP4, and LP2.

Andy

BradJudy · « **Reply #42 on:** 6 Nov 2003, 11:04 pm »

F-100:

I don't see this on hififorless.com's site. Do you have a link? I ordered one from planetminidisc already, but if it's nice it would be good to have a cheaper place to refer people. I also picked up a basic 5 pack of discs with mine to play with.

I'll also be giving it a try on Ascend CBM-170s, but the likely end place is in my office with my HTM-200s. Of course I'll try it on my Aurum Cantus speakers too.

F-100 · « **Reply #43 on:** 7 Nov 2003, 01:50 am »

BradJudy,
I don't know if Hififorless still have them in stock, you might need to email them. I bought it from them through Ebay.

Andy, thanks for the link and the recommendation.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #44 on:** 8 Nov 2003, 01:21 pm »

I was finally able to find the time to set up my new SD-SG11 yesterday. Very impressed at what $129 can get! It's in my daughter's room, so the setup is pretty constrained in terms of placement/etc...but it's that good that I think it would really benefit significantly from some placement and other tweaks.

I'm using Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 ribbon monitors as the speakers. And I didn't realize it didn't come with speaker cables...the only spare cables I had that are of reasonable length are a pair of Analysis Plus Oval 9. And believe it or not, the power cord was too short, so I had to use a spare 6ft Blue Circle BC62 cord. So in the end, I've got a $129 mini-stereo with about $1000 worth of stuff hooked into it! All for my 17mo old daughter.Pretty ridiculous, no?

Disney's Greatest Hits never sounded so good...

Den · « **Reply #45 on:** 9 Nov 2003, 11:09 am »

Quote from: F-100

BradJudy,
I don't know if Hififorless still have them in stock, you might need to email them. I bought it from them through Ebay.

Andy, thanks for the link and the recommendation.

Looks like it may be sold out.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3056232450&category=4787
"The seller ( sales@hififorless.com ) ended this listing early because the item is no longer available for sale."

14 sold in the past 10 days. 0 currently listed.
http://search-completed.ebay.com/search/search.dll?GetResult&krd=1&ht=1&sortproperty=metaendsort&query=sharp+SD-SG11&from=R8&completedonly=1

doug s. · « **Reply #46 on:** 9 Nov 2003, 05:20 pm »

hi all,

has anyone given the fm tuner a full workout? how's the sound & reception? any specs? is it possible to plug in any other sources into this?

thanks,

doug s.

jackman · « **Reply #47 on:** 9 Nov 2003, 07:46 pm »

Hi,
The tuner works pretty well and has no problem locking in stations in my area (something I can't say the same for some more expensive tuners I have owned in the past). You can add one more source and it has a digital out.

This little system is pretty good and very good for the money> It's solidly built and sounds good out of the box. I love having a remote, especially in my bedroom system. At the moment, I'm driving my Ellis 1801s with the Sharp and it plays them very loud with good bass. A real bargain.

J

djklmnop · « **Reply #48 on:** 9 Nov 2003, 08:10 pm »

Hola Jackman,

I don't think there is an optical out. Last time I checked, it was an optical IN.

Andy

doug s. · « **Reply #49 on:** 9 Nov 2003, 09:08 pm »

thanks, j-man - my step-brother is looking for a cheap all-in-one rig, this (or the sd-ex111) may be it. and, afaik, yure correct about the digital out - at least according to sharp's specs, & a pic of the sd-ex111:

run an optical out to a dac, then in to the analog ins, for a-b'ing against the sharp's internal dac...

doug s.

jackman · « **Reply #50 on:** 10 Nov 2003, 01:13 am »

Hi Doug,
I have the SDG-11 and I thought that digital plug was an out. Didn't look too closely because my DAC doesn't support a toslink cable (only coax). Anyway, it sounds pretty darn good for the money. I have been cranking mine and listening to lots of CD's and FM radio. Nothing sounds bad. Unlike other inexpensive players, highs are sweet and not harsh at all.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not telling people this $129 all in one (actually it's a two piece unit with the power supply in the same case as the amp but separated from the source components and preamp) unit will allow you to throw away your Krell, Odyssey, AVA or Bryston gear anytime soon. It just sounds good for the money. I haven't compared it to anythng because my gear is back at AVA getting that cool new power supply installed. I already know its 25 wpc will not drive my speakers as authoritatively as the AVA gear and the bass output is nowhere near the AVA. ALso, highs are not as extended or sweet as the AVA, but it's better than a Denon receiver I tried and a Kenwood receiver that was rated at four times the power as the Sharp.

Anyway, for the money, it's pretty fun. I like the screen that allows you to set seven different colors and the power meters.

J

jcoat007 · « **Reply #51 on:** 10 Nov 2003, 02:44 pm »

I just ordered one of these SD-SG11's for my office, and am going to use it with the RAD Micros that I won from the naming contest. They are only 87db 1W, 1M, but I am sure this will kick some serious ass over my laptop and some cheap Harmon/Kardon computer speakers that I am using now.

I should have it tomorrow.

Steve

PhilNYC · « **Reply #52 on:** 10 Nov 2003, 02:58 pm »

One thing I didn't realize when I ordered my SD-SG11 is that it's 25wpc rating is into 4ohms, not 8ohms. So when you select your speakers for it, you should keep that in mind. I'm using 8ohm-89db speakers, and it sounds fine as long as I don't try to put the volume up too high...if I do, it definitely starts to clip and distort...

JoshK · « **Reply #53 on:** 10 Nov 2003, 03:19 pm »

The $75 Omage AV21's that I ordered are 6 ohm and 89dbs I believe. We'll see if they push them well. The Omage's are incredibly well built, I was really shocked at the quality of the fit and finish for such a cheap speaker!

Tbadder1 · « **Reply #54 on:** 10 Nov 2003, 08:35 pm »

Just got my second one. I'm going to upgrade the inteconnects and the powerr cord and see what happens. In fact I suspect that the SG11 is much, much better than we suspect. At 129 smackers I think one could use 1000 dollar speakers and 100 dollar interconnects and power cord and get worthwhile improvement. I say this because of how my kid is using his. His Klipsch bookshelfs are 96db, and the result is really lower end audiophile and not mid-fi. Now Klipsch is definitely mid-fi, but there's enough synergy going on here to raise this mini-system to the next level.

jackman · « **Reply #55 on:** 10 Nov 2003, 08:57 pm »

I can't wait for people to start modifying these things! I may take a shot at changing the caps or having them changed by one of the local mod experts. Also, I may attempt a DIY power cord to see if it improves the already good sound of the Sharp.

Josh, where did you get the deal on the Omage speakers? I may have to check them out. You certainly know what good speakers sound like, so I look forward to your comments on the combination (with the Sharp). If they sound good to you (and I can find somewhere that still has that sweet deal), I'll pick up a pair. Maybe even change the crossovers if the drivers are good enough to warrant.

Thanks,
Jack

PS- Thanks to all of you guys on this forum for turning me on to the Sharp. It's pretty cool and a real steal for the $$$!

JoshK · « **Reply #56 on:** 10 Nov 2003, 09:36 pm »

I got the Omage speakers at www.master-vox.com. I think it came to $126 CDN shipped which is $97 USD. It took them 3 days to show up at my door.

Dark Tranquility · « **Reply #57 on:** 11 Nov 2003, 01:07 am »

The SD-SG11, can anybody cough up some detailed (and maybe even a pic) about the connections and such? I'm most curious about how the amp is connected to the component, and if either could be used as a separate component if one goes down the crapper, or simply becomes obsolete; but, I'm also curious about how many in's (analog and digital) it has, basically, potential for upgrading...

OBF · « **Reply #58 on:** 11 Nov 2003, 01:40 am »

Josh,

Did your AV21s break in very much? I just helped a friend set up a 5.0 system with the Sony C70 powering two pairs of AV21s and the Omage center, and I'm hoping they get better. These speakers had no break in and they could probably really use a sub. That said, a quick movie demo sounded kind of thin to me and a bit strange.

djklmnop · « **Reply #59 on:** 11 Nov 2003, 01:59 am »

The amp is interfaced with the main system through a USB-like cable. The main system turns on the amp as well. I thought the amp could be intergrated elsewhere in the future, but I was wrong. The power button exists on the deck, and the deck won't work without the AMP (AC input).

Nevertheless, for the price, it simply can't be beat.

I brought it over to skchow's house the other night, he was thoroughly impressed with it, where him and his friends ended up ordering three!!

Andy