Sharp CD-BH950 Sharp 240W 5-Disc Mini Shelf Speaker System with Cassette and Bluetooth

For quite some time, I have been looking for a little stereo shelf system for listening to in my garage to replace the old one from the 1990's. Everything that I could find looked ridiculous, it seemed as though the manufacturers spend more time and money trying to make the things look futuristic and "cool" than trying to make a decent sounding sound system (I'm talking about all brands, but mostly Sony). I just wanted a little stereo that sounded good, and looked like what they used to look like, not something from a cheesy sci-fi movie. I stumbled upon this one from Sharp, it seemed to have pretty good reviews, so I took a leap and ordered it. Well, it arrived, I set it up in the kitchen just to hear it, and the wife (not so secretly) wanted to keep it there, so...... happy, happy life.......So I ordered another one for my garage. It actually sounds really good for a small stereo system, I was surprised. The bass and treble are separately adjustable, which is much nicer than the usual 4 or 5 EQ presets that usually seem to come on these things.It is slightly larger than I expected, which isn't a bad thing at all, I was pleasantly surprised after seeing all of the modern tiny ones, it was nice to see something that looked as though it could actually put out some sound.I am absolutely happy with my purchase, if there is one downside, I would say that it is: Those stations that are weak, but still come in, just kind of quietly, it does not pick them up at all, it seems to only pick up the strongest stations, in order to cut back on static, but I wish it would give me the weak ones as well.One more thing, it actually has both AM and FM, when did all of the manufactures decide that nobody wants AM any longer??? Sometimes it's nice to listen to a baseball game in the garage.I highly recommend this stereo to anyone looking for a good little stereo that doesn't try to hide a cheap sounding piece of junk behind a flashy package.

OK - here goes: I received this system today. Being old fashioned, it was VERY difficult to find a decent "stereo component system" with a multi-player CD built in, with AM/FM, that even plays cassette tapes (I think I have one or two laying around somewhere). Doesn't play 8 tracks (I think) and no turntable, but I have that somewhere else (yes, I still have vinyl). Only "con" so far - the speaker wires are exactly 46" long - so if you want your speakers more than three feet away from the main unit, get some bell wire, electrical tape, and wire strippers. It took me about 30 minutes to set the thing up where I wanted it. Today's normal teenager would not be able to set this thing up (just kidding). The AM and FM reception is good - no fading out, etc. And you can set stations. There are separate external antennas for both AM and FM. Everything I wanted to do so far I found (eventually) in the instruction manual. The print is VERY small. It's another device where you will probably not use 50% of the functionality. I know I won't. The sound, however, is surprisingly good - better than the old "component system" it replaced. I've had Sharp products before and liked them. Playing five CDs right now on "ALL REPEAT" mode - ya gotta read the manual to figure out how. Sinatra sounds good. The "x-bass" mode works well, sounds good. Using the remote you can adjust the bass/treble settings. Took me awhile to find the CD "open/close" button - NOT on the remote - only on the unit itself. But that almost makes sense since you will be inserting/removing CDs and you can't do that remotely. The black cases look good. It has a USB port so you can play your music from a flash drive. I'll close with "so far, so good." If I run into problems I'll update this review. BTW - it's NOT made in the USA as another review stated.

I recently purchased the Sharp CD-BH950 for my 91-year-old grandmother, and after setting it up and testing its features, I have a solid impression of the product. Here’s what stood out—both good and bad.🔹 Setup & First ImpressionsEase of Setup: Pretty straightforward—I was able to wire up the speakers and get everything running without needing the instructions.Instructions: The included manual was folded like a cumbersome map rather than a booklet, making it annoying to reference (not a dealbreaker, but inconvenient).Design & Display: The digital standby display is cluttered and not very aesthetically pleasing, especially compared to older stereos I’ve owned.🔊 Sound Quality & FeaturesExtra Bass Feature: I was pleasantly surprised—for a two-speaker system, the sound quality was solid. The bass boost helped, but…Subwoofer Input? Nope. Even my grandma, who is legally deaf, noticed the absence of her subwoofer. This wasn’t a factor in my purchase decision, but I wish there was an option to connect one.Controller & Button Layout: Functional but awkward. The button flow isn’t as intuitive as it could be.Disc Play Mode Confusion: I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to make discs play sequentially and never found an obvious solution.🛑 Build Quality Concern: Flimsy Disc TrayThe disc tray feels flimsy and is not designed for push-to-close.Grandma instinctively tried to push it shut, but it doesn’t auto-close like some older systems.If you’re used to older CD players where you nudge the tray to close, be careful—this one requires the button.🔗 Modern Features: Bluetooth & Alexa ConnectivityBluetooth worked great! I was able to easily pair it with an Alexa Dot and stream Prime Music for my grandma, which she thought was "way cool." Pro-tip: Alexa has to be within 3 feet to pair but afterwards can move your smart device farther. Mine, once paired, is about 10 to 15ft from the player and connects fine.Multi-Format Playback: I mainly bought it for the 5-disc changer, but it also supports Bluetooth, cassettes, and CDs, making it a versatile choice for someone transitioning from older tech.⚖️ Final Verdict: Solid System with Minor AnnoyancesFor $273 on Amazon (cheaper than Best Buy by $50), it was worth it for the features included.✔ Great sound for a compact system✔ Good bass (even without a subwoofer input)✔ Bluetooth connectivity is a huge plus✖ Bad instructions, busy display, awkward controller layout✖ No subwoofer input, despite decent bass boost✖ Unclear disc playback order (should be easier to control)Overall: If you want a compact shelf system with multiple playback options and decent sound, it’s a solid buy. Just be ready for a few quirks and some old-school tech limitations.