The Emerson NR303TT CD Shelf system is a very attractive no-frills multi-functional audio system

I bought this audio system for $99.00. I was originally attracted to the retro styling and the phonograph feature. I had a bunch of old vinyl records that I hadn't listened to in 20 years and I thought this unit would allow me to listen to them again.

In general, the Emerson NR303TT CD Shelf System is a retro-styled wood veneer cabinet that houses an AM/FM stereo, CD player, cassette player, and full size 3-speed stereo phonograph. This is a self-contained unit with two wide range stereo speakers. The unit is roughly 12 3/4" deep, 19" wide, and 9 1/2" high.

More specifically, this is a very nice looking replica of an old style self-contained record player. While the unit is fully functional, it has few frills. The phonograph runs at 3 speeds: 33 rpm; 45 rpm; and 78 rpm. The phonograph is started manually but will auto-return at the end of a record. There are no adjustments for the needle counter-weight. As far as I can tell, the needle can not be replaced. There is no adjustment to fine tune the turntable speed.

The CD player simply plays straight through. There are no programming features that allow you to change play order or to repeat specific songs. The cassette player has even fewer frills. It will simply play a tape straight through. It will stop but it will not auto eject at the end of the tape. It does have a fast forward option but no reverse option.

The first unit I bought had a problem with the phonograph counter weight. While some records played fine, the needle would float over the top of others. The replacement unit works fine. My friend also bought one of these audio systems and the volume knob was broken. His replacement unit was fine.

All that said, I love this audio system. The phonograph sounds great. I have spent hours upon hours listening to my old records. While the speakers are small, the resonance of the cabinet gives them a nice rich sound that is sufficient for easy listening in a normal sized bedroom. The CD player sound is also great. It is interesting to play both the vinyl and CD version of an album back to back. You can really hear the superior quality of the vinyl, even on a low-end system like this.

It is also fun to just listen to the radio. The old style dial with the simple back-light makes you feel like you are listening to the radio back in the 1940's.

I'd like to rate this audio system five stars but I can't really do that. I have rounded three and one half stars up to four stars. While I can rationalize the lack of frills against the affordable price, I can't rationalize the limited durability. The fact that you can't make any adjustments to the phonograph or replace the needle means this unit will have a limited useful life. It is also apparent from my experience that not every unit is ready to play out of the box and may require replacement. All that said, I have experienced many hours of listening pleasure from this system.

Update 12/10/06

I have used this player all year. I use the radio, cd and phonograph frequently (daily). The unit is still going strong. The only shortcoming at this point is that the phonograph auto return doesn't engage every time. I'm not sure if that is a record issue or a phonograph issue. All in all, I am very pleased with the durability of this system so far.