Fisher SLIM-1500 Executive Microsystem

The unit's pedestal is perfect for placement on top of a desk or cabinet, though other setups work as well. Using the included mounting bracket, you can hang the Slim-1500 like a picture, or you can dispense with the pedestal, unhook the speakers, and enjoy a more discreet appearance and wider stereo separation on a bookshelf or cabinet. (Click on the "See more pictures" link at the top of this page to view the stereo with detached speakers.) If you want the wide stereo effect without the wider speaker array, you can use the Slim-1500's surround button, which generates a more spacious and reverberant sound to simulate a wider stereo spread.

The Slim-1500 is certainly no heavyweight in the sound-quality department; physics take a fast toll on sound quality when you start reducing the available speaker space. If the looks of the Slim-1500 appeal to you, though, the tradeoff is probably a favorable one--the sound is by all means decent, if a little flat, and the bass and treble controls provide some latitude for tailoring the sound to your preference. The unit can play fairly loudly, but bass-heavy material such as rock music will audibly distort at lower levels than you might expect.

Fisher implements a number of thoughtful design features in this system. For starters, the Slim-1500 doubles as an alarm clock (with either radio or CD) and offers a feature called SureWake. SureWake lets you set a low listening level to fall asleep to at night (with automatic shutoff after 10 to 90 minutes) and also works with the alarm by gradually increasing the volume to room-filling levels at wake-up time.

Especially cool is the inclusion of a pair of front-panel RCA-type jacks that, at the touch of a button, you can switch to serve as either inputs or outputs. This flexibility permits you to record from the Slim-1500's CD or radio to a cassette or minidisc recorder; you can also simply listen to your cassettes through the Slim-1500 when it is hooked up to an external deck (though we can't help wishing that the Slim-1500 included a cassette deck). The unit even includes a subwoofer output in case you want to jack up the low end with an external powered sub for more visceral musical involvement.

The Slim-1500 also includes more typical features, such as 20-track programming for the CD player and 30-station presets for the tuner. On the downside, while the blue LCD screen shows CD track numbers and timing, actual time, and radio stations, it doesn't show volume level or bass and treble settings--even when you're adjusting those features. And since the tone controls are plus/minus buttons rather than knobs, you have to adjust tone controls by ear.

While most of the Slim-1500's operations are intuitive, its method of loading CDs is not. You must set discs in the opened tray; when you close the tray's door, the discs pop into place. (Don't attempt to mount a disc directly on the black spindle.) The Slim-1500's remote is easy to use and well laid out, though take heed: its AA batteries are not included. --Michael Mikesell

Pros:

• Stylish appearance
• Independent bass and treble controls
• RCA input and output
• Subwoofer output
• Intuitive layout
• Large volume knob
• SureWake offers flexible nighttime/morning programming
• Intro scan (for CD)
• Detachable speakers/pedestal
• Well-designed remote
• Spacious surround effect

Cons:

• No cassette deck
• No display for volume, bass, or treble settings
• Confusing disc loading
• Batteries for the remote not included

But of course this audio system isn't all about looks. Built-in audio features include a dynamic bass sound system for full-frequency audio reproduction with deep low-end sound, and a matrix surround sound system to generate a more spacious sound. The two-way speakers are detachable, so you can spread them out for ideal placement in your room. Separate bass and treble controls let you configure the sound to your personal preference.

For added functionality, the Slim-1500 includes a line in/out for connection to a minidisc or cassette player, and the headphone jack adds the option of private listening. The alarm function with SureWake feature will wake you up to either CD or radio. This model uses a backlit LCD multifunction screen, and a 10-key remote control makes operating the unit simple. Batteries are not included.

The Fisher Slim-1500 Executive Microsystem comes with a 90-day warranty on parts and labor.

I received my SLIM-1500 free, using credit card points. That said, I was a little surprised when I opened the box. It's plastic and not very nice plastic at that. From a distance, I have to admit, it looks cool. Up close, it doesn't look as good, but it's not too bad. Touch it, however, and you'll feel something pretty cheap.

Given the thin speakers and the low speaker wattage output, you're not going to get great (or very loud) sound, although it's acceptable for casual listening. I'm not an audiophile and my room setup is sub-optimal anyway, so the sound is fine (although I would have liked some additional volume).

I hooked up my CD changer and the speakers made terrible popping noises. I have the reduce the sound output from my CD changed to the minimum to get rid of this problem.

The radio works as expected and the single CD player does what it needs to do. The vertical layout of the CD player is sometimes hard to use (I have my SLIM-1500 on a bookshelf), but looks neat when the CD is spinning.

The surround sound mode does nothing. I can detect no difference. Ditto for the dynamic bass. Which brings me to the bass/treble buttons. They do nothing! Since the volume/bass/treble levels don't show on the display, I have no idea what they are doing (if anything). And, except for volume, using the other controls gives no sound difference at all. Maybe you need a subwoofer (for the bass, at least)?

In the end, this is basically just a clock radio, although an interesting looking one. It pales in comparison to the low-end (it's one of those $200 "home theater in a box" things) Dolby Surround (5 speaker) receiver that it's replacing. In the end, it does the job for what I paid ($0), but you can do much better for a few dollars more.


Horrendously poor product   December 21, 2003
T. Yoshino (Seattle, WA USA)
Don't waste your money on this so-called stereo system. The sound is horrendous, even for background music. It only looks nice. It sounds like a tin box. The sound on my laptop computer is far superior to this sound system. The only thing I use this product for is listening to AM radio such as news, and the clock feature. It takes too long for the stereo to read a CD when it is put in. Changing CD's requires you to touch the readable surface of the disc. This one's heading for the bargain table at my next garage sale.