Something to avoid.

We had one of these for a while, a slightly different model without the minidisc player. It didn't work very well brand new, but it served as a cheap thing to have in the garage. These long form "Matt tries to repair something" videos are actually my favorites, so please keep them coming!

If you made them shorter, they'd complain they were too short. If you made them medium length, that would be wrong too. Personally I enjoy videos that are longer than the majority. I've had people moan at the length of mine too, but I found I wasn't able to shorten them without changing the tone and mood, which I didn't want do.

i've been dragging my feet on opening up my old Sony CD player to replace its drive belts. this video has made me second guess the whole operation. consider me scared straight. (also video length is good!)

Luckily my Sony CMT-NEZ30 micro system from 2006 is still working perfectly, on its original belts, too. I've actually got it set up and use it frequently, so hopefully that will help keep it working.

Hi-fi remote controls without a mute button seemed to be a bit of a thing back then for some reason. I had a Denon system that had buttons for everything on the remote (even some under a cover) but the one button I would have appreciated was a mute button, which it didn't have. I used to work in electrical retailing back then. The market was absolutely flooded with cheap mini systems, often with fault-prone features like CD multi-changers, which always went wrong. The Denons and Teacs (both of which used proper RCA cables, binding posts for the speaker cables, metal cabinets - they were basically miniaturised separate components) were pretty decent for the money, and the higher end small Sony components were nice, and JVC did a decent little mini system with 50w RMS per channel, but most of them were pretty poor to be honest. Even Technics, once manufacturer of some really nice kit, came out with some flash looking but poorly made hi-fis that looked like separates but were connected with proprietary ribbon connectors, had spring clips for the cables and had components that had virtually no weight to them.

The mini stereos from this era: as you say: stay away from them. They were more or less disposable. I have a similar system from AIWA, however - the XR-MS3 - that still seems to work fine and still looks good as well. The speakers were almost identical to these SONY ones and I did dispose of them a long time ago. Only the badge is different. My previous post about it was not meant seriously. You gave us sound advice on these mini stereos. And I, like so many here, enjoyed watching the video. Thanks!

You are probably right once again, but your rather gloomy view on these mini Hi-Fi towers sounded a bit offending to me. This is my little AIWA XR-MS3 (photo: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0885NA99h0XlIjq7SUu0cC8IQ ) which has been living for decades on the top shelf of my kitchen cupboard. Every now and then I cast a loving glance at it and think: you could still deliver excellent sound, especially with those KEF speakers on the left and right of me doing the dishes. But today I leave you in peace once more, as I have little need for music. After a day of teaching in school, one grows to appreciate the sound of silence. The speakers were indeed more or less worthless little boxes made of particle board, just as you showed – but I threw those away a long time ago. My AIWA has a radio, a cassette, and a CD player, and they are all still in perfect working condition. The remote control is an awkward thing with a plastic dust cover. All in all, I still think my little unit is quite OK and it may linger in my kitchen cabinet forever, for whenever I might want to listen to it again. A fellow YouTuber ( https://youtu.be/6y2wSzG4Ark?si=I2nm_DSCZPEhL8H0 ) has made this video on his AIWA XR-MS3 and the way he speaks lovingly about his, is more to my liking. You must watch it and re-evaluate your verdict. (I must admit that the AIWA in the video is mostly broken and that a BT-receiver is keeping it artificially alive - but that is besides the point.) Thank you anyway for the video - it is one of that type that I prefer watching: old stuff that bring a smile to my face - but I felt I had to defend my own iteration of these mini stereos of the 90’s. Surely, they are not that bad.

You are probably right once again, but your rather gloomy view on these mini Hi-Fi systems sounded a bit offending to me. This is my little AIWA XR-MS3 (photo: https://share.icloud.com/photos/067p8P0s6OByfT-nZOOfPKVtQ ) which has been living on the top shelf of my kitchen cupboard for decades. Every now and then I cast a loving glance at it and think: you could still deliver excellent sound, especially with those KEF speakers on the left and right of me doing the dishes. But today I leave you in peace once more, as I have little need for music. After a day of teaching in school, one grows to appreciate the sound of silence. The speakers were indeed more or less worthless little boxes made of particle board, just as you showed – but I threw those away a long time ago. My AIWA has a radio, a cassette, and a CD player, and they are all still in perfect working condition. The remote control is an awkward thing with a plastic dust cover. All in all, I still think my little unit is quite OK and it may linger in my kitchen cabinet forever, for whenever I might want to listen to it again. A fellow YouTuber has made this video https://youtu.be/6y2wSzG4Ark?si=1R46ZGMGTLB8iblf on his AIWA XR-MS3 and the way he speaks lovingly about his, is more to my liking. You must watch it and re-evaluate your verdict. (I must admit that the AIWA in the video is mostly broken and that a BT-receiver is keeping it artificially alive - but that is besides the point.) Thank you anyway for the video - it is one of that type that I prefer watching: old stuff that bring a smile to my face - but I felt I had to defend my own iteration of these mini stereos of the 90’s. Surely, they are not that bad.

Take as long as it takes, that's what I like do whatever suits your natural rhythm and pace.

One piece of experience I got from repairing an Aiwa mini-hifi CD drive is that it wasn't actually the laser that was the problem. It was also trying to spin up the disc and then just failing with "no disc". It turns out that the problem was purely mechanical. Dried up grease in the drive. So it was a matter of adding some fresh lubrication and retrying the thing like 50 times until it started reading stuff just fine. I didn't want to disassemble the thing completely so I couldn't actually clean up the old stuff. Oh, I hate repairing Sony devices. This is a great example of why. So many screws in so many places. All kinds of different screws as well. And they love their flat flex cables snaking everywhere. It's just a nightmare. And their repair manuals don't help at all. Got a Denon manual for one of their devices and that was written so much better. Also they used same length screws for most things... unlike Sony.

I thought Sony were still producing decent stuff back in 2002. Maybe this was in the midst of their decline. Also I feel short changed if videos are too short, longer the better for me.

I have that thing in the back of my mind for a while. When I saw the video part of me thought : oh, good he got hold of it. The other part said oh!. Yeah oh dear, oh dear. I think these things were very attractive back in the day but I had another solution. I had a fairly big monitor on my computer and all went through it. Fairly good speakers... It is kind of ironic that back then I would do everything on the computer and now they offer everything on your phone and it makes me choke

It makes you wonder how many of these failed QC right out of the assembly line, because either somebody missed a step or one of those cables was jostled out of position while they were cramming everything in there.

I really enjoyed this one. Maybe because I had (and will continue to have) these kind of issues. I sure this was either mentioned in your video or someone else commented, but may a warning of electricity may be in order.

I believe the marks on the second unit shown at ~12 minutes come from a glass candle holder or possibly incense burner. As a young adult in the early 2000s, my friends and I had just discovered fire and would decorate with candles and incense as recklessly as possible. Marks like the one shown were often the result, the scars our cheap plastic belongings had to bear. I became a patron so that Mat could make the videos he wants, and I stand by that.

I have a late 90's Technics "midi hifi" HD50 with "separates" radio, CD player and cassette. Everything on it still feels solid and sounds good enough - I am using it as a headphone amp these days. So they are not all bad!

For my taste, under 40 minutes is a bit on the short side.

People will complain no matter what. Techmoan videos are whatever length you make them and that's great.

In a weird Minidisc synchronicity this just popped up on r/Minidisc (the nearly identical CD only version). There is a link to the service manual for that one, if anyone needs it. https://www.reddit.com/r/minidisc/comments/1uxzzli/almost_100_sorted/#lightbox

Talking of TikTok (which I've never actually used), it reminds me of a conversation with my then 6-ish year old niece when it first came about... Her: "Can you install this on my phone please, Uncle Brad, it says you need to be 13." Me: "What is it?" Her: "It's called TikTok, it's a game." Me (looking at App Store): "This doesn't look much like a game to me. Why don't you ask daddy?" Her: "He wouldn't let me have it." Me: "So you thought you'd try me, eh?" Her: (sheepishly): "Yeeesss." Me: "And you thought you'd get away with it, didn't you?" Her (more sheepishly): "Yeeeeessss." I'm not a parent, but I think I did well there. Oh, she's now 16 and well acquainted with TikTok!

I had visions of the stuck MiniDisc being ANOTHER copy of that Earth Wind & Fire album! 😀

Sorry to anyone I sold these too back in the early 2000's when I was working for a sony dealer, the rep from sony offered us a free merch to say they were very good and to also keep quite about samsung making their video recorders back then too 🤣

You're right about the fact that these things were never meant as high-end and spending a lot on professional repair is pretty useless. Though it might be a fun job to do it yourself, given that you're capable of course... Seeing you doing it – no offence, you probably understand what I mean – is making me a bit itchy, especially as I found that there is a quite good service manual for this device, showing exactly which screws you need to take out and where all the cables go... But as you many times have said already, that might not be your thing. Thanks for showing it anyway!

i am probably in the minority but i prefer videos with a bit of room to breathe over the modern trend of hyper-editing every microsecond of dead air out of the footage so that it's just one solid log of noise, delivered at high speed into my skull like i'm phineas gage

After watching the video last night I can confirm it's a good one. Things didn't happen as they should of, but it was a learning experience for us all

I like the long videos. I don't doomscroll tic tac, I have a few select channels that I watch, and the more of them I get the happier I am. And while we're at it, please bring back the puppets!

No complaints from me about the length of your videos, Mat. Any chance of some more noodle reviews?

I don't think either DVD drive was spinning up too! Do whatever you like with your video content and length, it's obviously still popular :)

I remember buying a Sony Micro system in the mid-2000's and being a bit disappointed by the sound and overall quality of it (I foolishly expected better from Sony). It then suddenly died in a mini puff of smoke just a few years later. That went off to the recycling centre. Good to at least try and revive these units though. I didn't know they made systems with DVD players in them.

At 30:50 that sounds like the tape is being spun by the take up wheels alone, the pinch roller should be the one setting the proper playback speed but that doesn't seem to be working? (Is the pinch roller fine and moving freely?) This pain of having to repair compact units at the old job, it was one of the reasons I had to eventually quit and change jobs.

I enjoyed that, Mat. You couldn't have covered that, in the detail you did, in a shorter time. Perfect, as far as I'm concerned. Vintage Techmoan. ✅

Spending 30 minutes or more listening to you 'waffle' is like watching the snooker in the afternoon, calming and enjoyable.

Is it just me but somehow Matt pulling the minidisc "give me my minidisc" and the machine clunking and stuff reminded me of Yoda fighting R2D2 for the flashlight. Just a bit.

The cassette mech is probably stuck in ff mode, I'm guessing that that cam below the two belts is stuck in the wrong position. Once those mechs get out of the right "setting" it can be a pain to readjust them.

Dear Mat, please ignore those with pathologically short attention spans; every minute of your videos is enjoyable and therapeutic for me after a hard day of work.

Early 2000's Sony machine that won't play discs... as future Sony intended

Even though your thumbnail makes it clear what the outcome will be of this "repair" video, I'll bet you get a lot of complaints about not getting everything working at the end. Anyway, I found the whole thing quite satisfying to watch (as did most of the patrons here judging by the comments).👍 During the unwrapping segment you said that the previous microsystem you'd bought came from Iowa, which had me thinking that Grace had sent you one. It took a minute before I realized that it was from Aiwa, not Iowa. I wasn't the only one fooled however, later I watched it with closed captions on and that showed it as Iowa as well.😀😉

LOL That "cleaning disc" is hilarious! Obviously the makers of it know that it doesn't work and if they don't charge too much, buyers will just throw it away. They put the brushes near the outside of the disc, as far away from the laser pickup as possible because they also know that if they hit the pickup, it will damage it beyond repair and they would have to pay a lot of money to people who lost their equipment to their disc of destruction... Anyway if you're careful you might be able to clean the laser with a Q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol. Plenty of videos on YouTube that show how to do that. By the way the cassette deck sounds like the pinch roller is not engaging; likely that's matter of cleaning old grease that turned into chewing gum. Or maybe the plastic gear that controls the mechanism is in the wrong position because of dirty contacts that are supposed to sense where it is supposed to be (e.g. the gear is in the "pause" or "wind" position when the deck thinks it's in the "play" position).

the people complaining about long videos clearly aren’t patrons

I've yet to watch this one, but I'm sure it'll be as long as it needs to be and with plenty of waffling to keep me entertained :)

A long form video about old junk, kicked off with a cheery "alright". What's not to love?

I really like longer vids. I look forward to your videos and like to sit down and really enjoy the content. I won’t apologise for the lack of attention span of the modern gen. Carry on Matt.

That glorious remote control might be the best part of the system! Talking about faulty lasers, back in your SACD repair video you mentioned that you were planning on doing a video on SACD as a format. I always appreciate your deep dives into music formats.

Haha! My music wasn’t intended to be played back at 10x speed. 🤪🤣 Fun to watch, but boy… this was indeed two items of ewaste. Glad we have you to do this for us. 👌🏼😎

Nowt wrong with the pace of your videos, unlike the pace of the cassette mech. Pure speculation... the pinch wheel isn't gripping the cassette tape, and the tension on the take-up spool is pulling the tape through too fast. Not that it matters.

That was a great video, not padded out at all. It just reminded me of having to repair similar items and friends of friends expecting me to do it at mates rates.

These people are not true Techmoan fans and we should shun them. Pay no attention to them, whatever the duration of the video is you make, is the correct one!

Those who aren't happy about the length.. They can go on TikTok or watching only the Shorts on YouTube. A Techmoan vid is taking the time it needs. Zero complaints from my side. :) Thanks again for all the time you're putting for doing those vids - I really do appreciate it.

New tape mechanism idea: the tape stays still, the head dances in front of it. Nope, didn't work. Thanks for the video. Perfect length. People who find them too long never heard analog sound in their entire life.

I found the video very interesting and not long at all. Fair play to to you for your perseverance and not giving up and getting some of it working. That is not easy to work on

15:15 just killed me 🤣 Back in the eighties or nineties, you would never have believed Sony would build such crap. And in 2026, Sony almost killed Anders Enger Jensen.

Great video. I do enjoy these repair videos. It's going on journey with you. It may or may not work. Just fun seeing how you cope. You certainly have way more patience than me! More of these please over the screen or projector ones. Still, it would be boring if we were all the same. But this is a ten out of ten from me!

Just echoing the crowd. I very much enjoy the longer videos. Really videos of any length.

Please ignore them. You already let them take our puppets from us.

fuck the people who don’t like long videos… fuck. them.

It would be interesting if e.g. the mini disc components could be used for repairing Sony md decks - in case the drive or the loading mechanism fails... Thx for the Video and your efforts - interesting to watch, entertaining as well.

• Excellent disassemble video. Is it just me or do the products just after the turn of the century look like tinfoil and low-grade plastic inside? • Your voice sounds particularly great today. • I'm an old thing that's been superceded and not worth messing around with. I'll take myself off to the recyclers now. 😅 • You never got the satisfaction of throwing it out of a five-story window, crushing it with a steamroller, or smashing it with a sledgehammer? • The Minidisc repair was satisfying but it's not worth much inside that broken shell. • Your analogy about holding the head of your victim gave me a good chuckle. As always an enjoyable watch. Take care 🤍

I love your videos partially BECAUSE they're long. There's no annoying jump cuts halfway through every sentence, you just talk like a real person, which is exactly why I watch!

I sure can relate with slowing down as I get older. Also I find myself meandering around a point sometimes instead of getting straight to the point. I enjoy the journey just as much as the final destination.

This is a classic Techmoan video - trying to repair an old Hi-Fi device and almost entirely, but not quite, nearly succeeding. What more could anyone want? I loved it - and, the longer, the better. Great work, Mat!

Keep your pace, it's all good, getting into some breadth is a value of this channel, in my view 😃, but to be honest, I'm 66 and retired, so maybe also subject to a subtle slowdown? 🤣

Never once did I think I wanted a Techmoan video to be shorter. Chronic complainers will never do anything but complain chronically. I prefer the artist to create the art, and not with the interference of some know-nothing douche on the internet.

Please, please, please do not listen to the complainers. I agree with others here, your videos are fine whatever length they are for the right reasons. There are mobs of people who do nothing but complain on videos just to see if they can get the attention of the creators. Do what YOU want for YOUR reasons and no one elses.

My favorite videos of yours are the ones going 30 minutes and longer, for example the 1949 format war.

I love a long video from you, you always have something interesting to say and we love your content!

I’m surprised you didn’t trot out your father-son muppet duo to skewer the haters. Oh well! You’ll get no guff from me. 🙂

Instead of the mug's eyeful, the mug's bin-full! .... I'll get my coat

keep the vids longer man, any of your videos are quality, unlike those micro hifis!!!

Your videos aren't for the youth. They're for a certain type of person like us here.

I enjoy all your videos, Mat… especially the longer ones. Regards

Your videos are never too long. I could listen to you for hours, even if you were talking about whether it’s better to mow the lawn from left to right or the other way around.

I enjoy the longer form content (& the shorter where it's appropriate) - waffle away!

Do people actually moan MORE when things are free? I'm beginning to think the price point attracts the wrong people.

I actually prefer your current tempo and length over earlier videos. But then they say I'm also not as young as I want to be anymore. Although I wouldn't mind some shorter videos (like those 'sandwich' videos you did some time ago?)

a classic example of how Sony was prepared to create a unit consisting of fringe devices / consumer needs maybe

Nah, man, take as long as you like. I especially enjoy your oddcast videos, they don’t seem long at all.

If they want short videos, let them go rot their brain in the shorts feed, what you deliver feels right

If you are happy with what you do that is all that matters. People will complain because they like to complain. Best wishes.

Just one opinion here, but I enjoy the length of the videos, it feels like the topic at hand has room to breathe. I like the deep dives and diversions you follow when talking about a bit of tech. I even like the waffle.

The longer it is the better. If you made short vids people would complain about that! Just keep doing what your doing.

If anything I think the "waffling" is enjoyable, makes your videos feel a little more authentic :)

A Techmoan video is as long as it needs to be, never a minute longer!