GE 75290 Spacemaker CD/FM/AM Player with Built-in Subwoofer (White)

Terrible!
This product should not be on the market. The sound quality is amazingly low. I would compare it to the quality of sound you get from airplane headphones - with the sound of the airplane thrown in, too! Topping it off is the very worst mechanism for saving and retrieving station presets I have ever seen - totally unintuitive and virtually unusable.

Buyer Beware !!
For this spacemaker you will want to lower your expectations. Installation was not bad however we did not get a template in the box. Sound quality is like a little protable radio so don't expect it to be the quality of, say a boom box...it's not there. The Bass Boost is worthless, I notice no difference when it's on. You should also be aware that the reception is very poor. I was not able to get stations I can get on all other radios. The attenna is in the power cord which must be stretched all the way out for mediocre reception so plan on having run room for the cord. I was very dissapointed with this product and would not recommend it. For half the price you can get a small boom box or radio that will sound much better. The stations are not easily set. You have to scroll through the stations so plan on having presets or spending plenty of time holding down the tuning button. Based on functionality and materials quality this product shouldn't cost any more than $50 tops.

Who supports this product?
I installed this product in August, 2001, and on balance, I am pleased with it. Certainly, it is a great radio, and CDROM player, for a kitchen radio. It is loaded with features and vastly exceeds any kitchen radio I have used before it, including sound quality. Some other critics feel the sound is poor, but what are they comparing to? Heck, this is a kitchen radio, not a home theater! The best feature of all, in my mind, is that the radio is out of the way, as it is mounted beneath a cabinet. Kitchen deck space is scarce and I like to minimize clutter.

In the last few months, I have learned more, though. Though the best thing about this radio is the radio itself, the worst thing about it is the support behind it. Ironically, there are numerous, well-informed people who can help; but I had a devil of a time finding them. I expect support when I need it, and unfindable support is support denied.

In summary, I am shocked by the trouble I have had in getting the radio to "behave"! You would think I had adopted a stray cat, instead of buying a brand-new radio. The "manufacturer" has neglected to consider the plight of the consumer, who might just have an important question or two. So at least one little problem became a big problem. It would be funny, if it had not been so aggravating.

Chapter 1 - User Manual inadequate. I had to dream up my own method to properly mount this radio. OK. No big deal. Been there, done that before. I am good with tools, by the way.
Chapter 2 - User Manual, again, inadequate. Had to figure out how to program some of the fancy features of this electronic device on my own. I am an experienced electronics engineer, by the way.
Chapter 3 - Last weekend in October. Time change, so I moved all clocks back an hour. Done that before, right? No sweat, I managed that with this radio.
Chapter 4 - For some God-awful reason, this radio started "terrorizing" my wife with an alarm at midnight, every night. I slept through it, but my wife had to get up. After it was obvious the alarm was a permanent fixture, I took this to task.
Chapter 5 - User Manual, again. No help here. Besides, this is not an "alarm clock." The only related provision is a short-term timer. The manual is silent on any remedy. I pushed buttons and could not figure out how to remedy this problem.
Chapter 6 - User Manual. I thought it wise to inquire with the manufacturer. Couldn't figure out how to do that from the manual. A mechanized phone service told me to pack the product and ship it to Texas.
Chapter 7 - The plot thickens here. The identity of the manufacturer became a question in itself. Though the GE logo is all over this product and its literature, GE has nothing to do with this product. The GE name is a deceptive sales device, I guess. The manual indicates that warranty claims should be made to Thomson Consumer Electronics, in Texas. I looked up phone numbers and got nothing that worked.
Chapter 8 - After more frustration, I used independent means to find the phone number of GE Corportate headquarters in Connecticut. I was told that GE had spun off the (RCA) division several years prior to Thomson, a French company, which retained the right to use the GE name until 2002. I received a phone number in Indiana from an intelligent human in Connecticut.
Chapter 9 - So RCA of Indiana is the manufacturer, owned by Thomson Multimedia. (Too bad they didn't put the proper name in the User Manual, so at least I could look them up.) Now I spoke to somebody about the alarm, and got a remedy. (See below.)
Chapter 10 - internet. How are you supposed to inquire if you don't know where to look? The GE site is little help - it's not their baby.
Chapter 11 - phone numbers. The best one is RCA at (317) 267-5000. Other numbers are rife with unattended "operators" who route you around in circles, and direct you to ship your product to Texas for a warranty claim! Get out! All I want is a little help! I HATE those autorouters.
Chapter 12 - What a waste of time and aggravation. I've complained to customer response center. I've gotten emails from them, all written by machines, not people. I've gotten mechanized post cards. They tell me how much the company cares, and then I'm routed into another impersonal box to punch numbers indicating my satisfaction level. I'm absolutely convinced my complaints are vapor - management couldn't care less. I still get email from RCA imploring me to buy more stuff.

So buy this radio, and now that you know the (317) number, you might get help if you need it. Otherwise, expect little from a distant and uncaring French company that doesn't even put its proper name in the User Manual. That's Thomson Multimedia, not Thomson Consumer Products.

And if an alarm sounds at midnight, UNPLUG the radio's power cord from the wall receptacle, WHILE that alarm is sounding. Wait at least 20 seconds, and re-plug to power. Sleep in heavenly peace!

A great product!
I received this as a Mother's Day gift, and I am very pleased with the quality of sound it provides and with all the smart features of this product.

The remote control is an awesome convenience - I leave the remote on the kitchen table and use it more than the actual controls on the radio. There is capacity for 10 pre-set stations, which is also a great feature, so you can easily flip to another station when you're in the mood for something new. All the features are included on the remote, so you can turn it on/off, adjust volume, change stations, and switch from AM to FM to CD without getting up.

Also, it was super-easy to install. The instructions were clear, and there was a cardboard template to tape to the bottom of the cabinet with pre-marked holes for drilling. It was installed in 10 minutes.