Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube
by Munchkin
|
List Price: Our Price: $18.99 You Save: $6.00 (24%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Baby Product See more product details |
|---|
Baby Products Reviews of Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube
Customer Review: Average toy with difficult packaging & incomplete instructions
Summary: 3 Stars
After receiving this toy as a gift, I had the same response as many of you lately: this thing sounds terrible. I was also frustrated that the wires attaching the cube to the packaging were so difficult to get out (it's attached with two wires that run inside of the cube for about two inches). Here was the response I got from the company:
"Thank you for contacting us, we recognize that customers like you have made Munchkin the company it is today, and we truly appreciate hearing from you. I'm very sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your Mozart Magic Cube. To remove the packing wires the best thing to use is a set of pliers. Hold one end of the wire with the pliers to pull the wire up and out and use your free hand to push the other end of the wire in. Doing this "push and pull" motion will free the wire. As well, do not worry about putting a little force into removing the wire for it will not damage the toy. In regards to the sound, the Mozart Magic Cube only comes with temporary "try me" batteries so the consumer can try the toy in store before purchase. As stated on the attached instructions, 3 AA alkaline batteries are required in order for the cube to work/sound properly."
So basically, what you have is a baby toy that requires pliers and force to get it out (certainly they could have come up with something easier!), and you're somehow supposed to know that because they say they are "try me batteries" that that means you need to replace them immediately to get better quality. The instructions say that there are "try me batteries" included and do state that the toy requires 3AA batteries to work, but nowhere does it say that the "try me batteries" won't ever provide proper sound even when new. I'm new to the world of infant toys, so maybe this is common, but my thought was that "try me" would just mean that they're not going to last long. Since this toy came from amazon.com and had obviously not been tried out in a store, I didn't think the batteries would need to be changed out immediately. But here, "try me" batteries means that they're junk batteries that are of poor quality even as new (even though they say "super heavy duty").
With new batteries, the sound still wasn't spectacular, but it was an improvement. So all in all, it's an okay toy, but know that it's going to take some work before your child can even play with it. Have your pliers, batteries, and screwdriver (for the battery door) ready if your child is going to want it right away!
Customer Review: If you live in a musical household, pass on this toy...
Summary: 1 Stars
Although the concept is an intriguing and potentially enlightening one for an infant/toddler, the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. As a musician and engineer, I acquire and test out many toys claiming to enrich a child's musical tastes/abilities, etc. As a musician, the sound this cube produces is so terrible, I shudder every time I hear it. When I first heard it, I immediately thought the batteries were dead and changed them, only to discover that brand new batteries made no difference whatsoever. My 11 month old son pressed the buttons eagerly to see what would happen, frowned, and then quickly pressed them again to make it stop and pointed at the CD player from which there is almost always some sort of music playing! He by far prefers a CD or even an MP3, so this toy has now been abandoned. The distinction between the different instruments is very slight. My violin sounds nothing like this supposed violin sound. The rest of the instruments do not resemble their real counterparts very much either, and even the intonation is not exact.
As an engineer, I know that even the simplest synthesizers and even the most terrible audio compression algorithms produce better audio quality. Why couldn't the engineers of this toy make this sound better? If anything, I would think the audio auality of this toy would put a musically oriented child off of music entirely. For this price you can buy a better electronic keyboard and play with truly different sounds with your little one.
As for selection, aside from a few obvious ones that are acceptable, there are numerous more interesting and more familiar pieces composed by Mozart. I'd love to know who chose these pieces and why.
So far, this toy has mostly been thrown around. As such, it has not yet broken, though I too have experienced the need to turn it off and on again in order to get it to function "properly" again.
So, I would wait for a new version of this toy to come out with considerably better electronics before buying. Or, at the very least, listen to it at the store before you buy it to see if you can stomach the sound yourself.
Customer Review: Those Who Praise This Toy, Must Have Absolutely No Understanding of Music
Summary: 1 Stars
I am extremely disappointed in this toy. I spent a few months trying to find it, and was so excited when my mother finally found it on eBay. I quickly paid slightly more than the going price for the cube, but I didn't care, since the outstanding reviews it received made it seem well worth it.
Unfortunately, the toy proved me wrong within 10 minutes of arriving at my house. I started by playing each instrument separately, going for the violin first. I quickly realized that the track was actually a horrible synthesized violin - EW. To add insult to injury, the track was flat in some places, sharp in others. My husband thought it would sound better with all of the instruments playing, and maybe it wouldn't sound flat relative to the other instruments, but no - we then discovered that the tempos are all completely off. The flute is too slow, the harp is too fast, and the piano track is about the only track that actually sounds somewhat correct, in terms of the intstrument it's supposed to be and the song it's supposed to be playing. To the reviewer who said the cube made him shudder everytime it turned on, I completely sympathize. It makes your skin crawl!
Right now, my husband is pulling the cube apart to see if maybe he can tweak it to make it play a little better, but I'm convinced this was a complete waste. It's a sin, because my son absolutely loves the flashing lights and the music, and hitting the different buttons to bring the different pieces of an ensemble together, but I refuse to let him play with a toy that encourages rushed tempos and flat notes. Save your money, and pick up one of Mozart's CDs. Better yet, pick up the Baby Einstein Mozart CD; the Baby Einstein Orchestra uses simple sounds to recreate Mozart's most popular movements that make it easier and more enjoyable on baby's ears. And, they're actually in tune!
To the lot of people who rated this toy with 5 stars, perhaps you need to head back to elementary music class. Don't waste your money, unless you want to teach your child about rushing tempos and flat notes with disgusting, synthetic sounds.
Customer Review: I fixed the volume problem! Hooray!
Summary: 4 Stars
Here's how I did it. My cube did not break while I was doing this, but yours could. I won't replace your cube if you try this and it breaks. :)
Open the battery compartment and take the batteries out. There are four posts next to the four rubber corners that connect the green plastic to the innards of the cube (in fact, the rubber corners are held onto the cube by the posts). Wedge a small flat screwdriver inbetween the white plastic of the edges and the green plastic that surrounds the piano button. Use the screwdriver as a lever to break the posts. Be careful to break the post only - get the screwdriver in far enough so that it's the post that breaks, not the outside of the green plastic.
Take the green plastic off and CAREFULLY poke A LOT of cotton balls inside the cube. Use the screwdriver to help poke them into every nook and cranny. There are a lot of wires and electronic connections in there; don't pull anything apart when doing this.
Reinsert the batteries and screw the battery cover back on. Make sure the tabs of the rubber corners are stretched around the bottom portion of the broken posts. MAKE SURE TO REALIGN THE GREEN PLASTIC SO IT GOES ON THE SAME DIRECTION IT CAME OFF. You can test this by pressing the button and seeing if the music plays. Use a little superglue (I used the gel kind and put a dab on both the upper and the lower parts of the broken posts) and VOILA! A Magic Cube that doesn't drive you insane!
Having just written this, I now realize that the cotton balls could be a fire hazard. Perhaps some flame-retardant insulation would work better? I don't happen to have any lying around the house and you probably don't either. So use the cotton balls at your own risk! Don't even think of suing me (or Amazon, for that matter)! If you come up with another idea, please post.
Customer Review: Best Baby Toy EVER
Summary: 5 Stars
This music cube is the best baby toy I have ever seen. And it was by far our baby's favorite toy.
1. Good Music and Educational. What's more educational than good music for a baby? The six sides include five instruments (flute, french horn, harp, piano, & violin) and the orchestra which plays all five together. What I love is that the instruments can be played separately, or together depending on which ones you touch. You can start one, and then when you press the second it joins the first.
2. Portable and Safe. We loved the smallish size and took the cube with us on planes, car rides, and into restaurants. No sharp edges, no metal. Each corner is covered in a firm rubber (which is also good for chewing on...). Not heavy so if it falls on your little one, no tears. Although light weight, the cube is sturdy and firm enough for your little one to use as a base to lean on. Our baby used the cube not only to lean on, but also to help her stand up.
3. Easy to Use, Good for parents. The cube is one piece, no complicated set-up, and takes just two easy-to-find AA batteries. There is also an on/off switch which is useful when traveling to prevent the music from playing continually in your luggage bag. The music is NOT annoying, nor particually loud. And if you want to stop or change the tune, just touch the side that is playing at that time and it will immediately stop.
Fun for your baby, educational, good for parents-- I highly recommend this toy for any parent with a baby.