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Rating: 
Summary: Great Durable Boom Box
Review: I shopped for several weeks for just the right boom box. I wanted something that would survive the rough construction site abuse it would have to take at work. I initially passed this one by trying to avoid push-button volume controls and radios "that look like space ships." But I came back to it because of its hardiness, even though I had vowed to get one with a rotary volume knob. Both the cassette and CD doors have mouldings inside that prevent dirt and dust from getting into the mechanisms. (Most others looked like they would let stuff get in the cracks, but if any gets into the cracks on this model it's confined to an interior trough separating it from the sensitive moving parts). It is very solid feeling and very durable. It is stable laying flat or standing up and sounds great either way (but if you're a thump-hound you might find it a tad lacking in bass despite the "mega-bass" feature.) The preset sound settings are, at best, a fair substitute for tone control, but that's pretty standard these days. I would have liked a Jazz setting. (It has Rock, Pop, Vocal, and Live) The store I tested it in was on the fringes of the city and so radio reception was marginal on most of the boom boxes in the store. This model, however, pulled in all my favorites without even extending the antenna. This is the primary frustration I had with my old radio, it simply didn't have a very good tuner. This one is really nice. Having a digital tuner is a very nice convenience. Plus I think it pulls in stations better than other models (both cheaper and more expensive ones). The CD player works great as does the cassette. I have not made a recording with it yet. The alarm clock function seems like it would be useful, but the LCD display has no illumination so its alarm clock capabilities would be of limited use for me, especially at night. This is the only boom box I have ever heard of that comes with both an AC adapter and a 12v car adapter. What a great convenience! However, the one complaint I have about this model is with the AC adapter. It is one of those "wall-warts" with a big heavy block that plugs into the wall. Every other boom box I have had just used a cord to get AC to the unit and it had the adapter built into the radio. Instead, with this model you have to lug the bulky adapter around separately. On other models you could wrap up the cord and stuff it in the battery compartment. Not with this one. The adapter is too big - it's very large, about the size of a can of SPAM. The car adapter is relatively compact although it does not fit in the battery compartment either. In short, this nicely portable radio is encumbered by having to carry bulky accessories separately. I have not used it on battery power yet so I can't testify to its efficiency. It takes 6 D cells for the main unit and 4 AA batteries for memory backup so your preset stations will stay in memory. The clock and alarm settings are also retained. I use this unit as my primary source of music away from home. I use it at job sites and in the office (I carry it around a lot which is why I have found the power adapter to be cumbersome). A little bit of me wishes it had a remote control, but that's less of a complaint than a testimonial to what a great radio it is -- I want to use it as a stereo. All in all it's a great item. A tad pricey for it's class but for the extra durability and dirt and water protection I found it worth the money. Good luck and happy shopping.
Rating:
Summary: Great Durable Boom Box
Review: I shopped for several weeks for just the right boom box. I wanted something that would survive the rough construction site abuse it would have to take at work. I initially passed this one by trying to avoid push-button volume controls and radios "that look like space ships." But I came back to it because of its hardiness, even though I had vowed to get one with a rotary volume knob. Both the cassette and CD doors have mouldings inside that prevent dirt and dust from getting into the mechanisms. (Most others looked like they would let stuff get in the cracks, but if any gets into the cracks on this model it's confined to an interior trough separating it from the sensitive moving parts). It is very solid feeling and very durable. It is stable laying flat or standing up and sounds great either way (but if you're a thump-hound you might find it a tad lacking in bass despite the "mega-bass" feature.) The preset sound settings are, at best, a fair substitute for tone control, but that's pretty standard these days. I would have liked a Jazz setting. (It has Rock, Pop, Vocal, and Live) The store I tested it in was on the fringes of the city and so radio reception was marginal on most of the boom boxes in the store. This model, however, pulled in all my favorites without even extending the antenna. This is the primary frustration I had with my old radio, it simply didn't have a very good tuner. This one is really nice. Having a digital tuner is a very nice convenience. Plus I think it pulls in stations better than other models (both cheaper and more expensive ones). The CD player works great as does the cassette. I have not made a recording with it yet. The alarm clock function seems like it would be useful, but the LCD display has no illumination so its alarm clock capabilities would be of limited use for me, especially at night. This is the only boom box I have ever heard of that comes with both an AC adapter and a 12v car adapter. What a great convenience! However, the one complaint I have about this model is with the AC adapter. It is one of those "wall-warts" with a big heavy block that plugs into the wall. Every other boom box I have had just used a cord to get AC to the unit and it had the adapter built into the radio. Instead, with this model you have to lug the bulky adapter around separately. On other models you could wrap up the cord and stuff it in the battery compartment. Not with this one. The adapter is too big - it's very large, about the size of a can of SPAM. The car adapter is relatively compact although it does not fit in the battery compartment either. In short, this nicely portable radio is encumbered by having to carry bulky accessories separately. I have not used it on battery power yet so I can't testify to its efficiency. It takes 6 D cells for the main unit and 4 AA batteries for memory backup so your preset stations will stay in memory. The clock and alarm settings are also retained. I use this unit as my primary source of music away from home. I use it at job sites and in the office (I carry it around a lot which is why I have found the power adapter to be cumbersome). A little bit of me wishes it had a remote control, but that's less of a complaint than a testimonial to what a great radio it is -- I want to use it as a stereo. All in all it's a great item. A tad pricey for it's class but for the extra durability and dirt and water protection I found it worth the money. Good luck and happy shopping.
Rating: 
Summary: Stands up to abuse!
Review: I bought this for my husband about 1 1/2 years ago, and he is still thanking me! It bounces around either on the floor of his pickup truck or in the truck bed, and still works great. On the job, it is constantly subject to all kinds of dirt and dust, ranging from powder-fine sheetrock dust to wet, gritty mud, and is still performing without any problems. We agree that the A/C adapter block seems excessively big and can be a bit of a hassle to carry around, but it is a small price to pay for an otherwise fabulous boombox.
Rating:
Summary: DEPENDABLE
Review: I have had my Sony boombox (in yellow) for about five years now and never had a problem with it. It gives great sound, makes excellent recordings from cd to cassette and looks attractive. I also love that the timer/alarm can wake me with cd or radio at a pre-set volume. Highly reccommended!
Rating:
Summary: Good camping radio
Review: I recieved the Sony Boom Box five days ago specifically to keep in my new camper and to have a CD player in the truck cab while driving to and from our camping destination. I was a bit concerned when I first noticed there were no bass and treble controls but found the sound button much easier to use and created great sound with it's 5 presets. The AM sound comes in with a little to much bass for my liking but others found it just fine. It also appeared to pull in the AM stations a little better than my other radio. The CD player worked flawlessly with great sound and much volume when set on the roof of the truck (not in the campground). The case appears to be very rugged and the rubber foot pads are easy on the counter tops. At nine+ pounds and with a comfortable handle it should be no problem carrying long distances. We did not get a chance to use the tape deck, but on our recent wild boar hunting trip we were lulled to sleep by Ozzy Osburn and the auto shutoff, then rudely awakened by the same with the timer. This function also works with the radio but not the cassette. Sliding volume controls would be better but you get used to the +/- buttons. The unit comes with AC and DC cords, nothing extra to buy. Battery operation was not tested as this unit will rarely leave the camper and the 12 volt outlet. My hunting buddy Bob liked it so much he's ordering one as soon as he gets home. We only tested it for 5 days but would highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Good camping radio
Review: I recieved the Sony Boom Box five days ago specifically to keep in my new camper and to have a CD player in the truck cab while driving to and from our camping destination. I was a bit concerned when I first noticed there were no bass and treble controls but found the sound button much easier to use and created great sound with it's 5 presets. The AM sound comes in with a little to much bass for my liking but others found it just fine. It also appeared to pull in the AM stations a little better than my other radio. The CD player worked flawlessly with great sound and much volume when set on the roof of the truck (not in the campground). The case appears to be very rugged and the rubber foot pads are easy on the counter tops. At nine+ pounds and with a comfortable handle it should be no problem carrying long distances. We did not get a chance to use the tape deck, but on our recent wild boar hunting trip we were lulled to sleep by Ozzy Osburn and the auto shutoff, then rudely awakened by the same with the timer. This function also works with the radio but not the cassette. Sliding volume controls would be better but you get used to the +/- buttons. The unit comes with AC and DC cords, nothing extra to buy. Battery operation was not tested as this unit will rarely leave the camper and the 12 volt outlet. My hunting buddy Bob liked it so much he's ordering one as soon as he gets home. We only tested it for 5 days but would highly recommend it.
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