Customer Reviews

Philips AZ2035 CD Boombox with Backlit LCD and Digital Tuner

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After I've done a lot of research I finally bought this boombox.
What's true about it is that it sounds very good, better than I expected.

On the other hand, the remote is pretty useless. You cannot change between cd/tuner/tape, you cannot control the tape at all. You cannot turn the boombox off.
That was disappointing.
As other reviewers already said, the display does not have backlight.
Because of the standard controls it's hard to play the tenth (just an example) song on a cd. You don't have numbers on the remote and you have to press next ten times.

Conclusion: If you want a classic boombox with an excellent sound (of course, for its class), go for it. If you want something with extra features and more comfort for you, try something else (for example, Panasonic RX-ES25). That's if you still want a boombox... :)

Bought this unit for use on the patio; had a remote control, 14 watts RMS and didn't look like a Ninja Turtle toy. In use, I discovered that it also had a terrific FM tuner and GREAT audio quality; I listen to classical music and it sounds poorly on most portable CD players, but on this model it is clean and full, not boomy or harsh. In comparing it to a much touted (and advertised) stereo table radio, the Philips had a better tuner and better balanced sound; the aforementioned four letter name table radio cost three times as much and lacked a CD player! So the table radio went on eBay and now this Philips portable does double duty inside AND on the patio. Impressive product.

It's amazing what some really good engineering can make of $100. I shopped around a lot in the stores for a unit around $100, and most of them sounded very mediocre to pretty bad when it comes to good bass. But this Philips unit uses these tuned ports to create amazing bass. I think it's the same sort of technology the Bose system's use. This unit also has separate midrange and high frequency drivers, so the overall sound is balanced and quite excellent. The digital tuner with presets is also a huge plus. The guys at Philips really deserve praise on this one. I mean, there is so much [low-quality stuff] out there in the $100 price range that it's almost like the other manufacturers were thinking people buying $100 units won't care about sound quality, and they all conspired to be mediocre for lack of good engineers or out of downright laziness. I guess they were not expecting anyone to produce a product like this. This Philips unit is an example of brilliant engineering within a very contrained budget.

While I can't really say this boombox deliver the best sound I had heard (I am an audiophile who's heard some esoteric stereo that cost more than someone's house), I have to agree that Philips' engineers deserve an A on this one. Overall, sound is neutral, clean, not dull, boomy, and especially not harsh and distorted when turned all the way up. YES, I mean ALL the way up. Controls are simple and elegant. Sound control precise and easy to use. There is definitely no compromise on this unit. The only thing I would complain is that engineers managed to put lights on CD control buttons but forgot about backlit LCD screen... Go figure...

I just got this and it sounds great. My wife has a Phillips boombox that I really liked but she wouldn't share it with me. So I got my own. For the price you get a great sound, no distortion in higher volumes, clean, crisp, good bass. If you're looking for a solid quality boombox that's a good buy, this is the one for you. "Backlit LCD" is misleading because it's not backlit (only in demo mode, or something) and should not be advertised as such, so 4 stars otherwise 5.

I finally received an email reply from Philips' Service Dept. regarding this "Backlit LCD controversy." The backlit LCD is said to ONLY WORK IN THE STEREO 'DEMO' MODE. In other words, it appears to be just an advertising gimmick that won't let you see your radio station choices or CD tracks in lights, as you might be led to believe. Compared to the AZ202517 though, this unit appears (in my opinion) to be more attractive to the eye. I really DO NOT like the idea of cloth grill covers on a "portable" boombox though. That ingenuity seems a bit fragile for a unit that is subjected to be readily moved, carried and/or transported openly to and from indoor/outdoor environments and activities. Its only other major difference from the AZ202517, that I can readily see, is that the AZ203517 has "Ultra Bass Boost", whereby the AZ202517 has "Digital Bass Boost." If you look at the controls for both of these boomboxes, they appear to be identical. Wish I knew what the differences were (besides the wording of these features) or if they amount to much in terms of listening pleasure. The woofers and tweeters appear to be the same size, just placed differently. The power ratings appear the same. I'm just not terribly satisfied by Philips' advertising techniques regarding the backlit LCD issue. I'm sure they could have done much better with that attempt. With the great sounds and tuner strengths (Philips boombox products have impressed me in picking up radio stations from further away, with greater clarity, than many other "top of the line" audio products), one would think that they could have at least clarified this "backlit LCD" advertisement as a relatively useless feature to their potential purchaser(s).

I received my boombox today and I was wonderfully surprised. For the price I wasn't expecting much, but what I got was great. The sound is awesome. I am so impressed. I am thrilled. As you can see I really like this product and am very glad I purchased it. I recommend that you don't pass this one up, it is a very worthwhile purchase. Way to go Amazon.com!!!

This unit doesn't have the illuminated LCD display as listed however my unit did include a remote control. This small unit plays extremely well with a strong FM tuner and excellent sounding CD player

What Target store has this
Philips CD/Radio Boombox #AZ2035 by Philips?
I was calling to several consumer departments and nobody heard
about this boombox.
Al

I burn my own CD's and this boombox plays them all!! Has a great sound in all modes. The remote control is VERY handy. My only complaint is "where is this backlight it is supposed to have?" I still think that this is the best boombox out there.