210 of 213 people found the following review helpful:
INCREDIBLE SOUND FOR THE PRICE - A REAL WINNER!
To begin with, I've never been into "boom-boxes". Now, however, I do lectures on classical music and opera, and I needed something "portable" to take with me on my lectures, but something that had good sound, since I play music with a full symphony orchestra, as well as a lot of opera. When I took this little machine home, I was a little skeptical. When I put on a...
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
Do Not Buy This Boombox
After working just fine for 13 months, the box stopped playing cds. Sony's site was no help, nor was the rep. They would be happy to replace it with a refurbished box for $7 less than a new one, or repair it for $10 more than I paid ($80) but no reason given why a box this new would die.
To begin with, I've never been into "boom-boxes". Now, however, I do lectures on classical music and opera, and I needed something "portable" to take with me on my lectures, but something that had good sound, since I play music with a full symphony orchestra, as well as a lot of opera. When I took this little machine home, I was a little skeptical. When I put on a cassette tape of Verdi's "Aida" no less, I was completely shocked
at the sheer vividness and sharpness of the sound. Even on full volume, there was no distortion. This machine is amazing, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is on a budget and who wants to have a portable machine with great sound.
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It seems harder and harder to find a good boombox lately- the manufacturers are all on the portable mp3 player/ ipod bandwagon. That being said it took a long time to find a quality boombox like this one. It looks nice, when it's on, the ring around the center speaker glows a nice blue. It has 5 speakers in all, 2 main, 2 tweeter, and the center bass speaker. There are two extra modes, mega-bass, and mega-xpand, both of which do a great job of making it sound good. I especially liked the mega-xpand, which kind of gives it a virtual surround effect. The FM tuner is digital, and the unit comes with a remote. It plays your own burned CD's, so that's nice. All in all, a nice boombox that sounds good, at a reasonable price.
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If you're looking at SONY boom boxes, you may be considering both their black CFD-G500 and their silver CFD-F10. I bought both and would like to share my impressions thus far.
Appearance: I really love the sleek even elegant lines of the silver F10.
Portability: The silver F10 is lighter and more stream-lined, so if you want a unit that you can move around, this is an advantage over the heavier and bulkier G500.
Sound: I listen almost exclusively to classical music. Both models do a great job of providing a full rich sound. The MEGA BASS and MEGA Xpand of the silver F10 give it a sound quality comparable, at least to my ears, to the larger and somewhat more expensive black G500 (which has a power drive woofer).
But the black G500 has two advantages I really appreciate over the silver F10:
1. It has a feature that allows me to select 5 different audio emphases: one is good for the whole dynamic range (great for classical), one is best for vocals, one for percussive sounds etc.
2. When I'm playing a symphony at fairly high volume, and the orchestra reaches a real crescendo, the black G500 conveys the full blast of music with great clarity. The silver F10 does a good job of handling a high volume but not full blasts without losing some sound definition.
Bottom line: I'm delighted with both. I bought the silver F10 for use in my den, where I want to hear full rich sounds played at low to medium high volumes. I bought the black G500 for use in a corner of my living room, where I need higher volumes to reach into my kitchen and dining room as well.
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This is the absolute best 'boombox' on the current market. I looked and waited for 2 years before this one came out on the market. The sound quality is excellent. Just wait until you play a CD.
The mega bass and sound expansion along with the extra speakers combine to create a sound that no other boomboxes can out perform, and certainly not in this price range. It also makes excellent audio tape recordings.
Sony suggested price is $79.99. I think Amazon is not truthful in marking it down from $110.00 to the selling price, but I would buy from them any way if you cannot find this boombox in your local audio store.
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I bought this item after returning the Panasonic RX-D29 CD / Radio / Cassette Boombox with MP3 CD Playback (see my review). This box IS different in that it doesn't have MP3 playback. Other than that missing feature, this Sony is a far superior machine. The sound, especially with both the Mega Xpand and the Mega Bass turned on, is wonderful. The physical design is lovely. The buttons (on the box and on the remote) are much more user-friendly and intuitive than on the Panasonic. Also much larger. So far, I only have one small complaint (my only reason for not giving a rating of 5 stars): the rather tiny display doesn't have a back-light. It is positioned in the middle of the front, rather than higher up, so if you have the box placed on a table, you have to kneel down and get pretty close to read the display. The ring of pretty, neon-blue lighting behind the display actually makes it harder to see the display because the display appears darker in contrast. This is unfortunate because the display provides much useful information, and I'd like to be able to see it better. In summary, this box has one design flaw and many wonderful audio and cosmetic features. An extremely good value.
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This Boombox is the best sounding box in it's price range. Sony put a system together that is easily a best buy under $100.00. This unit has it all, CD, Cassette and an AM/FM digital tuner. I shopped for Units at less and more money, But I always came back to this Sony. The speakers consist of 2 low range and 2 tweeters. the bass is aided by a center mounted passive radiator and a rear port, A feature use in home speakers. This boombox has "Mega- Bass and Mega-Xpand modes that gives deep and clean bass and the xpand spreads the higher frequencies around the room, making you look for the rear speakers. You will be very pleasantly surprised by the sound this unit has, and the blue light around the center mounted passive speaker looks like a neon light, very nice. And there is the remote control, something a lot of like priced boxes don't offer. Try this Sony, You'll be happy You did.
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Add me to the plus column on this one. The Sony F-10 is simply the best boom-box available for under $100. More than that: the best boomer I've purchased out a half-dozen or so from all major manufacturers over the past ten years.
I'd gotten used to a Bose Wave in recent months, so I expected to be disappointed by the sound quality. Not the case -- though not up to Bose level, the sound is outstanding for a box of this type. True, there's no graphic equalizer, but with the mode feature you really don't miss it.
The design is first-rate -- 'elegant' is the word of choice here. Speaker placement is excellent. And the xenon-blue Wurlitzer-at-the-bowling-alley ready light is no less than charming.
If you're in the market for an office box, look no further.
(...though it seems the real problem is finding the thing, since Amazon's search engine seems to break down completely where electronics are concerned. I got the "Overstreet Comics Guide" after entering the full designation just now, and that's not the first time. Let's get on it, gang!)
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After working just fine for 13 months, the box stopped playing cds. Sony's site was no help, nor was the rep. They would be happy to replace it with a refurbished box for $7 less than a new one, or repair it for $10 more than I paid ($80) but no reason given why a box this new would die.
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This unit's use of an acoustic waveguide for improved bass response is a first in a compact boom-box, IMHO, and won the sale for me. Its performance has not disappointed. It seems that the Bose acoustic waveguide patent that gave their WaveRadio such a following was applied-for in 1982 and issued in 1986, which would seem to mean it's either expired or imminently so, which could mean we will see more designs like this very soon. Akai also has a compact CD/radio unit out that has an acoustic waveguide design, but it's not a portable unit. I saw both at Costco yesterday and paid $70 for the Sony.
The only thing that keeps me from giving this unit five stars is its inability to play MP3s (plus as another reviewer noted, the display is small and positioned a bit awkwardly). Sony has only recently bowed to market pressures in regards to MP3 compatibility for future products-- that's what happens when a company has a conflict between two divisions, in this case consumer electronics vs. music publishing.
But other than its MP3 incompatibility, this is an unusually satisfying piece of hardware.
By the way, the speaker grilles are metal, a real plus. Too many boom-boxes have cheesy cloth covers, which look like hell after a few months.
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I purchased this boombox for my daughter's room. Basically, we put in a CD at bedtime, and set the sleep timer for 30 minutes. NOT heavy or detailed use ... I bought this unit because of the timer. After 3 months, when you push the play button (either remote or manually) the machine would sporadically play the CD. Usually after 2 or 3 'no disc' errors, and a power shutoff, it would eventually play. Now it's completely a 'no disc' error message. Of course, Sony's warranty person explained that it's a 90 day warranty ... imagine that! A COMPLETE waste of my money. If I'd have wanted a cheap machine to last a few months, I would have bought one. I paid extra for this one so it would last! I'll be hard pressed to buy Sony again!!!
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