Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Decent performance for low-price unit, December 25, 2008
We bought the MP3134BLU through a local retailer, with a rebate lowering the cost well below the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Similar discounts appear to be common, so my review is based on the value one gets at that level. It's a good deal.
We had been shopping for an inexpensive portable CD player for our kid for Christmas. We didn't want to pay a lot, since we weren't sure how long a kid in the MP3 era would actually use a CD device. But we still have CDs and cassettes that need to be played -- and I thought we should buy a device like this while they're still widely available.
One advantage to getting a unit like this, with a cassette function (as opposed to CD-only) is that headphone jacks from MP3 players can be connected via a cassette adapter. Such devices are sold on Amazon (like these, just to give you an idea: Sony Cassette Adapter for MP3, MiniDisc, and Discman Players, or Maxell CD-330 CD-to-Cassette Audio Adapter).
We didn't want a kitschy product like the boxes with Barbie or Spiderman logos. And we were also leery of the most common low-priced brands one finds (like Coby and Craig) which, according to reviews, don't work that well.
When we found this one, we had no reviews to guide us. But we previously owned a very inexpensive Memorex DVD player that had worked adequately and reliably before finally wearing out, so we were willing to take a chance on the brand again. Also, Memorex has a fairly decent website where one find manuals, spec sheets, and FAQ files, which raised our comfort level a bit.
I've updated this since my Christmas-day review, so we're now up to four days of use, and still going strong. We've tried nearly every possible function. Most of them are quite adequate, especially for a kid's needs, or for grownups just looking for a bargain. Here's an overview by function.
CD PLAYER -- plays regular CDs fine, and had no trouble playing a CD-RW that I recorded on my own PC. The 2-digit display shows the track number but of course can't show elapsed time or such things. Simple controls are well-labeled and easy to find, work as expected, including the repeat function. It is also programmable, a feature that we hadn't tried when I first posted this review. This allows you to choose specific tracks from a CD to play in a specific order of your own choice. It works fine just as the manual describes. Note that this is a modest device, so once you remove a CD, the box does not store your programming for that disc.
TAPE PLAYBACK -- Appears to play commercial (retail) tapes fine, as well as many/most tapes I recorded on other tape decks. The audio fidelity is surprisingly good, considering that (per the manual) the deck is calibrated only for normal tapes (not Chrome or Metal) and has no Dolby decoding built in.
TAPE RECORDING -- You can actually record off the CD player or radio, and I did this successfully. Depending on the type of tape, the result may be more or less satisfactory -- for a kid, it'll probably be fine regardless. The recording levels are of course automatically controlled, and on some radio stations you may get a fainter level than others. I wasn't buying it for the recording ability, so having it available is just a plus, that may or may not get used. There is no line input for recording stuff to cassette from outside the box.
RADIO -- The tuning knob is very small and can be tricky to hit precisely the frequency you're aiming for. We have a lot of radio stations near us and this box had no problem picking them up -- however, in our first trials it seemed to have a problem keeping the stations from getting on top of each other.
In particular, when it was plugged in using the AC cord, one local station seemed to interfere with about half the stations on the FM dial. I compared this with my old boombox, and it was not the station's fault.
On a hunch, I put batteries in (it takes 6 "C" cells) and tried the radio again *without the AC cord attached*. This solved the problem, which suggested that the orientation of the power cord made a big difference. Without the cord plugged in, I was able to find a classical station that I could not pick up previously due to the interference, and it was fine.
Later, with the box on a different table -- and the cord plugged in -- I was able to get better results with the radio, including the weaker station, by fiddling with the built-in antenna. It sounded very good, and it did not drift or otherwise waver. So the FM radio was finicky for me, but it does work. Some folks may be fine without tinkering at all, I don't know, and the AM radio is clear in any case. So, for as much as we'll use the radio, it fills the bill adequately.
The antenna pushes down to store inside the box, but when extended, is hinged and can swivel for better tuning. That works, but the antenna is a bit flimsy-looking and is tricky to fold just right for storage again. It looks like it could be broken if one were not careful.
AUDIO CONTROLS ("BASS BOOST") -- Lots of these little boxes have a button like this and usually they don't do anything. Well, this one actually does increase the bottom end of the sound spectrum audibly. However, that does not mean that you get a lot of bass as a result! It's just more than if you leave the button off.
The sound is clear either way, so unless you're just playing CDs of birds chirping, I do not know why you'd ever turn the bass "boost" off. I'm sure it's just there to make people feel like they're getting more oomph than they really are.
For perspective: I own a 20-year old cassette boombox of similar size, which manages to produce quite noticeably more bass (although still not a lot).
On the other hand, we also had a chance to compare the Memorex side-by-side with a cheaper, CD-only unit made by Jensen. The Jensen "bass boost" button did absolutely nothing at all, and its maximum volume was much lower. Its wimpy output made this Memorex box sound quite good by comparison.
I've concluded that there will be some music where you'll notice the lack of a real bottom end. You won't be filling a disco with its sound! But the fidelity is very good, it's quite listenable for most music types. For kid use especially it is completely adequate.
CONS
- Radio reception not as easy as it could be.
- No remote control -- but nobody includes one at this price level!
- No counter for the tape player, and no time display for the CD.
- When rewinding a tape, there does not seem to be any tension detector, so unlike a more expensive machine, the deck does not kick out of rewind even when the takeup spool is full. If the deck sat like that for a while, keeping tension on the spool, presumably it might detach the tape and you'd have to figure out how to reattach it, which can be done -- but only by the very technically minded.
- It is *not* a "boom" box, although with the "bass boost" engaged, the sound is very clear, and adequately full.
- It's surprisingly heavy, and our child probably won't haul it around much. For us that's okay, because we really don't want to spend a lot of money on batteries (from the kid taking it away from the power socket). Also, I am hoping that the weight reflects better construction than some lighter units.
PROS
+ Both the CD door and the cassette door open by pushbutton, and both are damped. Maybe I'm responding just to cosmetics, but the effect is cool, and more reassuring than most cheap boxes with CD doors that you must open manually.
+ The CD door includes a sort of holder plate that keeps the disc in place. As a result, you do not have to jam the disc onto a spindle to secure it, unlike other boxes. It's not exactly like a slide-in tray, but somewhat so: there is a spindle, but the disc is *not* held onto it by friction. That means it's much easier to load and unload -- especially because there's also more finger room on either side of the disc than with some others, like the Jensen we tested.
+ The sound is clear, and one can play it surprisingly loud without distortion.
+ Despite some problems I had with the FM tuner, I'm pleased to have three complete functions (radio, CD, cassette) in a single box, from a well-known brand, at this price point.
+ Some people might find the visual design to be silly -- it's a bit like the Jetsons or something. But it's not unattractive to look at in person, the layout is very functional, the controls well-labeled and easy to use. (NOTE: most photos show the handle in a partially-raised position. In real life, it usually lies flat and the unit looks more streamlined.) Perhaps most importantly for us, our kid thinks it is WAY cool!
+ The manual is surprisingly detailed for a product I think of as being "low end" and it explains every function reasonably well.
+ Requires only 6 "C" cell batteries to go portable. Some comparable units -- including some with less sound and fewer functions -- require more than that.
+ Did I mention the price?
If it breaks next week or something I'll come back and update this, but it feels solid so I'm not expecting that. And so far, our kid really loves it. Based on what we've seen so far, for this low a price, I have no problem recommending it.
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