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As with the sound modes, the button for mega bass is a fake.I hang on to it only because I don't use it enough to get sufficiently angry to smash it with an axe. The sound quality at any setting is only fair at best.
I bought it mainly for use on vacations or as something on which to audition tapes or discs when I don't feel like using my component system. This is an inferior product.
Sony puts sound mode settings on this unit, but they make absolutely no difference, regardless of the source. Even for these limited uses, it is bad news.Despite its limited use, the CD player tends to skip on discs that play perfectly elsewhere.
The tape player is even more unreliable. If you want "mega bass" (I don't particularly care), forget it.
I probably should sell it for about $2 at a yard sale, but I hate to rip someone off that way.
This item arrived on time and in excellant condition. I purchased it because it had dual cassettes as well as a cd player. I have been very pleased with the sound it delivers.
The antenna has to be set just right to pick up the strongest station in town, but even that dissolves in interference when a person or pet walks across the room or a car goes down the street. This is after very light CD use over the years. I bought this 6 years ago but should have returned it immediately. Now the CD player is dying. This box convinced me Sony's days as a quality brand are over and is only cruising on its past reputation. I've tried the antenna at different lengths and attached wires and foil to it to no avail. Either the disc won't play at all or only plays the first few tracks, then spins out of control making a chattering noise.
That leaves the dual cassette players.they make a lot of mechanical noise when playing, and dubbing from deck to deck yields poor quality copies. Although I live in a large city the FM reception is practically non-existant. When it works it only plays factory CDs; it doesn't take CD-RW or mp3, and is very touchy about CD-Rs. The AM reception is no prize either; the box has to be re-oriented just right every time you change the station. At first cleaning the lens helped a little but not anymore. Of course the cassette decks are purely mechanical, meaning they can't be remote controlled. The products lately are in the same class as Emerson & other cheapie store brands - preferring visual flash to catch kids' eyes while disguising junk inside.
However, this box is very solidly built and has a warm, rich bass sound that does not distort. If you are still playing cassettes and CD's this is a great unit to consider. While searching for a newer boombox with SD/Flash reading capabilities, I was amazed to see the Sony box that I purchased over seven years ago still in production. It is a fairly large and heavy unit as far as portable players go. I paid about $100 for the Box over seven years ago. Turn it up almost to the highest setting and it still plays cleanly. I give it less than 5 stars primarily because it is dated.
Quite frankly, I'm tired of dragging jewel cases out when I want to listen to music on the patio or elsewhere. Let me just say that no boombox, relative to a mid-priced stereo receiver, is going to give you awsome sound, despite the claims. If you are moving towards the digital music age, intending to reap the rewards of an Mp3 device or small storage card, then this unit is not to be considered. Literally, I have left the box out in light rain and the remote control in a downpour, and the both still work flawlessly. Yet, that is a testament to the build quality and music quality produced by the unit. I want to be able to transfer several albums of music files off my PC to a SD card that fits in the palm of my hand.The other reason that I reduced by a star is due to the overpricing. Generally, the price of electronic products does not inflate.
This is an okay machine, but it should not be called portable. Just because it has a handle, it isn't portable. It is too heavey and awkward to carry with the speakers attached. Also--it does not fit in small spaces.
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