Update May 19 2007.
I again had a skipping problem with three of the CD bays today. After I played the CDs and songs that had skipped in the Sony boom box without any problem, I packed up the unit and returned it for credit.
background
About a month ago, my
Sony CFD-G500 Boom Box started making strange noises from the cassette player. So, I figured it was done and I went around looking for alternatives.
What features was I looking for?
I need a shelf system in my studio to play Cds that my students and I practice and play over. So, I need good fidelity and good volume.
It had to be small enough to fit on my back credenza, approximately 28" wide
I am also sensitive to price levels, given necessary quality.
Why was I drawn to this unit?
1. It had a small size and would fit in my space
2. Rated power of 90 watts per channel, much higher than the unit it replaced, the
Sony CFD-G500 Boom Box, which was rated at 20 watts (more later)
3. It had usb connection input
4. 5 cd bays, so I could pre-load the 3 play-alongs I use most regularly with my students.
5. The price of $109.99 from CircuitCity.com was nice, and a 3% rebare through ebates.com was available.
6. It was available for pickup at my local Circuit City store.
How did it work?
It was easy to unpack and set up. It fit in the necessary space.
It was more powerful than the Sony but only by a little bit. I don’t understand the wattage ratings. It is a bit louder at loud volumes and has much more fidelity. When I am practicing, I can get volume that is not that far away from band volume at soft dynamics. The sound quality is very nice. It has a mega bass option, which I keep on, and 6 equalizer choices, mine being, oddly enough, jazz, which seems to boost the mid range a bit.
The CD bays worked well in terms of setting up the three main CDs but I found that the slots were skipping a bit on older CDs. At that point, I replaced the unit and the new unit had similar problems but was a bit better. I burned new CD copies for my “Fab 3”. Those worked ok until today. I got the same skipping problem and then played the tracks that skipped in this unit in my Sony and all played without skips. Skips will disrupt my lessons and practice sessions. I need a player robust enough to handle CDs that have had some use.
So, I returned this today.
I think the problem may have to do with the fact that these slots slide out, like a PC, as opposed to being fixed like a boom box. Plus, they are very thin and flimsy.
The USB connection is functional and works great for play-alongs I make with
Band In A Box . In fact, I use the
Simpletech 2GB flash drive to migrate the files. The unit will not play files protected with DRM (digital rights management), so you can’t download files from a service and import them unless you’ve paid for burning rights.
The unit works well with the remote and I can get it to do what I want. The play function and some of the scheduling functions, which I have not tried, can work only with the remote. It also has timer functions, where you can program it to operate in advance. I have not used them.
I have this in my indoor studio. I’ve used both radio bands and they have sounded good enough, with the included FM and AM antennas mounted on the wall behind it. Come fall, I should be able to hear the renaissance of my beloved Illini football team throughout the house while doing Saturday errands.
The lights make for a major coolness factor. It really looks neat when I have the lights out and I’m playing along with a CD. Plus, the unit has an LED display which will flash hello while various lights flash when the thing is off. The unit shuts off after about 5 minutes. This was attractive to my younger students.
You need a fairly compact space as the speaker cords are short, around 4 feet.
However, I need to depend on the sound system in my studio, for durability, dependability and sound quality. I need it for my students and I need it for me. i cannot trust this unit, so back it went.
This unit is fairly hard to find, even though Sharp shows it as current. Perhaps the poor quality has something to do with the availability.
Bottom line
Great features don't matter if functionality is missing
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