Boombox (for a lack of a more original title)

[Rl'Halsinor]

For Christmas my son has asked for a boombox type CD player for his room that also has AM/FM radio. The thing is those things can be really cheaply made when it comes to the lazer that transcribes the music from CD to speakers. Far, far, far too many die an early death. So...

1. Can you recommend a decent boombox type and make that justifies the money spent and has decent sound? (I'm not looking for the $50 or less cheapos; probably not less than $75.00)


2. Can you recommend a decent shelf system (yes, I know it isn't a boombox, but it would make mopre sense)?

Thanks.

 

[werk]

I've never had much luck with portables lasting as long as I would like, be it CD or casette drives.

Aiwa makes this type of system that has a decent, richer sound than their competition, but they seem pretty cheap...just par for the course I think. ...and they look hella cool!

Onkyo are really cheap, but their quality has improved over the years. Sony...I never liked their sound quality and their CD drive DEFINITELY wear out quickly (engineered to do so). I'd definitely get one that playes MP3s, probably with a spare input (infinitely useful) and/or that will play MP3s from a data CD. I had a crappy panasonic that lasted forever, and a friend has a yamaha boombox that is still working fine after 20+ years of abuse.


(Don't forget to clean the CD Player fairly often, kids tend to smudge up the CDs pretty bad, so it's not that the drive quits working, it's just that it's unable to work once it gets all gummed up.)

 

[Ranger REG]

For Christmas my son has asked for a boombox type CD player for his room that also has AM/FM radio. The thing is those things can be really cheaply made when it comes to the lazer that transcribes the music from CD to speakers. Far, far, far too many die an early death. So...

1. Can you recommend a decent boombox type and make that justifies the money spent and has decent sound? (I'm not looking for the $50 or less cheapos; probably not less than $75.00)

Most [portable] boomboxes can run as cheaply as $50 to $300. Personally, I'd go with Sony.

www.sonystyle.com

2. Can you recommend a decent shelf system (yes, I know it isn't a boombox, but it would make mopre sense)?

If your son's room doesn't have a lot of space, and he has no need for a boombox to carry with him, then a bookshelf stereo system is good enough. Panasonic, JVC, and Sony have great options for a mini stereo system. Be careful, the smallest price of the three brands is $100, they have better features like multi-disc player, an input for another audio (even your TV's audio outputs), etc.