Need suggestions on a boombox

[Heretic Apostate]

Some of you may know that my father is mostly blind. His sole sources of entertainment (outside of his extensive socializing--he goes out even more than me ) are listening to TV, and playing audio books and audio CDs. We've had bad luck with tape players and CD players, however. We've had three defective tape players and two defective CD players in the last couple of years. My dad has decided that buying the cheapest thing just isn't cost effective.

So, my dad is in the market for a new boombox, one that combines a CD player and a tape player. And I need some suggestions from y'all to help him find one. There are certain requirements that have to be met. (I realize some of them will be contradictory, but YOU try arguing with a 66-year-old man who is extremely frustrated. )

1) It must be available from Radio Shack, Target, or Walmart. (My dad wants to be able to feel it, and possibly try it out.)

2) It must be reliable and mid-level quality. (This cannot be emphasized enough. We've trashed about five audio-books from the library, and he just trashed an audio-book he bought last week. He also uses the CD player to play his audio-Bible, so it's his only way of doing his daily reading.)

3) It must be under $100.

4) It must have non-detachable speakers.

5) It must have simple controls. (We're talking about a blind man here...)

6) As stated, it must have a CD player and a tape player. If it has a radio as well, that's gravy.

I'm not gadget oriented. I'm trying to help my father, who is also not gadget-oriented, and who sits alone at home for hours on end with little to do. (Sure, he goes out almost every day, but that still leaves about five hours a day where he's home alone...) Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Umbran]

The National Library Service[/quote] has programs that loan free recorded material to the blind and physcially handicapped. They also loan out the tape decks and record players, free of charge. The tape decks they provide aren't super-duper stereo playback, but they are designed for the blind, and they are free.

You might wish to talk to the [url=http://www.brailleinstitute.org/]Braille Institute or any one of the large number of local or national organizations that provide assistance for the blind. They probably have resources and information we do not.

After that, at your chosen price, I expect there's going to be a certain amount of "you get what you pay for". In the lower end of the range, models come and go quickly, and I don't expect any get to really prove themselves to be workhorses. Plus, the stock available at your local retailers will probablyl make any specific model suggestions we make moot. Take a name brand, close to the top of your price range. If anything about it feels cheaply constructed, it probably is. The physical requirements of a blind user will probably be your biggest restriction.

And if it fails within the warantee period, be sure to play the "this is for a blind man" card. There's nothing major companies want less than to cheese of the disabled. It's mediapathic.

 

[TracerBullet42]

This seems like a pretty good deal, and I'm not sure if this is a plus or not, but it comes with a remote, which could be useful if your dad might be able to memorize the button locations. Otherwise the controls look fairly simple and it's one solid piece. It's pushing the limit of your $100 price limit, but I've never been disappointed with Sony quality, and that's one of the points you mentioned. A little woofer should provide some quality sound, too.

I hope that helps!