My wife is looking for a boombox to use with children (K - grade 6). She wants it to play CDs of all types, MP3s (in CD format), not be too large, decent quality sound, and not too expensive. Do you have a favorite you would suggest?

Thanks ahead of time!

Panasonic RX-5050, the greatest boombox ever made. So what if they're almost 25 years old? They still rule.

[pocketcalculatorshow.com]

Quote
Will Collier
Panasonic RX-5050, the greatest boombox ever made.

Meh.
That's wack.

I had this Pioneer back in those days:


Yeaaaah boyeeee!

Ok, now for a real answer. I would definitely look only at those boxes that provide a headphone jack for input (that's where the iPod plugs in) and not just for output (headphones-does anyone really use these with a boombox?) There are several that also play MP3 discs which is nice, but doesn't trump the ability to output audio from your iPod. I would also recommend a remote control. My setup is for the hot tub. The boombox (a Sony) is parked about 4-5 feet from the hot tub (safety first) and the remote is safely ensconced in a "seal-a-meal" packet. I can pop a CD in and float around in the hot tub and still safely control the boombox. It works well and is fairly low tech an inexpensive.

Suspect that the models change so quickly it will be hard for anyone to recommend a specific make and model.

I would add that you need to get a boombox that has enough power to fill the room (or outdoor space) with distorting the sound.

A lot of boomboxes will fail this test. Either test the volumne in person or lot at how many watts the box is rated at. (Though I'm not sure there is a standard system of rating watts in boomboxes. It might be like car stereos.)

I left my last boombox in France, when I moved back to North America. (ten years ago) Played CDs just fine, couldn't really fill a practice room with clear sound, though.

Todd's keyboard

Quote
Todd's keyboard
I would add that you need to get a boombox that has enough power to fill the room (or outdoor space) with distorting the sound.

Hence my recommendation.

the only thing i know about current boom boxes is that they are all ugly

---

Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

I bought AA's suggestion, then returned it when I heard the Harman Kardon Go+Play [www.harmankardon.com] . That is one amazing sounding iPod boombox! It totally blows the iPod HiFi away. It's much crisper on the high-end, and it is room-filling.

Unfortunatley it won't fill your requirements. As in the Apple iPod HiFi, this is just an iPod boombox, there is no CD player in it.

Generally any Sony of Panasonic product will give you good results.