The Sony CFD-S350 Radio/Cassette/CD Boombox

To me, Sony has been a trusted name in electronics for years. I have used many of their products including my current television, VCR, DVD Player, and Tuner. The purchase of the Song CFD-350 Boombox was to have a stereo that could be hooked up in the corner of the bathroom, and provide some "atmosphere" for showering and such. This particular boombox comes with of course the radio, a compact disc player, and cassette tape deck. I can't really see the cassette function being put to use anytime in the near future, but the intent was to have a system that could play CD's and have a radio that could be controlled easily. The set of up the boombox is slightly egg shaped, and it comes in a metallic silver color. The speakers are on the left and right side of the centered tape deck (on the front) and they actually curl up around half of the top. This helps them send sound to different areas of the room you have the device in, and I think helps with the sound quality as well. Towards the top front, is the digital read-out, where CD song durations are listed, or radio stations are shown. It also displays the digital read-out of the volume control bars, so you know what your volume is being set to.

The AM-FM tuner on the CFD-S350 woks very easily either through the remote or the keys on the sides of the read-out. Since it is digital, you can scroll to a specific station and have it play from that spot. It also gives you the ability to pre-program stations so that you can get to them right away using the scroll, or the remote itself. The memory holds 30 pre-programmed stations, which includes both AM and FM selections. So, you can pretty much put all the radio stations you would even think about listening to, and still have room left over. I know that I only listen to a few as it is, and switch to a couple others every now and then. So, 30 is a ton of stations to be able to go through, and possibly more than anyone could need. With the remote, you can type in the specific pre-set number assigned to a station, which means you don't have to scroll through everything to find a particular number. This makes it so easy to play with the radio, and even easier to switch between stations. The remote also serves the CD player as well as the volume control and on/off switches. So, you could set it in a corner and not go near the buttons for a while.

For the CD player, it has been set up to be compatible with audio CD, CD-R, and CD-RW formats. That means nearly any CD that you can put into it will work like a charm. The player also has 20-track RMS programming, which allows you to play your CD music in the order you choose. Shuffle and repeat modes are available as well. The bonus, is that the CFD-S350 provides CD/cassette dubbing so that you can make mixed tapes of your choosing. Once completed, they will be able to play right away in the cassette deck. In its use so far, the CD player has performed well with slightly used CD's, and done so without skipping. This leads me to believe that the laser reader is of a pretty nice quality, and that the player could last for quite a long time. The sound from CD's as well as the radio comes through quite crisp, and proves that the player was worth the money spent on it.

The Sony CFD-S350is a very easy to use system, that has a remote which will do all of the work for you. It is quite sleek in appearance, which could add to its value to many consumers, and it performs all of its functions quite well. The boombox is very portable, with a nice handle built into the top of the system that folds down to become part of the top of the boombox. So, when you aren't carrying it around, it is pretty well hidden from view. It comes with an AC Power cord that should serve as the primary source or power any time you have the chance to use it. It takes D batteries, and the system says that they will last up to 7 hours, but that isn't even a day's worth of use. In that regard, this may not be the best boombox to carry around unless you don't mind going through batteries, or have rechargeable ones. The sound is good enough that you can hear it clearly from other rooms, so you don't have to worry about the speakers sounding all snowy. The system sells for under $60.00 at Target right now, so if you are in the market for a smaller stereo that has a lot of punch then this could be a good option for you. I highly recommend it thus far, as it has given us a great way to listen to our tunes.



Some Technical Specs:

*Takes 6 D Batteries.
*Measures 16.3W x 6.45H x 10.12D Inches.
*Built in antennas.
*Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
*Battery life: Radio - 20 hours; cassette deck - 15 hours; CD player - 7 hours.
*Weighs around 8 pounds.