The Best Boombox you can Buy!
Pros:
Great Sound, Looks and Design
Line Input
Reads CDs fast, Intuitive Remote
Cons:
Needs to have the ability to play all of Sony's ATRAC3plus bitrates (limited by software)
The Bottom Line:
This boombox is great for a multi-codec boombox. The ability to connect your mp3 players using the handy line input is super. Great sound, well worth the sub-$100 price.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
http://www.atraclife.com/index.php?showtopic=170
Click the link above for my review with pictures regarding this Sony ZS-SN10 boombox.
The Sony ATRAC CD Player Boombox: Psyc ZS-SN10
This could possibly be the best boombox I have ever owned. I had the previous generation of Sony ATRAC Psyc ATRAC boombox (SN-YN7) and was disappointed in the weird vertical CD housing, the color scheme, sound, time it took to read ATRAC and mp3 CDs and the fact you had to have the boombox powered on to open the CD housing. Well, Sony got it right with this one. I have had this box since late May/early June 2005 and I am more than pleased.
What you get: boombox, power cord, remote, Sony Sonic Stage CD (you have to burn ATRAC CDs with this software if you want to take advantage of the ATRAC sound and compression features), manual.
Cost: around $80USD at Best Buy
The Design and Looks:
The color tones of black and orange of the ZS-SN10 are definitely more pleasing to the eye than the white/grey/orange of the previous Psyc boombox I had (ZS-YN7 model). That YN7 model also had an annoying design that did not allow the handle to be stowed out of the way. Well, the ZS-SN10's handle almost seamlessly stows away into the boombox and the antenna is secured out of the way. I always felt like the antenna would be the first to go on the old model. By the way, a gal at work bought it for her daughter... Sorry to compare everything on the ZS-SN10 to the YN7 model but that's my experience. Well, I shouldn't complain cause I got both of these with Best Buy gift cards. Ok, back to the review. This paragraph is about looks and design. I think the SN10 does the job very well as the pictures below show. It's been outside more than a few times and my 7 year old has taken to using it to preview my CDs lately but it still looks good to me.
Sound Quality:
This is where the SN10 is the strongest. The bass is deep and rich, especially with the Mega Bass effect on. There is a 5 sound EQ with 1 custom setting you can adjust. The YN7 did NOT have the custom setting, only the presets. A big upgrade on the sound. I think the redesign of the body style really lets the bass shine on the SN10. The YN7 always sounded tinny and could rattle the box at times. No problems with the bass on the SN10.
Basic Functionality:
Radio: You have a very decent FM/AM radio receiver that allows setting of favorite stations, etc. I haven't spent much time with that since I don't listen to the radio much other than the NPR jazz late at night.
Sleep: You can set the box to turn off at preset times, which is a great feature if you are like me and like to go to sleep listening to music but don't want it to play all night.
Advanced Functionality:
1. Line Input: miniplug
Having the ability to run a Line Input from a Hi-MD or mp3 player is a great upgrade on the SN10. The Sony site even mentioned that the YN7 had a line input but once I got it out of the package, I found out otherwise. The SN10 took care of that oversight. You simply connect the line input device and press the Line button on the front of the unit. It couldn't be easier to enjoy your recordings off your Hi-MD at a big weekend festival, etc. It's a great way to share your music while camping or if a friend brings over a mp3 player,etc.
2. Multi-codec handling:
This unit handles mp3 files: VBR or fixed bitrates without problems. It also handles ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus bitrates (48kps through Hi-SP 256kps). Hi-SP sounds very close to PCM on this unit, even when cranked to high volume. The reproduction using that codec is super. I haven't noticed any problems with mp3 files in terms of sound playback or artifact productions. I have even found the LP2 105kps very functional on this unit when I want to put a lot of music on 1 CD. It's reproduction of sound at the 105kps bitrate is very enjoyable for outdoor fun on the deck or at the ppol. I have had over 160 songs on 1 CD I made for a reunion and never changed the CD the entire weekend. My only wish is for Sony to allow Sonic Stage to burn ATRAC CDs to all the ATRAC3plus bitrates. I'm sure this unit can handle all of them since it can handle all of the mp3 bitrate ranges I throw at it.
EDIT 03SEPT05: The playback of ATRAC and mp3 files is NOT gapless, there is a small amount of silence between tracks but not enough to be annoying. You never notice unless you are listening to a LIVE recording or LIVE album.
The speed of reading ATRAC and mp3 CDs is VASTLY improved over previous generation ATRAC boomboxes. It can read and get ready to play ATRAC CDs with over 100 tunes in only a few seconds. The last model would take forever.
It also handles regular CDs and even reads CD Text with scrolling of tune names on the beautiful orange LCD screen.
3. The Orange display screen :
You can scroll through various displays showing time remaining, group name, file properties, etc. It's a very useful screen and easy to use. It could be a little bigger but it's easy to read and scrolls when you need it to scroll.
You can also scroll through folders or search through folders for tune names,etc. It's very easy using the large buttons on the box or with the intuitive remote control.
