Supersonic SC709CD CD Boombox with MP3 and Cassete Player

It was a great price and the reviews were good, so we took our chances. It seems pretty tough to find a low price and yet a decent boombox these days. This one had the usb and the auxilary, which were nice features and so far, 9 months later, it still plays great. This was a gift for my four year old daughter, and she loves to listen to her music every night (and all through the day).My only major complaint is the layout of the buttons. They make absolutely NO sense. The major controls (play, stop) are the smallest buttons on the right, and the power button, which is normally an obvious one, is hidden amongst the other big silver round buttons that all look the same. The next and previous are controlled by a knob on top, etc. The layout is just VERY confusing and difficult for even an adult to use at first. However, this becomes only a minor annoyance, because when you use anything for just a short time, you get used to the idiosyncrasies. My daughter, even though she can't read, picked up on the controls pretty easily and operates it just fine.

I initially rated this as 4 stars because I can't get it to play CD-RW discs, only CD-Rs. Not a huge deal, but surprising. However, I stumbled onto an unadvertised positive surprise way bigger than CD-RWs. I plays WMA, as well as MP3. I happened to notice WMA flash briefly on the postage-stamp-sized screen. So, I burned 27 hours of music in WMA format onto a CD-R. It started playing quicker than the start-up for MP3, playing wonderfully. Nearly perfect.It seems to do what I want. Will play my decades-old cassettes, and even record onto new ones if desired. Has line-in and headphone out--try finding that on any of the competitors. Will play hours of MP3-CD.Has digital tuning and volume - allowing use of a little remote (not to start/stop tape deck).Sound isn't concert hall quality, but plenty good enough for background "elevator music".The reason for only 4 stars? It won't play CD-RW. It doesn't claim to, but everything else I have will play them no trouble.I have plenty of CD-Rs, so it isn't a fatal mistake. The first disk I tried was burned on a CD-RW. The display just said "NO".While normal CDs start right up, playing a MP3-CD requires waiting about 20 seconds while the little display shows numbers that don't make any sense to me. Eventually, pressing the Play button produced music.Let the elevators begin.,

Loved this at first, but the radio now does not stay tuned properly. I can't get a station to play clearly. The sound is great, cds are fine. The radio and the fact that it has to be unplugged to power off are big drawbacks.

I listen to audio books while working on my crafts. This could do it all. However, it didn't. I do read Reviews on the items I buy thru Amazon, and saw there were some 1 stars but I thought I'd give it a try as some were very happy with the unit.So here's mine after 3 days use. Don't waste your money on this one. Unfortunately, the CD audio books didn't play well by skipping "chapters". I tried used audio books as well as brand new ones. Same problem. Another problem was with the power cord that plugged into the back of the unit. It wouldn't stay plugged in for any length of time, no matter how hard I pushed it in. I bought this brand to replace a former Supersonic which is no longer available. I'd had that one for a long time and thought I'd get the same quality. That one worked well but a battery leaked in the compartment and it quit working.I contacted Amazon and they immediately sent me pre-paid shipping label to return this one.I then ordered a Sony CFDS50 CD Boombox thru Amazon. The price was close. I am very happy with the new one and will leave a 5 star review. You can't beat Amazon for service !!

I was very impressed that this unit possessed most of the features I require in a boombox. It absolutely had to have the following: AM/FM stereo radio, a CD player that played MP3 CDs, and a cassette recorder/player. (Note: this cassette records off either CD or radio.) I needed the boombox to have a USB port, an aux-line in jack, and a headphones jack. Additionally I wanted it to accept both batteries (for real portability) and an AC adapter so I could plug it in at home. The remote control was also a desired feature, as was the backlit display. Well, this model possesses all that!I then read every review and was torn: Would I receive a unit plagued with some of the problems I had read about? I decided to roll the dice and order it based on the many good reviews.I can honestly report that I am very glad I did! My boombox functions exactly as promised and I am pleased with its performance overall. The only negatives I can name are as follows:1. The only way to turn off the boombox is to UNPLUG IT! Why would they design it that way, I wonder!2. The sound is not top quality, but right for the price.3. In terms of features, it does LACK a few things (although nice to have, I didn't really NEED these features):a. Built-in SD/MMC Card Slotb. External microphone (for recording onto cassette tapes)c. Dual cassette deck with high-speed dubbing (for recording from one cassette to a blank cassette)d. Digital AM/FM tuning (this unit has an analog tuner)e. AM/FM presetsf. CD player that plays ALL forms of CDs (this one doesn't play CD-RWs, for example)g. "D" batteries for portable play. This unit, instead, requires "C" type. "Ds" provide more power and last longer!h. Bass boosti. Equalizerj. Clockk. Alarm/Sleep Functionl. Bluetooth capabilityI should mention that at home I have my extra set of Dell A425 30-watt computer speakers (with subwoofer) plugged into the headphones jack of this Supersonic boombox so I get wonderful room-filling sound (this means the less-than-amazing boombox speakers are not an issue for me). I should also disclose that I have yet to test out the cassette player/recorder, but I trust that will perform as promised (I hope!). I have dozens of old audio cassette tapes from the days of recording my ex and his bluegrass band during their jam sessions at our house!Final note: This item was delivered in a timely manner and came well-protected in its packaging with no discernible damage.Again, I am quite happy with this purchase so far and hope I can look forward to experiencing many years of listening enjoyment!