A great cassette boom box
Written: Jun 25 '01 (Updated Nov 13 '04)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Portability: |
|
|
|
Pros: Lots of features, equalizer, aux RCA stereo input, auto reverse
Cons: Expensive, volume control touchy, autoreverse mechanism died.
The Bottom Line: If you want to play a lot of cassette tapes, this is for you. If you have CD's, look elsewhere.
|
|
|
| macgyver24's Full Review: Panasonic RX-FS470 Cassette Boombox |
Overview
AM/FM Stereo Auto Reverse Cassette Boom Box
Record off radio or aux input
Headphone jack
XBS bass boost system
Three-band graphic equalizer
Two auto reverse modes
Condenser microphone
Stereo aux inputs
Select FM stereo or mono
AC power or 6 D batteries
External FM antenna
Internal AM antenna
This is a really nice little boom box. The sound is very good, and is typical of Panasonic boom boxes. I bought this unit because of it's wealth of features, and AUX inputs to which I could hook up to my work computer or external portable CD player.
What I love
The three band graphic equalizer lets you customize the sound to the nth degree and your liking. The EQ does it's job with a minimum of distortion. The unit is small, but not too small. It would be perfect for taking on the road since there are only 6 D batteries instead of 8 or even 10 on some larger boxes. Which means less weight to lug around. I have not used the battery power on this unit yet, so I cannot comment on battery life. The aux inputs allow for a lot of flexibility. I can hook it up to my CD player or work computer for some great sound. This lets me avoid having a second set of speakers for my computer. The aux input can be selected via the main power/selector switch so whatever source you have on AUX can be left plugged in permanently. The auto reverse system is a rare feature to find on such a small portable box and is a fantastic thing. There are two auto reverse modes: play both sides once, or continuous play. The radio band selector has FM and FM stereo modes which lets you pick up distant FM stations in mono mode if the stereo reception is poor. The tuner picks up all stations very well. Tape deck controls are solidly built and do not seem flimsy even after many months of use.
What I hate
There is a red XBS bass boost button on this unit, but it's really more of a gimmick than a useful feature. If the XBS is set to off, the sound seems really hollow and lacking a lot of low end. You can make up for this with the EQ and by pressing the XBS system, but the XBS doesn't really boost anything beyond reference levels.
The volume control is another issue. It is a small slider, which at times, can be a wee bit difficult to adjust in small increments. If I'm not careful, I can turn it up too much at once and blow myself away. A rotary volume control would have been a much better way to do it.
After doing some shopping around on the electronics market after making this purchase, I felt that I paid a little too much for this unit to not include a CD player.
The verdict
A quality, solid, great sounding unit for radio and cassette tapes. The AUX inputs make this unit very flexible. Perhaps a bit overpriced so shop around.
UPDATE for 2004: The autoreverse mechanism on this thing died, and it tends to eat tapes for breakfast now. It has been relegated to service as a radio only in my garage.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 75
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
macgyver24
|
|
Member: Corey R
Location: USA
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 16 members
About Me:
Computer and technology nut, jack of all trades, master of none
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.