A Good Value but Inferior to you know who...
Written: May 06 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Relative Value
Cons: Bulky
Sound Quality
Made in China
The Bottom Line: If your paying this much consider the Bose. It just sounds better.
|
|
|
| cityscapex5's Full Review: Cambridge Soundworks 730I Tabletop Clock Radio |
I have a Bose Wave Radio/CD for my Bedroom and really enjoy it. Its simplicity, Ease of Operation, Good Looks and most importantly Quality Sound are its best features. Overall its raised my expectations of what a small system can be so when i wanted a similar radio for my office and didnt want to spend the money for a Bose i looked at alternatives - basically the Cambridge Soundworks 730/740. Not needing the CD capability i went with the 730. Overall impression: The 730 is bulkier and busier looking than the Bose.It has a lot of small buttons that look intimidating but are straightforward to use. The RDS feature is nice displaying radio station and song information. Bose should step into the 21st century and add this feature - even my car has it!. You can get comfortable with using both systems in a matter of minutes but setting the alarm is a little trickier on the Bose than the 730. The remote is the same overall size but quite a bit thicker making it feel less elegant. The 730 is made in China. The Bose in the USA. I have yet to own a Chinese Made product that has lasted let alone one of superior or even average quality so im not expecting much in product longevity - but im open to being pleasantly surprised, we'll see. Radio Reception: The 730 provides both an external AM as well as FM antenna although the FM antenna may not be needed. I did not find the FM antenna helped reception so i don't use it.The external antennas make the product more busy - if Bose doesnt need one i don't understand why the 730 does. Overall the reception is slightly worse than the Bose but good overall. Sound Quality: Well this is what it comes down too. The 730 provides Bass and Treble controls as well as mono/stereo and wide adjustments. While its nice to have some control it just doesnt sound as clear and natural as the Bose. I'm forever fiddling with the sound adjustments - the Bose while compromises are made sounds great for Rock, Jazz and Classical. I also listen to a lot of AM Talk radio and once again voices sound natural on the Bose. On the 730 they sound boomy and muffled once again making you fiddle with the sound adjustments. Overall the Bose is the hands down winner for both Music and Talk. The 730 is good and a step above most tabletop radios but Bose really shines here. Value: I put this last because it really comes down to what you think a tabletop radio is worth. Some people wouldnt pay $50 for a radio - so is the bose worth $300 or $500? In my opinion yes. If your going to spend this amount of money the pro's of the Bose are very compelling. It looks better, it operates seamlessly and its sound is so Natural and Transparent that you will want to listen to your radio more - perhaps at the expense of the television. The 730 is quite a bit less and does have some features like RDS which are genuinely useful but if sound quality is important to you as well as owning something which will be a joy to look at and own for years the Bose is a better sound investment.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 150
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
cityscapex5
|
|
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.