Sony ICF-M1000 Table Top Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This radio from Sony is placed to compete with similar products from Tivoli (Henry Kloss Model One) and Boston Acoustics (Receptor Radio). All of these products are single speaker (mono) AM/FM radios that contain no CD or cassette players and have no remote control. If that is not what you are looking for in a radio, this product is not for you; however, if you are looking for a simple tabletop radio, continue on.

Sony hoped to cash in on the popularity of simple table radios, however their offering falls short of its competitors. The radio is gloss black with a black fabric front that hides the speaker. It is significantly larger than the other radios in this class, about double the size of either the Kloss or the Receptor. Despite the size of the cabinet, the speaker is roughly the same size as those found on the other radios. The LCD display is small and somewhat hard to read from certain angles (there is an acrylic prism sitting on top of the LCD that reflects the image forward and upward). There are three knobs on the front that control tuning, volume and tone. The radio is built well, but I think the black fabric makes it seem a bit cheap. Removing the fabric cover exposes the cheap wood interior and lowers the aesthetics even further.

By itself this radio has a decent sound, and the tone control allows for tweaking of the sound quality. However when I compare the sound quality to that of the Kloss and Receptor, this product again falls short. This radio lacked the bass response of its competitors, despite its much larger size. Midranges were decent, comparable to the others (talk radio sounds almost the same among the three radios). Trebles were decent, although slightly muddled unless the tone control was set to high. On the plus side, the tuning was accurate and the reception clear, probably the best of the three, although all are very good.

The Sony radio has line-out/line-in 1/8" jacks in the rear for connecting to an mp3 or CD player (as does the Kloss, but not the receptor). There are no alarm-clock functions on this radio, which further limits its usefulness.

In conclusion, this would be a very decent radio if it were fifty dollars. However, Sony has set the price so that it competes with radios that are far superior to it. If you are to spend this kind of money on a table radio, I suggest you look elsewhere (I recommend the Receptor Radio).

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Product Description:
Sony - Stylish Design - Radio

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EMERSON Dora Explorer CD Player - DTE110 Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for a portable cd player for my 3.5 y.o. daughter to listen to books on cd on a plane trip.This was the closest thing I could find, that seemed oriented toward the right age group.The headphones, however, were much too big for her, so they fell down and bugged her, or hung low so she couldn't hear very well.Additionally, the buttons were very small and unclearly marked, so even I had trouble figuring out which button did what.She used it a few times, butthen one day it just didn't work, even after replacing the batteries.I have no idea what is wrong with it.This caused us to put her cd in the regular stereo and she seems to prefer this anyway.This wasn't an expensive cd player, but it wasn't really worth the money, at least for this age of child.

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Product Description:
Dora Personal CD Player - Emerson NicktronicsDora the Explorerportable CD player- CD-R/RW compatible- Hold switch (prevents accidental battery drain)- 60 Second anti-skip protection- Programmable memory- Requires 2 AA batteries, not included- For child ......

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Pioneer Airware MyFi XM Portable Satellite Radio Review

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(More customer reviews)I don't normally submit "product opinions" (I know, shame on me) but this portable XM radio from Pioneer is so good that I felt that I had to. I had been considering getting some kind of a satellite radio for my car for more than 6 months and when I found out that a friend of mine had a Delphi XM unit in his car I knew that the time had come to finally make a move:-)

I was thinking of getting a Delphi MyFi but then discovered that the Pioneer AirWare had recently hit the store shelves. I like the Pioneer brand and also liked the looks (and controls) of the Pioneer unit more than those of the MyFi .. so I picked up an AirWare at the local Circuit City (can get it cheaper elsewhere for sure). I have had it for 3 weeks now and during this time have used it EXTENSIVELY in the car, in my home office and also on business trips. It works great !

I am especially impressed by the effectiveness of the built-in FM transmitter ... I have used a few built-in and external FM transmitters in my time over the past few years but haven't had much luck with them (too much interference from other radio stations). I was pleasantly surprised (and relieved) to discover that the AirWare's transmitter is VERY effective ... I have been driving around the Connecticut/ Westchester County/NYC/Long Island region quite a bit since I got it, without having to switch FM frequencies at all !

The features and sound quality of the unit are great. It is very useful that you can record up to 5 hours of audio (via a "scheduled record" function) that you can then listen to offline when the satellite reception is not up to snuff. Another neat feature is that if you hear a song or artist that you like, you can press a button and from then on whenever that same song or artist is playing on any of the 150+ channels the unit beeps and displays a message so that, if you want, you can press the same button and the unit automatically switches to the relevant channel.

The AirWare comes with everything that you neeed to set it up at home or in a car. When using the AirWare in my car I use the "vent mount" to secure it (in its cradle) to an air vent. I have the antenna magnetically-mounted outside on the front part of the car roof. On some of the more tree-lined roads of Connecticut, satellite reception can sometimes be spotty ... you need to have line-of-sight to the XM satellites which are positioned in the southern sky .. but generally reception is very good.All-in-all I am very happy that I got it ... it is a very, very well designed and executed product ... plus the breadth and quality of the XM programming is great.

In summary I can heartily recommend both the Pioneer AirWare and the XM service !

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Product Description:
Imagine having Satellite radio in your hand, in your pocket, on your hip, in your car, in the mountains, at home, anywhere. Well, it's here. With the Pioneer AirWare XM2go Portable XM Satellite Radio Receiver, you can take XM radio anywhere you want to go. Now you can stay connected to the world in your car, at home, in the office, or by the beach. Pick up the AirWare XM2go, tune in to XM satellite broadcasts, stuff the receiver into your pocket, and you're ready to go.
This receiver comes with a home kit that includes a docking station, antenna, RCA cables, wireless remote, and AD adaptor that will bring XM radio right into your living room. Toss in the vehicle docking station, antenna, and 12-volt DC power converter, and you've got XM on four wheels. Pioneer doesn't stop there, though. With a set of stereo headphones, a rechargeable battery (up to five ours of use), and belt clip, you'll be tuning into the satellite airwaves anywhere your feet might take you.
The built-in memory effortlessly records and stores up to five hours of broadcasting. With this feature you never miss your favorite broadcast. The built-in FM transmitter enables your XM2go radio to play through any car stereo, home stereo, or boom box with a simple frequency tune. And, of course, no XM receiver would be complete without an informative LCD display that shows channel, artist, and song information, as well as personalized stock ticker and sports scores. All of this functionality is at your fingertips with the easy-to-use numeric keypad and scroll wheel. Add 30 presets and you've got one-touch tuning to your favorite channels.
The AirWare XM2go is the perfect introduction to XM satellite radio. It's portable, easy-to-use and requires no special installation. Listen to music, sports, talk, comedy, drama, news and kids programming, from coast to coast. For more information about XM Radio digital-quality sound, coast-to-coast coverage, and more than 150 channels of satellite radio entertainment, visit XMradio.com.
What's in the Box
AirWare XM radio receiver, home docking station, home antenna, AC adapter, wireless remote control, 2 AAA batteries, audio cable, car docking station, car antenna, cigarette lighter adapter, cassette adapter, swivel/flush/vent mounts, rechargeable battery, headphones, belt clip, and protective case.

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Fisher Price Kid Tough FP3 Song & Story Player - Pink Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this for my 5 year-old for her birthday.She absolutely loves it and mastered the operation within minutes.Downloading stories from the website was a little tricky, but in the end was worth the time ($1.99 for most stories).Copying songs from CDs was the best feature.You can pick and delete the songs you want.You can even assign a picture to each song or to a collection of songs.For example, for High School Musical, I assigned a school bus; for the Aquamarine soundtrack, a starfish; Princess and the Pauper, a princess.Anyway, you get the idea.She also really likes the story reading function.I look forward to trying out the speaker/boom box accessory.The headphones seemed bulky to me, but my 5 year old loves how they fit and they don't slide off of her head!

I gave it 5 stars even though we had to return the first one.The play/pause button didn't work consistently, even right out of the box.It is marketed as a "kid tough" design, but we may have just had a bad player, as the replacement one seems to work fine, even after dropping it a few times.I also recommend the blue case; the pink one is very pale pink and all of the ones in store were already scuffed up and dirty.

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Product Description:
The Kid-Tough FP3 Player in Pink is a real digital player designed just for preschoolers. It's tough enough and easy enough for kids to use. We've also made it easy for parents to download hundreds of songs and stories onto the player from the Fisher-Price FP3 Song & Story Online Store, or from any CD. The Kid-Tough FP3 Player features: A backlit 1.4-inch LCD screen that uses icons to help kids recognize and choose their favorite songs and stories all by themselves; big buttons that make it easy to navigate; Kid-tough design that stands up to preschoolers play. Holds two hours of entertainment that's approximately 30 songs or 15 stories. Add an SD memory card to store even more. Headphones are sized just right for little ones and play at a safe volume; breakaway neck strap; six songs and two stories pre-loaded. With the software CD we've included, you can: access the Fisher-Price FP3 Song & Story Online Store; browse hundreds of kid-appropriate songs and stories, all in one place; read expert recommendations to help you choose and purchase online, anytime; copy music from CDs you already own to your player; change and manage your player's songs and stories; player software requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP; Intel Pentium III 500 MHz or above; 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM or higher recommended); 150 MB free hard-disc space for full installation; Video Graphics Card with 1024 x 768 resolution or higher; Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 with SP1 or later; Macromedia Flash plug-in; USBport; Optional for Online Store: Internet connection (broadband connection recommended). Requires 2 AAA (LR03) alkaline batteries.

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Fisher SLIM-1500 Executive Microsystem Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Several people have mentioned that this is a bad stereo, but here are a few details if you're still torn...
Looks:The pictures make this look like a really cool stereo.Out of the box, it looks pretty ugly.Yes, those speakers are indeed bright blue.No, the stereo is not chrome, it's cheap grey plastic.It's amazing how good the pictures make it look compared to the real thing.Also, the white cord that comes with it is difficult to hide in any place I've used it, and sort of looks tacky.You can use batteries, but...
Sound: Ick.This thing manages to make CD's sound like audio tapes.It gets distorted and washed out very quickly.I've spent probably a total of an hour trying to adjust the settings to get better sound out of it, but it just doesn't happen.
I got this unit free in a raffle, but I didn't like it enough to keep it.I took it into work and gave it to our techs to use in the repair room.They didn't even leave it hooked up for a week, the sound is that bad.
Hope this helps.

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Product Description:
w/Surewake

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Homedics DP-300 DocknParty iPod Docking Station White with interchangeable faces Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Product was dead on arrival.Seller will not respond.Stay away from this seller.

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Product Description:
Party with your playlist! The Dock n Party iPod Ultra Docking Station is the perfect speaker system for your music. Control the bass and treble to get the perfect sound. The FM Clock radio alarm function with snooze can wake you with your iPod, the radio or a beep tone. Convenient line in to attach non-docking iPod models and other MP3 players. Video output jack to connect to TV, computer or stereo. Full function remote control. Charge your iPod while it's docked.

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jWIN JXCD8700 4-CD/MP3 CD Vertical-Loading Hi-Fi System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)While the look of the system is stylish, and does offer the feature of being wall-mounted I found the operation less than satisfactory.It is very easy to assemble.I was shocked at how loud the motor sounds when opening and closing the disk covers.Though, initially I figured I might as well get use to that.One of my first issues was sorting through MP3 albums.I have several disks of MP3's that have many artists as well as sub albums for each artist.The display of the system would only tell me the name of the album once I started playing the songs, not the artist.On other systems you can see the name of the album before actually having to play the album, and once playing it displays the artist information/track information as well.Hence the menu options were not exactly "user friendly."When selecting the next album there was a sort of lapse where the system would play a second or two of the previous track, from the previous album which was a sort of disturbing sound.Followed by this was silence and then the first track of the selected album would play.I thought this was peculiar but could over look it.What I could not over look was the fact that it skipped way too easily on disks.(MP3 and CD disks alike).On one of my CD's, bought from a store even, skipped awfully on a certain track.This disk was not scratched badly and seemed to have played fine in the past.When I played the same song from the same album in my portable CD/MP3 player, it played perfectly!So in my humble opinion, if this system is about three times as expensive then it should also play so well.
In troubleshooting I made sure the system was level and cleaned the laser heads to make sure it wasn't due to dust from shipping.The remote doesn't work at a distance of more than a few feet.
Ultimately, I did return the system.Thankfully Amazon.com is good about issuing returns in a timely manner!Buyer beware, although you may like this system more than I did.

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Product Description:
JWIN JXCD8700 4-CD/MP3 CD Vertical-Loading Hi-Fi System4 audio CD/MP3 CD-changer wall-mountable/desktop system; Plays CD, CD-R/RW & MP3 CD; PLL AM/FM stereo radio; Real time clock display with sleep function; 40 track programmable memory; 30 radio station presets; 5 preset EQ modes: Flat, Pop, Rock, Jazz, Disco; High-quality 2-way speaker system; Timer On/Off function with Snooze; Blue backlit LCD 4-CD/MP3 CD Vertical-Loading Hi-Fi System

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