CFDS50 Portable CD, Cassette & AM/FM Radio Boombox

This is a Sony boombox that includes a CD player, a tape deck, and FM/AM radio. It can also take in sound from an external source through a 3.5mm audio-in jack in the back. Sound quality is good for the most part, especially for the price, although expectations shouldn’t be too high. The bass is a little weak for me even with the "Mega Bass" on. I tried headphones and it did a lot better. The unit's about a foot wide and about 3/4 foot deep, which makes it a good fit on a desktop. One thing I like about the CD player is it can play CDs with mp3 files burned onto them, in addition to playing regular audio CDs. It's also got features like repeat and shuffle tracks, and even lets you create your own "playlist". Some of the controls were not obvious so I actually had to read through the manual. Such as, on an mp3 CD, you can change the folders with the Tune +- buttons. You can fast forward and fast reverse songs by holding down the track change buttons (the double arrows). The CD player does not have a recording capability. On the other hand, the tape deck can record sound from the CD player, radio, or the audio-in. The tape deck has one shortcoming in the lack of auto-reverse. This was not a deal breaker for me however, since tapes are becoming obsolete and I'll not be using the tape deck a lot anyway. I was able to play music coming off my phone connected to the boombox’s audio-in jack, but the volume was so low it had to be cranked way up. It’s also got a 3.5mm headphone jack in the back alongside the audio-in jack. The radio offers both AM and FM with 30 presets. The unit can use 6 C batteries if you are planning to take it on the road. Other than that, the boombox doesn't really come with bells and whistles. No remote, no USB port, no equalizer, no clock. One thing I wish this unit had was those flashing LEDs that some of other boomboxes have. They could actually be nuisance for some people, but my 2 year old son used to love the LEDs on our old boombox that kept him entertained. For the price of $49.99 however, I think you can do a lot worse. Compared to other boomboxes in the same price range, you can't go wrong with this one.

Okay this is NOT a big fancy unit, HOWEVER, it has several very good things about it: 1: The price is good / reasonable and has a good name on it that we all trust. 2: This unit has the BEST tuner on the radio and antenna system I have found yet. Really! 3: It is compact, easy to use, and is not tooooo large to carry around. 4: It has AM & FM, plus tape and CD player: that is great to have in one unit. Cons? Only one..... the speakers are quite small, and if turned up much sound poor. Even so this radio WILL DO what NO OTHER radio I have tried has been able to do. Even on my big very expensive Sherwood sterio receiver with various aux. power booster antenna systems could not get this station! For several years I have tested every radio I could find in stores and such and NOT one could tune in a weak local station that is my favorite FM station. I could ONLY listen to it in a car radio or on computer. This one must have an excellent PLL network tuner (is my best guess), and also an excellent signal booster built into it. With all that it will receive this very weak station clearly in my bedroom at home! That is a big deal if you wish to use the radio and get great reception. After around 6 to 12 months of use I will update this rating and let you know about longer term things. For now, so far so good and even better than just good, so 5 Stars is a reasonable rating for it... it deserves it. It is a new electronic device, so I bought a 2 year extended warrantee for it.... $4 is well worth the peace of mind too.

I purchased this to replace a 30+ year old Panasonic. It had every feature I needed except a CD player, but that was easily remedied with a Walkman-type and a cable. I used the tape recorder feature quite a bit: I am a musician and used it for practice. When looking for a replacement, I found that they just don't make 'em like that anymore! This Sony is adequate and meets my needs, although it isn't quite as convenient to use (tape feature doesn't have auto-search, for example). Now to review the Sony on its own merits and not comparing it to my old Panasonic: It's compact and easy to move around. The controls are clearly marked and it's easy to figure out how it works. I like the fact that the controls are on the top which makes it easy to use when its sitting on the floor. The sound quality is adequate. I usually use it with ear buds or headphones, though. Bass response is a little weak even with the MegaBass turned on. If you're a fan of rap music, this isn't the machine for you. (I'm keeping my Panasonic for when I need to use the radio in a whole-room environment - like Christmas morning when opening gifts!) If you're looking for a compact, portable machine with CD, cassette, and radio, I don't think you'll be disappointed so long as you're not expecting more than these little guys are meant to deliver.

If you are looking for a new boombox that is lightweight, easy to carry around and picks up radio stations really well this is a good option. I was able to preset my favorite radio stations, play old tapes and enjoy new CDs. The tape player is simple to use and tapes sound like they were made for stereo sound. I'd rate the speakers about an 8 out of 10 because they are better than other boomboxes I've owned and sound nearly as good as my AKG headphones. Whether I'm playing classical music or pop music the sound is clear and mellow even with the addition of the mega bass. I mostly use this in the bedroom to listen to music while I'm reading or going to sleep but it is also easy to move it around the house. I like playing music while I'm cooking in the kitchen. You can turn the volume up enough so you can hear music all over your home. Life is just more fun when you have music to listen to. My old boombox broke and would not play CDs anymore so I definitely needed to buy this. I'm very happy with it and hope it will last a long time. ~The Rebecca Review P.S. This has started to malfunction so it didn't last a year.

UPDATE July 3, 2015. I liked this item straight out of the box and my initial usage of the CD player. Unfortunately, that was no indication of this item's true worth. The original review was glowing but really, really long what with the two updates below which will give prospective purchasers some idea of what has led up to this final update so I deleted the glowing part since not one word of it is now applicable. To refresh, the tape deck NEVER worked. What little manipulating I did to the radio seemed that it might play though not very loudly and few stations. I didn't care so much about that though as my main concern was playing CDs and that function at least worked -- until today that is. I played perhaps a half dozen CDs with no trouble, then it just stopped reading them. The player would spin and spin with read flashing, then finally flashed NO CD even though there clearly was a CD in it. So folks, IMO if one gets a Sony Portable Boombox where everything works and will work long enough to make purchasing it worthwhile, I believe that purchaser is plain lucky. Too many other people have had problems with this and there seems to be no resolution for the problems as I can't send it back to amazon.com and per my edits below, it is impossible to get help on the phone. So, my opinion, based on my usage of this boom box, IS TO AVOID IT. Spend a little more and get more. And pay attention to how new the 4 & 5 star reviews are as I started out with 5 stars but I'd now give this boom box no stars if amazon.com allowed it. BTW, I started using this sometime in January of this year so clearly for six months, I did NOT get my money's worth. I wish the rest of you better luck; otherwise, this is another clunker for the trash. My last Sony purchase. EDITED FEBRUARY 18. The downside to getting prematurely excited about an item is that the item hasn't fully proven itself. I tried to add a new review so that my original review wouldn't stand but apparently I'm not allowed so I'll just post this update and hope a few people see it since I'm downgrading this to 3 stars because the tape deck doesn't work. So far, the radio is fine though weak and the CD player works but from reading the negative reviews, I'm worried about how long that will last. The tape deck rolls the tapes but no sound comes out either with earphones or without. I know tapes (and even CDs to a lesser degree) are becoming obsolete but for those of us with tapes and CDs it was a real asset to find a player which would play both. So the fact I can't play tapes (which also means that I can't record either) is a major disappointment. Since this was a Christmas present to myself, it has passed the 30 day Amazon.com return. Only recourse then is hoping Sony will honor their 90 day warranty without expecting a lot of money from me, the customer. Will post details once I find out. Meanwhile, pay attention to the negative reviews and note how many 5 star (such as mine) reviews are too new to know long term how this boom box will hold up. For now I'll play CDs as long as that function lasts BUT any replacement item will be bought locally so that I can deal with store personnel directly for recommendations and for dealing with any problems that turn up. Sony has to know that many of these units are problematic; yet those problematic items are still being sold. Very disappointing. UPDATE #2, February 26. I just downgraded this unit another star as I tried to call Sony today about the tape problem. Once connected to Sony, the customer is directed to choose option 2 for problems. Six times I dialed Sony, selected 2 and got cut off after ONE ring. The final and 7th time I called I chose 1 for, drum roll please, placing orders and that line got answered. I explained that I had called six times only to get cut off so could they transfer me to a trouble shooting number. I was directed to another person who asked me if I'd tried both sides of the tape and she held on until I did so for her. No sound so I unplugged the earphones but still no sound. She asked if I'd cleaned the heads per the instructions which came with this unit which suggested using a dry Q-tip on the heads. I had. Other than that, a new tape deck should NOT need a deep cleanse or demagnetizing. I didn't have one anyway and would not buy one until the tape deck problem was solved. Anyway, at this point, that call also got dropped!!!! So here I am with no help. It is my opinion that often times we post positive reviews BEFORE an item has proven itself (which I certainly did in this case) then we do not always come back to update our reviews (and in my case did not pay enough attention to the negative reviews). I'm posting my updates in the event they will prove helpful because it appears if you get one of these units that work for the long haul, you are lucky. If a function does not work, it appears we are on our own. So then, consider your purchase carefully. This unit is cute, small and mine as of today will play CDs. I haven't fooled with the radio much but what little fiddling I did, it seemed the radio would work though not on many stations (I'll try harder later and if not, believe me, I'll post again). My main reason for purchasing this boom box was to be able to play CDs and tapes anyway. I guess for now I'll play CDs until that function stops, then avoid Sony in the future. As many of you probably are, I too have to stress emphatically that I'm sick of imported junk!

Boom boxes like this are hard to come by these days. They are either flimsy for kids or to expensive for run of the mill daily use. So far I am very happy with this. I purchased it for my mom who is in a nursing home and has to contend with a night owl roommate. She has macular degeneration so can't see very well at all anymore. So I was looking for a player that had continuous play for CDs. Not a lot of descriptions are clear on this matter so I've done a lot of buying and returning. This one fits the bill. It has a mode button which you press once for a one time repeat of your CD and a second time for continuous repeat. I also a earphone extension cord and some lovely headband speakers which is perfect since she mostly uses this to drown out the noisy neighbor. (all from Amazon) . The extension cord is so she doesn't accidentally pull the radio off her bedside table while moving around during the night. I stuck a command hook on the side of the table, so the headband can be hung up and put out of the way when necessary. And since she can't see the headband works a little like volume control. She twists it around on her head to move the speaker part off her ear when she wants a little softer during the night. Update: I had an issue where it stopped reading disks just two months after purchase, I tried unplugging for a while (overnight) and plugging back in but it didn't help. However I am still keeping this at 5 stars for the following reasons. 1) I reached out to the question area here and Sony themselves responded with a link to their support site very quickly so they keep stars for customer service. 2) As I said, the unit was running nearly 24 hours a day so I didn't expect it to last too long. 3) After I let it sit 3 weeks and finally tried to contact Sony, it started working again, so apparently something needed to reset on its own. Anyway, Now I have 2 so I can switch them out as needed for my mom.

If 2 two stars was acceptable rather than "do not like" I would give this 2 stars. Based on the "#1 best seller" in the super great "boombox" category on Amazon, I was thinking it was reasonable that the $30 difference between this Sony stereo and the ZSS3IPBLACKN was a result of the more expensive technology for the lightning connection on the ZSS3IPBLACKN. Not correct. Though the the sound quality is enjoyable and relatively reasonable quality for the price, there is a significantly noticeable difference between the ZSS3IPBLACKN that I already have and the real interesting CFDS50. The lesser quality sound issues encompass the following: (1) probably at least 20% more distortion (playing CDs or MP3s from the Audio in jack) than the almost distortionless ZS3, (2) weak clarity and separation of secondary music elements (as opposed to the primary elements, usually vocals, guitar, lead synthesizer, lead drum) that muffles and tangles those secondary elements, at least 33% worse than the ZS3, (3) fewer options for genuinely incremental loudness in volume (too big a difference in loudness between 11 & 13), (4) significant loss of sound quality if the listener's ears are to the side or significantly above the stereo (i.e. it is used on a waist level counter or table), and (5) The CD player seems cheaper and weaker and at greater risk at burning out after 2 years or less of moderate use. This situation is the perfect example of the problem that arises from the loss of quantitative sound performance information for stereos priced below $100. If the sound performance information for this stereo was available for comparison shopping prior to the purchase, I definitely would have purchased another ZS3. I got the CFDS50 to back up the ZS3 and to use as a good, though not optimal, speaker system for Mac Book\PC audio activities that feature music. Not that many years ago and to an extent even now, sound performance information was\is available for earbuds and earphones below $50 to allow shoppers to comparison shop the quality\price combination alternatives and make informed choices that relate to quality and price combination alternatives. This information should be available for stereos systems below $100, too. If you can afford the extra $30 bucks and the relatively easy means to copy your cassettes to blank CDs, get the ZS3. If you need a cassette player, the CFDS50 is a worthy preserver of access to cassette music.

Arrived on first expected day. Even though "used" it looks buffed. And yet the most important thing is that it WORKS -plays cd & cassette tape. It fits on my shelf just like my old one which lasted 10 years. I like that can listen with my porter-pro earphones or not. I like the sound, but my hearing isn't very fussy. Mainly I keep it beside my desk, but it'll be easy to move if needed elsewhere. It's good advice to unplug it if not in use for a long time and during storms. May this one last ten years or more.

LA MARCA SONY ES SINÓNIMO DE CALIDAD Y LA GRABADORA FUNCIONA CORRECTAMENTE. UNO TIENE QUE HACER UN CALCULO DEL NUMERO DE CASSETES QUE TIENE Y DE CD PARA DARSE CUENTA DE QUE VALE LA PENA LA INVERSIÓN. TODO FUNCIONA CORRECTAMENTE SOLAMENTE EL FM ES UN POCO COMPLICADO PERO ES COSA DE LEER LAS INSTRUCIONES Y HACERLO CON PACIENCIA.

I am really satisfy with my new CD player, radio AM FM and cassette my old one past away, lol, but this one is much smaller, lightweight and the sound is really good, I already listen Holiday's music, I am very happy... The package was well done.

I ordered this item to replace my old one. Really pleased with the item.

The Portable player is good. I brought it for my mother and she is enjoying her old collection of cassette and radio mostly. Amazon was quick in replacing the whole unit since the first time the product arrived without the electric cable for the player. Every efficient return and delivery service.

Product not working at all tried new batteries and tried it working off the mains..........Nothing at all.Having to send it back. Up date been told I have been refunded 26/02/2020 I have still not received it !