Panasonic RX-D55GC-K Boombox - High Power Portable Stereo AM/FM Radio, MP3 CD, Tape Recorder with USB & Music Port Sound with 2-Way 4-Speaker (Black)

This is a very nice unit. The sound quality is far above average compared to similar products. It has decent bass response and good highs. It doesn't have a sub woofer so you won't get that thumping bass, but it's not a surround sound system with a sub-woofer either. It's a portable radio and a really nice one. It does have a "sound virtualizer" button which adds a spacial effect to the music, kind of like simulated surround sound. It also has a built in eqaulizer with 4 settings that works well and a seperate bass and treble adjustment that also works well. It states that the frequency response for CD's is 40 hz to 20 khz and the frequency response for cassettes is 50 hz to12khz. It doesn't state what the frequency response for radio or usb is. Everything works really well on it and I really like the design. It states that you should limit the size of your USB drive to 8GB but I use an old 32GB drive that I've had for years which is about 1/2 full and have had no problems at all. It just takes it about 20-30 seconds to "read" but once it's read the drive it will go immediately to whatever album and song you choose. It only recognizes the MP3 format. Some of the songs on my USB drive are WMA format and it just doesn't recognize them at all. The "Music Port" (aux input) works well but make sure that you turn off any equalizer that you might have on your phone or MP3 player. The remote has large buttons and is easy to use. You can do everything with the remote, however, it states that the remote will not work if you are using batteries to operate the unit. There are matching buttons on the unit itself so you can also contol everything without the remote, except it doesn't have "music port" button on the unit. I guess you could turn it on, put it on "music port" with the remote and then unplug it. It comes with a very good owners manual which is easy to understand and gives you clear step by step instructions on the various operations. I STRONGLY suggest reading the manual before you even plug it in, especially the part about setting the voltage. Mine arrived with it already set to 110 volts, but check it before you plug it in! The cord does have an adaptor plug for european outlets but I have had absolutely to problem with it. It's plugged in 24/7 and has never even gotten the least bit warm. When you unplug it you just have to hold the plug at the bottom, close to the wall, then pull it from the outlet. This is definitely a 5 star product. It will play everything imaginable and has a "classy" design. GREAT PRODUCT!! VERY PLEASED WITH IT!!!

The unit is compact but has forward-facing speakers that deliver great, clear sound. I think it is very well designed and has a sleek, uncluttered appearance. There are many settings available to improve sound quality. The remote control is a full-size device with clearly labeled buttons. All of the device’s features are accessible from the remote. Most of the features are available from the buttons on the device itself. The appearance of the music player is sleek. The cassette player controls are covered by a swing down door resulting in an uncluttered appearance. I can use batteries to power the unit to make it fully portable or I can use one of the two included electrical cords to power the unit in a stationary location. The package came with one power cord designed for North American electrical outlets (not a flimsy adapter as described in earlier reviews) and one power cord designed for European electrical outlets. The unit can use 110v (USA standard) or 220v, as used in Europe and other countries. There is a small dial that must be rotated to the 220v setting before using 220v as a supply (the unit is preset to the 110v setting.)The instruction manual is comprehensive and detailed, identifying all of the controls on the unit and on the remote control. The instructions for using the radio and setting presets is easy to understand. The instructions for using the CD player, the cassette player, the usb input (for thumbdrives with mp3 files) and the line-in port are easy to understand and detailed.I have only used the FM radio and the CD player so far but I am more than satisfied with sound quality and the ease of setting the presets for the FM tuner.The unit needs AA batteries to be installed in order to retain programming while the unit is unpowered, such as when transporting the unit. This is a great setup: I don’t have to install 8 heavy batteries unless I really want to use the unit without using an electrical outlet. This means the music player will work perfectly for my needs - transporting to different rooms in my house, or other locations, and then plugging it in to an electrical outlet for power - while retaining all of my programmed presets, etc, without the added weight of the 8 C or D cells required for cordless operation.I had ordered a more expensive unit also, to compare sound quality, and I found the less costly Panasonic RX-D55 to be better sounding and more solidly built.If I have any trouble with the unit in the future I will amend my review with that information.In my opinion this Panasonic is the best portable unit available with the most features and capabilities, including being able to play “ancient” cassette tapes left over from my youth as well as more modern sources such as cd and mp3, and also any other source that uses USB or the older line-in connector.