Sony CFD-E100 Portable CD Radio Cassette Recorder

• Revolutionary Design and Form Factor to Fit Most Places
• Vertical Loading CD Mechanism
• CD-R/RW Playback Compatibility
• Digital AM/FM Stereo Tuner
• Measures 15 1/16 x 7 1/8 x 6 9/14" (382 x 180.9 x 169mm) including handle

I looked for a long time for a stereo, boombox or undercounter radio that would fit well in my kitchen. I wanted something that would fit in a small space but still sound good and be able to tune in my favorite radio station which is not always easy to get in. I read tons of reviews and was getting very discouraged. But the Sony CFD-E100 is perfect for my needs. It sounds great, looks good, takes up only a little space and does *not* use the cord as an antenna which I have found to be an annoying "feature" of some radios. Also, the case is that same white appliance plastic that my coffee maker and toaster are made from, so it blends well in my kitchen and is easy to clean. I also think it's attractive with the blue accents. To save space, the CD player is vertical and in the front, while the cassette player is in the back. So you can't see the cassette player from the front, which confused my husband for a minute. But there's no reason that one way or the other has to be the "front" so you can just turn it around if you want to use the cassette player and need to see it. It also comes with a remote, which I have not had the need to use.

Pros:

* small footprint

* digital tuner that is fairly strong

* CD player

* cassette player-recorder

* pull-out antenna (not one of those "antenna in cord" things)

* easy to clean

* decent speakers

Cons

* a little hard to figure out how to set the radio pre-sets

* price I paid $70 not outrageous but not inexpensive

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I loved this unit... the size, the sound, the footprint. And the name SONY. But just after a few times, the CD player went bad. Now, when I put in a disk, I simply get a "No Disk" error. It has become a Radio-Tape boombox, no CD. Very disappointed. Then I went on the web and found others have been having this kind of problem with other SONY units and bemoaning the loss of the once revered SONY quality.

I understand things can go wrong and I am left wondering whether this was a stray problem or due to poor manufacturing quality. In either case I am stuck!

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I bought this just last week. Amazon's delivery was on commited time. I was looking for a small, compact CD player that also have radio and cassette player. This Sony CFD-E100 exactly fit my bill. I have following observations to make for this player:

Pros:

1. Nice looks, compact size.

2. Good audio quality, for CDs and Cassettes.

3. Nice FM reception.

Cons:

1. You won't be able to preset FM channels without reading manual.

2. MegaBass is not that effective (if you are not audiophile, it is still good).

3. No MP3 support, this would have been great otherwise.

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Sony CFD-E100

An extremely well designed, great sounding unit with features and a style you won't find anywhere else.

23 years ago I built a boom box using the first ever Sony D-5 CD player as the anchor. It measured 14" X 10" X 4/12", sounded amazing and was completely portable. I would still be using it today but the speakers finally failed. There was not then anything like it, and when I went shopping last week I was not surprised to see there still wasn't.

Until I found the CFD-E100. I was startled by the similar dimensions. It seems we have come to accept as the norm, as one reviewer called them, those "bulbous giant-fungus shapes" but I was persistent in looking for something a bit more portable and less statement. I needed something for home and at various job sites that would be sturdy and unobtrusive and easy to perch somewhere. Or even hang by the handle. In the relatively unsophisticated shopping area such as mine, it seemed there was not much to chose from so it was great to find the Sony.

It sounds great, and seems rugged. The white color may be an issue if I am painting, but then it will develop "character". All functions seem perfectly acceptable, but it is only Week One. I was hoping for something easy to operate with gloves, and with the remote this is barely possible, but the wide spaced large buttons on the top panel are easy to operate.

Interesting to note you cannot turn the unit on with the remote if the unit is running on batteries. I am hoping the "No CD" error I have read about has been eliminated by now. Does well with CD-R, but alas, no MP3. I was surprised there is no display backlight, but eliminating anything that shortens battery life could be considered acceptable.

The "Mega-Bass" button could just as well be labeled "Less Shrill, which is fairly typical.

The CD handling is cute, it has a double-fold door that hands you the disk, and a snap-over hub design, which slightly irritating but unavoidable.

The cassette controls are firm but sturdy. The buttons override each other, which is handy when you're trying to get a tape going quickly. The mechanism does not pop off at the end of a tape, which seems unkind to the tape. The tape viewing window is a tiny magnified plastic slit that may as well not even be there, but since it's upside down on the back of the machine I guess we're not supposed to care. Anyway, it's now almost a novelty to find a cassette mechanism at all, so these shortcomings should hardly be surprising. It does a fine job of recording whatever source is playing. I have always wished they'd build a cassette servo in so you could use the remote to operate, but like I just said...

Mechanically, it is not completely confidence-inspiring, but compared to some of the alternatives I was considering, it is bulletproof. I would think these would be all over by now, but the fad of those giant fungi seems to be more like a permanent statement by now. But can you put one on a windowsill?

The Sony CFD E100 rates say 4 stars for my purposes*; for others', it might rate 5.

Mainly I wanted a good quality radio-cassette player boombox, with CD function optional, and little space usage. This model looked trustworthy, and could use my existing 6 rechargeable C-cells. I bought it online, used, unseen anywhere, and the price was right. (I'm one of those over-age-34 curmudgeons the marketers seem to hate. I bought the E100 mainly for playing tapes of my favorite radio news/opinion programs, i.e., time-shifting, to listen when my mind is less occupied. My cassettes are usually recorded by a high-quality deck with Dolby-B.)

The design/shape factor is a plus, avoiding the fad of bulbous giant-fungus shapes.

Sound quality is very good, but a bit bassy, at least on tape playback; voices tend to sound low and boxy. The "mega-bass" button makes practically no difference. I'd rather have normal tone balance as the default. Subwoofers be da_ned!

Presetting radio stations was not difficult, following directions. Radio performance seems fine. The antenna can be swiveled when its bottom section is fully extended.

(No comment on the remote control, which I lack and don't miss. It would only be needed for direct access to preset stations, rather than in step sequence.)

CD playing works well, and the sound balance is more brilliant than on the cassette sound; maybe a tad weak in mid-range. CD track playing does not seem to be programmable; no random or auto repeat. Handling CDs must be done carefully, as the laser player mechanism hinges outward a little when the front-facing door is opened, and a CD needs to be held nearly vertical and snapped onto the hub --better with 2 hands. No, it does not play MP3s, but my CD-R copies play fine.

The cassette door is similarly located on the back of the unit, but the in-&-out motions are more straightforward (up/down, simple). The carrying handle should be rotated down behind the unit to keep from interfering with cassette in-&-out. Cassette actions are full auto-stop. Only the "record" button is easily distinguishable, on the left end, with its red dot. Strangely, the cassette can be powered on by just pressing "Play," but after "Stop," the power is still ON. If not noticed, and you don't push "Power" off, this can drain your batteries!

Overall, the design and function is quite pleasing to my senses. The E100 targets a near-empty niche, with very good design and quality. [*For what I paid used, it's 5 stars.]