Coby MPCD450 Portable CD/AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player/Recorder - Black/Silver

• Top Loading Compact Disc Player,Plays Up to 14 Hours of MP3 Formatted Music
• CD, CD-R, CD-RW Compatible, Play/Pause, Search, Repeat (Repeat 1, Repeat All) Functions,Backlit LED Display
• AM/FM Stereo Tuner,Telescopic FM Antenna
• Full Auto Stop Cassette Player/Recorder
• 2-Way Cassette Recording (CD & Radio), One-Touch Automatic Level Control Recording
• Top loading CD player
• Plays regular CDs and CDs with MP3 files
• CD, CD-R, CD-RW compatible
• Programmable track memory
• Digital LCD display

I was looking for a boombox that could play MP3's burned on CD's, with a cassette player. Unfortunately, the number of portable units that met these two basic criteria was quite limited. The Colby MPCD450 is one, and it is a basic no frills player that while somewhat crude, delivers pretty decent performance, at a relatively low price.

Players often have issues with reading MP3's burned on certain brands of blank CD or CD RW media. So far the MPCD450 hasn't had any such issues, and has been able to play everything, including material recorded over ten years ago. After reading a CD, the player begins automatically playing the disc.

Sound quality isn't the greatest, mostly treble, with very little bass. You are stuck with what you get, as there are absolutely no tone adjustment controls. Not the best situation for music, but it's not that bad for the spoken word, things like podcasts, audio books, or talk radio programs. Given the size of its speakers, the unit is capable of quite high volumes. Since it favors the treble end, heavy distortion usually isn't a problem.

The controls are basic and quite crude. The knobs and switches feel cheap and flimsy. The AM/FM radio gets good reception, but is tuned manually using a dial tuner, instead of a digital one. Thankfully the CD player has a lighted LCD display. For no apparent good reason, the control buttons for the CD differ from the traditional layout. At a time when almost everything has a remote control, this unit does not have one. There are also no provisions for connecting an Ipod or MP3 player. Aside from a headphone jack on the left side of the unit, there are no line ins or outs.

It's a pretty ridiculous, but cassette tapes almost always fail to seat properly when inserted, so you have to reach inside and tilt the cassette slightly in order to close the door. The buttons are pretty stiff and clunky, and the player auto stops only in the Play and Record modes, not Rewind or Fast Forward. Forget to turn it off, and you may burn out your motor, or drain your batteries. The unit uses eight D sized batteries (12V), which adds to its bulk. The window over the cassette is translucent black plastic, but it is so dark that you need a flashlight to see through it.

If you are interested in high quality audio, look elsewhere. This player is mostly for those times where you just want some basic sounds. The primary function I needed, the ability to play MP3's, it does very well indeed, and I am very satisfied with its performance. The cassette player is also nice to have as well, and does a good job of recording from radio or CD. Hopefully the player will have a long usable life.

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First, the positive This player arrived quickly, well-packed, and when I had to return it, I did so with no problems and received a credit very quickly. The player was small and lightweight, which was a plus for me. But alas, now the negative. I was initially pleased to have found such a reasonably priced player with everything I wanted in one device. But, reasonably priced (and I should have known this) translated to cheaply made. First I played a cassette, and though the sound was okay (I'm not a purist), I noticed that the tape deck cover was rather fragile, and thought it might be a problem with much use. Then, I tried the radio, and reception was almost nil, but we are in an area where that happens. Then, I began an audio book on CD. The first CD was fine. That was the last CD I was able to play. The player just refused to play another. To sum up, the seller was great, the product almost useless.

Read Best Reviews of Coby MPCD450 Portable CD/AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player/Recorder - Black/Silver Here

PROS:

1)CD/MP3 CD player.

2)Cassette deck

3)FM/AM Radio.

4)Radio has clear sound and picks up lots of stations.

5)Compact size and easy to carry around.

6)Low price

CONS:

1) Not very loud sound.

2) Looks somewhat cheap.

3) Hard to read the labels on CD controls.

4) No sound equalizers.

5) No sleep timer.

6) No remote.

This serves a great portable player for my home office. Also, for an extra player that I can travel with. Considering the low price and the fact that a player with MP3 capabilities and cassette deck are almost impossible to find, I am pleased with my purchase.

*Note: The reason that I gave it a 4 was because it is hard to read the controls for the buttons above the CD area.

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I purchased this recorder in January from Amazon, and by June the CD player had stopped functioning. The limited warrant for labor had expired, and given the shipping cost of $6 to return plus paying for labor, repairing this piece of junk just isn't worth it. You get what you pay for! Although I just purchased a Panasonic boombox with MP3 player for a lot of money, in the long run I feel I'll save money with a quality product.

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Huge rip-off: came "new" with broken cassette player (couldn't play a tape) from day one. Does Coby have a Quality Control Dept? Does anyone check their products for major defects before they leave the factory? I doubt it!

This was brand new? It was a piece of junk that arrived broken! Very cheaply made. Avoid Coby products due to the worst quality control in the industry (IMHO).