TDK Life on Record A73 Wireless Boombox (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

If you're looking for a way to take some tunes with you to the park, by the pool, or anywhere that requires a more punch than the typical portable bluetooth speaker form factor provides, there's not much else in the market segment that can touch the A73. It's too big to be viable for taking with you on trips, but it's perfect for toting around town. If you grew up in the 90s, you'll appreciate the classic boombox aesthetic that's seamlessly blended with a tastefully minimal modern style. TDK didn't achieve perfection, but they've put together a unique product that might be just what you're looking for.- Bass heavy. With the treble and bass set at zero, the bass is more prominent than it should be. Especially when playing indoors. Outdoors, the slant towards low frequencies is a benefit. Even from 20+ft away, you'll get a satisfying amount of bass. Not enough to shake your seat, but it doesn't pull a disappearing act outdoors.- Overall sound is clean via a bluetooth connection. No connection issues with my HTC One running Android 4.4.2. Audio starts to breakup once you move the phone more than 20ft away, especially if you're moving. If the phone is still, range is better.- There is a noticeable drop in sound output between battery power only and when plugged in. This is expected. The wall adapter provides 2A at 18V. The battery is a 6 cell NiMH pack that outputs 7.2V.The unit is no frills. There's no song title display, no fancy audio modes, no built in docks, but it does what it's designed to do quite well. It plays loud & clear without wires.One final note. The unit I received had a battery that was DOA. TDK quickly sent out a new battery at no cost. Replacement was very easy using the included instructions. If you received a unit that won't run on battery power alone, check the voltage on the unit at the battery terminals. If you get ~9V at the supply terminals for the battery when the unit is plugged in and the power slider on the back is in the ON position, the unit itself is likely fine, but the battery is bad. My battery read 0V after charging overnight, but if you're seeing anything less than 7V after an overnight charge, you probably want to get the battery replaced while you're still under warranty. It may seem like a hassle, but the simple fact is that batteries do not last forever. A battery begins to age as soon as it is manufactured, so if your unit sat on the shelf for awhile before being sold, it's not uncommon for the battery to be dead before it reaches you.

Sounds very good. In fact, amazingly good for a box of its size. Plus I'm charmed by its design as an obvious reference to the classic cassette tape, a product to which TDK's history is indelibly linked.The criticisms:I had a very difficult time getting the built-in battery to accept a charge. Eventually the battery did begin to charge and seems to hold enough to run for several hours but i was very close to sending the boombox back. The small remote doesn't always seem to work, I sometimes have to push the button several times. Perhaps I have to replace its battery but, if that's true, it's a bit aggravating as the unit has only been with me two weeks. Finally, I wish the mechanical aspect of the knobs were more solid. You don't get enough tactile feedback to be sure that the boombox is "setting" properly.The praises:The quality of the sound is what sold me on this boombox. For a portable, carry-anywhere unit, it is surprisingly punchy and can play at pretty significant levels. Its mid-range, especially with vocals, is very accurate (again, considering what it is, not comparing it to a high-quality stereo rig).I like very much the unit's simplicity. FM and an AUX input are all I need. (I haven't tested its bluetooth capability.) And, though plastic-bodied, it still feels very solid. In the end, the quality of the sound and the unit's convenience (once the battery began to accept a charge) win out over the small criticisms.

Wanted a step up from the somewhat wimpy boxes I had listened to. I've had it for a couple of months now and am very pleased. Can set it up in any room in the house or my oversized 2 car garage and fill the place with great sound. Loses a little bit of oomph when you unplug and run from battery but I usually just turn the sound up a little and it's barely noticeable. I beat my stuff up pretty well and I've managed to put a small dent in each of the center cones of the front speakers, but it hasn't hurt the sound any. Don't know why they didn't put a cover over them to protect them like they did with the back. I suppose some people like seeing the vibration when it's cranked. Someone commented about how easy it would be to lose the remote so I took their advice and stuck it under the handle with some adhesive Velcro. I'm sure I'd have lost it by now if I hadn't. Remote doesn't have much for features and only allows for 4 presets. A couple other issues I've noticed is that the reception of the FM radio isn't very good. Not a big concern for me but it may be for some people. It's also supposed to charge your cell phone from the USB. Just an FYI it'll only do this when the speaker is plugged into the wall outlet. Thought I'd have kind of an emergency back up to charge my phone if it died and I didn't have another power source. Nope. The charging is extremely wimpy, also. It may keep the phone from losing juice but it does very little to charge it. Phone seems to need to be within 20 feet or so or the Bluetooth starts getting spotty, otherwise no connection problems at all with my HTC Evo with 4.0 Bluetooth. Battery life has constantly been at or near the 6 hours promised. Overall I'm very pleased with the purchase. I wanted good, solid sounding music with steady power all the way up the range of volume and I got it. They've got a little bit of tweeking to do but I'm happy.