Retekess TR636 Boombox CD Player, CD Boombox AM FM Radio, Bluetooth, Remote Control, USB, AUX, LCD Display, AC or Battery Powered, Stereo System for Home

My main radio was an ION ISP113S Retro Rocker, with a Retekess TR618 as alternate. The volume knob on the ION began cutting out after several years of frequent and occasionally 24/7 use. For replacement, I was looking for radios that could be used for night listening with headphones, with speakers good enough for daytime listening to the local jazz station. They needed to run on AC not battery power.I searched quite a few options, eliminating many for lacking those essential features.Ordinarily I ignore the rounded ones with CD players because my CD collection went the way of the wind when I no longer had anything to play them on. I don't have a tape collection anymore either. However I was starting to see that many of the units with CD and cassette drives had features I need, such as AC cords, good sized speakers for better sound, headphone jack, USB port, TF slot for SD or Micro SD cards, and some had Bluetooth receiver ability. I also prefer a tuning knob and volume knob to digital tuning and volume buttons because buttons tend to be too stepped.Finally I was honing in on a few units by Greadio, Gelielim, and Retekess when I saw a bundle of two, the Retekess TR636 and TR621. The TR636 was high on my list but I had eliminated the TR621 because it didn't have Bluetooth. It does have a USB port, TF card slot, tuning and volume knobs, but is fairly large compared to the TR636.I like old fashioned rectangular radios because they take up less room, but I needed to eliminate a lot of those as being too basic without the needed features, or they only ran on batteries.The Retekess TR636 has a CD player but no cassette, and it has a USB port as well as receives Bluetooth. It has volume and tuning knobs and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It doesn't have a TF/SD card slot, but I have micro SD card holders that plug into a USB port. White isn't my favorite color for electronics, but the TR636 is cute and compact. When I saw the Amazon bundle for the TR636 and the TR621 for much less than if they were bought separately, I decided to buy it.The TR636 speakers are smaller than the speakers on the larger TR621, so they don't sound as good, but it's great for audiobooks and the jazz station I listen to.The display screen is small and doesn't have a backlight, so it's hard to read, but the overall functionality of the unit was worth the price.The buttons are right in front, the ports and knobs easily accessed on the sides, and the local FM stations are clear.I live in the city with quite a few transmitters nearby and can't say how the radio will perform in rural areas farther out, but an antenna extender can be bought or made that clips to the whip antenna to help boost signals. There are the reel type that extend about 20+ feet and have a clip or optional plug. Or, an extension can be made out of inexpensive speaker wire with an alligator clip attached to the whip antenna. The wire can be run across the room but best if up high near the ceiling, can use light duty wall hooks to hang it.The wire can also be run through the attic, or stranded out a window along the eaves, but it's best to disconnect the clip from the radio antenna during storms that produce lightning.I have a speaker wire antenna I made that runs along the eaves, but also bought an antenna that was made for shortwave listening. They do make a difference.Overall I like the little TR636. It's a compact size, has a carry handle that neatly folds down, and a long AC cord.The remote control is small but a decent size and layout. It takes 2 AAA batteries (not included), but I don't use it because it doesn't control the volume. Mostly it's for the CD functions and switching tracks on the USB port if a thumb drive is playing audio.The unit itself requires four C size batteries, but I use mine on AC. The TR636 is fairly lightweight and easy to move around, less than 3 lbs without batteries.There are YouTube videos that demonstrate the features of many radios and CD players, some very in depth. I watched some on the Retekess players before deciding to buy. Search YouTube for the model you're interested in to see what Videos are available.

This is a piece of junk, the remote will not turn it off, but will turn it on on the remote will not adjust the volume or select the channel. This is a total piece of junk created by a bunch of Chinese and it should be sold only in China.

I'd don't have a functional reason to send it back but this is the most frustrating device I have used and I'm from the music CD generation.1st the sound is muffled and the speakers are definitely subpar. 2nd the controls on the player are confusing. Would it have been too hard to include an on and off button? Once the player is plugged in it is in on mode but there is no indicator to tell you that. Unless you hit the sleep mode. THAT has an indicator that lights up. CD or RADIO is selected by the function key but the led doesn't backlight so unless you press your face against the tiny screen you won't see the even tinier CD indicator in its upper left corner.Edit: Received communication from the seller and they have offered a few solutions. I will continue to use the device and update my review later.2nd edit: the seller recommended an upgraded model. TR634. This is worth every penny. Great sound, wonderful remote control, and a led screen (backlight) with larger font for readability. And it has an on/off button as well as buttons for CD vs RADIO. I am very happy with the TR634. Very good experience with the seller. I will buy their products again in the future.As far as the original CD player, my grandchild will be using that.

If i knew it was small, i would have not bought it, still have not used it.

This CD/Radio/Aux boombox has a lot going for it, but I do also have a few bones to pick with it.Positives & Negatives:1. This boombox has pretty good sound quality when using the radio, and I'm picky about that. Unfortunately there is almost no bass to speak of and no wide dynamic range, so it is not great for playing CD's if you want to hear music with any bass. It's a simple, fairly flat kind of sound. But the sound is clear for the most part.2. The radio reception is good in my area (I'm in a major city). However the station numbers on the tuning dial do not always match the call letters of the station you land on. Not sure why that is, but for example to listen to 970 AM I have to tune it to 980 AM. And even that can change depending on when you turn it on.3. The tuning dial is not tight and adjusts / advances too far / too quickly as you turn it. Probably because it is small. I really have to slow down to find my stations, because one short movement and poof, it can go right past the station I want.4. The LED window that shows what function or radio channel you are on is VERY small and hard to see without bending over and really looking at it. If they ever decide to improve this device, that should be the 1st thing that gets changed.5. There is no obvious on/off switch on the device itself. I thought this boombox was defective at first because I could not figure out how to turn it on. I even took a quick look at the instructions and still could not figure it out. Finally after pressing buttons at random, it turned on. Turns out it is the "Sleep" button that one uses to turn it on and off.6. If I turn the device off while listening to the radio and then turn it on again, it seems to default to FM. I rarely listen to FM and prefer AM. Also when it opens to FM, it is a random station. This may be a fixable issue because the description mentions a "power off memory function" - I will have to look into that and report back.7. There is an included AC power cable that can be used to power this boombox or you can use 4 "C" batteries. No one really uses "C" batteries anymore and I see people giving them away, so you may be able to find some cheap or for free.SUMMARY: I'm going to work at exploring the other functions of this boombox in order to get used to it. The radio looks nice and sleek (although it's fairly big). I will report back once I spend more time with it. For now I'm giving it 3.5 stars and I'm happy to have a combo radio & CD player for either the kitchen or next to my bed for nighttime listening.

Remote and buttons on radio don’t work correctly. No volume control in remote.

the instruction manual leaves something to be desired, but I played around with the unit, and I like it! Sound is good and size is very convenient.

Compre un equipo electrónico a la hora de entrega el mensajero aventó el paquete por la barda el paquete cayó en la cajuela de un auto y después al piso de cemento. El artículo lo compré para un regalo y la pantalla en donde se muestra la información no es completa. Exijo cambio del aparato