CD/Clock Radio W/ Remote TURQU

Rating:
Summary: Packs a solid punch in a small package
Review: I bought one of these for my workshop recently, and I'm very pleased with the purchase. No, it's not a Bose Wave or Cambridge SoundWorks table radio, but for the money it gets a lot closer to those well-regarded units than anyone has a right to expect. The 50's art deco styling is a nice touch, an eye-catching change from typical high-tech sterility.

The first thing you notice about the unit is it's weight; it has a hefty, substantive mass for it's size, and it's evident that any resonances will be well-damped. On the underside is a downward-firing 3" subwoofer. On the back are a coax jack for the FM antenna, left and right RCA jacks for aux input and a dial to adjust the subwoofer output. A 1/8" headphone jack is on the left side, and the CD transport is on top along with a snooze bar. A digital display is centrally mounted on the front; above it are three buttons to choose from CD, aux or tuner functions. Below the display are the CD controls, and on either side of the display are three (six total) small buttons that control timer/sleep functions, repeat and shuffle modes, tuner presets, AM or FM band, memory and clock adjustments. At the bottom center of the unit is a lighted power button flanked by the volume and tuning controls. Looking like something off of a '52 Studebaker, these chrome knobs are electronic rocker switches rather than mechanical dials. Volume is adjusted in 2-dB steps from 0 to 80 dB. A full-featured remote in matching color is included.

While it won't make you forget your audio system or home theater, this little stereo from Teac is more than adequate for casual listening in the office, kitchen, or, as in my case, workshop. It puts out a good amount of respectable, well-balanced sound. The subwoofer works quite well at adding weight at the bottom end, and the quartz PLL tuner is a notch above what I've usually encountered in compact systems. At maximum volume, distortion is negligible, and there are no buzzes or other annoying misbehaviors from the cabinet. Hook your iPod up to the aux inputs and you'll have hours of uninterrupted listening while you work.

Complaints: I'm a little leery of the door on the top-loading CD. It has one of those push-to-lock, push-to-release latches that have a tendency to wear out in my experience. Hopefully, this one will prove to be higher quality, but I would have preferred a simple spring-loaded pushbutton latch. Also, the included FM antenna is the usual piece of garbage, in this case a three-foot long thin wire attached to a coax connector. I immediately replaced it with an old Terk antenna with much better results.

The parameters of what a "table radio" is have been redefined recently, and while this offering from Teac may not be on the bleeding edge of the category, it is a worthy product that merits serious consideration if you're in the market.

Rating:
Summary: Looks great and that's about it...
Review: Loved the look of this radio and it looks great in my art deco-inspired home office. However, the CD player almost IMMEDIATELY stopped working. The buttons are hard to push and sometimes have to be pushed a couple of times before they work. The printing on the buttons is small and hard to read. The volume button is awkward to use. All in all, I would never buy this radio again. It looks great, and that's about it.