Sony ZS-H10CP Heavy-Duty CD Radio Boombox

plays audio CDs, CD-Rs & CD-RWs and MP3 & ATRAC3plus CDs * digital tuner with 10 AM/20 FM presets * water- and dust-resistant design * Mega Bass sound enhancer * AC adapter * up to 45 hours playback with 6 "D" alkaline batteries (not included) *

If you need music that you can take with you on any rough and tumble adventure, look no further than the Sony ZS-H10CP CD Boombox. This tough unit is perfect for the job-site, workshop, or backyard, with a rugged and durable design that incorporates a water and dust resistant seal that protects it from the elements.

Durable, water-resistant, and rugged, the Sony ZS-H10CP is ready to provide the background music for your toughest jobs.

In addition to a big handle that makes it easy carry to any project, the ZS-H10CP features a protective safe guard bar that keeps it safe from stacking items and falling debris. You'll also find large controls for easy operation, even when wearing thick gloves. A high-impact plastic housing is designed for outdoor fun, with rubber gaskets, bushings and waterproof seals that help keep out water, moisture, and dirt. Plus, the boombox's footprint fits most shelves, allowing it to be easily incorporated into any tough environment.

But don't let the rugged design fool you; the ZS-H10CP is built to withstand the elements without sacrificing sound quality. A digital AM/FM stereo tuner provides accurate, drift-free tuning of AM and FM radio stations and lets you choose from the wide variety of radio talk shows and music programs, with the added enjoyment of stereo sound. The system also includes a line-in jack for digital music players so you can listen to your entire digital music collection via the boombox. And to really kick the sound up a notch, the ZS-H10CP features Mega Bass sound enhancement.

And for those with a big collection of CDs that make the workday more fun, the ZS-H10CP features a CD player with multiple play modes and ESP-2 anti-shock playback protection. Play modes let you listen to songs in sequence as recorded, in program (RMS) order, all tracks in random (shuffle) order, or a single track over and over. A four-line LCD screen keeps tabs on your track information, and SonicStage music software ships with the unit, so you can compile your own mix CDs.

What's in the Box
ZS-H10CP CD boombox and AC power adapter.

- FM reception for such a costly unit much worse than that of cheaper radios, station for station.
- Telescoping antenna is straight-up only; does not rotate in azimuth, or angle from horizontal to vertical. This necessitates heaving the entire heavy box around to improve the poor reception for some stations.
- The power "brick" should have been built in to the unit; instead, a barely-adequate storage compartment is provided. (The theory here may be that if you're using batteries, you can leave the weight of the brick at home; if true, it's more of a hassle than a convenience.)
- All radio presets are lost when unplugging or switching from line power to batteries.
- No tone controls save for "Mega-Bass" on or off. As a result, sound quality toggles between mid-range-muffled, and mid-range-muffled-with-louder-bass
- On our unit, the LCD display arrived dysfunctional: right-most digit was unreadable.

Otherwise, the unit is sturdy and ruggedized, and the controls and ports are weatherized and easy to operate with gloves. Apart from the above considerations, the unit works as advertised.

Product delivered promptly, it is a gift and has yet to be used but I trust it will be just fine.

Sony ZS-H10CP Heavy-Duty CD Radio Boombox

I refinish furniture as a hobby so my shop has lots of dust flying around in it most of the time. When my old radio quit working (most likely because of all the dust inside it!) I started looking around for something more appropriate.

I found several shop radios but I purchased this one because it was made by Sony as I have had good experience previously with Sony boom boxes.

My use of this radio is as follows (just to be clear): it sits on my workbench and does not move. I have it plugged into AC and will most likely never put a battery in it.

My review:
This radio/boombox has slightly over average sound quality. The CD player produces a better quality of sound than the radio does but that could be due to the crappy radio stations where I live.
This device has a large footprint. It's almost twice the size of my previous Sony boombox. It's not a bad thing, I just mention it in case space is an issue.
Controls are somewhat rudimentry. I suppose that the designers wanted to limit the controls to limit the entry points that they had to dust/water proof. I can live with them but I am occasionally frustrated when I'd like to back up withing a track and can't.

Overall I am happy with this purchase. Time will tell how durable this unit is and that is the main point for me. But I've only had mine a couple of months.

I've used this boombox at a worksite for the past few months now. Already it has survived a 6 foot fall onto concrete with only minor scratching. It is loud enough to be heard over generators and air compressors and lasts a solid week on batteries when used for 9 hours a day on high volume. The line-in jack is a great feature for working in areas with poor radio reception.

My only complaint (and the reason it doesn't get 5 stars) is that the radio resets itself when switching from wall power to battery power - forcing you to retune and readjust the volume. For most people it's probably not a problem, but when working around generators and trying to save batteries it gets old quickly.

This radio would have gotten five stars except the antenna came apart when extended for the first time.
I work in a fleet truck and auto repair shop. It gets very dusty and smoky in there. The seals around everything make me think it will outlast the last few radios.
Good sound, MP3 player, radio presets are all good features.

I rate it a buy.