ION Audio - Retro Boombox with AM/FM Radio - Silver

With a trained ear as a musician for most of my life, I appreciate good clarity. My opinions are based on that fact. Growing up in the 80’s, I’ve had my share of Boomboxes. I have no idea what happened to any of them at this point, but I have been wanting something like that again for years, so I was excited to see a company actually take a shot at re-creating the much adored old skool Boombox. I do applaud ION for the retro look of this (I had one very similar way back), but that’s about where the cool ends for me. Personally, the most important part of a Boombox is the sound and this just fails. While it is not trying to compete with audiophile quality, it could still be loads better. You get a two band (Bass & Treble) EQ, plus Bass Boost and that isn’t enough for me to coax a pleasing sound. The speakers are small and thin sounding causing distortion a little past 50% volume. Bass boost is useless and only makes speakers distort worse. I have tried cassettes, Micro SD music, radio, as well as Bluetooth, and while all of these options work well (it’s nice to actually have a Cassette deck again), the sound quality ultimately ruins the vibe. This is marketed as a modern version of a classic, which includes Bluetooth and an SD card slot. Bluetooth pairing with my Android phone was simple and flawless. Every time I flip the toggle to Bluetooth, it connects to my phone right away. The SD card slot is a welcome addition, but I have a couple of thoughts there as well. First off, why not include the more standard full size SD slot instead of a micro SD? I doubt there is a space issue, so that is odd. Secondly, there should definitely be a “shuffle” button included on the side controls for SD and/or USB device playback. Who really wants to listen to 8, 16, or 32 gigabytes of music all in a row? The tuner seems solid and gets great reception in my area. It includes an internal rechargeable battery. Very cool feature, but no sure how much time it will provide yet. There is also an option to load it up with six D cell batteries, but again I want to ask why? Why not use that space for a bigger internal rechargeable battery instead? Maybe even make it a battery that can be ejected and replaced over time. Conclusion… Nicely built, solid sounding, aesthetically pleasing Boomboxes were all the rage in my youth. I can only hope that other companies climb on board the retro wagon and start reproducing some of the classic Boomboxes of Generation X. Let’s also hope that if they do, they focus on sound quality a little more than this offering. PROS: Retro styling Internal rechargeable battery Cassette deck and Radio work well Built in mics so you can record straight to Cassettes/SD cards CONS: Speakers are thin causing distortion a little past 50% volume Bass boost is useless and only makes speakers distort worse Some of the printed text on mine is smeared, giving it a more cheap look Should use the D cell battery compartment for more internal battery SD slot should be full size No “shuffle” button for SD cards

The Ion Boombox Deluxe does a great job at bringing old technology and integrating it with modern day tech. For those of you that grew up in the 80s and 90s this is a sure fire way to bring you back those long summer days with friends by the pool or beach. Lets dive in to this little piece of nostalgia and see what you can expect to receive from this set up. First off out of the box your going to receive the main boombox, power cord and instructions. First off i want to say this unit looks just like a old school boombox with a built in cassette player that i grew up listening to. It seems that Ion really wanted to focus on making this unit a real life replica of what we all grew up with. Let me explain what i mean by this. It has a functioning AM/FM digital receiver that works with a side mount turn dial knob. The cassette player isn't just for looks but actually plays cassettes and lets you record on to them. Here's the really cool part about the cassette player being able to record. You can record directly off the radio station or you can record on to a cassette off of your own custom playlist rather it be through bluetooth or the side mounted usb or micro SD ports. It has working left and right VU level gauges along with a functioning scale. The top of the stereo features three turn style knobs for volume, bass and treble. On the other side you have three throw switches for am/fm, mono/stereo/bass boost, and tape/aux/radio/usb. They even went as far as to throw in a functioning battery tray which allows for 6 D batteries. Yes this unit is rechargeable and runs off a built in rechargeable battery but what i found funny and kinda of nostalgic was the fact that in the instruction booklet they even say that if you want to feel more like the past they provided a battery tray so that you can install batteries which will power it just like when you were a kid. Gotta love the attention to detail! This unit will connect to your phone through bluetooth so that during bbq's or parties you can play all your favorite jams off of Spotify or Google Play Music. Now lets chat for a moment about sound quality. If sound quality is a big deal to you then i advise you stay away from this unit. Sound quality coming off of this boombox isn't horrible but isn't the best by any means. My first reaction when listening to music off of my Spotify playlist was " WOW this sounds just like the boombox i owned when i was i kid." Now don't get me wrong its not exactly that bad. The sound quality is clear and not all distorted like it was in the past its just that the quality sounds very plain. The bass boost function does little to no help in getting that extra bass out there. In fact when i switched the bass boost on, all it seemed to do was make the music louder. Obviously the drivers aren't the top of the line but that's ok. I would hope one would not buy this thinking they are going to get orchestra like quality but rather would buy this for its functionality and looks. This unit definitely grabs attention and so far everywhere i have taken it, it has definitely gotten good reaction from others. I've had some people wanting to buy it off of me just for the simple fact that it looks perfectly like the ones we group up with. This boombox even allows for you to answer calls and talk through the radio via the built in mic. Overall guys this unit did a very good job at replicating something we all group with. Sound quality isn't superb so then why the 5 stars? Here's the reason why. Anytime i buy a replica of something from the past i expect it to be exactly like the item i remember owning with a touch of modern day technology. Everything on this unit functions and nothing is placed there just for aesthetics but rather brings it all together to make it feel like a genuine 80's boombox. Even though the sound quality isn't great that's ok because the sound quality was never good off of a boombox to begin with however its still way better sound quality than an actual original style boombox. The simple fact that you have an actual functioning cassette player and AM/FM tuner was a big plus. With the addition of a battery tray which holds 6 D batteries just like back in the days was a nice touch that made me laugh but in a good way. Over all this is a good unit and a good buy. If your looking for something to impress your friends with or a good piece to add to your blast from the past collection then i feel you will be greatly pleased. However if your sole concern is sound quality then stay away from this unit. Me however, i found this unit to fit me perfectly. If i want superb sound quality then i'll grab my Bose however when it comes to having friends over and BBQ, this is my go to unit.

TLDR Review: Is this the best Bluetooth stereo out there? No, not by a long shot. Is this the most RAD Bluetooth stereo to rock out your 80's playlist while sportin' your Member's Only jacket and breakdancing (or in my case, probably breaking my hip or my neck)? Yes, yes it is. I love music and I collect music players of all sorts and I have really loved the advent of either retrofitting old devices with new tech or styling the devices like their older counterparts. I have originals like a 1919 standing Victrola that works beautifully and I have a bluetooth radio build into an old early '60s Zenith clock radio, among a lot of others. When I saw the ION Audio Boombox Deluxe I knew I had to add it to the collection since I had a boombox pretty close to this in the 80's. There were many evenings at the youth center practicing my non-existent breakdancing moves on cardboard in the common room. The music was awesome but my talent was about what you would expect from a nerdy 10 year old white kid with all the rhythm of Steve Martin from 'The Jerk'. (WOW, did I just feel old right then). While this is not the best bluetooth radio, it has the benefit of being a cool reproduction, getting EXTREMELY loud - almost booming if you will, and it can can play music from the radio, bluetooth, tape, micro-sd card, and USB sticks. The Boombox Deluxe pretty much has you covered. On top of that you can also record to tape from those other sources or to the SD-card or USB if you want! Here comes the mix-tape/SD-card combo pack! The battery life is pretty good. At first I was a bit disappointed that I did not get the rated 10 hours that ION claims but it turns out that I did not properly top off the charge when I got it. I did plug it in when I received it but the charging light did not come on. Looking in the users guide, it said that the light is off when fully charged so I assumed it was already at 100% and I unplugged it right away. I ended up getting 7 hours and 45 minutes out of it before it died. I went to plug it in to recharge it and the light still didn't come on. Couldn't find anything in the users guide about charging other than 'plug it in', so I went online and found that not only do you have to plug it in, you must also flip the switch on the back of the Boombox to activate AC use. This needs to be done if you are listening to it while plugged in AND also to get it to charge the built in battery! Would have been nice to know. The only thing it says about that power switch is on pg. 7 and that it is there to turn the device on or off. I'm still not sure what all that switch is for since the 'MODE' switch on the top turns it on regardless of which that way that On/Off switch is set. I think it must be more for directing current from the AC cord or if you want to power it from D-Cell batteries (which you can also do). My only other grumble about the Boombox Deluxe is the fact that the level meters (both the analog needles and the lights) don't really work unless you have it on radio or tape and have the volume up to ear-splitting levels. Would have been nice if they were a bit more sensitive to actually work at reasonable volume levels. For that and the whole power issue, I would knock of 1/2 a star if I could but since I can't, and I'm so geeked by the nostalgia factor, I'll give it the full 5-stars. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go grab my Members Only jacket (yes, I do, in fact have one - they are still made believe it or not) and a few my old tapes the I dug out of storage (REM 'Green' and Madonna 'Like a Prayer', which BTW STILL smells like pachouli) and go blast this thing to bug all the old people!

This is the perfect boombox for a small gathering at the beach or pool. I will be honest, if you are looking for some thump, then this will be a hard pass; my UE Roll does a better job. But, if you are looking for something fun and portable, this will get the job done.

The ION Boombox Deluxe totally took me back to the 80’s with its retro styling and cassette player. For those of us who remember cassettes and actually still have some in storage, this is the perfect way-back machine. Along with the AM/FM radio and the pull-up extendable antenna, I was totally relapsing back to 30 years ago. But that is not where the uniqueness of this device ends. It hi-tech aspect of this player is that it also supports Bluetooth, SD Memory Card, and USB Storage for playing and recording. That’s right, you can record those old cassettes onto USB. On the Hi-Tech side of this unit, the Bluetooth paring is very easy and the playback quality of the speakers is fair. This is not a high fidelity device, but it does a decent job. While I was fairly excited about the integration of newer technologies with 30+ year old cassette and radio tech, I was very disappointed in the overall feel and quality of this device. If ION had put a little more effort into making this unit a little more rugged, I would have easily spent a little more money for it. As it is, I’m just very unsure how long this unit will last if it is carried around and used a lot. Also, if you’re going to mix today’s technologies with cassette player/recorder, why not go the extra step and integrate a CD player too? While there is an AUX input, I think it would have been really cool to have a CD player as well. Overall, while I appreciate the effort toward the integration of cassette with today’s technology, I’m very disappointed in the feel and quality of the entire unit. Which is why I’m going to give this three stars. Pros • Cassette, AM, FM, SD, USB, Bluetooth, AUX support • Rechargeable & Batteries (if desired) • Stereo recording from left/right mics Cons • Reverse & FF does not release the button when at the end of cassette. • Poor quality plastic manufacturing, buttons, knobs. • Misspelled “Cassete” on front of device.

Interesting that Best Buy started carrying these - I was just recently thinking about my old one that I had as a teenager in the late 80's ! What it has that my old boom-box did: 1) Speakers (duh!) 2) Cassette player/recorder 3) AM/FM radio 4) The uncanny ability to slurp down D batteries like there is no tomorrow! 5) The ability to record from microphone/AM/FM What it has that my old boom-box didn't! 1) BLUETOOTH! 2) SD Card reader 3) USB reader 4) Built-in battery (laptop style!) 5) The ability to record on cassette from any of the above sources in addition to AM/FM/Microphone I spent last evening feeling like a kid again with my first boombox listening to everything I could on the radio and via bluetooth, then this morning I dug out some old cassette tapes I had stashed away. After all these years of listening to CD and music straight off the web/computer, I never realized how much quality I was missing out on by listening on cassette. The cassette had so much hiss and lack of fidelity I thought there was a problem! Thinking the problem was the boombox, I dusted off an old player I had in the closet and it sounded the same, so, no excuse to not listen to those old tapes you have laying around :-) I haven't had an opportunity to test how long the built-in battery lasts, but I don't have plans to use it on battery much. I'm just giddy at how thick the nostalgia is flowing with this unit in the room - definitely worth it for anyone who wants to bring back those old memories. I'm going to keep it in my office at work as a conversation piece (plus to use while at my desk!)

I bought this to listen to old cassette tapes I had recorded. I am a musician. The plan was to go back and listen to music I had personally made and recorded on cassettes and then transfer some highlights to MP3s. I was surprised to hear how good the old cassettes played back on the newly purchased machines. The speed was at the same speed as when the cassettes were originally recorded and the sound was very clear and in distorted. I am still working through listening to the old cassettes and have not yet transferred parts to MP3s. But, based on how good the machine sounds playing back old cassettes, I tend to think the conversion to MP3s will work, though I won’t know until I try the function. I really thought this cassette deck would be a piece of garbage. It’s not. It works and sounds great. One thing to warn others about. Make sure you punch out the do not record over tab on any old Home recording cassettes you plan on listening to with this deck. I forgot how on some cassette recorder decks how pushing in the play button is so close to the record button. This one is the same. (In error I recorded over 5 seconds of an old cassette when in error I pushed the record button at the same time as the play button. Had I first punched out the cassette’s do not record tab on the cassette before my error, the 5 seconds would still be on original cassette instead of lost forever. Now, I am punching out the tab to not enable future recording on all of the old cassettes before I play them as the record button is easily inadvertently pushed in when the play button is pushed. Lesson learned. This machine is like an old cassette recorder/player reissued with some digital capabilities. It also has Bluetooth capabilities that can be paired with your smart phone to play music on. Quite a cool cassette deck.

I brought this to a photoshoot set knowing we'd be there all day and needed some music. When someone said they wanted to get their bluetooth speaker from the car I said "I've got it covered" and pulled this out and everybody freaked out. Everyone really thought it was vintage and when I popped out the cassette and flipped the tape over that added to the effect. I pressed play and started rolling a tape I recorded the night before and they couldn't believe it. That covers the visual aspect of this little boom box, now for the performance. - TL;DR - Fun but not perfect, I bought this when it was half price, but wouldn't pay full price for it. - The night before the photoshoot I tried recording a tape. I used the bluetooth mode to stream music through the boombox and recorded it on a new tape (also purchased from Best Buy). When I went to play it back it had TONS of noise, the sound quality was really poor. I think this is a problem with recording because when I put in my Guardians of the Galaxy mix tape it sounded fine. My experience recording to tape hasn't been great but it plays pre-recorded tapes just fine. Overall sound is OK but not amazing. I bought this on a half price sale and it was worth it for that price but I wouldn't have paid full price for it. Most importantly, I wish Best Buy would have a link to the online user manual. It wasn't until I read some of the other reviews on here that I realized this unit has a built-in battery. I installed "D" batteries to use it outside of the house and didn't realize they were not needed. I've run into some strange issues with power not working and I wonder if it's because of a conflict between the AC on/off switch, the "D" cell batteries and the internal battery (which I didn't know existed). Build quality is OK but I find the levers and switches on the top to be very plastic but for the half price sale when I purchased it I can overlook that.