Sony ZSS4IP 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock Boombox with CD Player

• The Universal Adapter makes sure that any iPod with a dock connector or iPhone™ will be able to connect to the ZS-S4iP.
• Secures your iPod oriPhone during transport so you can listen to your tunes on the go
• Manage your music directly from your iPod or iPhone, on the boombox itself, or with an included remote
• Secure docking compartment that protects and charges your iPod or iPhone
• Digital Synthesized AM/FM tuner with 20 FM presets and 10 AM presets

I have the white version of this out on the pool deck it doesn't get as hot as a dark colored unit would. I read all the reviews for this boombox, and I was very hesitant together they averaged out rather negative when I was shopping for it. I owned the comparable iLive boombox can't remember the model number it was very sleek and looked sort of like a cylinder. Anyway it was awful. Kept running the batteries down when turned off I had to take the batteries out when not in use. It used six D batteries and it was heavy. It had no remote and the iPod control was awkward. The sound was distorted at around the seven or eight level. It stopped working altogether after one year. I paid around $90 for it, but now it goes for around $50. I was so afraid I would wind up with the same disappointment. But anyone who wants a portable (can use batteries) CD, iPod, AM/FM radio together in one box knows that you are at the mercy of the electronics makers. There simply aren't many of them. There should be, in this day and age but almost none of them have everything you are looking for. So, as my choices were slim, I crossed my fingers and took a chance on the Sony.

Well this Sony unit is an absolute breath of fresh air. The remote actually does operate the iPod. Yes, the iPod is a little hard to see in there. But the door that holds the iPod like a cassette door does a great job of protecting the iPod and keeping it in place. It's a trade off. The sound isn't that of a Bose. It's not going to wake the neighbors it's not REALLY loud. But out by the pool I can turn it up to hear it anywhere on the deck or in the pool, and it isn't distorted. It's also much lighter than the iLive, even comparing them both without their batteries. It uses C batteries, so with the batteries the advantage increases. I think this is the very best you can do for the money. If you wanted to invest more in a higher quality system, you would still find it difficult to obtain a unit with all the features offered here. Especially, if you want to be able to listen to a baseball game with it with a push of a button. I kind of still think that the old CD boomboxes had better quality sound at higher volume and were cheaper, so I don't know why Sony can't do that today. For this reason, it isn't perfect, so I gave it four stars. Relative to other available units that offer ALL the same features, this unit would deserve five stars. If you want a versatile quality boombox, but you don't need it to blow your hair back, this is your choice!

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The features and design of this little box would have been perfect. If only it didn't sound like crap. The under-powered 2W drivers had no presence, no bass what so-ever, even though it includes Sony's meaningless MegaBass.

I love the fact that it is basically a CD/AM/FM Boombox with the ipod/iphone dock. I also love how my iphone docks and is protected by the cassette deck-like enclosure. Control with the remote was also pretty good. The overall design was quite handsome.

But at the end, the most important thing was the sound quality and this rather big unit (compared with my Altec Lansing IM7) was pathetic. Even compared with some iHome clock radios, it was pathetic. Given the other features, if it was just a bit lacking, I would give it at least a two, maybe three stars. But it was SOOOO bad that I have to give it a 1. Hopefully Sony will come out with unit just like this with a decent amp and drivers.

Sony has two other models (XDR-S10HDiP and SRS-GU10IP) that sounded rather nice, but they're not portable (does not operate on batteries). One is an HD Radio and the other just a speaker. Neither have the nice enclosure nor CD Player.

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I got this as a christmas gift to use with my iphone in my basement by my hobby setup. Being a basement, I don't need anything extraordinary or high-end. Having been a fan of Sony products I was excited to try this out. Unfortunately, I was surprisingly disappointed. The sound from this is nothing short of horrid. It has what Sony terms "mega bass." That's funny since even with the "mega bass" (which you cannot select or deselect) there is ZERO low-end to this device. The sound is very "tinny" and even a little distorted and there are no options for any tonal adjustments. It seems Sony was in a rush to be one of the first to have an "iphone" compatible boom box but didn't care to do it right. The other MAJOR PROBLEM is that if you have ANY sort of case on your phone (even a slim protective skin) it WILL NOT fit in the player without first taking the case off, every single time you want to listen to it. When you put your iphone in, it closes like a cassette player used to. If you have any sort of skin or case on it, the door will simply not close and will not play off your phone. If you really need something that will play CD's and radio and accommodate and work with your iphone, your choices are limited so if you really need all that then this may be what you have to get. If you want any sort of sound quality and don't want to take the case off your phone every time, then I would avoid this. Sony really dropped the ball on this one. The only reason I gave it a one star and not zero was that it does actually work with the iphone and can play CD's and the radio which not many other devices offer right now. But other than that, its a zero.

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...although in this case you get pretty good hamburger for your money.

What this boombox isn't: it is not a high end, ruggedly constructed unit that will fill a dance hall with room shaking sound and bass. It *is* an excellent way to enjoy listening publicly (vs. with buds stuffed in your ears) to the many hours of music on your iPod in a portable unit that not only protects your iPod, controls your iPod remotely (and the "box" itself) but can charge your iPod(when the "box" is running on AC). The Sony has been built to a price point ...the better to satisfy the burning hunger we Americans have for truly cheap goods ...and to expect more from it than you get, well, you need to change your medications. This is a Sony, but it's made in China.

If listening to multiple hours of tunes is not enough, there's a built-in AM/FM radio and, old tech here, a CD player capable of using both CD-R and CD-RW discs (the kind you'd rip on your computer). The CD player is not designed to play CDs while on the move; it has no delay memory to compensate for skips when the unit gets jostled and it won't read mp3 encoded discs either but ...that's why you've got the iPod ...dooh.

Now hear this:

Sound quality. This will not send seismic reverberations of bass frequencies through your home or be mistaken for a Billy Joel (or anyone elses) concert when played outside ...not with two 3 1/4 inch speakers driven mightly by all of two watts per channel of power. The ultimate sound quality of this boombox depends primarily on two things: how compressed your mp3 songs are on your iPod (128kbs; 256kbs; 1026kbs; etc.) and what pre-programed "EQ" setting you have selected on your iPod. The more compressed your iPod music is the crappier it's gonna sound when played over a sound system ...even a basic low power system like this one. On the Sony the only "tone" control you have is selecting the "MegaBass" option via the remote; trust me, with two watts of power there is *nothing* gonna be "Mega" about the bass. In fact, if you do select "MegaBass" and your iPod is set to some bass-heavy EQ setting, the sound will distort at relatively moderate levels ...there's just not enough power in the amps to make it work. I have found setting my 5th Gen iPod EQ to "Acoustic" and leaving the "MegaBass" option off produces a nice, full, clean sound I can play at a fairly robust level ...but then I rip all my music to my iPod using Apple's AAC encoder (mp4) at 256kbs ...your results may vary.

Best Features:

This Sony is one of the few boombox-style docking stations (and the only one I found) that protects your iPod by keeping it in a cassette-like well with a cover; all the others have your little jewel just hangin' out there in the breeze just waiting to be knocked off. For you "touchy-feely" types with an iPod Touch, the clear plastic well cover comes off and an included plastic trim piece goes on in its place ...leaving your Touch touchable.

The Sony is a truly portable iPod docking station just like a cassette/CD style unit; it even has a big handle on it to help balance it on your shoulder. The system will run on six C-cell batteries or off AC power; no, the C-cells won't recharge in unit if you install rechargeable batteries (part of the price point thing). With the unit running on AC power it will charge your iPod while it's in the docking well; if it is running on battery power it will not charge the iPod.

And it wouldn't be complete without a remote. The remote will operate all the functions of the boombox itself...and it's the only way to select "MegaBass" ...plus it will access all your iPod menus and allow you to make selections and changes (like setting one of the various EQ settings) ...at least it does on my aging 5th Gen iPod.

According to the instructions the unit is compatible with:

iPod classic; iPod (5th & 4th Gen; 4th Gen w/color display); iPod nano (1st thru 4th gen); iPod mini

iPod touch; iPod touch 2nd Gen

iPhone; iPhone 3G; iPhone 3GS

Overall, this is a nice unit. You can't drive nails with it and if you try hard enough it will break but with a modicum of care it should last awhile (at least a one hudred dollar's worth "awhile"). I'm sure there are other units that sound sweeter and have a rugged as nails construction but for a casual use, highly versatile and portable unit with some very handy features ...for the price ...this Sony is hard to beat. It may not be filet mignon but it makes for a darn good hamburger.

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I bought this to replace a very old Panasonic radio that I use at work. Since I listen to podcasts all night at work, I wanted something that I could hook my iPod up to. I'm very impressed with this radio. It's got everything I could want out of a radio now. I'm able to use my iPod. It protects it nicely while in use, and even keeps it charged up! I haven't used the tuner much, but that's not what I bought it for, so if that's what you are interested, you might want to read a few other reviews. The little bit that I used the tuner, it worked fine. Setting the presets is a bit of a challenge, but again, that's not what I'm using it for.

As far as sound quality, it's pretty good for what it is. It'd be nice to be able to change levels, but Sony has always liked to leave you with few options in that department since I first started owning radios. It's not a full blown component system with subs. It does just fine in my opinion, and I have a very very picky ear when it comes to sound.

You might want to order one of those little iPod adapter (you know, the little insert that you have to put in your dock so the iPod doesn't move around too much) since the radio doesn't come with the set like most docks do, but that's getting really nit picky.

If you're looking for something for the office, or work, or something that's easily portable for your iPod you've found it. This is a great buy.