RCA RCD148 CD Boombox with MP3/WMA CD Playback

RCA RCD148 CD Boombox with MP3/WMA CD Playback

Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
Packed with music-enjoyment options, RCA's RCD148 is as powerful as it is conveniently compact. Choose from you favorite MP3, mp3PRO, WMA, or audio CD formats or a 30-preset FM/AM tuner with auto station programming. RCA has conveniently mounted the CD player on top of the unit for fast, easy access. Take advantage of the unit's SmartTrax navigation system to quickly and easily find the music you're looking for among the hundreds of songs available on your homemade compressed-music CDs.

Besides traditional audio CDs, the RCD148 handles MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Audio) files encoded on recordable data CDs. You can store up to 12 hours of music on a single disc (at 128 kbps). Creating MP3 CDs requires the use of a computer with a CD-R/CD-RW writer. mp3PRO is an improved version of the popular MP3 coding-decoding format that provides equivalent sound quality at roughly half the size of original MP3 files. mp3PRO files will play normally on an old MP3 player; sound quality will only be optimized when mp3PRO files are played on a mp3PRO player.

SmartTrax technology lets you sort by song title, artist, album, genre, or year. Its six main categories include My Selection, Artist, Title, Genre, Album, and CD Playlist, a systematic arrangement that speeds and simplifies navigation. To enjoy SmartTrax navigation, make sure you burn your MP3 discs with SmartTrax feature switched ON.

Convenience and options aren't all that this boombox has to offer--it also provides great sound. Packed with four EQ presets (rock, pop, jazz, and classical), you can optimize sound timbre to suit your taste and/or the positioning of the system. Twin Bass sound enhancement optimizes bass response through separate left/right speaker enclosures and tuned bass-reflex ports.

What's in the Box
Boombox, remote control, remote batteries, CD-ROM (MusicMatch MP3/music-management software), an AC power cord, and a user's manual.

RCA RCD148 CD Boombox with MP3/WMA CD Playback
Average customer rating:

Very disappointed

Unreliable

Reliable playback of Old Time Radio MP3 files from the Net!

Complete garbage

Piece of Junk....

RCA RCD148 CD Boombox with MP3/WMA CD Playback

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

All Portable CD Players | Portable CD Players | Portable Audio & Video | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Boomboxes | Portable Audio & Video | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Boomboxes | Portable Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
CD Players | Portable Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
RCA | Custom Brands | Custom Stores | Specialty Stores | Electronics Features | Electronics | MP3 Players | MP3 Player Accessories | CD Players | Remote Controls
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Product Features:

CD/radio boombox with MP3, mp3PRO, and WMA CD playback and ID3 tag recognition (for artist/track information)

2.5 watts per channel, 4-inch speaker drivers in tuned, bass-reflex enclosures

32-track programming, SmartTrax navigation; includes MusicMatch music-management software

Includes remote control, clock, and battery backup option

Operates on AC power (cord supplied) or 6 D batteries (batteries not included)

ASIN: B000093UQ7

Amazon.com Product Description

Packed with music-enjoyment options, RCA's RCD148 is as powerful as it is conveniently compact. Choose from you favorite MP3, mp3PRO, WMA, or audio CD formats or a 30-preset FM/AM tuner with auto station programming. RCA has conveniently mounted the CD player on top of the unit for fast, easy access. Take advantage of the unit's SmartTrax navigation system to quickly and easily find the music you're looking for among the hundreds of songs available on your homemade compressed-music CDs.

What's in the Box
Boombox, remote control, remote batteries, CD-ROM (MusicMatch MP3/music-management software), an AC power cord, and a user's manual.

Customer Reviews:

Very disappointed.......2005-04-04

Similar to the problems others have had, we've had not one but two RCD148s fail on us. The first one stopped playing CDs within a month or so, and we were able to exchange it for a new one. The second one lasted not quite a year before having the same problem. Even when they did work, MP3 playback was slow and unreliable.

Given all of the problems, I'd highly recommend staying well away from this product. As for us, we won't be purchasing any more RCA products anymore.

Unreliable.......2005-02-24

I've had my RCD148 for 14 months. It just stopped being able to play CD's of any kind. The motor refuses to run which may be a defective motor or the drive circuits are failing.

I liked the great capabilities of this machine, but the reliability is poor. It certainly was not abused, either. No temperature extreems, nor rough handling.

I'm not sure what to buy next.

PDB

Reliable playback of Old Time Radio MP3 files from the Net!.......2004-09-23

I collect old time radio MP3's, available free from many hobbyists'
websites, and in the public domain since either they weren't originally protected by copyright, or are very old (1930s/early forties.) Most of them are from limited-quality AM broadcasts and are encoded as "low" as 16 kbs. This RCA boombox WILL play them, though the manual states that the MP3 files must be encoded at 32 kbs or higher. The WMA files, though, must be -- as indicated in the manual -- at least 64 kbs.

I have NOT -- repeat, NOT! -- had the problems of some other amateur reviewers. As in the case of my review for the portable RCA 2478 CD/MP3/WMA player, I have had very reliable decoding and playback of MP3's. *Why* some people here say that NONE will play simply mystifies me.

I have owned my unit for the better part of a year and have had consistently good results. Most of the time I use it from AC, but I have also played it from batteries and found the life of the D cells to be close to the claims in the manual. In fact, I haven't changed the batteries more than once in the time I've owned it.

Out of the box I had one small problem: the AM reception was erratic. I tapped on the box and found that the reception would suddenly "snap" in to clarity; but after a while it would fade a bit. I rarely use AM but after a few months it bothered me enough to motivate me to open the cabinet and poke around a bit. A circuit board wire connector must have been *slightly* loose, for in a moment or two I found that I had fixed it permanently, and now the AM reception is fine.

Sensitivity is poorer than the best stand-alone non-CD sets. Do not expect reliable "DX" (distance) reception of low powered AM signals. FM is reasonably good but I usually use the player for CDs and CDRs and rarely for radio, due to the stations in my local area. If I want *radio* I use a really sensitive set, such as one of my Grundigs or Sonys.

I do NOT have any trouble with these alleged problems reported by other reviewers: (a) skipping; (b) truncated or shut-off music tracks; (c) bad sound; (d) "useless" remote control insensitivity; (e) overheating; (f) drifty FM; (g) premature product death; (h) static sensitivity and lost settings.

With respect to the last item: I set it up about 9 or 10 months ago, and never lost any of the settings, which are still in memory. If my recollection is correct, I believe that my equalizer presets were retained even when I changed the batteries: generally well-designed digital equipment uses a capacitor to store a voltage for at least a few minutes, allowing this.

What could be the reason that other people have had so much alleged trouble with the player?

Could it possibly be that THEY ARE PRINTING DISINFORMATION because of some motivation to cause the reader to dismiss all thought of considering the product? I can understand problems with -- say -- a few units along the way; but such consistent bad-mouthing, so categorically and stridently, seems unconvincing. My own background has been in audio engineering (I've designed commercial equipment) so I have some practical experience here. This present RCA product is satisfactory to me, with the exception of the relatively insensitive AM tuner section and its intermittent connection that required fixing, which caused me to downgrade it from a potential "4" to a "3". My CDR disks are *correctly* produced and finalized; play just fine in this RCD148 boombox and in other MP3 players (and computers) that I use; my regular audio CDs play fine. The sound quality is adequate, if not exactly high-fidelity. What more does one expect from a product that cost about sixty dollars?
- 8H Haggis

Complete garbage.......2004-09-17

Avoid this unit like the plague. I have followed the manufacturer's instructions to the letter and none of my MP3 CDs will work in this device - they just spin and spin.

The same CDs work in my Rio MP3 CD player, but not in this piece of trash.

The only good thing about this junk is it will easily fit in to the garbage can where it belongs.

Piece of Junk...........2004-09-17

I agree with most other reviewers. I bought this a while ago - but repeated frustrations with trying to play any kind of MP3 disc and FM led me to write this.
The only thing its good for is playing regular CD's. That too, it takes a long time to read a disc before it can play.

- MP3 Disks 'die' after a song or two. It either overheats or the memory runs out. Ive tried this at 128 kbps and lower recordings and none work.

- The FM tuner's volume fluctuates and it keeps losing the presets, even when connected.

- Remote is useless since you need to get real close to the machine to read the display.

The only use I got out of this: I bought this for our newborns nursery and discovered that the remote also worked for the crib mobile ( which came with a remote). In the end, a 70 buck crib mobile remote...

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