A boombox is a portable stereo, typically with a handle on top, two speakers, one on each side, and as a single unit. They are typically under 3" wide. They originally accepted audio cassette tapes, and later compact discs.
With the popularity of MP3 digital audio, people have been looking for a boombox that will play MP3 files. The market was flooded with units that looked like a boombox but were designed for iPod players to dock to them. Wise consumers that haven't bought into the overpriced iPod fad were not impressed. One should not have to own an iPod to use a portable mp3 playing boombox.
Finally, 10 years later companies are starting to introduce boombox models that play mp3 audio from CD and even better, from SD card. One should not even consider a boombox that only plays mp3 audio from a CD. The SD card option is a must! The capacity of the SD card is x10 of a cdr.
Here is a list of boombox models that meet the following criteria: Do not require an iPod, play mp3 audio directly from an SD card, do not have an archaic tape player, and may or may not have compact disc. The unit also must have at least 1 axillary audio input (so you can hook up your android phone and play music from it if you like.) This list was started in 2012.
- Naxa Portable MP3/CD Player with Text Display, AM/FM Stereo, USB/SD/MMC Inputs