Gadget Overview

Let’s Talk Gadgets with Ken McDaniel

TDK 3 Speaker Boombox Portable High Fidelity Audio System

The TDK 3 Speaker Boombox stands out from other music players in its category. It should! The TDK 3 Speaker Boombox costs a great deal more than every other unit you’d logically compare it to.
This stylish piece of hardware manages to pull off a modern yet retro appearance. Fittingly named, the 3 Speaker Boombox is profiled with three large uncovered speakers, two woofers and one sub-woofer. Completing the 3-speaker look, TDK designed/built two tweeters over-top the two woofers. The forty pound Boombox is well-crafted and solid, apparently built with high quality material.

Some of the unit’s highlights include, but are not limited to the following.

• bass and treble EQ with dynamic graphic analyzer
• touch capacitive input selector
• on-board mixer allowing users to simultaneously set volume levels of two blended audio sources
• limited playback distortion at relatively high/room filling volume levels
• an LCD track name display for MP3 title selection and playback
• AC and DC power options
• relatively portable
• decent bass response for many songs
• an array of audio inputs (mic, component line-in, electronic instruments/gear, apple devices like iPod, USB drives)

Disappointing aspects of this unit include, but are not limited to the following.

• no remote control
• no place to secure or dock the user’s audio source player (negates the portability of the unit)
• no SD card slot/option
• no Bluetooth compatibility
• awkward AM/FM antenna setup (negates the portability of the unit)
• no dedicated mid-range mid-level EQ adjustment options
• average overall tonal/sound quality (considering the price)
• no enhancement of the sound quality of sub-par MP3/audio files

Techies and music enthusiasts will appreciate TDK’s 3 Speaker Boombox as a fine piece of audio gear. However, the unit’s price is far from wallet-friendly, as it lacks a few features and its overall performance could be a little better. When considering portable audio equipment of this nature, know that TDK’s 3 Speaker Boombox breaks away from the pack. At this time, its only true competitor is Monster’s Beats by Dre’ Boombox. At $500.00, it’s doubtful that the average Joe will be purchasing TDK’s 3 Speaker Boombox until after the price goes down.