Home > Consumer Reviews > Cambridge SoundWorks 730 Radio (Black)

I had to return my SoundWorks radio the day after Christmas for what was (hopefully) a problem with quality control and not the radio in general. There seemed to be a flaw in the speaker and I got serious distortion whenever certain notes were played. From all the other glowing reviews I've read, I must conclude a bad one slipped past, but at this price I feel no bad ones should get past. However . . .

I left this on my night stand for one night and discovered an issue that would be a major annoyance to me if I had kept the radio. The display automatically dims when the room goes dark, but if you have the alarm set, a very bright blue LED shines directly toward your face. Set both alarms and it gets very bright, indeed. Furthermore, the display light sensor is located between both LEDs, so they cause the display to brighten. If you like a dark bedroom, this may give you pause. (As an aside, I've had --and returned-- many clocks which lit up my bedroom like Times Square. Red LEDs don't do this, but they seem passe. All I can figure is engineers must sleep with the lights on.)

Otherwise, I found the controls and features to be excellent, and I especially like the rotating volume control. Overall, it seems like a good product, but the issues I've mentioned keep me from giving it more than three stars.

I bought this radio for my wife about 6 months ago, and it has exceeded our expectations. Among the features I considered before buying it were price, easy-to-read clock display, self-dimming background lighting, remote volume control to allow you to roll-over and sleep without getting up to mash a reset button, enhanced bass through a subwoofer, and ability to hook up an extra sound source, such as a small CD or MP3 player with RCA cables. I already own a Bose CD-2000 Acoustic Wave radio, which is a marvel in its own right, but the Bose lacks a clock (why can't they include such a simple item?) and also costs 4 times as much! I have only 2 minor complaints about the Model 730: 1) the reception is only average, so you need to keep it near a window or use an external antenna, and 2) even with the Bass de-emphasized, it tends to be a little heavier than it needs to be. However, this is still a great-sounding radio and a Best Buy when you compare the performance to the price, especially if you're willing to save even more money by buying a refurbished model!

I've been itching for years to get the "famous" Bose Wave Radio. I waited and waited for the price to drop. It *never* has. So much for the prices of Tabletop radios being like computers! At any rate, rather than finding a discount Bose, I've found a radio more inexpensive than the Bose...and BETTER SOUNDING! The Cambridge Soundworks Model 730 BLOWS me away. It has incredibly rich sound, and the bass is literally AMAZING. Rather than using Acoustic Tubing wrapped around the inside of the case, Cambridge Soundworks has actually mounted a *Real* subwoofer inside of this radio. And it really does pack an extra punch! In addition, this radio has Radio Data System (RDS), a feature extremely (and unfortunately) RARE in the United States. People in Europe know and love RDS on their radios, why oh WHY more US Manufacturers don't support it is beyond me. It's a GREAT feature and would make you think you are using XM Radio with the Song Titles displayed for you...for free!

Cambridge Soundworks got it right, blowing away Bose and Tivoli. Seriously, save yourself $100 and get this radio. You'll enjoy the extra features and most certainly think your ears are deceiving you!

There is no way that you will want to buy any other radio after hearing this one. this has to be the best sounding radio that I have ever heard. When you play it, it's almost like you have a subwoofer hidden somewhere in the room - the sound is that good. I played the radio for a friend and he said it sounded better than his stereo system. I'd recommend this to ANYONE.

I first heard Cambridge speakers at a friend's house, and they were rocking even though they didn't cost that much. When I heard they came out with a radio, I figured I'd check it out, especially since it was so much cheaper than the Bose. I'm really glad I gave it a shot. It sounds a *lot* better than my friend's Wave, and it gets great reception. I can actually get a station I used to listen to in my home town, that I haven't heard since I moved. It's awesome.