Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony CFD-E100 Portable CD Radio Cassette Recorder

After only three weeks of use, the sound would go from low to high on its own without any user adjustment. Quality is lousy, price too high. Junk! Don't buy!

Sony finally got it all just about right with this styling/engineering departure, particularly after a string of other disappointing boombox products:

*Most obvious is the choice of CD on the front and, in the style of their legacy portable shortwave, cassette on the back. A very smart move...literally.
*And then they put the battery compartment on the bottom because, honestly, you're going to access the front and back (CD or cassette) more often than the batteries. Smart again!
*Controls are on top where they're supposed to be.
*Uses C batteries instead of D. Saves weight and size. Each battery, too, has it's own compartment should you leave one in that leaks. Hey, it happens sometimes. Since the compartment is already on the bottom, guess where the leak will go? Out!...not into the electronics. This is the clever Sony thinking I'd expect.
*Antenna completely retracts for protection from inadvertent bending.

It feels substantial and sturdy. Sound is very good for what this is. I use it in the garage and driveway to listen to older tapes and CDs. This won't replace your several-hundred-dollar Bose, but who'd want to put the Bose in the garage anyway?

I also like the 60s retro styling touch of the curved handle. I just wish it was metal instead of plastic. In line with the retro style, I'd have preferred to see knobs for volume/tuning. And, I could use a slightly more readable display.

For those minor, minor points, I'd give it 4.5 out of 5.

My wife is a violinist who listens to CD's of works she will be performing to get the feel for them. This is the best small, versatile (AC or DC so it can go with her whereever she is practicing, such as the backyard) with ease. Very small footprint for such a good unit. Good sound (nothing like our Bose speakers, but certainly adequate for what she needs.) Very pleased with it.

I had this same boombox for about 5 years, and liked it so much I bought another one. I listen to books on tape and cd everyday. It is quiet, not like some where you hear the cd going around, and I love the remote.

I needed something that I could take around the house and sometimes to church that wouldn't be too bulky and yet would work well. This is a nice unit. I like the stability of the design. The sound is really rather good. It's nice to have an actual antenna as well. That makes it much easier to pick up more and clearer radio signals. It looks looks nice and can fit in a fairly small space.

I only paid about $60 for it and I consider it well worth the money spent.