RetekessTR621 CD and Cassette Player Combo, Boombox CD Player for Home, AM/FM, Tape Recording, TF/USB Drive, AC or D Battery Powered, Headphone Jack, Stereo Sound (White)

My main radio was an ION ISP113S Retro Rocker, with a Retekess TR618 as alternate. The volume knob on the ION began cutting out after several years of frequent and occasionally 24/7 use. For replacement, I was looking for radios that could be used for night listening with headphones, with speakers good enough for daytime listening to the local jazz station. They needed to run on AC not battery power.I like old fashioned rectangular radios because they take up less room, but I needed to eliminate a lot of those as being too basic without the needed features, or they only ran on batteries.Ordinarily I ignore the rounded ones with CD players because my CD collection went the way of the wind when I no longer had anything to play them on. I don't have a tape collection anymore either. However I was starting to see that many of the units with CD and cassette drives had features I need, such as AC cord, good sized speakers for better sound, headphone jack, USB port, TF slot for SD or Micro SD cards, and some had Bluetooth receiver ability. I also prefer a tuning knob and volume knob to digital tuning and volume buttons because buttons tend to be too stepped.Finally I was honing in on a few units by Greadio, Gelielim, and Retekess when I saw a bundle of two, the Retekess TR636 and TR621.White isn't my favorite color for electronics, but when I saw the Amazon bundle for the TR636 and the TR621 for much less than if they were bought separately, I decided to buy it.The TR636 was high on my list but I had eliminated the TR621 because it didn't receive Bluetooth, and is fairly large compared to the TR636. However it is a nice player. I have several Retekess radios of the more conventional sort and like the brand.The Retekess TR621 has a CD player and cassette drive, it has a USB port, TF/micro SD card slot. It has volume and tuning knobs and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It doesn't receive Bluetooth, but I have most of my audio files stored on thumb drives that plug into a USB port.The TR621 can be used with 6 D cell batteries but I've never tested it that way, I only use it on AC. It has a conveniently long cord.It has a remote control that runs on a button battery, but let's focus on that for a moment. I don't use it partly because it's so hard to press the buttons. It's a tiny thing and doesn't control volume, it only controls the CD play functions and maybe the other digital ones like the USB port if a thumb drive is plugged in playing audio. It doesn't control the cassette player. Installing the battery was an ordeal by itself. I saw no instructions on how to open the battery door, but figured it out. It requires squeezing a tab and pulling it out. Enough said about that mini torture device. A control wand like the TR636 has would be be so much better. Personally I need a wand that controls volume and power.The TR621 has the USB and TF card slots, volume and tuning knobs in a good location on top. However the digital screen doesn't have a backlight so it can be hard to read, and be aware that when tuning the radio, the frequency isn't displayed on the screen. The knob is marked and you must tune it by ear.The function switch is on the side and may not be so easy to see. It has an off setting and you'll have to look at it to become familiar with it.Now for the best part. The speakers are pretty nice sounding. I was expecting a hollow plastic reverb compared to regular stereo speakers in a wood housing, but when testing the radio, USB port, and CD player I was pleasantly surprised. I actually enjoyed the sound. While it's not equal to my old four speaker Sanyo boombox, it does sound good. I have 3 CDs and played Journey Infinity for the test. The volume goes up further than the neighbors will like, but you wouldn't want to blow out the speakers by blasting them.I even tested it by running a cable between its headphone jack and an old retro cathedral radio's RCA jacks. I played old classic audiobooks through that as an external speaker.Overall I give the TR621 a thumbs up. It was a good choice.There are YouTube videos that demonstrate the features of many radios and CD players, some very in depth. I watched some on the Retekess players before deciding to buy. Search YouTube for the brand and model you're interested in to see what videos are available.I live in the city with quite a few transmitters nearby and can't say how the radio will perform in rural areas farther out, but an antenna extender can be bought or made that clips to the whip antenna to help boost signals. There are the reel type that extend about 20+ feet and have a clip or optional plug. Or, an extension can be made out of inexpensive speaker wire with an alligator clip attached to the whip antenna. The wire can be run across the room but best if up high near the ceiling, can use light duty wall hooks to hang it. They do make a difference, but if extended out a window along the eaves or to a tree, the clip should be disconnected from the radio during electrical storms. For that reason indoor antennas are safer for the purpose.I once had hundreds of feet of outdoor wire loop for shortwave listening and can vouch for the amplified reception, but a short indoor extension is one of the few options available to people in city apartments.

This is an amazing combo for the price! Fantastic reception for both AM and FM. Easy to use for recording, tape, or CD. Great tone!I'm 79 years old and it is the best 'music' combo I've ever had!!!

I wanted to listen to a bunch of old cassettes recorded in the 1980s and some cd's. This cute little boom box plays both, plus has a radio. I haven't tried the remote because the instructions were confusing. But it's for a small space and not a problem to use the buttons. Sometimes the fast forward and reverse don't seem to work, but that might be a function of my ancient homemade tapes. So far, the CD player works on everything. The sound quality is not great but also isn't bad. It's fun to listen to these old tapes and I'm happy with my purchase.

I was really pleased to receive this item. It was very well packaged and is as described. I have only used the CD player so far and the volume was more subdued than I expected. I attribute that to how much loss of hearing I've developed since last I played that particular CD!

I've tried other portable CD players, but this one works the best. So far it has worked perfectly.

FINALLY! A company that knows how to make a perfect CD/MP3/Cassette/Radio Boombox! I've been trying to find one I'd be happy with since MP3 CDs came along so I could play them. I've tried 3 different brands and not one of them were what I was looking for. One brand kept not recognizing a CD with several different CDs, AND would "skip" pieces of a song. After a period of time, the volume control would not work correctly. Another brand (did not have a cassette player) kept skipping pieces of a song (random songs), even just from walking by the player. Very SENSITIVE! The sound was not that great for all three brands.I just received this boombox today. I played a cassette, mp3s using my flash drive, and an MP3 CD. They all worked perfectly! The way it was packaged in the box gave me the impression that Retekess puts a lot of care into their products. It put my hopes up that I would be happy with this boombox.Retekess knows exactly what I need:1. I love the sound, it's very smooth and clear, and sounds just as good as, or even better than the old Aiwa boombox I have. I needed the T-Bass turned on with the Aiwa in order to get a good sound. The Retekess does not have a T-Bass, but it does NOT need it! I couldn't ask for a better sound, even with the volume turned up.2. The cassette buttons are labeled that it makes sense. It states FF and Rewind.3. There IS a power-off button. The slider on the left side has a TAPE/OFF selection. Most cassette players never had a power button because it doesn't turn on until you press PLAY, etc. The Retekess has a red light when the power is turned on. When you set the switch to TAPE/OFF, the red light shuts off. When you play a tape, the red light comes on.4. Another irritating feature with the other models is that the LED kept switching between displaying the "Folder" and the "Track" numbers and I did not appreciate having to wait for it to display the track to see what track was playing. One of the models displayed the TIMING of the track instead! The Retekess displays the track only when playing tracks. Yay!5. A VERY IMPORTANT feature is the remote control has a +10 button, AND a keypad. With MP3 CDs I can have over 250 tracks. It's a nightmare trying to get to a track that I want to play. Having the +10 button is very helpful, but EVEN BETTER, you can input the track number on the remote control and it goes right to that track. So EASY. Don't even have to hit an ENTER key. Just input the number of the track on the remote's keypad and the player will play that track (if you are not in PLAY mode, then you would have to press PLAY once you enter the track number). LOVE IT! The remote uses #2025 batteries.6. The CD/MP3 disc loads VERY FAST, even with MP3 CDs with over 200 songs! The player will automatically start to play the CD once the cover is closed.7. It has a built-in microphone and a headphone jack.The only thing that is disappointing is the LCD display does not light up, so sometimes it's hard to see the track number. I tried pressing the Skip/Fast Forward button for the CD to see if the display will light up when changing tracks, but it does not. For me, all the other features I mentioned are the most important.Update: I haven't had a problem seeing the track number where I placed the boombox permanently. I use this boombox a lot and LOVE IT. Also, very happy with the controls and their placement.Update: I have been using this boombox since January 2021 and have been very happy with it. I've seen some complaints about it doing crazy things, so want to mention it comes with a cardboard inside the CD tray which states DO NOT VIBRATE. The only time my CD acted crazy while playing it was because of a vibration, like not shutting the cabinet drawer gently while playing the CD. All you have to do is shut the boombox and turn it back on and it's fine. I have three of these, one for the kitchen, one for the bedroom, and one for the small office.

For a small unit, the sound has been good compared to the other small CD player I had. (An audiophile would probably find it lacking.) The operational buttons are a breeze to use. It has what I wanted for the jazz and show tunes which I listen to.