Toshiba TY-CWU500

The Toshiba TY-CWU500 started selling in 2017 on Amazon, Ebay, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and other retailers. But it has been sold under different names since 2014, like the NAXA NPB-258 and the AEG SR-4359 BT. So I don't know who actually manufactures it. All I know is that it was made in China. The unit I received for review measured 19.3 inches long and weighed 6.9 lbs without batteries. Unlike most of its competitors, it has a retractable handle, making it easy to carry. It is powered by either AC cord or eight D-cell batteries.

It is very full-featured. In addition to Bluetooth, USB port, SD card, and a 3.5mm Aux In port, it also has an FM stereo tuner, complete with a retractable antenna........AND a CD player. It also comes with a remote control. That's a pretty big set of features for the price (only $80 to $90). I had no problems with any of the audio sources or inputs. Bluetooth range worked fine up to 30 ft. The FM tuner, with its retractable antenna (a rare find today), definitely pulls in more stations than most other modern speakers, but not as many as a good analog tuner from the 70's or 80's.

The speakers look big in the advertisements, but that's just because of the thick black trim around them. They are actually only 3.75 inches in diameter (including the rubber surrounds). On each side of the boombox is a small (2 and 5/8th inches) passive radiator that amplifies the bass produced by the front speakers. In terms of a sound quality review, it's actually quite loud, and sounds decent for what it is. But the bass doesn't really show itself until you crank it up painfully loud. Most other Bluetooth speakers, like JBL's and Beats, are smaller and not as loud as this Toshiba, but their bass comes on earlier, at lower volume levels. For this reason, I think this Toshiba is better suited to a larger room like a garage or basement where volume is more important than bass.......Instead of a small bedroom where high volume isn't needed. But that's just my personal opinion.

In the advertisements, the front speakers look like nice shiny metal discs, but they're not. They're actually just traditional concave cones made of plastic. They are painted silver to reflect the light emitted by LED's mounted behind the bars in front of the speakers. These lights can be set to one of 7 different colors. But unfortunately, they don't beat to the music, they just flash on and off at a fixed rate (once per second). Fortunately, you can shut them off entirely. If you want the better-looking speakers that look like shiny metal discs, you'll need to buy the NAXA NPB-258 or the AEG SR-4359 BT.