Review by M. Richards
Rating:
I was hopeful this would stand in for an outside receiver in the gagage, since it has am/fm and a pretty good number of input plugs, but I sent it back (very rare for me) because:

1. sound quality (SQ) was really poor; sounded like a loudness button was on: heavy on bass, not good for low listening levels, though it got better with louder volumes. but pretty crappy with my wharfedale bookshelf speakers. might be better with some bright speakers

2. the 12v transformer had a high-pitched hum that was pretty audible

3. the lcd display was very poor, no matter what the light condition. almost impossible to read.

in short, if you need a waterproof unit, this is prolly ok; and maybe it sounds good with the TIC rock or omni- style speakers, but it was definitely a 3 strikes you’re out for me. definitely inferior to a garage-sale or goodwill receiver for much cheaper. I will say that the unit looked pretty rugged and the power attachment and other plug-ins seemed pretty weatherproof. maybe I just got a bad unit for SQ and the transformer hum?

Review by Terry W. Wylie
Rating:
Let’s start by setting the right expectations – you’re spending under $100, so you know right off the bat this is not a high-end full featured auditorium quality unit. It has limitations as you would expect – no equalizer so you won’t be adjusting the tone quality. No balance control, so you have to achieve balance with speaker placement. You will need to go to the TIC website and search to find anything close to detailed instructions for things like setting the pre-set radio stations.

All that being said, I bought this unit because I wanted decent sounding music on my back patio when entertaining, doing a barbecue, things like that. It’s PERFECT!!! I can leave it on top of my outside fridge under the gazebo and it won’t be destroyed by moisture. Although you can’t fine-tune the response with an equalizer, it’s not too shabby – nice and crisp, the bass comes through. Not a ton of volume, but I don’t need a ton of volume – I just want some music in the back because I spend so much time on the back patio. It’s paired with a set of Hifi Works ‘rock’ speakers that sound great.

A couple of cautions – some of the other reviews spoke of bad or decaying sound quality. I suspect that this is the result of mis-matched speakers (use 8 ohm speakers), old speakers or bad wiring. Make sure the gauge of your speaker wires is correct for the distance of the wire runs. Other than that, if you are only interested in putting a sound-track to your outside activities, this is a great little unit!