I have listened extensively to both the Bose Wave Radio and the Cambridge Soundworks 88. Neither sound that good if you're into neutral sound. Psycho-acoustically, they both try to have it both ways. They want to give you inexpensive, small, but big full-range sound. It just doesn't work that way. They try for too much. What you end up is something that sounds brassy and boomy in the bass, leaving out anything that resembles mid-range resolution. People hear big room-filling bass. Great. That doesn't make for great or statisfying music reproduction. Why do you need a sub-woofer built into a small table radio?
Conversely, you have speaker manufacturers like Paradigm and PSB which don't try to give you Fort Knox in a small speaker. Their small inexpensive speakers are fantastic because they give you neutral sound down to about 100 or 120 hz. That's all. What they do give you is very smooth, fairly detailed mid-range and smooth highs and coherent sound from top to bottom. If you can get away without a clock radio, by spending $150 on an amp and $150 on the PSB Mini's, you'll get 10 times as good sound as with the 88 or Wave Radio.

Interestingly, Henry Kloss' old KLH table radios did not try to be a full-range radio. They won't provide room-shaking bass, but the music coming out of these radios was much more musically involving, particularly if you listen to classical or jazz. I bought one of the models that were put out when Kyocera bought KLH. Still have it. Paid $115 on sale for it and am very glad I did. I know at one time Nakamichi put out a table clock radio and Proton still does. These have plastic cabinets unlike the KLH.

I'm giving it two stars because it's better than the crystal radio kits I put together as a kid, but it's trying to be too much for too little.

I'm afraid I tried this, and sent it back for a refund during the 30 day trial period. It was ok, solidly built and designed, but it just sounded "muffled"
no matter where I put it. I tried it in several different rooms, in several positions, but I just couldn't get it to sound much better than a $30 clock radio. It was better, but not $200 better.
Just to show I'm not biased, I also auditioned (at the same time) and returned the $350 BOSE radio. The Bose sounded no better; in fact, for the money the Cambridge was better in my opinion.

The Model 88 is a great little radio. Considering that it's small and reasonably priced, the sound it puts out, especially the bass, is very good. FM reception is excellent. I've yet to hear anything in the same price range (perhaps hundreds more)that even comes close to receiving FM as good as the Model 88. The small remote included with the Model 88 works great, even when not pointed at the raido. If you're in the market for a small radio and want great sound and excellent reception at a very resonable price, it would be worth your while to try out the Model 88. With a 30 day money back guarantee, there's nothing to lose.

Originally I wanted to buy a JVC FS-5000/7000 for my little bed room. I went to our local shopping mall and audited the JVCs and a few other products from different companies that are on the same price range. I was very disappointed about all of them becuase their sound quality is about the quality of my computer speakers (by YAMAHA). Then I went to the Cambridge Soundworks retail store. At first, I didn't pay any attention about this Model 88 due to its plain design. Right before I left the store, just out of curiosity, I ask the salesman to play my classic CD using a portable CD player connected to the Model 88. I was so surprised about the sound quality from this little thing. The FM quality of course is even better. I bought it immediately.
If you don't have restriction on the space you are living, you probably should spend few hundred bucks more to build a system (speakers and receiver/amplifier). If you just want to have a excellent small audio to fit into your small bed room or study room, the Model 88 is really a bargain.

Finally, a one piece table radio to compete with the infamous "wave radio"... and at just a little over half the price. It's about time!
It's not going to replace your big system, but for the bedroom, kitchen, or anywhere you can stick a table radio, you're gonna get a LOT more sound than you can imagine from a box this size.

Yes, I do own one. I just replaced a 20 year old Panasonic table radio in the bedroom with this lil' bugger and it's amazing. And, thanks to the credit card sized remote control, I am able to put it someplace else other than the nightstand.

Pick up a patch cord and plug in a portable CD player or tape and you have a great little system.

Now the down side. It won't wake you up in the morning like the wave. It can be set to shut itself off at night though. Aside from that, it lacks for nothing. so, buy an alarm clock for $10.

Yes, the sound is a little "customized" to give a big sound, but it works! It's not the generally acdepted "ruler flat" we demand of out big system, but for the size of the package, the sound is simply amazing. And, it doesn't cost anywhere near as much as that overpriced wave thingy.

Remember, this was designed to be a table radio, not a full blown stereo and with that goal in mind, it kicks!

We've had the Cambridge SoundWorks Model 88 for several months and are very pleased with its performance for such a small package. Not that we expect a table radio to outperform a dedicated audio system, the Model 88 does quite well for its diminutive size. The college department in which I teach has three audio cart-mounted Bose Acoustic Wave systems. These were impressive when we first heard them, but the Model 88 surpasses them in sound quality for much less cost. I'll recommend to purchase Model 88s when it's time to add or replace audio systems. At home we have the 88 connected to a portable Sony CD and a Sony portable minidisc player. Last night we listened to the richly-timbred voice of Mahalia Jackson singing "Be Still, My Heart," a hymn which many would recognize as part of the Sibelius "Finlandia." Her every word was clearly reproduced. We find this musical clarity to be characteristic of the Model 88. Additionally the bass is formidable for such a small radio. We bought the Model 88 as an office radio, so it is connected to the audio output of our Macintosh computer. As to the Modcel 88's features, I like the thin remote and its general simplicity. FM radio reception is fine, even though we don't now have it connected to an external antenna. However, when connected to an antenna, reception is superb. For critical listening, our main audio system is preferable, but for music while in the office, we are more than pleased with the Model 88. It's the best little radio we have ever owned.

This little box rocks!I set this bad boy up in my room and let me tell yah this thing kicks out tremendous sound.Deep bass clear highs and big sound.Bought this boy 1`2 off, but after listening to it,I would have paid full price with no sweat.
Henry Kloss,makes great stuff.His tower speakers(not tower 2,3)sound great!

Neat remote, good reception, elegant styling and great sound for its size and price. I use it in my cabin as a radio and as speakers for my laptop CD and MP3 player. One piece design makes it easy to move from place to place and the remote allows for control anywhere in the room.
I agree that placement does affect the sound and that it can be boomy when placed in an enclosed space like a bookshelf. The bass control does help here so it is not too much of a problem.

The model 88 may not measure up as your primary music system although you could do much worse for the money. I give the model 88 a 5 for sound, size, price and versatility.

Very good FM tuner, fair audio through speakers with subwoofer turned off.

Subwoofer sounds distorted, AM tuner not very sensitive, the headphone jack output is on the weak side, needs a good FM antenna for other than mediocre performance unless the station is very close.

The first unit I received was defective, one channel was completely dead, and had to be sent back. The second unit seems to work fine, except that I find the subwoofer annoying at all settings except minimum or off, whichever all the way to the left is. Below a certain frequency all sounds are reproduced as a sort of uniform growl. I listen to classical music mostly and this uniform growl doesn't seem to conform to any instrument in the orchestra except perhaps the conductor's stomach. The subwoofer is much better with rap, hiphop, and pop rock where some mysterious growls fit in without arousing suspicion.

The FM tuner sounds very good to me when I listen on headphones. The output of the headphone jack is weak and only my Sony MDR-v900's produces adequate volume without running the volume control all the way up to 90%. This radio works best with a good FM antenna, only the strongest stations can be heard at good quality level without one. The AM section is good with strong local stations, with much better audio than from most other radios in this price class.

Overall, I find this radio adequate, perhaps better than the competition, but not as good as the hype would imply that it is.

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Best damn buy (overall) in a table radio! Stomps the Bose.

"Touchy" radio reception. Ugly.too.

The radio reception is very strong,clear as moonshine,but the tuner is very selective depending on the locality. Only the strongest signals are selected,the rest are surely eschewed,which means that this radio was made in the true image of God,and his messenger,moonshine. Moonshine is how I would d-d-describe the tonality,and m-m-m-m-moonshine is how I would say the styling is...asth a nmatter ovf ffactt, the hole damn radiow remindz mee ovf the moonshinezzzzzz...

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Bose auditioned...Hic!!!...