I'm using my Power Box 360 D as a pool side stereo - and so far it has outperformed my expectations. Though I liked the Power Box 360 S I wanted the additional power and connectivity in the 360 D. I'm glad I did. I've got a pool area of about 2000 square feet and this little box can be heard clearly from any corner.
The radio reception is awesome, but I mostly use the iphone/ipod hook-up. All my music is on my iphone (3GS) and while the Power Box will play it all through the 3.5mm auxillary input - it does not charge (not even through the powered USB input --- thanks a bunch Apple, you bunch of proprietary bastards). It will charge, however, through the DC power jack --- like a cigarette lighter jack in a car. If you use your Apple approved car adapter. So you can play your ipod or iphone through the auxillary input and, at the same time, power it through the DC jack. This does, however, compromise the sealed media bay (as the power cord will keep it from closing all the way).
The remainder of the Power Box funcitonality is awesome -- truly impressive. The subwoofer is powerful and the 4 speakers are clear without being tinny (as other jobsite radios can be). The entire package is significantly heavy --- which is what I want in a outdoor stereo system. I store my Power Box at the pool so I won't have to lug the thing back and forth.
A word of caution --- keep your Power Box out of direct sunlight. While it won't damage the structure of the stereo, it can disable the LCD screen temporarily. Also, the remote works best if it is in direct line-of-sight with the unit.
I'm glad I spent the extra $$ for this little jewel. I think you will too. Bosch PB360D Deluxe Power Box Jobsite Radio
The Bosch PB360D is simply a superb product. It handles all the usual issues with portable music in one shot: rugged, good sound, long (and automatic) rechargable battery life, radio + SD+ USB+ Aux, and remote control (with the storage for the remote a slick cutout in the unit's handle). It has sealed compartments for your phone, cords, and media...even the main power cord has a nice cord-wrap for storage. The Amazon price for the unit and battery (don't waste time with any other battery than the FatPack) was very reasonable @ around $320 all-up)
Sound quality: great soundstage with the 360 degree mids and highs, tight bass. Will distort most tracks above volume 17 (of 20) but some high bitrate MP3's sound clean at 20, which is plenty loud (my guess near 100db). The EQ is just bass/treble, so each track has its best setting, but flat works very well.
Downsides: no CD player (minor) and a hefy mass (you don't want to carry it all that far if you can help it). Just enough power- I don't think you want the lesser model with half the wattage.
Conclusion: The PB360D is a winner !
At first sight I expected something larger especially after I heard it play off the SD Card.
As a Musician my concern was quality sound and High,Mid, and Clear Low (Bass) without the common distortion, With this I got it and then some!
I really wish Bosch had a deal with Apple and get an Idock but I purchased a Aux cable for $12.00 bucks and charge the cable from the many on board outlets. Radio Signal Strength never distorted and that was a surprise since I had it surrounded by buildings 6 feet tall.
Its on the pricey side but for a quality product what do you expect?
I got the Bosch PB360D about a week ago from Amazon and have been
using it every day.
So far, I am impressed with the build quality, the ruggedness and sound
coming out of this unit. I am really glad that I did not go with the less
powerful 360S version because the 360D with it's rated 50 watts is just
about adequate for filling an area such as a garage, basement or large
room with quality sound.
Could it use more sound power? Yeah, probably, but right now, I believe
this is the best you can get. There really is no close competitor in this
segment.
Pros
1) Great sound coming from all directions
2) Adjustable equalizer settings or separate bass and treble settings
3) High build quality ( feels strong, extremely rugged and heavy )
4) Remote control ( its functions are useful in a work environment )
5) Can use usb flash drives, sd cards to play mp3 or wma files
6) Can connect a Sirius satellite radio
7) High quality three prong cord and handy cord storage area
8) Can run on BAT618 Fat Pack battery for over 6 hours before charging
9) Great radio reception ( sound is better than any other radio that I own! )
10) Clock keeps time even when unplugged ( has AA battery backup )
Cons
1) Does not always recognize my Sandisk usb flash drive right away
2) Has faint humming sound when plugged in and there is nothing playing
3) Flash drive (usb) remains powered up with battery after being shut off
4) Limit of 999 tunes per storage device (based on 3 digit display counter)
5) Random access feature may not access all 999 files/tunes randomly
Even with the cons listed above, I would still rate this Bosch PB360D at 5 stars,
because no one else offers anything remotely close to this. In these days, it is
practically impossible to find any boombox with any usb or sd capability, not to
mention one that has high quality sound with sufficient power like the 360D has.
I have found that supplying an 8 gb usb flash drive and/or 8gb sd card would be
more than sufficient to maximize the 360D's file capabilities, bringing the song
capacity up to a total of 1998.
The 360D finally has the quality sound, power and construction I have been
lusting for. My previous Phillips portable radio with usb was cheaply made,
refused to play with any sufficient volume ( not to mention it's low quality sound )
and stopped working entirely in just 9 months. My other Sony work portable plays
CDs and CDs with mp3 fine, but it's a pain to keep changing the CD during the
day and to keep them from getting damaged or scratched. I really do not miss
using CDs at all with this awesome new Bosch radio! - Mp3 - Tools - Jobsite Radio - Radio'
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