You receive full, round sound from either recorded format. A Steely Dan CD and Gregorian chants cassette (my musical taste, what can I say?) caught most subtleties. A brief listen to an AM music station sounded deeper and richer than in the car. You miss normally standard features such as adjustable speaker balance and bass/treble control. The analogue radio dial helps for better tuning, although the short airial hinders far away signals. The advertised "Big Sound" tends more bass heavy than I prefer, but that probably won't matter to rap and hip-hop fans prefering those styles phat-bottom anyway. (You can record from CD or radio to cassette, although it's hard imaging anyone but pre-teens doing so in these Napster days).

Overall, the QT-CD210 is a solid, unspectacular purchase for passive listeners. If you need little control over sound but to pop it on or in while working or playing, this set provides reliable, affordable entertainment.