Guest blog by James & Vicky.
You don’t need to look too hard to find evidence of an 80’s resurgence at the moment. Bros have announced a comeback, the high street and catwalks are full of bomber jackets, legwarmers & shoulder pads and we’re embracing our love of everything that was cool some 30 years ago. How fitting, then, that I get to review the LG OM4560 as it brings the BOOMBOX from the 80’s screaming into the 21st century, with 220w of power, plus karaoke support and streaming.
This unit is the perfect piece for any party! It’s surprisingly light and very portable, so whether you are having a massive party or a casual dinner this will suit any event (with access to power).
I was surprised with the amount of features this beast has, not least that you’re able to with record to USB from CD so you can condense all your music storage. Connection is made easy by Bluetooth so anyone at the party can stream their music (or if you prefer to only have your music playing then direct link by USB, RCA or 3.5mm jack.)The design is simple, retro and very 80’s with a glossy black finish, moulded speakers and a pulsating LED centre ring bringing the old-skool school disco right back home.
This is not going to replace any high end music system but for anyone who loves entertaining and karaoke this would be the perfect gift. The sound quality is surprisingly good, loud and if you love your bass the “Bass Blast” button will permanently be on.
You can also purchase the karaoke mic from LG which allows you to sing along to your favourite tracks to your heart’s content. The special feature with this is that it will cancel out the recorded voice but then tweak your pitch (look out X Factor!)
I found the “Auto DJ” function very party friendly; allowing me to play my music playlist without any pauses as it blends smoothly from one track to another. It was like I was mixing on the decks myself – while also saving me from that awkward moment when you suddenly shout at the person you’re trying to impress at the exact point a track ends!
LG have put a lot of thought into their systems, allowing you to wirelessly connect LG TVs and other audio systems allowing you to use the boombox as a surround sound speaker. A great feature if you’re having a movie night or want to share music from room to room.
So what does it sound like? Well actually, it is rather good; it knows how to cope with the fast pace without being harsh and too boomy. Select an ace track like Wilkinson’s delicious & frenetic “Afterglow” and this little system really comes to life. I was using Bluetooth from my LG smartphone and it worked a treat; the device was found quickly and without fuss.
Another great trick up the sleeve of the Loud’r system is the ability to download the remote control app, (available on all good app stores) so you can control the music from your ‘phone. I used this feature a lot and found it very useful.
Power Consumption on standby is a barely-there 0.5 watts.
For those quieter moments, FM radio came in very handy with reception more than acceptable with no hissing or fuzziness, even on Radio 2, which can be a bit hit and miss in my area.
The CD will cope with both the MP3 and WMA format and there is a USB connection also.
The built-in equalizer allows you to balance out the sound nicely to suit whatever you may be listening to or watching on TV.
The layout of the machine is very thoughtful. Chunky buttons on the top right account for a lot of the functions, so they’re easily found in the dark! The large centre woofer speaker dominates the frontal area whilst the tweeter and bass reflex sit neatly alongside.
The compact disc drawer slides out with precision and looks and feels sturdy too. Handy for those less nimble-fingered amongst our family!
This little music machine certainly gets the thumbs up from me! All in all this boom box deserves a good deal of plaudits as it ticks rather a lot of boxes. It’s going to be a great Christmas gift – to me! Buy online today; collect in selected stores in as little as one hour with our great Click & Collect service or pop to your local store for a demo.
