What really grasps you at first sight about the 2407 is the good looking, no nonsense design incorporated by Philips. This portable looks extremely desirable with it’s small footprint, smooth contours, large backlit LCD display and it’s illuminated controls. Let not it’s cute looks deceive you though; it’s really not your kid sibling’s boombox, for this little devil packs in quite a punch when you put it to the test.
I have been a seasoned audiophile and I really haven’t cared much about boomboxes and 2-in-ones. The best boombox I ever came across was an expensive JVC unit which cost nearly as much as a full fledged Hi-Fi system, but when you consider the price of the 2407, it sure does come mighty close
Feature wise, the 2407 isn’t too far from it’s Hi-Fi mini cousins; what with a full fledged remote control, a tray loading CD player, DSP equalizers, a PLL synthesizer tuner, timer functions and detachable bass reflex speakers.
I was really impressed at the quality of sound belted out by the 2407. The trebles and midranges were clear and well defined and the bass was extremely captivating. considering the small dimensions of the speakers. Unlike MOST conventional stereo’s, the 2407 showed no signs of the sound cracking up or being distorted even at high volumes. As it’s the usual case with Philip’s systems, the Incredible surround feature works well, and the low-end 2407 is no exception to their rule of thumb.It also exhibits a negligible level of wow and flutter putting it into the league of Hi-Fi systems. The tray loading CD player and the ability to choose tracks directly from the remote sure makes life easier for most music surfers using it. A Sony MH80 doesn’t even boast of this feature.
CD-tape recording was expectedly was not as good as it’s expensive hi-fi siblings, but hey, I wouldn’t trust my recordings to a boom box anyhow. I would also have liked the 2407 a lot better had it come with at least ONE line-in/aux port. Well this means you can’t use the 2407 to play your MP3’s. The DSP is minimal with only 3 settings and there’s no Dolby enhancement in the tape section.
The Detachable speakers and battery operation make the 2407 extremely versatile, but it’s rather pricey for a portable, so you’d better think twice before you take it on a river rafting trip. This is a dream system for hostilities and for folks for whom space is at a premium. Put on some dance music CD’s and pump up the volume, and you can actually have a proper dance party in your dorm room.
The 2407 actually suffers from an identity crisis, it’s way superior to any conventional 3-in-1/CD system and yet it lacks that extra burst of raw power which define Hi-Fi systems, so it’s a bit difficult to place it in any stereotyped genre of music systems. The contended owner however, is happily oblivious to such questions and disputes as the 2407 sure as hell delivers whatever it promises.