boom box - technical definition

A self-contained stereo system for playing music. Available in a myriad of styles, a boom box contains an amplifier, speakers and CD and/or tape cassette drives. The CD system plays standard CD-DA music tracks and may also play MP3 and other compressed audio formats. Some units accept memory cards for MP3 files. The equivalent of the "portable record player" of the 1960s, boom boxes are either small, battery-operated portables, or they are large, transportable units that require AC power. Battery-driven boxes typically have an AC power option. See CD player.