Ears On

Sonoro Cubo Compact System

Mark Fleischmann | Jun 18, 2008

Sonoro is a German audio manufacturer. The company recently commissioned a survey on the listening habits of 560 consumers. Thirty-nine percent of them named FM radio as their number one audio entertainment source, beating iPods and other MP3 players at 23 percent. That was interesting, but when I visited the Sonoro site, I found something even more interesting: the Cubo system.

It's bigger than it looks, at five inches high, 8 wide, and 9.5 deep. Available colors include numerous sedate earthtones, plus red, pink, and the sweet lime green I chose for the review sample. It comes packaged with a pair of white linen gloves to prevent your fingers from marring the glossy surface of the unit or its dock. The front panel includes a large backlit amber liquid crystal display, with tuning buttons to the left and volume buttons to the right. Below the slot-loading CD mechanism are transport keys. On the top is a single full-range speaker surrounded by station presets and other radio-related controls.

The Cubo comes with the best iPod dock every invented--or at least, the one I like the best. It consists of two pieces of transparent plastic that fit together to form a cradle. There's no iPod docking connector, perhaps making this a kind of non-dock. Instead, a mini-plug cable fits underneath into the iPod's headphone jack. True, a line-level connection through the docking connector would be audibly superior to going through the iPod's flea amp. And the Sonoro docking method won't charge the battery or perform other functions enabled by the docking connector. Why, then, do I prefer it?

Because I don't like charging the battery every time I connect one of my iPods to a system. I prefer to run the battery down to at least 25 percent before recharging. Even a lithium ion battery may lose some of its running time if charged constantly after brief uses--this is why Lenovo laptops include software that intelligently charges the battery as needed. If anyone would like to dissent, please do so in the comments field.

Sound is full and rich. With talk radio, there is definitely a bit of tubbiness with both male and female voices. The Cubo is more for music, which it enriches with a meaty rhythm section sound and a slick upper-midrange rolloff that takes the sting out of heavily equalized pop music.

Price: $350 via Saks Fifth Avenue.

Mark Fleischmann is the author of the annually updated book Practical Home Theater and tastemaster of Happy Pig's Hot 100 New York Restaurants.

COMMENTS

Submitted by SPEAK3R CW (not verified) on July 14, 2008 - 7:36pm

I'd love to get this system . . . but only if it had the iPod dock!

Submitted by Andrew F (not verified) on December 7, 2008 - 10:51am

The cubo is indeed a beautiful machine. Imagine my profound disappointment when my cubo (only 5 months old) was suddenly unable to recognise any CDs. The shop has taken it back in for repair - which means no music system until the New Year. On the whole a very frustrating experience - especially considering the purchase price of almost 300 euros. I suspend judgement.jpfholo257u8

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The Sonoro Cubo is a compact, all-in-one sound system, complete with FM radio, CD player and auxiliary input for your portable media player. Each one is encased in a wooden enclosure with either a colored lacquer or natural wood finish. They come in a variety of colors, and make a dramatic statement on any bookshelf

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Submitted by angela (not verified) on February 16, 2009 - 11:53am

finally i've found your review and comments which confirm my suspicion that i would not be the first purchaser of sonoro cubo to find that it doesn't recognise cds, nor probably the last. mine never has, since purchase last thursday. very disappointing. is there a solution before returning it to shop, as this is not easily accessible?

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Ears On

Sonoro Cubo Compact System