Remember the days when it wasn’t uncommon to see a boombox being hefted around on someone’s shoulder? Well, we’ve found the modern version of the boombox in the Insignia CD Boombox with HD Radio. While its name doesn’t mention it, this modern boombox is actually an MP3 docking station. An iPod dock in the front and an AUX input in the back means you can listen to music from external devices, MP3 players, your iPod, a CD and HD radio.

Two speakers are located on either side of the iPod dock, and although they're compact, they do a great job of projecting a rich sound. An HD radio with hundreds of channels is included with the MP3 docking station. And if we can gush a little, this HD radio feature is pretty amazing. When you're listening to an HD radio broadcast that you would like to keep, simply press the TAG button on your boombox’s onboard controls. The docking station will then transfer that information to your iPod and the next time you sync your iPod with a computer, iTunes will access the tagged broadcast. iTunes will then import the songs from the tag and present them to you in the form of a playlist. You can choose to purchase any of the songs or delete them from your iPod. You can also store up to 10 preset FM stations.

Surprisingly, this docking station is quite small in size, especially considering all of the components it offers. Even with a built-in CD player, iPod dock and attached antenna, it only weighs 3.3 pounds – lighter than some dock-only products. To make it more portable, disconnect the docking station from the AC adapter and insert six C batteries (not included) for on-the-go listening.

This unit has four play modes: AUX, iPod, CD or HD radio. To switch modes, you simply press one of the mode buttons located across the top of the docking station. Because this portable speaker system can be in different modes, the first step in troubleshooting a problem would be to check the LCD display for which mode the dock is currently switched to. The display also tells you the radio signal strength, battery life levels and music details.

Insignia offers a ton of information on their website. Whether you need assistance with a technical issue or have a product inquiry, they offer all the resources you’ll need at your fingertips. We love when an average user is able to help themselves simply by using the resources provided online, and Insignia does a great job in providing FAQs, downloadable user manuals, warranty information and software updates. We were able to find all of the answers to our questions directly on the product page for the Insignia CD Boombox with HD Radio. The only weak spot in Insignia’s support is their 90-day warranty. We wish they had offered up at least a year of defective part replacement.