Hi there everyone - thanks for the warm welcome to this forum. Since joining two days ago, I'm astounded at the amount of mail in my Hotmail Account. I may well switch to my regular email address, simply because Hotmail may not be able to handle the volume!

Our late-model Airstream has a sound system (tapes only) that is housed in a cabinet over the sofa, by the front window. It runs on 110 volt and my only comment about built-in vs. boom box is that you can say goodbye to your "quiet" evenings. My experience is that whenever the radio/tape player is on, the sound is all-encompassing and "in your face". Even when I change the balance on the four speakers, I still must keep the volume extra low, to avoid being overwhelmed by the sound. On the plus side, a built-in system can allow its user to party by themselves - just them and their music! As to the benefits of a boom box - well, we always bring one with us anyway, in case we want music while outdoors.