I suppose it's cheaper nowadays to make one button with a bunch of functions programmed into it, rather than a row of knobs.Superduper said:Somehow, I feel like we should call these type of boxes something other than "BOOMBOX" since when I think BOOMBOX, this isn't what comes to mind. Perhaps in a technical sense, these things are a better fit for that word but where's the radio, and all the switches and doodad switches, and sound shaping controls? And what's with these single buttons as if all there is to audio enjoyment is all encompassed within an on/off dual choice?
I've nothing against this and I'm sure it does what it does very well. But I just can't lump this together with the traditional boomboxes. Because to me, it's not.
The Diamondboxx is made for 2 types of people: Affluent 35-and-under tech-bros who drive a new Audi S5, BMW M3, or loaded Jeep Rubicon, and they just want the latest toy to show off. They don't know or care about vintage boxes.Rimmer36 said:id like one but you would need to be arnold s to carry it, as others have stated it's just a bluetooth speaker with no cassette cd or even radio so its way over priced for what it is, and honestly why the hell would you need something this loud, i used to go out with the m90 years ago and that was plenty loud enough, it was like a rave, so why would you need something this loud, just my opinion
As always Norm, your spot on the money, for the way I feel at least. I am 100% with you on this design. I'll give it to Diamond Boxx for pushing it to the limit with this thing. But it's not for me.Superduper said:I'm pretty sure I know what's going on.....
The simplest part of the boombox is the amplifier. They sell them in complete modules now and all you need to do is design a power supply to power it, and voila, instant boombox. And of course we all know that these blutooth receivers are cheap and can be stuffed into a box requiring only a power supply and maybe an external button for pairing. Voila, instant bluetooth boombox. Although in reality, to me, it's not a boombox at all. It's a blutooth speaker.
I mean, everything that we've come to know and associate with boombox, from my era when I was growing up, is lots of controls, the more the better. And every boombox needs a radio and that cool antenna which shows that the unit means business. And of course it needs a cassette player too otherwise, it's just a radio. Then later came CD's too with units sporting AM/FM/CD/Cassette/Line-In... 5 or more functions. And as if a cassette player isn't enough, why not add TWO. Then there's the even that one that has 3 decks including a removable walkman type. And of course that iconic look, cassette player in the middle, tuner dial along the top edge, outboard speakers, telescoping antenna and the carry handle. Knobs, the more the better. Switches, the more the better.
But what has happended? NO CD. NO CASSETTE. NO AM. NO FM. NO ANTENNA and burglar alarm batteries. Oh and an off the shelf SUITCASE HANDLE instead of custom designed pieces for that particular gear. I mean, these look more DIY than a serious piece of gear. When I bring a boombox into the garage, I flip a switch and I got music. For these, YOU must supply the music so your portable device will always be tethered and of course if it's a playlist, then it goes over and over again instead of spontaneous music. With this, I need to decide do I want to tie up my phone and burn the battery or listen to the sounds of silence. Literally.
Why not the other stuff? Because they take a whole lot more engineering to design a box like that and that takes 95% of the entrepreneurs out of the picture. Tuner? Forget it, as that takes a whole lot more technical knowledge and challenge, although FM tuner modules do exist since it's the AM that requires the ferrite rod and FM can be almost single chipped. Almost.
Anyhow, like I said, I'm sure that the diamond box (and other similar type of boxes) do what they do and do it well. If you are having an outdoor party, there's no legacy boombox can touch it. But for a lot of the reasons that Transistorized already stated and the other stuff..... it's not something that I would be interested in now, and at my age, probably never will be interested in.
Great beard!Styleking said:Here's my 2 cents (that no one in their right mind asked for). Anything made after 1990 is not a real boombox. The art and soul of a high quality portable unit had dwindled down in the late 80's into; who could produce it faster and cheaper regardless of appearance. The new wave of "boomboxes" are interesting and some are artful in appearance while others are not so much. The sound quality produced from most of the newer speakers is technically superior to what was made back in the day, that's called technology. The TDK 3 speaker, BumpBoxx, DJ Tech, Aiwa Exos and Diamondboxx all have their good qualities but none can be compared to a real boombox because "real" boomboxes aren't made any more.That being said... I'd love a Diamondboxx XL, I think it looks great for what it is and I'm not scared off by the weight. I know the price is steep but you might want to consider this: in 1984 a JVC M90 sold for $800, so in today's money, adjusted for inflation, that would equate to $1906!!! So technically the DIamondboxx XL is a steal! After all that, here's a picture of me last weekend at Old Silver Beach in Cape Cod with a real boombox!C100F.jpg