Hitachi TRK 8110E any good?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ferguson3T18

Ferguson3T18

Member (SA)
Nov 11, 2017
108
0
16
Mid Wales, UK
Hi, I am looking for a good boombox for the kitchen, must have good FM reception and sound and line in for using with a tablet, not bothered about tape. Must sound good with low distortion, clear good highs and mids, and some bass not necessarily loads of bass. I like the look of the Hitachi TRK 8110E and have read that the late 70's/early 80's Hitachi's have good radio. Theres one on EBay at the moment, sounds like it just needs the switches and pots cleaning with Servisol and deoxit. Does this boombox tick all my boxes or should I look for something else?
 
T-STER

T-STER

Member (SA)
Jul 14, 2014
2,246
73
48
UK
Personally i would not get one, Hitachi definitely sit at the lower end and this model sits at the lower end of that lower end...

There are a few great Hitachis but unless this one is super cheap i would pass.
 
Reli

Reli

Member (SA)
Dec 24, 2010
6,319
443
83
USA
I had one of those Hitachis, it's OK, a bit small and bass-shy but it still sounds good and clear. In my opinion those early Hitachis from 1979-1981 had top-notch build quality.

Hitachis like the 8080 and 8180 are bigger and have more bass, but cost more

As for the Roberts, I never heard of it. Looks like the same thing.
 
Ferguson3T18

Ferguson3T18

Member (SA)
Nov 11, 2017
108
0
16
Mid Wales, UK
I am not looking for loads of bass, but I would like to hear the bass lines, I don't want a big box as it is for the kitchen, must be clear sounding with good FM radio reception for listening to Radio 2. I am still tempted by the Hitachi TRK 8110E or Roberts RSR 100 unless a few people suggest they are to be avoided?
 
MyOhMy

MyOhMy

Member (SA)
Jul 26, 2015
2,509
7
0
71
Sleaford, Lincolnshire, UK.
T-STER said:
Personally i would not get one, Hitachi definitely sit at the lower end and this model sits at the lower end of that lower end...

There are a few great Hitachis but unless this one is super cheap i would pass.
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with this for the most part although I'mm a fan of the TRK-8130 as I bought one of these in 1981 so a bit of nostalgia plays a part for me. I was very proud of this at the time as I had nothing to compare it against, nowadays it makes a pretty good kitchen BB or small carry around. The TRK-8130 has separate Bass & Treble controls whereas many of the junior models are 'Tone boxes' and don't sound as good as the TRK-8130.


Ferguson3T18 said:
I read on this forum that the Roberts RSR 100 is better than the Hitachi TRK 8110E but they look like identical boombox's to me?
Click to expand...
The Roberts is the 'aka' version.

Ferguson3T18 said:
I am not looking for loads of bass, but I would like to hear the bass lines, I don't want a big box as it is for the kitchen, must be clear sounding with good FM radio reception for listening to Radio 2. I am still tempted by the Hitachi TRK 8110E or Roberts RSR 100 unless a few people suggest they are to be avoided?
Click to expand...
If the size suits your requirements that's fine, all wavebands are good on the TRK-8130 are good so I would think other models wouldn't be much different but if what you're looking for is determined by budget constraints, see if you can find a decent box with Bass & Treble controls for a similar price as the sound controls can only be a benefit.
 
Ferguson3T18

Ferguson3T18

Member (SA)
Nov 11, 2017
108
0
16
Mid Wales, UK
MyOhMy said:
Personally i would not get one, Hitachi definitely sit at the lower end and this model sits at the lower end of that lower end...

There are a few great Hitachis but unless this one is super cheap i would pass.
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with this for the most part although I'mm a fan of the TRK-8130 as I bought one of these in 1981 so a bit of nostalgia plays a part for me. I was very proud of this at the time as I had nothing to compare it against, nowadays it makes a pretty good kitchen BB or small carry around. The TRK-8130 has separate Bass & Treble controls whereas many of the junior models are 'Tone boxes' and don't sound as good as the TRK-8130.


Ferguson3T18 said:
I read on this forum that the Roberts RSR 100 is better than the Hitachi TRK 8110E but they look like identical boombox's to me?
Click to expand...
The Roberts is the 'aka' version.
Ferguson3T18 said:
I am not looking for loads of bass, but I would like to hear the bass lines, I don't want a big box as it is for the kitchen, must be clear sounding with good FM radio reception for listening to Radio 2. I am still tempted by the Hitachi TRK 8110E or Roberts RSR 100 unless a few people suggest they are to be avoided?
Click to expand...
If the size suits your requirements that's fine, all wavebands are good on the TRK-8130 are good so I would think other models wouldn't be much different but if what you're looking for is determined by budget constraints, see if you can find a decent box with Bass & Treble controls for a similar price as the sound controls can only be a benefit.
Click to expand...
But the Hitachi TRK 8110E and Roberts AKA do have separate bass and treble controls?
 
Ferguson3T18

Ferguson3T18

Member (SA)
Nov 11, 2017
108
0
16
Mid Wales, UK
I've decided to go for the Roberts RSR 100, it looks in better condition than the similar Hitachi and my partner says she likes the colour of the Roberts better than the silver Hitachi. Although not really a proper listening test, I heard the Roberts on a YouTube video and it sounded quite good through headphones on my tablet. I just hope it does not get damaged in the post. Anyway if for some reason I don't like it I'm sure I can sell it on for a similar price especially if I clean the pots and switches. I will let you know what I think of it when it arrives.
Cheers.
 
J

jimmyjimmy19702010

Member (SA)
May 5, 2012
3,578
26
38
Sunny Brisbane, Australia
It certainly is a nice looking box. If the 5 DIN euro spec line in of your TRK-8110E is anything like the line in of my US spec TRK-8080 with RCA inputs, then you’ll have a nice MP3 playback device for sure. The Hitachi tuners seem to be quite robust as well.

Let us know what you think when it lands.

James..... :-)
 
Ferguson3T18

Ferguson3T18

Member (SA)
Nov 11, 2017
108
0
16
Mid Wales, UK
The Roberts rsr 100 arrived today and in one piece which was a pleasant surprise. I did ask the seller to send it in a sturdy box with plenty of padding which he did (he even double boxed it). On switching it on I found the right hand speaker very weak sounding but after a bit of fiddling around with the switch and the balance I was able to get the right channel working properly. I,m not at all surprised that this thing will need some Servisol and Deoxit. It sounds good but not amazing (I was not expecting great sound from this BB anyway). FM radio is very good. The only disappointment is that the line in does not seem to work which was an important feature as I wanted to play a tablet through it, when I take it apart to clean the pots and switches I will have a look to see if there are any obvious faults like a lose wire.
I will update when I have a chance to look inside.
 
J

jimmyjimmy19702010

Member (SA)
May 5, 2012
3,578
26
38
Sunny Brisbane, Australia
Ferguson3T18 said:
The Roberts rsr 100 arrived today and in one piece which was a pleasant surprise. I did ask the seller to send it in a sturdy box with plenty of padding which he did (he even double boxed it). On switching it on I found the right hand speaker very weak sounding but after a bit of fiddling around with the switch and the balance I was able to get the right channel working properly. I,m not at all surprised that this thing will need some Servisol and Deoxit. It sounds good but not amazing (I was not expecting great sound from this BB anyway). FM radio is very good. The only disappointment is that the line in does not seem to work which was an important feature as I wanted to play a tablet through it, when I take it apart to clean the pots and switches I will have a look to see if there are any obvious faults like a lose wire.
I will update when I have a chance to look inside.
Click to expand...
Often, the 5 DIN boxes’ line in doesn’t work independently of the decks’ record function. I was hoping that your box would have a true line in as it had ‘line in’ on the function dial.
 
Ferguson3T18

Ferguson3T18

Member (SA)
Nov 11, 2017
108
0
16
Mid Wales, UK
I've just been looking at the service manuals for the Roberts RSR 100 and Hitachi TRK 8110E and to my untrained eye the circuits look slightly different to me. Also the amount of transistors in each boombox shown on the front page is different. So maybe the Roberts and Hitachi are not identical units after all?
Also when looking for a manual for the Roberts BB I discovered that Roberts have a service center, I might ask if they could still service/repair an RSR 100?
 
Ferguson3T18

Ferguson3T18

Member (SA)
Nov 11, 2017
108
0
16
Mid Wales, UK
I've now cleaned the switches with Servisol and Deoxit and the radio is coming out loud and clear on both sets of speakers. I've decided to not clean the volume and tone controls for now as there seems to be no issue with them and it would also mean removing the all the circuit boards.
It's a shame the line in does not work otherwise this boombox would be a definite keeper.
I will hopefully posts some pics soon....
 
Ferguson3T18

Ferguson3T18

Member (SA)
Nov 11, 2017
108
0
16
Mid Wales, UK
JVC Floyd said:
Does it have mic inputs? , if so you can get a line in from there I do it all the time .
Click to expand...
Yes it does have a single mic input on the front, I guess if I use this the sound will not be stereo? And how good will the sound quality be using the mic input and could this also do any damage to either the boombox or tablet?
I might check to see if there is a loose connection from the back of the din socket, this will involve removing the circuit board but hopefully I can manage this without damaging anything.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom