JVC IPOD KABOOM RV-NB50 UNBIASED REVIEW.. FINALLY!

Ok.. just an FYI.. i am not a Kaboom virgin.. i have owned at least 10 Kabooms over the last 12-13 years.. from the earlier B90-99's to the newest 1/10/20.. i did not own the DP100-200 but did listen to them at a Sears when they were released..

ok lets get to the meat and potatoes..

The sound..

this is not a classic Kaboom killer BASS wise.. BASS is slightly muddy.. not terribly muddy.. but it does not even come close to the deep bass the earlier Kabooms produced.. it's more of an in your face BASS.. a little dissapointed unfortunately..
it has the usual POP/CLEAR/ROCK ect.. CLEAR setting seems to be the best.. the ACS (auto clear sound) is not on this model either..

the locking mechs for the IPOD door and CD door are now spring loaded.. (cheap feel to them)

also this model was made/manufactured in CHINA... yes.. China.. unlike previous models that were made in malasyia..
and it shows.. it feels cheaper made than older Kabooms.. it's roughly the same size as older Kabooms.. and it does have a decent amount of wieght behind it.. but you know by feel/touch that it's not a typical solid Kaboom of the past..

also the guitar input and volume is gone.. the handle/strap also does not attatch like older Kabooms.. no metal pins/clips.. it kinda wraps around the openings on top instead..

it does feel cheaply made unfortunately.. the LCD display kinda reminds me of the new Lasonic's..
the volume knob and BASS knob have a more responsive click to them though which i like..

to give you an idea on cheapness.. there were no included batteries for the remote..

pics will follow..

Not quite what I was hoping for but thanks for the review TMR.

Sounds like it's a decent box but not the beast the old Kaboom was. To bad everything is getting cheaper and crappier, it always comes down to profit over quality anymore and it's sad to see. Seems the attitudes anymore are make it cheaply, in a few years when it breaks people will throw it away and get another.

This is just going to help keep the desire high for the older boxes including the Kaboom.

Let's have some other reveiws, anybody else getting one?

thanks alot TMR
for your experiened review --

sort of makes us older // old kaboom fans happy -

but this not good sign for those of us --
which may be all of us

who were hoping for a brand new 'old days' quality product.

here are some pics.. trying to get used to putting pics on this site.. so bare with me..

more linkies to pics..

yea.. unfortunately it's no old school Kaboom Killer.. and $300 is not what i would call a fair price for it.. more like $199.. maybe even less.. they are definitely going the way of Lasonic.. they are basically cashing in on the Kaboom name..

i'm not saying it's not a good purchase.. just not a $300 purchase.. i dont regret buying it at that price.. it will get alot of use.. and it's my main and only boombox from here on out.. it's just not worth $300.. get it when it goes on sale..

i will be tearing it down tomorrow.. with pics.. so we can see if they cut cost internally.. i'm sure there will be no surprises though

Wow. I guess no one should get their hopes up too much for the good old days of solid build and hefty feature sets. It is so sad to see that quility has gone out the window but prices not get any lower.

It is no surprise that it is Chinese built as the labor is cheaper which keeps profit margins higher. The fact of the matter is the audience they hope to attract is looking for something to "make some noise" and not really into the quality of the sound.

Ahhhh...days gone by...

gsbadbmr said:

Thanks TMR for taking the time and giving us the run down on the new Kaboom . I won't be in a rush to get this new kaboom...i'm still loving my new old B99 and DP-100 .

-gsbadbmr

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Makes me glad I purchased my RV-NB20B a few weeks ago, now I just have to find a DP-100.

thats rather unfortunate.

Thanks for the review, TMR. I hate to read that JVC, a Japanese company, is having this Kaboom manufactured in China. I would have thought that the Japanese "honor" would have frowned upon that.

Fatdog said:

Thanks for the review, TMR. I hate to read that JVC, a Japanese company, is having this Kaboom manufactured in China. I would have thought that the Japanese "honor" would have frowned upon that.

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Money first honor garbage last, Greed is global. :'-(

looks real good

MasterBlaster84 said:

Fatdog said:

Thanks for the review, TMR. I hate to read that JVC, a Japanese company, is having this Kaboom manufactured in China. I would have thought that the Japanese "honor" would have frowned upon that.

Click to expand...

Money first honor garbage last, Greed is global. :'-(

Click to expand...

I guess so.

Fatdog said:

MasterBlaster84 said:

Fatdog said:

Thanks for the review, TMR. I hate to read that JVC, a Japanese company, is having this Kaboom manufactured in China. I would have thought that the Japanese "honor" would have frowned upon that.

Click to expand...

Money first honor garbage last, Greed is global. :'-(

Click to expand...

I guess so.

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All the more reason to save and enjoy the things that were once built decently.

Well, I was hopeful but my expectations probably was not as high as some others. It was clear from the get-go that it wasn't gonna be quite as kaboomy as the classic kaboom because this one is rated at 40watts compared to 52watts for the classic. I could do without the guitar input, etc since I don't use that feature. The big question is, whether the difference in sound is due to a newer weaker amp design or quality of the drivers, or both, and whether they would be interchangeable with the classic. I like the integration of the ipod and also the usb host, which supposedly allows connection of usb devices such as thumb drives, hdd, etc. Disappointed to hear that construction quality has suffered.

As for pricing -- $299 is jvc direct price (list). Seems it can be had for cheaper, $249 - $269. That includes dealer market, distribution, etc. Actual profit from manufacturing is much lower. I won't be as critical of pricing since I know that the costs to engineer and then manufacture the item is not insignificant. I'll venture to say that I probably won't be sticking my neck out to suggest that if it was manufactured using higher quality materials and priced accordingly, that us (consumers) won't buy them nearly at the same rate as if it was cheaper. I've seen time and time again, the hypocrisy of where we talk a good game, (patronize US goods, support higher US wages, etc. etc.) but when it comes time to put our money where our mouth is, we buy import (read, chinese) simply because the price is so alluring. I for one would buy a 'quality" kaboom for $399. For $499, I might even get one, if quality was there. But I have always been willing to spend for quality goods. Snap-on over Craftsman or Cal Van, etc. Not everyone agrees. But that's OK. That's the beauty of the USA. At least for now.

well when i disect it tomorrow we will see what they really skimped on.. i know the older Kabooms inside and out.. so i will be able to point out the cheaper manufacturing that was put into this new Kaboom pretty quickly.. i'm listening to it right now.. and have been for a few hours now.. and it doesnt sound that bad really.. just missing the serious low end bass that kabooms are known for.. which is why most of us bought the kaboom to begin with.. but for the IPOD fans.. like me.. it's fine.. oh.. and it doesnt have the remote control holder.. forgot to mention that..

TMR, would you say that the difference is about 12 watts worth? (23% lower power?).

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Digital_Ph ... y/V5F4G2L8

perhaps the changes in quality and other things is related to that .
i mean who really knows who owns what in this day and age.

lol Super.. you seem depressed.. i dont blame you.. i kinda felt that way when i listened to this Kaboom earlier today.. my opinion hasnt changed.. gone are the serious bass of older Kabooms.. but this unit can get loud.. really loud.. so if it has one thing going for it.. is it's ability to crank.. without distortion.. and without dimming (a sign of a wimpy power supply) i just cranked it to 17.. and it had my ears ringing.. soo.. it lacks the BASS.. but it cranks.. a trade off perhaps.. i also posted a reveiw on Amazon..

http://www.amazon.com/JVC-RV-NB50-Kaboo ... 708&sr=1-1

bill said:

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Digital_Photography/Industry/V5F4G2L8

perhaps the changes in quality and other things is related to that .
i mean who really knows who owns what in this day and age.

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Well, that explains a lot.