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

[analogboi]

I certainly second the MP3 into a M70

...or a Rising 20/20!

MP3 fans: try the Sansa Fuze or COWON S9! I think they sound better than an iPod.

 

[Johnny]

If you want a good laugh, that same amp chip is used in this:

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-259...ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1265728390&sr=8-3

No, I'm not kidding.

It's an OK amp chip. I've used it for other projects. 5W per channel is about all it can do cleanly with 12VDC input. In production quantity, it is extremely cheap (about $1.00).

I hope in the Kaboom (more like Kapoof now!) they use it with 8 ohm speakers. It doesn't have the current for 4 ohm speakers. The amp chip runs an internal bridged mode.

Sad :'-(

 

[TMR]

o.k. as promised here are the gimpy innards of the new Kaboom.. if someone wants to compare especially power supply anyways.. please post a comparable picture..

 

[bill]

wow thats really really pathetic.
i mean its kind of like those big empty black eighties boxes only with smaller speakers and no tape deck and even less space inside of them.
dude you should box that thing up and send it back. i mean i would not be a happy camper with any of what you have written about here. i mean not to mention it was three hundred bucks.

 

[Radio raheem]

Take it back and ask for a reafund, what a pos

 

[Fatdog]

They expect me to believe THAT is a heat sink?

 

[TMR]

lol alot of people have said that.. but with all it's flaws.. it still serves the purpose that i need it for.. it plays my ipod and it protects it.. but the most important thing is that i informed you guys before you spent this kinda money on one..

 

[bill]

tell them what you really feel about this new kabummer

 

[TMR]

oh.. and the board under the CD player is the main and only board

 

[oldskool69]

Looks like they took the recipe for hollow boxes of the 80's and simply updated it....

Dissapointing...

 

[Superduper]

So does this have 4 speakers like on the classic kaboom and are there 4 amps too?

Guys, guys, come on! It looks like it really doesn't amount to much but truth be told, a new single high density IC can have as much embedded circuitry as an old classic PCB condensed into one. Preamps are pretty low level signal devices anyhow. The output amps are the main thing and if those aren't beefy, stuff 4 TDA2003's in there in BTL configuration and it'll be pretty robust for very little money and very little companion components. TMR says it satisfies his needs so I imagine it sounds good enough to keep (albeit not as good as the good 'ol kaboom) so that means not too bad.

Thanks to TMR for being the guinea pig on this. I think I'll hold off for now but eventually, I might not be able to resist since I DO like my ipod and a boombox that holds, protects, and amplifies it will satisfy alot of needs. So for now, unless I hear additional trashing by other owners, it's not off my list just yet.

 

[vladi123456]

Come on guys - who else makes boomboxes now days? Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp and others - all quit making them. Is this Kaboom bad? Or is it one of the best boomboxes now made? The price will go down in a few months - it's all good

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Vladi it sounds like your saying we have to accept what they make and be happy about it.
Well actually if that's the best any company will do then yes we have to accept or reject it and for $300 I think I'll reject it, if and when it goes under $200 then maybe I'll accept it and get one.

 

[oldskool69]

I think the consensus here is cost. For $300 bones theexpectations were high as they should be. Yes, smaller components can creat robust power but the fact is that it's China made, which means cheaper labor and cheaper components which should lead to a more reasonable price. It may sound just fine, but not at the price point it sits at.

 

[ford93]

TMR make sure theres no lead in that box because you never know with China.

 

[vladi123456]

Vladi it sounds like your saying we have to accept what they make and be happy about it.
Well actually if that's the best any company will do then yes we have to accept or reject it and for $300 I think I'll reject it, if and when it goes under $200 then maybe I'll accept it and get one.

Don, isn't it the first month this Kaboom went on sale? The prices will fall. I think it will be $150 in the summer, and $100 by Christmas. Just look at Lasonic, for example. MSRP is the same as Kaboom's - $299. But Lasonic is selling for $117.95 on Amazon right now. And so will JVC. Early adopters always pay full price - I've done it myself more than a few times

 

[MasterBlaster84]

the most important thing is that i informed you guys before you spent this kinda money on one..

TMR that was really gracious of you to do, you went the extra mile to inform all of us at your expense.
What you did here represents one of the reasons we need and have this great forum of freinds.

 

[TMR]

thanks for the comments guys.. there are some really valid points being made.. but all in all if the price gets to $150 then i would recommend it.. you all now know what it's made of.. so no surprises there.. and for a all contained music player it's not bad for what it does.. but the BOOM! will be no more.. as long as you know that.. it should now be called the KaPutz!

 

[analogboi]

Let's pull back on the reins a minute...

1) The power supply is a switching power supply and operates at a high frequency (usually somewhere above 35KHz). This type of power supply can be small and produce a lot of current.

2) I see inductors to the right of the heatsink (the solid black cylinders next to the capacitors). Could the woofer amp be "class D?" If a class D amp were used, 15 or so watts could be delivered to each woofer without using a heatsink. Class D amps are usually best for low frequencies (some people think they sound "static-y" if run full range).

3) Is the TDA7266S amp chip on the heatsink? This would be a the amp chip for the front speakers.

It is possible that JVC just used a more modern (but not neccessarily better) way to produce the Kaboom.

Just my thoughts...

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Good points analogboi but overall it still appears to be a cheap design, it certainly doesn't pay homage to it's Kaboom roots.