£10 Charity Shop Pickup - Sanyo Z1

[retroclub]

Picked up this Sanyo Z1 for a tenner over the weekend. Looks wise it's typical 90's black plastic, but it's in great condition.
Eveything works and is pretty loud. The only thing it's missing is a line-in jack but for the small amount of money it cost me, I'm really happy with it.

This is my second box this year, so I've the beginings of a collection here....lol.

Full Model Name - Sanyo MCD-Z1L
Year Of Manufacture - Around 1992/93

 

[Northerner]

Too modern for my liking but you can’t go wrong for a tenner

 

[Dbzerk]

Congrats on your purchase mate!
How does it sound?

 

[retroclub]

Thanks Dbzerk/Northerner. I'm actually surprised at how good it sounds off the CD. Nice and punchy and loud if you crank it up. The tape deck sounds decent too. No graphic equalizer or line in jack which is a shame, but it's actually quite a nice 90's box.

TBH like probably everyone else, I much prefer early 80's designs, but decent boxes from back then seem to be going for silly money on ebay etc. This was the first time I'd seen any kind of retro (80's/90's) box for sale in a shop for years, so I had to grab it.

This is only my second box so I'm new to all this, but I would love to pick up a decent early 80's one piece without breaking the bank. Any ideas on models (if any) that are still reasonably affordable?

 

[Northerner]

There’s no easy way to get a good deal you just have to keep your eyes peeled and watch eBay etc constantly. I’ve had some great boxes for little money but it takes a lot of effort

 

[retroclub]

Cheers Northerner. Of what I've seen, the easiest way is to go for the 'buy it now' ebay offers, but they're usually a ridiculous price.

Anyway, this Sanyo was a cheap buy to sit next to my Panasonic RX-CW50F.
I can see this box collecting becoming an addiction for me.

Going to make a point of trying to get hold of a proper vintage box next time, so ebay look like the only game in town, unless I get very lucky.

 

[Northerner]

Yeh local finds are few and far between. Think the best one I got was a Sharp GF9000. Rest have been middle to low end. For eBay you need lots of saved searches and check them constantly!

Just bought this at a bargain price of £79 so it is possible

 

[retroclub]

Nice box northerner. What year is that from?

 

[im_alan_partridge]

That's a nice catch for a tenner, I quite like a 90;s box, some are very good.

@Si, My all time fav is the 2020, you got a hell of bargain there my friend.

 

[Northerner]

That's a nice catch for a tenner, I quite like a 90;s box, some are very good.

@Si, My all time fav is the 2020, you got a hell of bargain there my friend.

Yeh I love the 2020. Got the other version but couldn’t resist this one too

 

[T-STER]

Not bad for a tenner Retro club.

I've got a few cheaper boxes i will be parting with soon so i will let you know which ones in case you are interested.

 

[retroclub]

Cheers T-STER. I'm just starting out collecting a few boxes, as I've always loved the scene and the quality boxes you guys collect and restore really inspired me to get involved.

I might have bitten off more than I can chew this weekend though as I've gone and bought a bit of a "project" Sharp GF-8989 off ebay.
It sounds like it needs a bit of work (although the radio and deck both work apparently). I love the look of the 8989 and this one was a reasonable price, even though it's far from perfect.

I'll post some pictures when I get it.

 

[Northerner]

The 8989 is more like it

Sharps are easier to work on as they’re well put together. You’ll be fine

 

[retroclub]

Northerner, as far as I know it has a slightly damaged left speaker, the tape deck is a bit muffled and cosmetically it needs some work. The speaker looks like being the most challenging for me to sort.

Not sure if I can swap in an aftermarket replacement, or does it have to be from another 8989?