Boombox Ergonomics

[Jovie]

Ive never understood why designers of boomboxes that blast loud sound would design in front mounted controls.This means youre in the "line of fire" when making adjustments to volume,etc..I know some carried them on the shoulder back in the early years.This undoubtedly affected their hearing in an adverse way Im sure.However,Ive always tried to keep volume levels realistic until I was a good distance away.But of course the volume control is on the box so you need to be close when adjusting it.

Top mounted controls just make good sense to me.Youre not directly in front of the speakers when dialing up volume.They're much easier to reach on floor positioned boxes.Also,this frees up the boxes front panel for a cleaner design.

Im really speaking of the larger more powerful designs.Though there are beautiful designs of all types,why would a designer set out to put any controls on the front of any box they designed?Im not saying I have great hearing but this is not from boomboxes.After the loud car stereo I had,I tried to be a bit more careful when I was eventually exposed to boxes.

What opinions do you have on this matter?I,of course,prefer the top mounted controls of my Bolt box and KTO.

 

[MONOLITHIC]

I'm a fan of both designs to some extent... Top mounted controls make sense when you're carrying a box around 'cause all you have to do is look down and fiddle with 'em. But when the box is sitting on a table or shelf, they make no sense at all - you've gotta get up and look at the top of the box or pull the box from the shelf to get to the control you wanna get to. Also, from a collector's standpoint, you can't stack boxes that have controls on top.

 

[Gluecifer]

Excellent thread Jovie!

I think this breaks down into two main ways of listening, where there's carrying and then theres set-down somewhere outdoors.

I really don't imagine a lot of time was spent desiging radios to be easy to manipulate while walking with them. I find the RISING 20/20 and M70 to be ideal to adjust volume and such when walking with them but saying that, it's not like I'm programming track orders or fine tuning the sound. I think the manufacturers in most cases made the Volume the easiest knob to find by touch (it's either the biggest or most isolated) along with the Tuning knob as that is about all you're going to comfortably be able to fiddle with while walking around.

That said, doing anything else, especially like changing sides on a tape, is something that always requires stopping, propping the unit up on something and then doing what needs to be done before loading up and moving on.

I think the lions share of the the controls being on the front is a two fold design choice, one to show off the features of the radio more easily and two to group everything together to so it's easier to play with once it is set-down.

Something like an M70 requires someone to pay attention to the top to see all the cool features. Mounting them all facing forward just makes them look more feature packed. If you look at the evolution of boombox design, as there became more and more features crammed in less and less of them used controls on the top. I think it was a concerted effort to distance their new models from the older 70s design with the traditional on-top controls too.

I really like the crossover period where radios like the RISING 20/20 combine both ideas perfectly. But, like a lot of people on here, I don't like the aesthetic of cassette deck control buttons being on top. I much prefer the look of them under the deck, even if it makes for harder access when being carried.

The Sony CFS-99 has some of the best design choices I've seen for controls being carried or otherwise. For a start it's handle pivots horizontally to the front or back the full 180 degrees and the slope of the all the controls make for super easy access to any of the features. I'm convinced they actually got someone to walk around with a strap on it when it was being designed.

Once a radio is set-down somewhere outside though, that's when you set it up with the right levels and sound tuning options for the acoustics of wherever you are to get the most out of the sound. This is where I think I lot manufacturers assumed they would be used and having everything on the front made more sense.

The general rule, I believe is that when you're walking with you're radio blasting, you are in no real position to appreciate the true detail and stereo quality due to your movement, the radio's movement and your ear position in relation to the radio. This is where I believe a lot of the ridiculous PMPO wattage claims and such came to become popular as selling points, as it's much more about the volume you can crank out when you're walking around, rather than the accurate sound reproduction and stereo detail.

Just my ideas though! Hope to hear lots of others!!



Rock On.

 

[snoop918]

I like both designs myself. A few negatives to top mounted controls are the amount of dust collected over time and the fact that you can't stack on top of them. Front mounted controls make good sense. Most electronics use front mounted controls. Front mounted controls allow you to actually adjust the sound to your specific taste and this is best done when you are in front of the unit. All in all it's just personal preference. Besides if all boomboxes had controls mounted the same way we would be asking why. How ever you choose to see it, there are negatives and positives to both designs. Great thread

 

[mellymelsr]

The way I use my radios now, either on a desk or shelf, I prefer front mounted controls for easier use. When I do take my radios to a park or beach I carry my M70 which has controls that are better designed for carrying. So I guess it is best to have an assortment of boxes for different uses...at least it gives me an excuse to buy more...

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

Very interesting thread.

Glucifer made some interesting points about design and evolution and to some extent I think that design and functionality may have also been influenced by "Window Appearance". These units were displayed in store front windows and it was all about "Feature Packed Eye Candy". The bigger the boxes got and the more features crammed into them attacked eyes and in turn attracted sales and in a store front window, all the controls on the front of a large box with chrome speaker rings surely help!

I too have always felt that having the cassette buttons under the deck made more sense. I never liked the buttons on top because then the cassette tape is in the deck upside down so when you look in through the cassette window the text is unreadable.

Obviously, more than anything, this is a personal preference thing. As a teen walking with my radio I always preferred a full length handle, so one end of the radio could hang low. Hey, it looks cool OK!

I also could lean the radio against my leg, look down and hit the volume knob with ease and like Glue said, manufacturers always made a point of making the volume knob the primary function. Easy to find, large or in a unique location. Back in the day, I knew where the bass and treble setting would be and for the most part they rarely got much adjustment.

Stacking how ever is a collectors preference. I never had 10 boom boxes as a kid. But I did typically arrange my cassettes in the order of "Next Play" on the flat top, while I was "DJ'n" on the street corner. It's just what we did!

Anyway, just my thoughts.

 

[Retro Addict]

Great post, Rick!

I personally tend prefer the look of boomboxes with the controls on the front, but not always. I like the clean, uncluttered appearance of the top of a large box, especially if it is smooth like the GF-777.

Another aspect of front-mounted controls that I like, is that most cheaper, less desirable, one piece boxes with tone control tend to have the controls on the top. Front controls tend to look more purposeful and professional in my opinion, take the Panasonic RX-5500 and Sharp GF-777. Those two models have so many knobs and switches close together, that they look very hard to operate, the type of higher-end equipment that only people who know where everything is would know how to use, not something for example a child could operate easily. A few people I've shown my RX-5500 to, are stunned at the amount of controls, and are less over-familiar with that kind of equipment than to just 'flick' it on like you would an egg. A boombox with many confusing controls instantly demands respect, as well as a very close look.

Plus, on the stacking point, boomboxes with top-mounted controls are virtually impossible to stack safely unless they're at the top of the stack!

Now regarding the original post - as a boombox collector who never blasts his boxes to such a high level of volume that it would damage one's hearing, front-mounted controls are never an issue when it comes to adjusting them.

 

[Superduper]

Get one or more of each. Problem solved, everyone happy.

Goes back to the saying --
You can please some of the people all the time,
or all the people some of the time,
but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Nothing is right for everyone.

 

[redbenjoe]

interesting to read all these posts -
you guys are all smart and write well --really
------------------------------------------

one way to solve all the problems --
stacking // walking // sitting

and " please all of the people ...all of the time"

is to have all side mounted controls

 

[Superduper]

interesting to read all these posts -
you guys are all smart and write well --really
------------------------------------------

one way to solve all the problems --
stacking // walking // sitting

and " please all of the people ...all of the time"

is to have all side mounted controls

No Deal!
It will satisfy NONE of the problems.
...Because it will be ugly
...You can't easily reach the controls
...You can't smack them together side/side tighly.
...AND because there will be no room on the side for the plug, it will look terrible with the power cord plugged into the front and looking like an elephant's snout.

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

Great post, Rick!

I personally tend prefer the look of boomboxes with the controls on the front, but not always. I like the clean, uncluttered appearance of the top of a large box, especially if it is smooth like the GF-777.

Another aspect of front-mounted controls that I like, is that most cheaper, less desirable, one piece boxes with tone control tend to have the controls on the top. Front controls tend to look more purposeful and professional in my opinion, take the Panasonic RX-5500 and Sharp GF-777. Those two models have so many knobs and switches close together, that they look very hard to operate, the type of higher-end equipment that only people who know where everything is would know how to use, not something for example a child could operate easily. A few people I've shown my RX-5500 to, are stunned at the amount of controls, and are less over-familiar with that kind of equipment than to just 'flick' it on like you would an egg. A boombox with many confusing controls instantly demands respect, as well as a very close look.

Plus, on the stacking point, boomboxes with top-mounted controls are virtually impossible to stack safely unless they're at the top of the stack!

Now regarding the original post - as a boombox collector who never blasts his boxes to such a high level of volume that it would damage one's hearing, front-mounted controls are never an issue when it comes to adjusting them.

I couldn't agree with you more. The M90, GF-777 and RX5500 all mean business. The 777 is a mobile recording studio and all those controls give you amazing power over mobile recording!

There are radios that are just for playing music and CAN be operated by a child. The M90 and 777 are "Advanced" ownership stereo systems. I love the complicated, many knob look. It's classy and looks expensive! And for the most part, they were expensive!

Below, Panasonic RX5500

 

[sony_apm_fan]

Awesome thread, some really interesting replies...

I aways felt that technological advances in Boxes drove their appearance and ergonomics.

Early Mono boxes usually had the inverted top tape deck, later solenoid logic and soft touch controls allowed greater flexibilty in position and design.

Then the desire to mimic separate component style changed the look again, and often the quality too.

For me, I like the classic centre tape deck with speakers either side, Toshiba always did that nicely,

But, it's horses for courses, I need at least another 100 boxes before I can really decide.