Got me a Unisef

[im_alan_partridge]

So ive got the HUGE Unisef SZ-5000, its an absolutely stunning looking box and kinda like a personal grail as i always wanted the Crown version as a kid.
OK, firstly everything ive heard about the poor build quality is true, before i even powered it up i was wondering if the switches were actually attached to anything on the inside, nothing really felt connected if you know what i mean, a bit empty. Also im a bit nervous to use the handle as 1, it makes a creaking noise and feels like it might give up, and 2, when you do pick it up all the weight is on one side????
Sound, actually not as bad as i had feared, the radio picks up some decent fm stations and sounds good, some tracks sound pretty good through my fm transmitter, some not so good. Best sound for volume and quality is through the top tape deck but, its sluggish, so good but bad, so i tried my tape/mp3 adapetor and its really great BUT, now only one speaker. For the record the bottom deck seems buggered and there also seems to be alot of oil/ grease type stuff in there.
So in summery, the full sound capability is yet to be found, the build is not as good as others in my collection (but hey, its about 25 years old and still in 1 piece), and looks, well this one really is all about the looks isnt it and thats why i bought it. Very Happy

 

[kingrat2010]

so fresh and so clean

 

[2steppa]

Hey nice pickup! I always felt the same way about my Crown 5100, always wanted one and ended up with two minters! (One needs a tuning knob though). I agree the sound overall is weak but capable of reasonable performance given the right source material.

The tape decks have the distinction of being the easiest to work on, I mean they really are so simple.

And as for looks, totally knockout

 

[MONOLITHIC]

Great looking box! Congratulations!

 

[devol-toni]

Magic in black and chrome

Congrats

 

[fresh produce]

Great eye candy so great u want to take a bite out of it

 

[mellymelsr]

Great looking box. It's a shame the sound is not on par with the 931. Definitely a looker though....

 

[baddboybill]

Great pickup The Unisef's and Crown's always seem to look as new as the day they were new I dont think I have ever seen one beat up

 

[Fatdog]

Congrats on the find! You could always mod it like member Beatbox did his Unisef. He calls it the Unilite.

 

[beatbox]

How funny to see my Unilite here. Just wanted to add that the Unisef was always the box I wanted but couldn't afford when I was a kid. And definitely in my top 3 lookers. Good buy!

 

[Retro Addict]

The Unisef's and Crown's always seem to look as new as the day they were new I dont think I have ever seen one beat up

I'm guessing people realise that they're cheaply built, and if treated badly, WILL break.

 

[baddboybill]

The Unisef's and Crown's always seem to look as new as the day they were new I dont think I have ever seen one beat up

I'm guessing people realise that they're cheaply built, and if treated badly, WILL break.

I wonder if they are as bad as the helix 4636 The 4636 case is so cheap it breaks with gentile touch

 

[sean 91]

i dont know how helpful of a suggestion this is , but i only had one speaker active on my sharp and all it took was some cleaner on the phono switch that i got from maplins

 

[im_alan_partridge]

Hey, thanks for all the positive comments.

Beatboxes Unilite is awsome

@Sean, only one speaker when using the tape/mp3 adaptor thing maybe throw that one on to the tech forum.