KABOOM has arrived -- first look.

[Superduper]

2 Boxes Arrived today.

The long awaited Kaboom based on the very very high recommendations of none other than Ira.

There are a few scuffs and such but all is functional. I was really happy to see that the cassette head, and mechanism and the capstan pinch rollers look BRAND NEW.

The other Boombox is this Huge Clairtone 7980, arrived from Canada with a very reasonable $38 shipping charge. Who was it that recently paid $125 for U.S. Shipping on a Lasonic TRC-920?

 

[BMoney]

very nice...i've been waiting for this and since my ups guy already came i was sure you must've had them in your possession by now. that clairtone is super clean and in really good shape. but go on...tell us about the kaboom...mine won't arrive until next week.

 

[redbenjoe]

norm !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kabooms are NOT the type of boxes we take/show pictures of
NOBODY does that

how does it SOUND ??
enough nice boom boom for you ??

does it sound like 1/2 as good as a good CAR system ??
have any others that do ????

hahahaha

send the flowers -- TONIGHT !!!

 

[redbenjoe]

ooops -- sorry norm -
-forgot to mention that your new clairtone is beautiful
THATS the kind we show pictures of

 

[Superduper]

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

Feels very solidly built
Happy to see that it plays CD, Cassette, Am/Fm and MP3 CD's.
The strap is a joke. It's almost impossible to haul it around without smashing it into everything along the way. A handle would've allowed much better control in transit.
I didn't want to toss $20 worth of batteries on it since I'm sure it'll consume them like M&M's. The 52 watts need to come from someplace.
Almost has an industrial feel to it. Certainly is a box that I would prefer (over a classic) to haul with me to inclement locations.
The remote is a great feature, and the built in remote pouch on the strap is even better, without which it's almost a sure thing to be lost in short order.
Blends in with nothing that I have
Takes up a lot of real estate -- not stackable either.
Tuner: nothing special here. I personally prefer an analog system or at least a tuning knob. Hate up/down buttons.
Bass is good. Very mellow and low. However, not as tight as I'd like.
Volume is good, although the way Ira built this thing up, it's rather anticlimatic since it's not as loud as I'd expected it to be.
Looking at the smallish 3.5" (or so) drivers up front, it's clear that it won't get super loud. The side drivers are subwoofers only and don't reproduce the sound in the audio spectrum. Mind you, this doesn't mean that it's not loud -- just not as loud as I expected from 52 watts of power.
Tonal controls. Has preset sound settings but didn't seem to have the range of adjustability that I'd like to see. NO bass/treble/midrange controls. Also, the digital up/down buttons are functional but nothing like a nice set of knobs for quick, no-nonsense adjustment.
Distortion is higher than I'd like to see. If you listen carefully, there is going to be quite a bit of distortion. The sound quality is not as good as some of the better classic boomboxes. Looking at the specs, it's probably right. I see that at 20wpc, it's rated at something like 10% distortion. That's quite a bit. Clearly, this rig is not going to be replacing any of my home audio gear.
Overall sound quality. OK but not overly impressive. Some classic boxes don't get as loud but the sound clarity of the kaboom isn't where I'd like to see it. I'm pretty certain its due to the relatively small size of the front drivers.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Good box for what I paid for it. Certainly, better sounding than almost every one of my $150 boxes. Volume can get loud but not as loud as I expected. Sound quality is hardly high-fidelity but for portable sound, is great. The best way to describe this is that its a CAR AUDIO system made to be portable. The interface is typical of what you'll find in modern portable equipment and the sound is very bassy but not the best choice for classical stuff. Bottom line -- Great Bang for you buck, might even be louder than most Grails, but sound quality and clarity isn't going to blow away the most discriminating and fussy listeners.

OK, just my very personalized impression. Your mileage may vary.

P.S. No petunias for Ira -- he gets a Venus Fly Trap!

 

[Superduper]

norm !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kabooms are NOT the type of boxes we take/show pictures of
NOBODY does that

how does it SOUND ??
enough nice boom boom for you ??

does it sound like 1/2 as good as a good CAR system ??
have any others that do ????

hahahaha

send the flowers -- TONIGHT !!!

WAIT A MINUTE! Didn't you photograph and post a picture of YOUR kaboom????

Oh yeah, like I said in my review, the kaboom is basically a car stereo in a portable enclosure.

Venus Flytrap on it's way to you.

 

[Superduper]

Tape deck on the Clairtone not working right now but that's ok. Hardly any ever do when you purchase them. Seems to be a pretty high quality boombox and even has a tuning muting function, not seen on lower end machines. Unless it's working funky, it also seems to have a high end touch sensitive capacitance sensor wherein touching the tuning knob changes the meter function to tuning strength. Once you let go of the tuning knob, the meters switch to VU. That's pretty high end technology for the 80's. Suprisingly, this is a big box, larger than the M-X920 and 8" woofers! woohoo!

 

[redbenjoe]

norm --i just slowly and carefully read all your points --
and i am in 100% agreement with EVERY impression you have listed -
-------------------------------------
the ONLY matter of argument -- is that , imho ,
you understated the JVC great accomplishment --

to have made this portable come even CLOSE to car audio
---------------------------------------------------
so - then -
how about just 3 or 4 flowers --
and you can STILL call fatdog COLLECT !!!

 

[Superduper]

How about 1 venus fly trap and a fly hatchery for continuous supply of flies and maggots.

In all seriousness, I'm glad I got the kaboom. It won't replace any of my boomboxes but it's also something that I won't be afraid of hauling to a picnic. Not the best sound quality but the difference is not likely to be noticed in a crowd/gathering with alcohol enhance speech for background noise. Oh and yes, it has good bass.

 

[Radio raheem]

Norm i usually wrap one end of the strap round one of the bars on the side (left hand side) then hook it back up this makes the strap much shorter making the kaboom much easier to carry now you know what my m90's are like the my m90's are roughly on half volume that equals the kaboom , you don't need anything louder than that

 

[BMoney]

lmao! nice job norm. that was thorough. you need your own hi-fi review blog! this next week of waiting for me won't be quite so hellacious now. i blame ira for hyping it up like he did. but considering his geographical location, maybe he's been listening to a lot of flo-rida?

maybe i'll be a bit more favorable then!

 

[redbenjoe]

and btw --i DO have a kaboom thats very appropriate for pictures --
its a 75% size version --
with a CLEAR tinted body and blinking center woofs

will try to find/post one --
just for fun

 

[redbenjoe]

bmoney --
DONT give up on YOUR kaboom YET --

norm is 100% right re his analysis and observations-
------------------------------------------------------
-- except he totally// or partially forgot to mention the FUN part-

or -- it hasnt hit him yet

or he has not had a weekend to take it out to some cool park
and score kaboom loving chicks !!!!

 

[BMoney]

oh i'm sure you experienced this first hand. i can just picture you walking past the colony hotel with your kaboom and linen pants winking at chicks in bikinis.

 

[Radio raheem]

The kaboom is great and is better than alot of grails, howeaver im not sure how this aplies with someone into classical music but then we all have our own opinions thank gawd

 

[redbenjoe]

rimmer
you are always under-rated here:
THAT was DEEEEEP!!!

-------------------------------
bmoney --"colony hotel"
thats a riot --
what a mis-match
i would be arrested with a kaboom at the the colony

 

[Radio raheem]

rimmer
you are always under-rated here:
THAT was DEEEEEP!!!

Stop extracting the urine

I leave the deep throat posts to you

It takes alsorts in this world simon says I mean (ira and i get down)

I agree with most of super's points on the kaboom and i do like mine

but i hardly ever use it, but im sure bmoney will like his anyone want to give me a kaboom for a conion

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Two sweet boxes, I love em both.

An honest opinion and pretty accurate overall.

The Kaboom is in a class by itself so it's hard to compare straight across with a classic boombox. Certainly not perfect but very cool for what it is, a portable kaboombox that sold for just $300 the last 10+ years. In direct comparison that would have made it a $100 to $150 box back in the 80's and no other box could have touched it at that price.

 

[redbenjoe]

with mb84 --

and Norm
DONT get this model --
you will most definitely thinks its quiet
its about 3/4 size with say 85% of the sound --
----------------------
for me -- a sure personal fav --
and an easy carry --and the only kaboom that photographs well

 

[MasterBlaster84]

DONT get this model --
you will most definitely thinks its quiet
its about 3/4 size with say 85% of the sound --
----------------------
for me -- a sure personal fav --[/img]

I almost hate to admit it because it feels so wrong to like this box but I agree with Ira, it's one of my personal fav's too.