Listening habits...

[Jovie]

We all collect boomboxes for different reasons.I've always said this hobby is multifaceted with the music being only an equal part shared with our appreciation of the boomboxes style,functionality,and our emotional attachment to them.As teens most people are into music of some sort.As we grow older,some of us retain this interest,others of us do not.Those who do either remain faithful to "period" music or additionally broaden and/or update their musical interests.I've heard of some collectors who don't listen to music anymore.It was an interest they had at one point during their youth and the boxes are merely nostalgia icons of sorts reflecting the good feelings of those times.I would assume there are examples of all of these types of people here at Boomboxery.

What are your current listening habits?How much time during the day do you spend listening?Is it active or passive background noise?Do you binge and then put it away for a while?This interests me greatly as I know life puts so many other demands on us especially as we get older.Personally,I have a number of hours "dumb time" at work not requiring my total focus.This allows me time to enjoy my boxes and makes the job that much more bearable.At home,I rarely do much listening.A lot of this is simply checking out functionality after doing work on them.Also,I listen to podcasts or low level background tunes when I find the time to mess with them.How about you guys?How does a typical week with your boomboxes go?

 

[redbenjoe]

interesting topic jovie --


i hosey going last --this time

 

[petergriffin]

Hey Jovie,

I listen to my M90, and 777z daily, they are in my living room. Mostly FM radio(Top 40), I do frequently connect to my laptop and listen to "Old School" In my "stereo room", I take turns listen to the collection, but lately it's been more with my "vintage" stereo equipment.

 

[Jovie]

PG-I do wonder how common daily listening is.What else are you doing during your daily listens?is it dedicated time?How much time daily are you spending?

 

[Gluecifer]

My usual day, in boombox terms:
Walk to work with my latest favourite compilation cassette on my current favourite walk-to-work box (currently Electric Boogaloo OST backed with Paul Hardcastle and Universal Funk on my TRC-975)

At work the radio gets powered onto the mains and starts providing music for the office. This is either the 2000 odd 80s and 70s mp3s I have on my work machine that is then played through an FM transmitter to the 3 radios I have set up down there. Or I tune into an 80s online radio station through itunes, current favourites are BOBFM, Absolute80s or FLASHWave80.

The radio is switched to tape numerous times during the day to record client sessions for computer help I run to cassette.

End of the day is the walk back home with a different cassette playing, or the other side of the morning's one. Electro funk of some description is the usual style.

After I get home and have dinner I sit back with my current home radio of choice and enjoy internet radios stations (current favourite is DubXtra) while I either do some work on a radio, or take care of things on my computer. I don't watch many/any TV shows and often have either FTV, International Cricket or one of the music channels on in the background.

Then it's bedtime and I use a radio of choice in my bedroom to take care of the audio duties from my TV/DVD player before I get to sleep.


On days off I ususally spend them doing work on my radios or working on the computer or sculpting with either my music collection or online radio cranking. I like to choose a different radio from the usual 'favourite of the week' and I switch to different ones a couple of times during the day to get the rotation happening and listen to ones I've not had the pleasure of enjoying for a while.

Of course when a new radio turns up that becomes that focus, but having a reasonable sized collection now means I can listen to one I've not heard in a couple of months and enjoy her like she's brand new all over again.



Rock On.

 

[Jovie]

That really is true Glue about boomers seeming new if you have many to rotate.Your life seems totally engaged and I think its really cool how you integrate your hobby into your lifestyle.As for music,how much better can you get than Electro?

 

[manimal347]

I play mine a good ten hours a day, and I use them pretty exclusively. As soon as I wake up, I'll pop in a tape, or if my MP3 player is charged, hook that up. I'll probably use a small one like my Pioneer SK-200, and I'll carry it from room to room. I usually head out downtown from noon to three, and if I can get a ride, I bring my Panasonic RX-5600. It weighs twenty pounds, so I'd rather only carry it 1.5 miles one way. If I bring a light(er) one, it jams out all day. If I bring the Panasonic, it's usually bound to benches and moves no more than a mile or two around town. I'll usually stay out until ten to one, playing music for other unemployed folks, letting drunk folks ogle and compliment, and irritating tourists with 80's punk.

What do I play? Everything from Black Flag, to Black Sabbath - Spandau Ballet to Woodie Guthrie. I crank according to the town's vibe, as well as my mood. Most the time I drive with a Sansa - heretical, I know - but it gives me a wider tune library and lets people play their icky top-40 rap off their player here and there. My mission is to create community, as well as to bring some music and fun times to the sidewalk. I want people to dance, and I've seen it a few times. I've also seen a few people bring out eggs or iPod docks subsequent to seeing my boxes, and I've almost sold a person on the Lasonic i931. I figure when I get enough boxes, I'll start selling off a few lesser/boring ones at fair prices, complete with a clean-up and some MP3s dubbed onto tape so they have something to play.

I suppose my pattern's a bit different from some. Perhaps it explains why I don't feel compelled to own as many boxes, and readily consider a box like my Panny RX-5600 or soon-to-come Wards 3996A to be grails, along with the crisp-sounding SCR-8, Whatever I buy has to be transportable, durable, not a theft magnet, and something I can scratch, ding, and even get nicotine ash on. Most of my boxes, for this reason, are close to or in parts/restore condition.

 

[Master Z]

This reminds me of a similar topic on Audiokarma.
These hifi guys amass crazy amounts of vintage or new gear and then don't ever "Have the time" to listen. I say BS!

I can't imagine a day going by without music. I mean I enjoy silence just as much as the next but I gotta have music to move my feet. Even if there is no radio I'll hum, whistle, sing, beatbox, hambone, snap, whatever just to get a groove going! Lol it sounds crazy but I bet some of you guys do it too, its just you don't notice yourself doing it.

On my morning commute I jam out, at work music motivates me, at the gym I use a Bluetooth stereo headset, at home I usually fire up the hifi while we prepare dinner. On the weekends I bust out the boxes and take em to the streets. The party don't stop!

And that's the beauty of music, there is a class or type for any occasion or mood and its always evolving.
So to sum it up, Its a huge part of my life and I don't ever see that changing.

 

[blah blah]

i work at home so i listen to a box all day (usually 8 or 9 hours) pumping through my computer. my usual rotation is my m90, big ben, trc-931, sansui 99. i try to rotate some different boxes in though every once in a while.

mostly listen to dancehall, hip hop, funk, ambient stuff and sometimes some punk rock, all internet radio through itunes.

i have **** for cassettes so don't listen to them much unless checking a deck function. sometimes i will do a bit of country on the radio (all thats around these parts...)

all in all i use my boxes alot. hardly ever carry though cause i am too cheap for batteries

i really like trying to fix em....mostly.

 

[satchfan]

just got my box last week, have been listening to it almost every day though, i do listen to music every day though on my zune or the computer, i collect vinyl, have since i was a kid, do alot of downloading and trading, and i do mean alot, have over 50,000 albums, quite obsessive probobly, but it's a hobby more than anything, i could never listen to it all if i tried, mostly into jazz fusion these days, my tastes fluctuate, i love all types of music

 

[mellymelsr]

I listen to at least one boombox every day. I have all 20 of my boxes on display in my home office/man cave so I rotate them on a regular basis. I have 6 of them plugged in at all times just in case I feel like having a jam session... ...boomboxes represent the best era of music, for me at least, and listening to 80's music on a boombox brings back many fond memories of my childhood. I have an audiophile home sound system that barely gets used because I enjoy my boomboxes so much....and with summer here I take my box to the beach, park, and any outdoor related event (they are a big hit at back yard bbq's). The type of music I listen to is usually late 70's and 80's funk (George Clinton, Barkays, Cameo, Lakeside), electric funk (Jonzun Crew, Royal Cash Crew, Kraftwerk, or anything on Tommyboy record label), Run DMC, SOS Band, Gap Band, Earth Wind & Fire, Isley Brothers...basically all R&B, Soul and Funk from the 80's. Most of the new music I listen to is Jazz (Euge Groove, Boney James, Rick Braun, Bobby Caldwell)...and that about sums it up...

 

[jaetee]

I work from home, but my workstation has a Sansui AU-D77X integrated amp with a Nakamichi RX-303 tape deck, a Sansui TU-217 Tuner and even a reverb plugged into it. Suffice to say, when I'm working (like I'm supposed to be doing right now) I'll be listening to the Nak playing a tape of smooth house music or an 80's compilation. Sometimes I will play tracks or mixes off of soundcloud.com as well...

As for boomboxes, they get regular use in the bedroom, garage, the back patio or the community pool. I even have one in the bottom of my son's stroller for taking walks with him and the dog...

My bedroom box is the Sanyo M9990, because of it's sweet low to mid volume sound, and since replacing the belts the deck is playing tapes wonderfully....Also, it fits on the night table quite well. My RX-DT707 has become my garage box of choice due to the fact that it is in such terrible shape, rather quirky and not of "typical" shape compared to my others. Plus, it plays CDs.

I rotate out the boxes for the back patio, stroller walks and to take to the community pool. The most commonly used are the Panny RX-5150, M70, M90 and my GF-9x9x's. Once the Pioneer SK-71 has a working tape deck, it will be added to the rotation for sure. I love the sound and look of that box.

Great topic, by the way!!!

 

[redbenjoe]

i have been an FM stereo buff .........for decades !
love tooling thru the dial --most always full of surprises

to me --any box with a great tuner --thrilling sound..
and a decent recording deck is a valuable ' grail '

for my outside boxes --i dont care if they are all shot looking

they need to record clear radio --
and sound great ---

and as always --the ONE most important single factor with boxes or cars or bikes
or shoes or anything --is if we can score hotties

j;/k -- yeah right
----
at the end of a good radio day --
its big fun to rewind the tape -
and re-live that days -- or even that weeks cool tunes --

boxes are IMPORTANT !!!

 

[Ghettoboom767]

i have been an FM stereo buff .........for decades !
love tooling thru the dial --most always full of surprises

to me --any box with a great tuner --thrilling sound..
and a decent recording deck is a valuable ' grail '

for my outside boxes --i dont care if they are all shot looking

they need to record clear radio --
and sound great ---

and as always --the ONE most important single factor with boxes or cars or bikes
or shoes or anything --is if we can score hotties

j;/k -- yeah right
----
at the end of a good radio day --
its big fun to rewind the tape -
and re-live that days -- or even that weeks cool tunes --

boxes are IMPORTANT !!!

Hi Ira-That;s like me- love listening to the radio,especially late at night!
Sometimes I put a good cassette in to and let the sleep thing do it's thing.
But I love listening to the FM & SW at night sometimes.
I listen to all kinds of music-especially soul,funk,& pop!
Boomboxes-You just can't get enough of them!!
I rotate quite a bit-I have to-lots to listen to-Have over 30 just in the bedroom!!
Have a great weekend a boomin'-GB.

 

[LLopez]

Great thread, My listening to fm and glide through the analog tuner, The digital tuner boomboxes are great, But for me it takes the fun of finding tight stations like an anlog boombox does it. I rotate them dailly, I just got a Pioneer SK-95 and afte cleaning the internals with contact cleaner, It really sounds good. Tomorrow I'll use the SK-900 which sounds fantastic, Then the SANYO 9990k, Then the Yamaha PC-9, Then the Panasonic RX-C60, Then the Sony ZX-7, Then the Sony CFS-9000, Then the Panasonic RX- A2(6400), Then the Tecsonic MX-900, Then the Fisher 480K, Then the Lasonic 920, Then the Bose wave, Then the G.E. Block Buster, And so on.

 

[redbenjoe]

looks like lopez has ALL the best stuff !!!

 

[LLopez]

Not really the best has to be one that I don't have and is the Aiw 880, Man when I heard that boombox in the Sunshine Party my mouth dropped, It sounds very good. I want that bad boy that bad.

 

[redbenjoe]

miguel --then --check your PM imp:

 

[reptoid]

Downtime:
During the weeknights, I listen to a box after work in my room up usually until the point where I go to bed. If I have company over during the week, I bring one out to living room or roof and and hang a bit.

Uptime:
.....and then I go big on the weekends!

Beach: (Summer)
I have half days on Fridays during the summer and I bring a box to the beach every week. This cycle is usually on repeat until Sunday unless the weather is bad... or if we have a big night and no one can muster the strength to go to the beach. If I don't bring a box, my friends are usually pretty sad. I have had to answer so many disappointing questions during times that I have forgotten to charge my batteries.

Roof: (Fall - Spring)
Typically at night, we hang out on my roof and listen to music. I live in the heart a downtown area, so my home is a great place to meet up before going out. This time of meeting up is always accompanied by a box. Sometimes after the bars close we will come back to the roof and continue where we left off.

Cookouts:
I will supply the music for cookouts at different friends houses. I use a FM transmitter to set a few boxes thoughout the livingroom/kitchen/deck/yard... we will have another friend dj or just run an ipod through the transmitter.

So for me a boombox can have many different personalities to fit my mood. The boombox doesn't compliment the mood as much as it sets the mood. It can chill with you during downtime or go TREX on the weekends.

[youtube]l6iKJUH1wCw[/youtube]

 

[ViennaSound]

In the morning my AIWA in the kitchen with the news.
then in the company the TELEFUNKEN in my büro running 9hours to radio vienna.
back at homen the main player the PHILIPS compo and some boxes out of the storage rotating.
If good weather taking them out in the garden.

In company most playing only radio.
At home mixed with some good tapes.