Need honest opinions on current boomboxes

[BoomBoxStash]

I clicked on that Panasonic model. Very nice. I bought a brand new Sony FH-5, I think. Years later, I found a used Sony FH-9 or FH-11, I think. It Featured some 22 watts/ch, 4 or 5 inch square aluminum woofers, separate midranges and outward angled cone tweeters. 7 band electronic eq, a spectrum analyzer and a separate CD player add-on component. Very similar to that Panasonic.

But, the sound was just ok. I never did get used to aluminum woofers. Even years later, I bought a used pair of Yamaha 3-way home tower speakers with dual 10" woofers, a 6" mid and a dome tweeter, all aluminum diaphragms. Very well constructed. Really nice crossover networks. Well damped, internally. But I couldn't get used to the sound. I guess I prefer paper or poly cones, especially for the bass drivers.

But I did get into those near-hifi portable components. They came close to being true hifi.

My fav was the Technics SA-C07. I ordered one, but it arrived damaged. Once again, I decided not to exchange, but to get a refund. My bad.

The SA-C07 was, imo, the most high fidelity of any boombox, rating wise, past or present. It boasted 30 watts/ch continuous sine wave into 8-ohms, 20Hz to 20Khz at no more than 0.04% THD! That is less than half the THD of my current Yamaha component receiver (rated 70 watts @ 0.09% THD lol). And the Technic's bass control was centered at 50Hz +/- 10dB and the treble at 20Khz +/- 10dB. The same as my current Yamaha receiver. Tape deck response was rated 20Hz to 19Khz overall (metal bias tape).
The speakers were 7" woofers, bass-reflex, with a phase aligned 2" cone tweeter, in a conical horn lens. Phase alignment was popular back then. To this day, I don't know if I hear any difference with phase alignments. But, I do like the sound of horn mids and horn tweeters.
The speaker cabs were cheap plastic. But it was the closest thing to a high fidelity portable system that I ever owned, even for only a moment lol.

I saw and auditioned several Sony component portables over the years. I bought several, used, on eBay. But never a Panasonic hi-end component portable. I never knew Panasonic made competitive component portables. Too bad. The one you linked would def have interested me at the time. Those were fun days. idt young people realize what they missed out on. Hifi was cool back then.

 

[Transistorized]

I've never heard one, but I have been told that the Telefunken Studio 1 is an awesome box and blows most out of the water in terms of sound and loudness, but now we're talking about a 3 piece box versus a one piece. I think this is where Reli was going with everyone having their own tastes. That's the cool thing about vintage boomboxes. They truly had a model at one time that scratched everyone's itch.

For indoor enjoyment, I like the M90 and my RX-7000. For outdoor jamming, I like the C100. For portability & power, I like the M70.

My opinion on boomboxes, are that you generally can't go wrong with a JVC or Matsushita product. They have the best bang for the buck and tend to last. The Coney Onkyo merge was interesting and the Conion did seem to rise to the top of popularity. The C100 seemed to have what everyone was looking for in the 80s. Big, loud, flashy, tons of doodads and thingymabobs, meters and 2 tape decks. Even had a storage bin for extra cassettes

As far as Bose, I do have a wave radio which I have had to replace a few capacitors for the CD player to work without skipping. To me, it sounds muffled. It produces decent bass for its size, but I think they made that their primary goal. Talk shows sound horrible. They needed a tweeter in there. Everyone's hearing is different so having the ability to adjust the bass/treble would've been nice. I guess that's where they have that saying, "No highs, no lows, must be Bose".

 

[Netsurfer_x1]

Well, the Studebaker Sound Station is ok, aside from a few niggles:

• QC on the Record (& play) buttons needs work. Apparently, this has been fixed in newer revisions.
• The "Light Show", while a good idea, intruduces a faint buzzing sound into the audio everytime it flashes. It's most noticable at low volumes.
• The CD player will sometimes freak out on less than perfect discs & loudly distort audio. This also happens for no reason sometimes.

As far as the modern boxes go, I'd recommend either the ION Boombox Deluxe or thie ION Retro Rocker if you're looking for a mono box.

 

[Reli]

I've never heard one, but I have been told that the Telefunken Studio 1 is an awesome box and blows most out of the water in terms of sound and loudness, but now we're talking about a 3 piece box versus a one piece. I think this is where Reli was going with everyone having their own tastes. That's the cool thing about vintage boomboxes. They truly had a model at one time that scratched everyone's itch.

Yeah the Telefunken is the best 80s portable I've heard so far. I've never heard the Technics SA-C07 though, or the Pioneer CK-11, or that Panasonic I posted earlier, so I can't say how it stacks up against those. But I tested one next to a Sony FH-215, and while the Sony was much louder and produced more total bass, I preferred the Telefunken for the way it sounded at lower volume levels. It's got a classic V-shaped frequency curve, perfect for indoor use. Extremely warm bass (not tight), just amazing how those small, sealed speakers can fill a small room with warmth. Coupled with the most detailed treble I've ever heard from an 80s portable. If you want something for a small room like an office or bedroom, it's perfect. But it was made in Germany not Japan, so it's not as reliable. I've owned 4 of them and they all had issues. Sometimes it was a rectifier, crossover, or a bad tweeter.

 

[BoomBoxStash]

I've never heard one, but I have been told that the Telefunken Studio 1 is an awesome box and blows most out of the water in terms of sound and loudness, but now we're talking about a 3 piece instead of a one piece. I think this is where Reli was going with everyone having their own tastes. That's the cool thing about vintage boomboxes. They truly had a model at one time that scratched everyone's itch.

For indoor enjoyment, I like the M90 and my RX-7000. For outdoor jamming, I like the C100. For portability & power, I like the M70.

My opinion on boomboxes, are that you generally can't go wrong with a JVC or Matsushita product. They have the best bang for the buck and tend to last. The Coney Onkyo merge was interesting and the Conion did seem to rise to the top of popularity. The C100 seemed to have what everyone was looking for in the 80s. Big, loud, flashy, tons of doodads and thingymabobs, meters and 2 tape decks. Even had a storage bin for extra cassettes

As far as Bose, I do have a wave radio which I have had to replace a few capacitors for the CD player to work without skipping. To me, it sounds muffled. It produces decent bass for its size, but I think they made that their primary goal. Talk shows sound horrible. They needed a tweeter in there. Everyone's hearing is different so having the ability to adjust the bass/treble would've been nice. I guess that's where they have that saying, "No highs, no lows, must be Bose".

I have never auditioned the Telefunken. But I have heard of it. That German engineering appeal impresses many people. I don't buy into that idea as much. I have to hear the unit and see how it performs, for myself. A brand name just isn't enough.

As I remember, the big boomboxes began to fade as smaller devices and headphone use gained popularity.

Plus, the mini speaker craze, popularized by Braun and by Radio Shack (Minimus 7), set off a wave of copy cat speakers, and the race for small hifi speakers began. Those Minimus 7's began the shrinking of woofers, delivering psycho-acoustic bass. They proved a tiny woofer could 'fool' the listener, by delivering harmonics of bass, without actually reproducing the actual low bass frequencies. Everyone had a pair of those mini speakers! I had a pair mounted on the rear deck of my car. Another pair in my parent's house. I had several pairs. Sometimes, they were on sale for around $29-$39 each.

The original Tandy Corp Minimus 7's were very well made. High quality full 2-way crossovers. Very good quality 4-inch woofers with a free-air resonance of 55 Hz. Later, when RCA took over, Radio Shack quality dropped, sadly, placing profit over performance.

Then, JVC introduced their PC-5. A mini version of a stereo system, with a handle. The PC-5 incorporated a full-range ceramic cone 4-inch woofer/speaker in a mini bass-reflex cabinet. Based, of course, on the popular Minimus 7's mini woofer popularity. The tape deck offered excellent recording/playback. It was a really nice little mini system, for what it was. Very different for its time.

Then, of course, that JVC PC-5 began a whole new portable component craze. Portable components became larger and larger. More and more powerful. It got pretty crazy lol. Some portable components ended up weighing in at over 30 lbs, without batteries!

The introduction of CDs gave portable component boomboxes another boost in popularity.

So many cool models. I always looked for models offering better specifications, which I could compare to my home stereo, at that time. Just getting loud, wasn't enough for me to buy. I liked the sophisticated hi-end models. Not just a 'ghettoblaster'.

As for Bose, they pushed that full-range philosophy crap of theirs as far back as I can recall. Their old floor speakers with their direct/reflecting 4.5-inch full-range drivers never impressed me. It was a type of minimalist approach, claiming several small full-range drivers could more accurately reproduce music as compared to a larger multi-driver speaker, by avoiding crossovers, phasing issues and other multi-driver problems. Bose always marketed their product in such a way as to avoid sale prices and maintain their high price and profitability. The surround sound craze boosted Bose popularity, with their tiny 'invisible' satellite speakers and smaller elongated subwoofer. The satellites offered pinpoint sound which attracted listeners in stores. And their subwoofer delivered a lot of mid-bass boom, which is popular to the general public. Those satellites cost almost nothing to manufacture. Their sound was pinched and tiny. Add Boomy bass. Just what the public ordered hahaha.

I never cared for Bose (sorry). Their product is over priced and overrated. But, I also don't care for Sonos either. Sonos is following in Bose's footsteps. I think they are also overrated. imo, such companies rely on the public following and being able to brag of name brand ownership over performance. No offense intended. At $500 a pop for a Bose clock radio, I can think of too many other better options to go lol. But they were very popular. People buy into that bandwagon philosophy. It's all marketing, I'm afraid. As you quoted, the saying referring to Bose is pretty accurate. A lot or midrange and not much else.

I agree, that by the mid to latter 80's, there was a little something for everyone, no matter what your preference. It was a fun time to shop audio. Any audio.

Yeah the Telefunken is the best 80s portable I've heard so far. I've never heard the Technics SA-C07 though, or the Pioneer CK-11, or that Panasonic I posted earlier, so I can't say how it stacks up against those. But I tested one next to a Sony FH-215, and while the Sony was much louder and produced more total bass, I preferred the Telefunken for the way it sounded at lower volume levels. It's got a classic V-shaped frequency curve, perfect for indoor use. Extremely warm bass (not tight), just amazing how those small, sealed speakers can fill a small room with warmth. Coupled with the most detailed treble I've ever heard from an 80s portable. If you want something for a small room like an office or bedroom, it's perfect. But it was made in Germany not Japan, so it's not as reliable. You'll probably need to replace a rectifier, crossover, or sometimes even an entire tweeter.

The SA-C07 did not have the greatest sound, unfortunately. The electronics were top notch. imo, the best, in some respects. But the speakers were skimped on. The plastic cabs were a softer plastic which were touted as non-resonating, which was bs. The 7" woofers were very cheap. They barely moved. They looked better than they actually sounded. Back then, I could not find anything to replace them with. The tweeters were typical cones loaded in a horn config, and they produced good highs. I really like the SA-C07 for its electronics. I think it would mate very well with a pair of good quality home bookshelf speakers. But, then the whole idea of portable audio goes down the toilet.

Funny you mentioned lower volume quality of sound. imo, playing a stereo at low volume is a tough test for any audio system. A balanced system will still sound even, with warm bass, clear mids and detailed highs, even a low volume. If you have to crank it to achieve that sound, something is wrong.

idk if I agree the Telefunken would be less reliable if made in Germany as opposed to Japan. Both countries held higher standards in general. Once the Japanese firms sold the rights to China, that's when quality went right out the window.

For as much as I like the higher tech and performance of component portables, I still prefer the one piece boombox. I suppose I am stuck in the late 70's and early 80's mode lol. Something about carrying around big 8" woofers lol.

 

[BoomBoxStash]

idk if I have a fav boombox, as far as sound quality. I'm sitting here, thinking about it, and so far, no particular boombox comes to mind. If I think of one, I will post

 

[Transistorized]

Sometimes it's hard to pick a favorite. They all have their pluses and minuses. Also, age and use takes its toll on vintage models. As far as what sounds best. Well, you can listen to 10 vintage boomboxes of the same model number, all playing the same song with the same EQ settings, volume level and power input, and they can all sound a little different. Couple that with how we all hear sounds differently, and you get mixed emotions on almost every model out there.

That's why, when people ask me which one sounds the best, I tell them, whichever one puts the biggest smile on your face. If they are not sure, I encourage them to list features and then, if they are looking for vintage, go to a meet where they can listen to a wide range of different models in person. I never pick a "best" radio for anyone. Just like I don't pick a color of paint when shopping with the wife. But I can tell folks which models I own that I personally like the best

I'm interested to see what you come up with.

 

[floyd]

My opinion on new boom boxes is if that's all a had to choose from I would rather invest in car stereo equipment at least I can finish out my life with some real ****ing bass.

 

[BoomBoxStash]

My opinion on new boom boxes is if that's all a had to choose from I would rather invest in car stereo equipment at least I can finish out my life with some real ****ing bass.

LOL. Well, I thought like you do, at one time. I think that's why I let go several of the real classic boomboxes which I had in my possession. I expected too much.

For me, at least, I now just want a nice sounding boombox which I can carry into the garage, or out on the back patio when my wife asks me to grill. And of course, a nostalgic looking boombox, simply because I miss the 70's and 80's audio. It's a visual statement. Just like a tattoo. It says something about me.

When I really want hifi, I sit in my living room, alone, and listen to tunes through my pair of floor speakers which I custom built, also to remind me of my youth.

I was really into car stereo back in the 70's and 80's. I owned many good name brands, like Clarion, Pioneer, Sony and some lesser known cheaper brands like Kraco. I used to enjoy working under the dash, installing hi-end cassette-radios, separate hifi component car amps and replacing speakers. I think the nicest sounding system I ever installed, in a car, was the Clarion system I mentioned, coupled to a pair of rear-deck mounted Marantz 5-way 6x9's. It was the only coaxial speaker I've ever seen with a coaxial 4" midrange cone, a smaller tweeter cone and a pair of tiny tweeters (maybe Piezos?). The clarity was outstanding. Voice/mids were fabulous. Similar to 'home' speaker sound.

You hinted towards heavy bass. How much bass? Personally, I am not a fan of subs. They deliver a lot of bass, if tuned properly and crossed over low enough. But, for me, they ruin music reproduction. I much prefer a large floor standing speaker. I can usually hear the subs playing and that ruins it for me. I'm a stereo guy, like the old Maxell tape commercials of a guy, hair blowing, sitting between two large speakers haha.

I have a Ford with 12 manufacture installed speakers and the old Dolby surround. It sounds decent. But there are things I'd change, if I were younger and had money to burn, and the energy. The door speakers could use caps to filter out bass below 100-150Hz. They would sound much cleaner. The rear 8" sub sounds 'hard', for lack of a better word. Probably the enclosure is too small. I'd like to take it apart. Apply internal damping. Maybe adjust the bass-reflex port, or seal it off, or replace the driver altogether. But, I just don't feel like it anymore lol. I don't spend as much time in the vehicle, as I did when young.

From your comment, I'd recommend the Old JVC Kaboom Box series, making sure to only look at models with the 6.5" side-firing subs. Those units may provide you with some satisfaction. They deliver a big bass-heavy sound.

 

[BoomBoxStash]

Sometimes it's hard to pick a favorite. They all have their pluses and minuses. Also, age and use takes its toll on vintage models. As far as what sounds best. Well, you can listen to 10 vintage boomboxes of the same model number, all playing the same song with the same EQ settings, volume level and power input, and they can all sound a little different. Couple that with how we all hear sounds differently, and you get mixed emotions on almost every model out there.

That's why, when people ask me which one sounds the best, I tell them, whichever one puts the biggest smile on your face. If they are not sure, I encourage them to list features and then, if they are looking for vintage, go to a meet where they can listen to a wide range of different models in person. I never pick a "best" radio for anyone. Just like I don't pick a color of paint when shopping with the wife. But I can tell folks which models I own that I personally like the best

I'm interested to see what you come up with.

I've been thinking about all my old boomboxes. Difficult to really remember how they sounded back then. We're talking 45 years ago lol.

One that comes to mind is the Panasonic RX-DT75. This boombox was obviously not a classic of the early 80's. But I recall always liking the mids and treble. The detail and nuance.

Funny tho, I remember hearing its brother, the Panasonic RX-DT707 at a Tokyo Shapiro store. That unit sounded awesome. Powerful and balanced. But, I always gravitated towards the DT75 because it was more soohisticated.

Now, I am frustrated. I was skimming through pics of old boomboxes, trying to remember which ones I owned or auditioned. And I just realized Panasonic had higher models, the RX-DT909 and the RX-DT95. What the heck? I thought I had the top-of-the-line all these years.

Now I want the RX-DT909. It is not the top model, but idc. I really like the dual screen display and digital graphic eq. I think that may be the one for me. I may have to begin saving my pennies.

 

[Reli]

Here's a thread you'd really like:

My thoughts about boomboxes

I've always loved boomboxes, especially when I was a teen. I had a difficult puberty and music has always been (and will be) a haven of calm and...

stereo2go.com

 

[BoomBoxStash]

Here's a thread you'd really like:

My thoughts about boomboxes

I've always loved boomboxes, especially when I was a teen. I had a difficult puberty and music has always been (and will be) a haven of calm and...

stereo2go.com

Hmmmm. Interesting article. I don't agree with all tho. His fav, the Aiwa, looks cool. All the features are amazing. I love the hi-tech and performance. I imagine it probably sounds similar to the Panasonic DT707 or the DT909 (which I've never heard). I agree that Aiwa had a really great sounding bass boost system back then. Their DSL was awesome and boosted deeper bass. Much better than the conventional loudness control on most portables or stereos. But I like the look of the Panasonic RX-DT909 over the Aiwa. That's another one I'd have to keep an eye out for, I guess. Also, I'd like to hear it compared to the JVC PC-55. That unit was also excellent. Very good sound. Excellent deck. Beautiful LCD display. One of the best looking and useful VU meters I've ever seen or used. Many great features, like the Aiwa, including JVC's SEA EQ, which allowed user modification of recording. idk. There were some really nice hi-tech models back then.

He kind of knocks the Panasonic RX-DT680. I owned the higher DT690. I really liked that one. Bass was full and warm. Good overall sound. Some unwanted resonance due to the plastic speaker boxes. But, it sounded ok.

I never did find a Sanyo Big Ben. I didn't really like the look of it, anyway. It didn't impress me as an advanced hi-performance unit, appearance wise. But the 8" sub always intrigued me.

I agree the big boomboxes shared space with PC boards and there was no real speaker enclosure. But, then again, if I placed the big boombox near a corner of the room or near a wall, the bass audibly improved. Those so-called 'woofers' on the JVC M90 or in the big Crowns, wouldn't have functioned properly in a true speaker enclosure anyway, imo. They were well suited for their totally open-backed enclosures. It was a trade off. Like you previously mentioned, midrange detail was very good on the M90. It was a compromise.

I never got into the Walkman.
But, back in the late 70's, I bought a pair of Realistic quad headphones. They were on sale, usually $50 or more. They featured dual large drivers in each earpiece and each side was very heavily damped for a great seal around the ear. It came with dual 1/4" male plugs, one for 'front' drivers and one for 'rear' drivers. I bought a 'Y' adapter and played all 4 drivers from my Pioneer stereo receiver headphone jack. The sound was crazy. Bass was incredible. I could actually feel the bass hotting my ears. My ears were always ringing afterward. Good times lol

 

[Reli]

The Big Ben is my favorite sounding 1-piece. But I admit it does look kind of odd.

 

[BoomBoxStash]

The Big Ben is my favorite sounding 1-piece. But I admit it does look kind of odd.

I always wanted to hear that one. The Big Ben came out before subs became 'a thing'. Sanyo had a few portable models with a sub built in.
I remember owning one with a smaller center sub and a front facing bass port and a pair of speaker which may or may not have been detachable. LOL, its been a while.

 

[BoomBoxStash]

The Big Ben is my favorite sounding 1-piece. But I admit it does look kind of odd.

I also owned several Fisher models which delivered some pretty good sound. The best sounding one was not a big box, but looked a little more like an oversized soundbar, with detachable plastic speakers at each end. The speakers consisted of smaller woofers, around 4"-5" and a tweeter, in a bass-reflex config. Nice sounding unit. Pretty smooth, overall. Good sounding tone controls, like the Sanyo. But, that's to be expected, since they were related companies.

I later found the large Fisher component boombox. A model PH-92(?). Featured a large center component style tuner and deck unit and a pair of large plastic speaker enclosures with 8" woofers and cone tweeters. Looked ok. Not as hi-tech, tho. Very big, around the size of the JVC M90. Sound was meh. Amp power was about par for the time. I tried upgrading the woofers to true modern 8" drivers. It doesn't really work, sadly. The heavier drivers are not as efficient and they require much more current. I should have kept the originals. At that time, I was still deluding myself into believing I could somehow improve on the boombox. All I ended up doing was wasting money on higher quality replacement drivers which never really fit properly, subsequently ruining some otherwise nice boomboxes. Live and learn.

 

[Reli]

Yeah Fisher PH-492. It doesn't have any warmth, you need to crank it up to get any bass.

 

[BoomBoxStash]

Yeah Fisher PH-492. It doesn't have any warmth, you need to crank it up to get any bass.

Yep. It was very disappointing. I messed with it. I sold it on ebay. The buyers wanted their money refunded. ebay caved. I lost out on a hefty shipping fee. It wound up in the garbage. I no longer sell on ebay.

I'm looking at ebay now, to see what's for sale, vintage. But, a good vintage boombox has a price tag of a thousand dollars plus, ridiculous! Or, it sells for a couple hundred, but looks like someone wiped their a$$ with it.
Not to mention they are 40+ yrs old.

I know it's probably a mistake, but I keep considering the new Lasonic i931bt with rechargeable battery. I just don't know. At least it would be brand new and I can send it back for a refund.

I like the rechargeable convenience. A big plus over any vintage unit.
I like the dimensions, 26"W x 14" H. That's pretty big. Even compared to the classics, like the JVC.
I like that it has 8" woofers. For me, 8" speakers and the big hi-end boombox just went hand-in-hand. Anything less seems not good enough.
But I am so afraid it will sound terrible.

From researching, it appears this new model has 5 tone presets, but includes a FLAT preset (marked "loudness" on the unit). I would always use FLAT. I hate preset eqs.

It no longer includes Bass/Treble, even tho it says that it does, on the unit, and that's fine.

I prefer playing my home stereo in discreet mode, but I doubt the Lasonic will sound balanced playing FLAT. I'm wondering, if I would set the 100 Hz eq at 0 dB and cut the mid freqs, will the sound smooth out and be listenable?

The white one with chrome accents is still $199 at Walmart. It looks nice, anyway.

According to my research, there is now an all white version (no chrome accents), which Amazon is offering for $156. But I've read it is missing some of the buttons/functions and it looks like a freaking albino boombox. I don't think I could stand to look at it. It just looks like crap.

That's where I'm at right now.

 

[Reli]

I've never owned that particular Lasonic. But the biggest problem with their boxes is, although they make good bass, the plastic they use is thin and transmits resonance. You'd probably need to add a few pieces of Dynamat to the interior walls. That's assuming it can even be disassembled without breaking.

 

[BoomBoxStash]

I've never owned that particular Lasonic. But the biggest problem with their boxes is, although they make good bass, the plastic they use is thin and transmits resonance. You'd probably need to add a few pieces of Dynamat to the interior walls. That's assuming it can even be disassembled without breaking.

Yeah. I was thinking along the same lines. I had an old i931BT. It came apart ok.

According to a youtube teardown video of the new i931BT, the L/R speakers are actually sealed off in an acoustic-suspension config. From the video, I am thinking I'd apply a thin closed foam layer (2-3 mm), to the interior rear wall. Then add a layer of 1" fiberfil damping. I have both on-hand, no cost.

I was also thinking, maybe buy a pair of coils to attenuate the woofers above 3-4 Khz, to reduce excess treble.

If I do this, I'll take pics and describe my experience on this website. I am inching towards ordering the darn thing lol.

 

[Reli]

Might be better off cutting some vents into the back so the volume doesn't drop off a cliff when you walk behind it.