New Arrival - a replacement for my very first boombox I bought as a teenager.

[Demonfinder]

Arrrived by courier today via a slightly cheeky bid on eBay :



A great condition Aiwa 950 (K)
I first bought on brand new as a present to myself when I landed my first full time job - I think I bought it from Currys (U.K. electrical store) but it may have been called something different back then.
This was my first and only boombox and was an upgrade from a good liitle Aiwa mono Radio/Cassette player I used to tape the "Top Forty " with from the radio.
I can vaguely remember auditioning 4 or 5 alternatives including a massive Sharp but decided on this one as the sound quality was great,it only needed six batteries and Aiwa had a good reputation at the time for tape decks. Also it was slightly cheaper than the Sharp and easier to carry around -also a friend had had reliability problems with his cheaper model Sharp.
I was a bit nervous upon unboxing as the seller had siad they had no cassettes to try in the deck but they stated there was movement when they pressed the play key.
I was relieved to find that the tape plays great after a little clean of the heads.
The cue/review function is fine, both aerials intact and dial backlight works-as do the VU meters so I`m well pleased.
Only fault found is the tape counter belt seems to have gone -so most likely to be found as either a small pile of goo or hopefully just a broken belt when it comes to an inspection.
I have a few questions that I hope someone will be able to help me with regarding the inputs -I`ve attached some pics.
Can anyone tell me what the name is for the bottom pair of outputs for external speakers is please?


I think the top pair were known as DIN sockets but I`m not sure and other than the tape I have no idea of what the other symbols signify.


Am I right in thinking that I should use the top (tape) input if I`m trying to find a lead to connect up an MP3 player ?
I won`t be connecting to external speakers but just curious about the sockets.
Some of the other versions of this model had the more straightforward phono connections but I expect this was a model for the behind the times Brits ! :0)
Thanks in advance for any info.
Have to get back on eBay now to seek out a load of cassettes !

 

[Hisrudeness]

These don’t play MP3’s etc very well on DIN. Best off trying to get a good FM transmitter.
There are other versions for example the (H) which have RCA connections that would better for external sources.

 

[Demonfinder]

Thanks for that info @ His rudeness.
I may give it a go for the price of a cable but I bought it mainly for the tape deck and great receiver..way ahead of my crappy small Sony DAB ..and easier to find a station!
I lose out on a lot of the small stations..but as most are chock full of adverts its no real loss.
I now have to battle the Millenial Geeks in the market place for tapes though ..who`d have thought it !
I`m a middle aged guy in danger of becoming slightly hip by accident.

 

[masterblaster]

Hi Demonfinder! It's always great to connect your phone or MP3 player using a Cassette adapter!
They are quite cheap these days!

 

[Hisrudeness]

Yes a late 70s boombox is always a nice thing to have and these feel like you’ve really got some quality for the money.
If the cable doesn’t work out than try a Doosl FM transmitter. They’re not bad for the money.
As for the tapes, well the sealed ones fetch a lot of money online. I picked up quite a few used chrome and metal tapes for £0.10 - 0.20 in last years bootsale season. Good enough if you’re actively making tapes.

Good that you scored a good box from your past.

 

[Demonfinder]

That`s a new gizmo to me @masterblaster..may give one a go.
I`m hoping the car boot season returns with a vengance after lockdown as folks will have tons of junk they`ve cleared out of attics and spare rooms over lockdown and want to get shot of -I`m sure some tapes will be in the piles
I just found a scan of a 1979 "Which " magazine article which priced the TPR 950K at £190 ...that`s equivalent £880 in 2021!
I remember it was expensive ..I must have bought it on H.P.

 

[Reli]

Those external speaker outputs are 2-pin DIN type.

 

[Demonfinder]

Thanks @ Reli

 

[Tinman]

I bought a K version last year.
I had to do some research to figure out a way around the din connectors.
What I ended up doing was I ran three long jumper wires (left channel, right channel and ground) from the back of the phono din on the pcb to the opposite side of the box and soldered it to a phono attenuator.
From the attenuator, I ran four wires to some new RCA connectors I ran through the right side of the box.
It sounds great to me and unlike the H version, you can leave the RCA cable plugged in all of the time.
When I want to listen through the new RCA jacks, I switch it to phono.
Here are some pictures to show exactly what I did.

 

[Demonfinder]

Thanks for the info @Tinman ..that may be a bit ambitiuos for me just at the moment though
You`ve made a neat job of it though.