New boombox in 80's retro style with radio, cassette, cd, usb, bluetooth, line in, mic in.
- Thread starter goodman
- Start date
Rockin88
New Member
I am not convinced that the audio you hear in this video is actually coming out of the boombox. Look closely at the speakers they are not moving much, and when the camera moves around you don't hear the audio tone change at all. It's sad but I think this video is a fake (in terms of actual sound coming from it).
Rockin88
New Member
Well I guess it could be real, but I sure didn't get that kind of sound out of my Aiwa. I just returned it to Target today, otherwise I'd ask for the music and try it on mine to see if I can get that good of sound out of it. And I guess I pissed off 80's Kid that put up the video too... Not a good way to start out on this group, sorry everyone! I'll apologize to him. But I do stand by my review of the Aiwa Backtrack that I received from Target. Maybe it was a lemon.
I just bought the USA version, the AI7012, in yellow.
First impressions are it plays tapes pretty well, for being such a cheap transport. Recording on cassette is awful, probably because of the permanent magnet erase head. That makes for a LOT of hiss.
Observations and niggles:
1. My right channel VU meter backlight does not work. I've started a return and expect the seller to handle this no problem, but it does have me concerned about quality control.
2. I've run about 4 tapes through it so far, and on one there was a point where the tape warbled and slowed slightly, and then resumed at normal speed. I was concerned the batteries were already dying but they tested good, and it was brief. Maybe it's just breaking in, or maybe that particular tape has more drag than the others.
3. The MP3 recording function is useless, because it's only 128kbps. 256 should be the minimum, with an option for 320. That combined with the lackluster tape recording means this deck pretty much sucks for recording anything. I doubt there will be firmware upgrades for this thing to give us more kbps. But anyways, I didn't buy it for recording so this is not really important to me.
4. The headphone output is very, very low. I wonder if there's a way to bump the volume up. On vintage equipment the headphone output was usually just a resistor drop from the main amplifier. If that's the case, a lower value resistor may help there. But I'm not really interested in taking it all apart to get to that circuit.
5. Someone complained about the CD output being lower volume than the tape output. I do not experience that with my unit. The CD rocks out quite nicely. Bluetooth and aux input also are quite loud. HOWEVER, I have a lot of recordings that I made on chrome and metal tapes, and these are recorded quite a bit hotter than commercial tapes. These do play louder... but they drive the amp into distortion at full volume. I think the unit is designed so the aux/BT/CD/etc sources cannot normally overdrive the amp into distortion. Because tape is pure analog it's possible to overdrive the amp with a hot tape.
6. I was initially disappointed with the max volume from this thing, but then I lifted it up off the floor and put it on a table and that made a huge difference in perceived volume. Had to turn it down! Putting it on a table helped with the bass too.
7. CD player controls also control the connected bluetooth device. This is a nice feature, and I appreciate it.
8. So far I've played four tapes at near max volume, listened to a CD, and now bluetooth for the last 30 minutes, and the alkaline D-cell batteries in there are still reading good. I'm curious how long they'll last.
9. Lots of complaints about not being rechargeable.... well, 10ah rechargeable lithium ion D cells (with regulated 1.5V output and USB charging) are under five bucks apiece, and no need to buy a special charger.
10. Jesus H. Taco-Loving Christ, this thing is HEAVY. It may not be metal, but it's not a cheap POS either. While it's considered portable, I'd classify it as "luggable". If you're taking it someplace, you've made a big decision to carry it the whole way there.
11. VU meters move with the music, there is no perceptible lag; They work much like the VU meters in my vintage tape decks. The only real difference is the VU meters aren't tied to line level, they're tied to the volume control. Meaning if the volume is set low they will barely move. While I don't prefer this at all... this is a ghetto BLASTER. It's never really going to be operated quietly. So a minor quibble at most.
12. No the handle is not damped, and it does make noise when you flip it down. But I'd hardly call it "slamming" down.
13. Tape and CD doors take forever to open at first, but the cassette door loosened up after just a little usage. I haven't used the CD door enough yet but I expect it will loosen up too.
14. Sound quality is better than I expected. Bass is nothing special but it's quite detailed. Those separate tweeters are amazeballs.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with this thing. We'll see how long it lasts with regular use.
Charlie
First impressions are it plays tapes pretty well, for being such a cheap transport. Recording on cassette is awful, probably because of the permanent magnet erase head. That makes for a LOT of hiss.
Observations and niggles:
1. My right channel VU meter backlight does not work. I've started a return and expect the seller to handle this no problem, but it does have me concerned about quality control.
2. I've run about 4 tapes through it so far, and on one there was a point where the tape warbled and slowed slightly, and then resumed at normal speed. I was concerned the batteries were already dying but they tested good, and it was brief. Maybe it's just breaking in, or maybe that particular tape has more drag than the others.
3. The MP3 recording function is useless, because it's only 128kbps. 256 should be the minimum, with an option for 320. That combined with the lackluster tape recording means this deck pretty much sucks for recording anything. I doubt there will be firmware upgrades for this thing to give us more kbps. But anyways, I didn't buy it for recording so this is not really important to me.
4. The headphone output is very, very low. I wonder if there's a way to bump the volume up. On vintage equipment the headphone output was usually just a resistor drop from the main amplifier. If that's the case, a lower value resistor may help there. But I'm not really interested in taking it all apart to get to that circuit.
5. Someone complained about the CD output being lower volume than the tape output. I do not experience that with my unit. The CD rocks out quite nicely. Bluetooth and aux input also are quite loud. HOWEVER, I have a lot of recordings that I made on chrome and metal tapes, and these are recorded quite a bit hotter than commercial tapes. These do play louder... but they drive the amp into distortion at full volume. I think the unit is designed so the aux/BT/CD/etc sources cannot normally overdrive the amp into distortion. Because tape is pure analog it's possible to overdrive the amp with a hot tape.
6. I was initially disappointed with the max volume from this thing, but then I lifted it up off the floor and put it on a table and that made a huge difference in perceived volume. Had to turn it down! Putting it on a table helped with the bass too.
7. CD player controls also control the connected bluetooth device. This is a nice feature, and I appreciate it.
8. So far I've played four tapes at near max volume, listened to a CD, and now bluetooth for the last 30 minutes, and the alkaline D-cell batteries in there are still reading good. I'm curious how long they'll last.
9. Lots of complaints about not being rechargeable.... well, 10ah rechargeable lithium ion D cells (with regulated 1.5V output and USB charging) are under five bucks apiece, and no need to buy a special charger.
10. Jesus H. Taco-Loving Christ, this thing is HEAVY. It may not be metal, but it's not a cheap POS either. While it's considered portable, I'd classify it as "luggable". If you're taking it someplace, you've made a big decision to carry it the whole way there.
11. VU meters move with the music, there is no perceptible lag; They work much like the VU meters in my vintage tape decks. The only real difference is the VU meters aren't tied to line level, they're tied to the volume control. Meaning if the volume is set low they will barely move. While I don't prefer this at all... this is a ghetto BLASTER. It's never really going to be operated quietly. So a minor quibble at most.
12. No the handle is not damped, and it does make noise when you flip it down. But I'd hardly call it "slamming" down.
13. Tape and CD doors take forever to open at first, but the cassette door loosened up after just a little usage. I haven't used the CD door enough yet but I expect it will loosen up too.
14. Sound quality is better than I expected. Bass is nothing special but it's quite detailed. Those separate tweeters are amazeballs.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with this thing. We'll see how long it lasts with regular use.
Charlie
Attachments
Transistorized
Member (SA)
One thing I have noticed with mine is that if I go too loud playing a cassette, the bass causes the cassette tape to flutter across the head during playback causing a distortion to higher frequencies.
You have to watch tape drag on these types of decks. When I say "these types" I am referring to the auto-stop that uses a pressure arm to detect the end of tape. Problem with this design is, if your take-up spool in your cassette drags more than the take-up clutch can overcome, your tape wraps around the capstan until the motor stops. It's a catastrophic event.
I much prefer the decks that use the take-up spool as their auto-stop. This prevents this from happening.
You have to watch tape drag on these types of decks. When I say "these types" I am referring to the auto-stop that uses a pressure arm to detect the end of tape. Problem with this design is, if your take-up spool in your cassette drags more than the take-up clutch can overcome, your tape wraps around the capstan until the motor stops. It's a catastrophic event.
I much prefer the decks that use the take-up spool as their auto-stop. This prevents this from happening.
Last edited:
It's been a year since I started this thread.
At first I didn't expect there to be such interest,
but slowly discussions and debates about this boombox started.
I managed to find and present to you the different versions for different countries and continents.
I think we managed to help many people to get informed and decide whether they like it or not.
Here is a update list of the owners of the new "retro" boombox:
@goodman - MUSE M380 - black
@TMR - AIWA AI7012 - silver
@Transistorized - AIWA AI7012 - black
@BoomBoxStash - AIWA AI7012 - black
@Jam_On_It - AIWA AI7012 - yellow
@Altin godo - Roxel Camden - black
@VanRenx - MUSE M380 - black
@Netsurfer_x1 - AIWA AI7012 - silver
@andyc - Roxel Camden -
@ced64k - MEDION P66538 - silver
@hodra - MUSE M380 - black
@ChopperCharles - AIWA AI7012 - yellow
I decided to show all possible models and color combinations of this boombox - 23 total.
Now I will present them - LOOK HERE
I'm sure there's more to write and discuss here.
At first I didn't expect there to be such interest,
but slowly discussions and debates about this boombox started.
I managed to find and present to you the different versions for different countries and continents.
I think we managed to help many people to get informed and decide whether they like it or not.
Here is a update list of the owners of the new "retro" boombox:
@goodman - MUSE M380 - black
@TMR - AIWA AI7012 - silver
@Transistorized - AIWA AI7012 - black
@BoomBoxStash - AIWA AI7012 - black
@Jam_On_It - AIWA AI7012 - yellow
@Altin godo - Roxel Camden - black
@VanRenx - MUSE M380 - black
@Netsurfer_x1 - AIWA AI7012 - silver
@andyc - Roxel Camden -
@ced64k - MEDION P66538 - silver
@hodra - MUSE M380 - black
@ChopperCharles - AIWA AI7012 - yellow
I decided to show all possible models and color combinations of this boombox - 23 total.
Now I will present them - LOOK HERE
I'm sure there's more to write and discuss here.