NEXT: I am heading to Hong Kong to work for Bumpboxx!
- Thread starter Lasonic TRC-920
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trippy1313
Member (SA)
So.... I know I haven't been on much lately.... but threads like this make me feel like it's been a year since I've been here.
Wow. I'm honestly pretty much speechless.... this is awesome..... I'll have to come back when I have more to say. Mind..... blown....
Wow. I'm honestly pretty much speechless.... this is awesome..... I'll have to come back when I have more to say. Mind..... blown....
Hurb
Member (SA)
WTF Chris!! This is magic!! One off the first things I thought about when we met in Dessau and I saw the Bumpboxx in real life!! " Why isn't somebody like Chris up there at Bumpboxx at Product management/Innovation/Development!! Lets have some more magic!!
Wishing you all the best over there! Rock-on
Hurb (Herbert)
Wishing you all the best over there! Rock-on
Hurb (Herbert)
BoomboxLover48
Boomus Fidelis
I am okay if it don't look like this.......with corner pieces and ugly handle! No cabinet door handles! 
So I will be a happy man when the new one is out there!
So I will be a happy man when the new one is out there!
Stay tuned Kenny! It's about to get loud in here!trippy1313 said:
Hurb, it was a pleasure sharing a beer with you in East Germany. Your right, the Bumpboxx is no joke, that thing pounds and I'm so glad that I, along with Dr Der had small pieces in the puzzle to make it possible for you and so many other to hear it. Thanks for your kind words. I have been speaking with Rob and he is fired up and extremely committed to making this happen.Hurb said:
I certainly hope we can do betterBoomboxLover48 said:I am okay if it don't look like this.......with corner pieces and ugly handle! No cabinet door handles!
So I will be a happy man when the new one is out there!
1 more day and then I am out!
It's 23 hours and 45 minutes of travel. I leave at 6:15am on Friday from Naples, Italy, fly to Paris for a 3 1/2 hour lay over then arrive in China at 6am on Saturday.
Every thread, every conversation, all the ideas and opinions we have had over the past years are just spinning in my head. From handle textile feel (don't want a discolite handle) to shear raw power (C100 and beyond) to crisp clear clarity (Sony FH, DJ Tech, Coby's best
) to modern rechargeable battery life. It goes on and on....I don't know if I will sleep for the next 3 weeks.
HERE WE GO!
Very exciting Chris!!! 
So I assume you're taking some real vintage boxes with you for demo purposes?!
So I assume you're taking some real vintage boxes with you for demo purposes?!
BoomboxLover48
Boomus Fidelis
Yes, I'm taking the 920 with me for a few reasons, mostly because, well, it's my 920!jimmyjimmy19702010 said:Very exciting Chris!!!
So I assume you're taking some real vintage boxes with you for demo purposes?!
But also because I want to use is as a conversation prop. This will probably be this ones last trip. Even though it's in it's flight case, it's still taking a poundingThank you very muchBoomboxLover48 said:Wish you a safe journey!
samovar
Member (SA)
Have a great trip and feel the positive vibes from all the people who back you up from here. And please, no anxiety. The way I see it, there's no such thing as failure in your mission. At best, you may contribute to a revolution of the XXI century boombox; at worst, nothing will change. I say so because I realize that the high expectation we all have may somehow put extra pressure on you. You may feel more than committed, you may feel responsible. Please, don't. Go, be happy and sleep no less than 8 hours a day. A good rest is the secret of all great ventures!
chevyman-uy
Member (SA)
Thanks for those words and to all the awesome support from everyone. Believe me, since posting this thread, It has really hit me harder. The reality of it. All the idea's that have come from everyone over the years. The deep commitment collectors have on this site. The radio's that have been hunted down in the wild at huge effort and expense. The collective work to figure out how to repair and replace parts. Everything that has brought us all closer together through these simple plastic boxes.samovar said:Have a great trip and feel the positive vibes from all the people who back you up from here. And please, no anxiety. The way I see it, there's no such thing as failure in your mission. At best, you may contribute to a revolution of the XXI century boombox; at worst, nothing will change. I say so because I realize that the high expectation we all have may somehow put extra pressure on you. You may feel more than committed, you may feel responsible. Please, don't. Go, be happy and sleep no less than 8 hours a day. A good rest is the secret of all great ventures!
Add in all the DYI projects, the hypothetical "What if" conversations, the digital renderings and all the hands on critiques of all the big named companies that have tried to bring products to market. The fact that many of the collectors here on this site have spent their hard earned money to at least try out these modern attempts, from Sony, Pioneer, Aiwa, TDK, Lasonic ect...I think means allot. BUT, with the (usually) same response, "It sounds great, but...." "But its not a "Box". "It sounds great but looks like hell" and NONE OF US can figure out for the life of us WHY someone just doesn't build a DAMN BOOMBOX!
For me personally, it just boggles my damn mind...
In all these discussions, there has always been the counter point "Well, the generation has moved on and it probably wouldn't sell and no company wants to risk it".
And yet, for 7 years the only modern face of the "Boombox" was the Lasonic i931 that showed up in every photo shoot for magazines and product commercials as a "Retro throwback". We never saw a clothing ad with the bikini clad girl rockin' a Pioneer Steez or a JVC tube! Because the photographer or the marketing director made a conscious decision to "Give the people what they want" and they used the best radio for the job, which was the i931 because it was the closest representation to what they were trying to portray, "Fun on the beach with a boombox".
Bumpboxx certainly got the basic concept. A rectangle, a long handle from end to end, 2 huge woofers and two tweeters pushed to the top corners. It's basic bones are there. It's not a FREAKING TUBE and as I have said for years...."I don't care how great a tube sounds, I will never rock a tube!"
I would be very interested to know how many Pioneer Steez tubes were sold. Did they cover the cost of design, development, production and advertising? I would bet that Lasonic sold more of the i931 generation boxes than Pioneer sold of the Steez tubes! Quality issues and limitations aside, I would say Lasonic probably out sold them. Simply based on the looks.
In my personal opinion, and we will find out soon enough if this is even possible....I feel that where we are in terms of off the shelf technology and in terms of what Rob and his team have already been able to achieve with his current Bumpboxx's, that the materials (i.e. amplification, battery technology ect) already exist in high enough quality, to build the best boombox ever!
I will tell you, my goal's in this project has nothing to do with "The Biggest" or the "The Loudest". Rob has already thrown down that gauntlet in those departments in a brutal battle royal against Diamondboxx and others! That area of the Boombox world is already being covered.
My goal is focused on the highest quality materials with in reason to cost. Sound quality in relation to cabinet size and construction. Design and usable features.
We know (you and I) what are considered to be the greatest radios ever made. We know what features we liked the best. We know what design cues we loved the most and these are in direct relation to the prices many of these classic boxes bring in. Knowing that, we should be able to design the looks around these fundamental design building blocks and using the modern battery capacities of today and the super efficient amplification designs of today, of which, neither I, nor Rob have to build the architecture of, unlike what the designers had to do back in the day. So, we should, in theory be able to do it.
I asked Rob just the other day what he felt our chances were of pulling this all off. His reply: "10000%". He is committed! This isn't about getting this done in a month and shoving it onto store shelves. He is a collector of vintage radios and understands what the goal is.
So, there is nothing left to do, but to just do it.
I board a plane tomorrow morning to begin the process. I will be starting a new thread to document the trip, so stay tuned.....HERE WE GO!
Hisrudeness
Member (SA)
Good luck and safe journey.
Remember you and Rob, whatever you develop you're not going to be able to please all of the people.
Good luck with everything.
Remember you and Rob, whatever you develop you're not going to be able to please all of the people.
Good luck with everything.
Northerner
Boomus Fidelis
frontside5
Member (SA)
Lasonic TRC-920 said:Thanks for those words and to all the awesome support from everyone. Believe me, since posting this thread, It has really hit me harder. The reality of it. All the idea's that have come from everyone over the years. The deep commitment collectors have on this site. The radio's that have been hunted down in the wild at huge effort and expense. The collective work to figure out how to repair and replace parts. Everything that has brought us all closer together through these simple plastic boxes.Have a great trip and feel the positive vibes from all the people who back you up from here. And please, no anxiety. The way I see it, there's no such thing as failure in your mission. At best, you may contribute to a revolution of the XXI century boombox; at worst, nothing will change. I say so because I realize that the high expectation we all have may somehow put extra pressure on you. You may feel more than committed, you may feel responsible. Please, don't. Go, be happy and sleep no less than 8 hours a day. A good rest is the secret of all great ventures!
Add in all the DYI projects, the hypothetical "What if" conversations, the digital renderings and all the hands on critiques of all the big named companies that have tried to bring products to market. The fact that many of the collectors here on this site have spent their hard earned money to at least try out these modern attempts, from Sony, Pioneer, Aiwa, TDK, Lasonic ect...I think means allot. BUT, with the (usually) same response, "It sounds great, but...." "But its not a "Box". "It sounds great but looks like hell" and NONE OF US can figure out for the life of us WHY someone just doesn't build a DAMN BOOMBOX!
For me personally, it just boggles my damn mind...
In all these discussions, there has always been the counter point "Well, the generation has moved on and it probably wouldn't sell and no company wants to risk it".
And yet, for 7 years the only modern face of the "Boombox" was the Lasonic i931 that showed up in every photo shoot for magazines and product commercials as a "Retro throwback". We never saw a clothing ad with the bikini clad girl rockin' a Pioneer Steez or a JVC tube! Because the photographer or the marketing director made a conscious decision to "Give the people what they want" and they used the best radio for the job, which was the i931 because it was the closest representation to what they were trying to portray, "Fun on the beach with a boombox".
Bumpboxx certainly got the basic concept. A rectangle, a long handle from end to end, 2 huge woofers and two tweeters pushed to the top corners. It's basic bones are there. It's not a FREAKING TUBE and as I have said for years...."I don't care how great a tube sounds, I will never rock a tube!"
I would be very interested to know how many Pioneer Steez tubes were sold. Did they cover the cost of design, development, production and advertising? I would bet that Lasonic sold more of the i931 generation boxes than Pioneer sold of the Steez tubes! Quality issues and limitations aside, I would say Lasonic probably out sold them. Simply based on the looks.
In my personal opinion, and we will find out soon enough if this is even possible....I feel that where we are in terms of off the shelf technology and in terms of what Rob and his team have already been able to achieve with his current Bumpboxx's, that the materials (i.e. amplification, battery technology ect) already exist in high enough quality, to build the best boombox ever!
I will tell you, my goal's in this project has nothing to do with "The Biggest" or the "The Loudest". Rob has already thrown down that gauntlet in those departments in a brutal battle royal against Diamondboxx and others! That area of the Boombox world is already being covered.
My goal is focused on the highest quality materials with in reason to cost. Sound quality in relation to cabinet size and construction. Design and usable features.
We know (you and I) what are considered to be the greatest radios ever made. We know what features we liked the best. We know what design cues we loved the most and these are in direct relation to the prices many of these classic boxes bring in. Knowing that, we should be able to design the looks around these fundamental design building blocks and using the modern battery capacities of today and the super efficient amplification designs of today, of which, neither I, nor Rob have to build the architecture of, unlike what the designers had to do back in the day. So, we should, in theory be able to do it.
I asked Rob just the other day what he felt our chances were of pulling this all off. His reply: "10000%". He is committed! This isn't about getting this done in a month and shoving it onto store shelves. He is a collector of vintage radios and understands what the goal is.
So, there is nothing left to do, but to just do it.
I board a plane tomorrow morning to begin the process. I will be starting a new thread to document the trip, so stay tuned.....HERE WE GO!
I am encouraged by the sentences I bolded.
I, for one, am not interested in a boombox that is going to mimic some disco lightshow. If it has lights everywhere I am not buying. PERIOD.
However, I know that I am probably NOT in the majority with that opinion. But, I don't think that both camps can't be satisfied. It is entirely feasible to design a nice looking boombox that doesn't have flashing LEDs everywhere, but have a differently spec'd model that does have LEDs flashing. A model could have spectrum analysers while another could have VU meters in that same space.
Good luck.
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