VerY UnUSuaL BoXeS...!
- Thread starter Aiwa
- Start date
Reli
Boomus Fidelis
These are just my opinions:Aiwa said:
Sales bill ---- Doesn't mean anything. The box could have been sold years after it was built.
Brochure --- Usually accurate......unless the box was sold for multiple years, and the brochure was printed in one of the later years. Companies do usually change their brochures/catalogs every year to ensure they look "fresh".
Transformer stamp -- Doesn't mean anything. They could have used old transformers from old stock.
Speaker stamp -- Same as above....Doesn't mean anything.
Molded date stamp in the housing -- This would be accurate, UNLESS the model was produced over multiple years, therefore the date wouldn't tell you when it was first introduced.
Battery date tags --- Same as above.
Service manuals -- I suspect these dates are mostly accurate. While it's true that a service manual COULD have been printed (and dated) years after the box was produced, how likely would that happen? Any reputable brand would print the manual as soon as possible after the box began production, so that service techs would have the necessary info to repair them. And once the manual is printed, in say 1980, there would be no reason to change that year on the manual even if they were forced to print a fresh batch 2-3 years later. Publishers don't change the date of a publication unless there have been changes to it. And in the boombox world, if there are changes, they usually print a supplement, not a new manual.
RETRO-SYNTH
Member (SA)
Akai PJ-11
Tiny in person. I love this box. Fidelity is great at lower volumes. Obviously bass falls apart with such small speakers at high volumes but this thing gets loud for its size! Proprietary 4 pin connectors kill me. As does the broken function switch during shipping.
Tiny in person. I love this box. Fidelity is great at lower volumes. Obviously bass falls apart with such small speakers at high volumes but this thing gets loud for its size! Proprietary 4 pin connectors kill me. As does the broken function switch during shipping.
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Northerner
Boomus Fidelis
I do like an unusual boombox. Here's a few of my more oddball examples...
First up, my Toshiba RT-9000S. A rather clever three piece design, the speakers connect to the main unit via detachable hinges.
In its most compact form the speakers sit on top, with the handle clipped on to the speakers.
Unclip the handle and the speakers fold out either side of the main unit, making the whole thing 80cm wide and improving stereo separation quite significantly.
The speaker connections use a short wire with RCA-style plugs at either end, so with a few RCA plugs and some speaker cable the speakers can be detached and the RT-9000S used as a home stereo system - either using its own speakers or driving a pair of hifi speakers. It has a set of phono inputs, line outs and connections for an external antenna.
It's quite a decent sounding system; those oval drive units might not be terribly pretty but they're a decent size (6x4") with a parasitic tweeter cone. My example here still needs a bit of work; the internal Dolby B IC is dead (have got a new replacement but still need to fit it), and the tape deck really needs stripping for a thorough clean and lube.
First up, my Toshiba RT-9000S. A rather clever three piece design, the speakers connect to the main unit via detachable hinges.
In its most compact form the speakers sit on top, with the handle clipped on to the speakers.
Unclip the handle and the speakers fold out either side of the main unit, making the whole thing 80cm wide and improving stereo separation quite significantly.
The speaker connections use a short wire with RCA-style plugs at either end, so with a few RCA plugs and some speaker cable the speakers can be detached and the RT-9000S used as a home stereo system - either using its own speakers or driving a pair of hifi speakers. It has a set of phono inputs, line outs and connections for an external antenna.
It's quite a decent sounding system; those oval drive units might not be terribly pretty but they're a decent size (6x4") with a parasitic tweeter cone. My example here still needs a bit of work; the internal Dolby B IC is dead (have got a new replacement but still need to fit it), and the tape deck really needs stripping for a thorough clean and lube.
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Next oddball looks fairly conventional. It's a Sharp WQ-T232 from (I believe) the late 80s.
The oddball bit is the tape deck: it's a double cassette deck, but rather than 2 separate decks the tapes are inserted one behind the other. Quite a clever bit of mechanical engineering, and it makes for a particularly compact box compared with conventional twin tape designs.
It's also pretty loud, despite the small size. My dad used to have the red version as his work radio, 30 or so years ago when he work in a machine shop - it had to be loud to be heard over the CNC lathes, mills, drills etc. (Unfortunately he consigned his old Sharp to the bin many years ago or I'd be posting pictures of that!)
This example is pretty tidy bar a broken antenna clip, however it does need some attention as the tuner is not working. Tape and line-in work well, but there's no sound bar faint static on any of the radio bands. I did manage to find a service manual on eBay, though, so hopefully I can trace the cause and get it working.
The oddball bit is the tape deck: it's a double cassette deck, but rather than 2 separate decks the tapes are inserted one behind the other. Quite a clever bit of mechanical engineering, and it makes for a particularly compact box compared with conventional twin tape designs.
It's also pretty loud, despite the small size. My dad used to have the red version as his work radio, 30 or so years ago when he work in a machine shop - it had to be loud to be heard over the CNC lathes, mills, drills etc. (Unfortunately he consigned his old Sharp to the bin many years ago or I'd be posting pictures of that!)
This example is pretty tidy bar a broken antenna clip, however it does need some attention as the tuner is not working. Tape and line-in work well, but there's no sound bar faint static on any of the radio bands. I did manage to find a service manual on eBay, though, so hopefully I can trace the cause and get it working.
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This is a Ferguson 3T12 "Revolver". It's a mono radio cassette that also features a PA function.
On one side it has a fairly large 5.5" speaker and the tuner dial. Turn it around and the other side has the tape deck and what looks like a smaller speaker - but is actually just a grille which faces the rear of that 5.5" driver.
It's got fittings for a carry strap and a connection for an external microphone - the built in mic appears to only be used for recording to tape, which makes sense, it would be little use for PA as I imagine it's proximity to the speaker would generate some quite hideous feedback!
This is in pretty decent condition and the tuber and take deck both work very well. Sound quality is pretty decent as well thanks to that unusually meaty speaker. Have yet to try the PA function as I don't currently own a microphone!
On one side it has a fairly large 5.5" speaker and the tuner dial. Turn it around and the other side has the tape deck and what looks like a smaller speaker - but is actually just a grille which faces the rear of that 5.5" driver.
It's got fittings for a carry strap and a connection for an external microphone - the built in mic appears to only be used for recording to tape, which makes sense, it would be little use for PA as I imagine it's proximity to the speaker would generate some quite hideous feedback!
This is in pretty decent condition and the tuber and take deck both work very well. Sound quality is pretty decent as well thanks to that unusually meaty speaker. Have yet to try the PA function as I don't currently own a microphone!
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just dave
Member (SA)
Alpha Mike
Member (SA)
Hey guys.. what you think about Tokyo Conqueror? Is it really so rare. I m going to check one tomorrow. Cant wait to see it in person. Here in Europe they are allmost imposibile to find. Pic is from the www
Just got this rather lovely little Panasonic RX-F32 which I think should qualify as "unusual".
I really like the styling of these boxes; the dual stacked speakers have something of the much bigger RX-A5 about them.
The speaker drivers all look identical from the front and are the same size (9cm), but oddly the lower ones have a larger magnet than the uppers. Yet there's no crossover arrangement of any description. Strange.
This one is in really nice condition and sounds remarkably good for its size. I just need to have a poke about with the tape deck as although everything appears to turn, the heads don't lift up to actually play the tape. Hopefully it'll be easy enough to fix...
I really like the styling of these boxes; the dual stacked speakers have something of the much bigger RX-A5 about them.
The speaker drivers all look identical from the front and are the same size (9cm), but oddly the lower ones have a larger magnet than the uppers. Yet there's no crossover arrangement of any description. Strange.
This one is in really nice condition and sounds remarkably good for its size. I just need to have a poke about with the tape deck as although everything appears to turn, the heads don't lift up to actually play the tape. Hopefully it'll be easy enough to fix...
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floyd
Boomus Fidelis
There a beauty I would love to have a few of these . i love these Panasonic boomboxes.
Yes indeed Floyd! Panasonic/National did some really nicely styled boxes in the 80s. I'd love to get hold of an RX-5350 or RX-7000.
That's a nice looking box. Haven't heard of that brand before but the tape deck stickers look oddly familiar, similar or perhaps even identical to the ones on my Ferguson 3T22 (an AKA of the TEC 4040). I think that was also Korean made, so quite possibly they're from the same factory?
