video pictures and talk about the sonahawk.

[bill]

ok so i got the sonahawk home. 20 bucks. tape decks want to work but there is for sure belts needed there.
the cd player works the line in works the swivel works swivel what is that.
this box runs on batteries and has a handle is a bit strange looking no doubt it does have a eggo vibe going on but.....
this is no typical egg in terms of performance or features. the backlighted display is very cool there is also a control panel that slides out from the unit that you can control the functions of the box with.
it has am stereo absolutely one of the best radios on any boombox i have.
the display is rather cool there is a cool spectrum analyser and way to many functions to list.
sound is top notch on this unit very good bass and i put the overall sound in the same league as the big cobra top boxes.
look at this

[youtube]IyV2A0GjJ4o[/youtube]

she is a bit dirty and she could use a dusting but i am pretty amazed to find this unit here i mean i think these were japan only boxes i could be wrong but i think that not many made it to these shores.
this box really is the most hi tech box of any i have owned and i doubt many could match its feature set if any. i mean it really must have been expensive back in the day.

i havent figured the beast out completely and i am not sure if i will lol.
the looks of the box kind of say yuck and dont get me wrong the absolute over the top design is a bit crazy but when you actually hear it in person you would get it.
it really is a great sounding portable stereo and the swivel feature is just wild.
also when the box is turned on and the lcd is doing its thing its worth the price of admin just based on that . i am super glad to have scooped it . even tho the tape decks need servicing i think it was a steal for this ultra rare bird.

okay so after listening to this box as i write this i can say its really excellent sounding with tons of bass. its a better sounding box than a kaboom and the bass wont leave you dissapointed.

 

[jaetee]

Very cool. So it just swivels back and forth on its own (why?) or were you doing that?

 

[blah blah]

that has to be one of, if not the most unique box i've seen. never even heard of it but glad to hear it has some major sounds.
thanks for sharing bill

 

[Radio raheem]

Way to go bill that is rare not so keen on the looks though, hey does it take batts if so how many

 

[bill]

the remote control makes it turn. you can position three different settings for this in memory.
the reason for this could be.
it is cool as hell
it could be to do with am reception because of the internal ferrite antenna that is just a guess.
or if you are in different areas.
the bass boost on this unit is cool. i am not entirely sure but i think that you can pick specific bass points to accenuate.
it does have three presets on the eq.
unfortunately the tape deck is non functional but i have a feeling when it is working it is quite good.
cant get it to switch out of 9 hz steps on am there must be a way. the fh7 is so easy it just has a switch behind the batteries for the memory. there must be a way to do it but i will be damned if i can figure it out.
ok so heres the thing i have spent a while listening to it and this had to be a very hi end box in its day i mean the sound of it is super and it is very loud deceptively so for its size.
i am thinking it must be somewhere at ten watts per channel .
stereo separation is really good on it and the cd player does sound excellent.
the tuner on it is very good .
it is obviously using the big ports on the side to enhance the bass but i cant figure out how come it sounds so rich.
it does have a dent in one of the speaker grills. i found a site that shows how to tear it down and rebuild it but it is all in japanese. damn i would sure love to find one of these in mint shape. i mean i can forgive its looks do to many things.
the display is really cool. using really basic lcds to present images of the cd spinning or the tape moving.
the spectrum analyzer can be switched from various different modes too.
this box isnt for everyone i mean if the high tech modern looks puts you off i can understand it.
however the sound of this box is amazingly good. in fact if i had the choice between a dt707 and this box it would be hard to pick. it easily is putting out as much bass as my m70 and has that warm clear sound you would associate with a m9998k.
in fact its pretty much as loud as the m70 but with a much clearer sound.
but her face

 

[bill]

Way to go bill that is rare not so keen on the looks though, hey does it take batts if so how many

yes tim it does take batteries it only takes 8 d cels and i just found a site that says it puts out 11.5 watts per channel.
it has a pretty decent sized heat sink too so i am thinking that it must be a pretty decent little amp in there.
aside from the tape deck not working pretty much everything is good. the control panel can be a bit finicky getting it to behave but you can manually pull it out.
i really think it is cool.

 

[Strānj-Bōōmbŏks]

bill, congrats on that fine specimen of Strānj-ness... awesome!!! Love the swivel-thingy now that's what I call directional sound!!! Imagine that strapped up on your shoulder and hittin' the swivel button??? Freaky!!!!

 

[bill]

i think this unit from what i can gather was made between 91 and 95 . i think it was also available with mini disc deck as well.
i think the fact it has am stereo is a pretty rare thing in and on its own.
i still havent pushed it up to full volume. i mean i got it up to five and it was super loud. i think it goes much louder but will give it a go tomorrow.
i know its hard on the eyes but this portable is no slouch in terms of its sound. it is excellent.

 

[bill]

bill, congrats on that fine specimen of Strānj-ness... awesome!!! Love the swivel-thingy now that's what I call directional sound!!! Imagine that strapped up on your shoulder and hittin' the swivel button??? Freaky!!!!

this thing has robocop written all over it. i mean i could practically hear it saying you have four seconds to comply the first time i got the swivel to work.

 

[Johnny]

Bill, its not that bad looking, and has some very cool features. My TV swivels via the remote also - makes viewing better wherever you sit in the living room, I am sure that radio was meant for top of a stand/table and if you sit down in the recliner you could swivel it toward you versus the love seat....for better imaging...

I like it, and think you made a smart choice in grabbing it!

 

[bill]

well honestly if it looked like the oscar meyer wiener mobile i would have grabbed it just based on how excellent it sounds.
i mean aside from the pc550 this is the best sounding 8 d cel box i have.
it is really rich on features i mean had to think of a box with a larger feature set.
i think there is a citizen knock off of this boxes basic shape. i think it was also sold as a sieko .

 

[Boom Shaka Laka]

Welcome to the Sonahawk Club! Here's mine, a ZS-70 (don't ask me what the difference is between yours and this one). I've never spent much time with mine, so it was great to read about all the things it does and the great sound it puts out. Thanks for a super review!

Mine is a Japan domestic model, so I'm stuck with an AM band that's in 9KHz increments (no way to change it). (At least the FM band goes up to 108MHz, which not all Japanese radios do.) The good news is the 9KHZ and 10KHz systems coincide at 540, 630, 720, 810, 900, 990, 1080, 1170, 1260, 1350, 1440, 1530, and 1620KHz, so around here I can receive a few AM stations exactly (and a few more that are close to the frequencies this radio receives). One of the exact stations I can get clearly here in Detroit is CFCO from Chatham, Ontario, at 630KHz, as you can see in the first photo. It's even in AM stereo, which I think is kaput in the U.S. (thanks to HD radio), but still exists in Canada.

Now, after going over what you've written, I think I'd better start playing with this thing to see what it does. Thanks again, Bill!

 

[bill]

man you need to use that radio lol. i mean it sounds really good. so i am surprised theres no way to switch the tunning scale.
i mean even on my sony icf2010 there is a way to do it by pushing two keys.
its not a total drag you cant do it but it would have been nice.
yours looks mint.
really a beauty you have there.

 

[Boom Shaka Laka]

man you need to use that radio lol. i mean it sounds really good. so i am surprised theres no way to switch the tunning scale. i mean even on my sony icf2010 there is a way to do it by pushing two keys.
its not a total drag you cant do it but it would have been nice.yours looks mint. really a beauty you have there.

I guess there was just no thought given to a 9/10 KHz switch, since AM is 9KHz both in Japan and Europe, and no one ever intended this unit to end up in North America.... unlike your ICF-2010, which was sold and meant to be used everywhere in the world. Yeah, my ZS-70 (I sure would like to know how it's different from your ZS-66) is in nice shape, but I need to start using it. I had no idea it swiveled by remote control! (What remote control button does that???) I guess I've neglected it because of its egginess. Time to change my attitude, I think!

 

[skippy1969]

WOW! that is a crazy machine. I'm impressed.......

 

[eldorado]

wow wow weeeeeeeeeee

sturdy

 

[bill]

man you need to use that radio lol. i mean it sounds really good. so i am surprised theres no way to switch the tunning scale. i mean even on my sony icf2010 there is a way to do it by pushing two keys.
its not a total drag you cant do it but it would have been nice.yours looks mint. really a beauty you have there.

I guess there was just no thought given to a 9/10 KHz switch, since AM is 9KHz both in Japan and Europe, and no one ever intended this unit to end up in North America.... unlike your ICF-2010, which was sold and meant to be used everywhere in the world. Yeah, my ZS-70 (I sure would like to know how it's different from your ZS-66) is in nice shape, but I need to start using it. I had no idea it swiveled by remote control! (What remote control button does that???) I guess I've neglected it because of its egginess. Time to change my attitude, I think!

there is button marked swivel on my remote. then there is two buttons with arrows besides them.
on the upped part ot the control. right under the three memory buttons.
hold down swivel and move either left or right. i believe if you choose you can save those positions to the memory slots.
seriously you should start using it and ejoying it. i mean it sounds really nice .

 

[oldskool69]

Nice pickup Bill! I've seen them but never bothered to listen to one.