Boom Shaka Laka
Requiem Æternam
I'm with Melly. I've always wished full-sizers had come in colors like the mini's. I know a few did (some just in Japan), but not nearly enough.mellymelsr said:
What Do You Hate Most About A Boombox?
- Thread starter redbenjoe
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isolator42
Member (SA)
Great topic - I wanna keep it going!
Here's a mildly reworked old post from s2g - with some stuff that hasn't yet been mentioned & all important PICS!
Weedy speakers behind massive grilles
100s of guilty boomboxes on this one, but some real howlers out there, like this JVC I rant about given half a chance:
...AAGH! It might sound wonderful, but if I owned one, the looks would annoy me every time.
The Kaboom is guilty of this too. Those teeny 8cm front drivers alone stopped me buying one for a year:
Fake twin sliders
Here's a good example. 2 pics of the same basic boomer, which actually has a 5-band EQ.
Count those sliders on the bottom one...
...What a con.
Useless piezo tweeters
I'm aware that with proper design, piezo tweeters can be very effective.
It's just that a decent performing piezo in a boombox is about as rare as rocking-horse poo. They're only put in so they can scrawl "TWO-WAY FOUR SPEAKER SYSTEM" all over the place. Yeah, like those 4-inch drivers couldn't possibly provide any highs...
Pointless graphics
Those ridiculous flowcharts & pictograms which are only there to busy-up a fascia with a painfully low switch-count.
Here's a reasonable example:
That lot is just a tuning dial & LED power meters... Grim.
Then there's:
- twin slider volume controls. It's penny pinching. Fit a balance control, or just one volume slider if it's a 1pc. The speakers are only a foot apart anyway.
- weedy little silver dustcaps in big speakers. That put me off the mighty M90 for a bit - I thought the woofer dustcaps should be bigger. Sanyo had it right with the likes of the M9994:
Now that is a proper fkn boombox. It might sound rubbish, I dunno, but who cares - just look at the damn thing!
Hitachi 3D woofers got it right too, of course...!
- line-in that only works when Record is pressed on the tape deck. This is responsible for the destruction of the deck on my beloved Hitachi 3D7, & is therefore A CAPITAL OFFENCE.
...aaah, that's better
Here's a mildly reworked old post from s2g - with some stuff that hasn't yet been mentioned & all important PICS!
Weedy speakers behind massive grilles
100s of guilty boomboxes on this one, but some real howlers out there, like this JVC I rant about given half a chance:
...AAGH! It might sound wonderful, but if I owned one, the looks would annoy me every time.
The Kaboom is guilty of this too. Those teeny 8cm front drivers alone stopped me buying one for a year:
Fake twin sliders
Here's a good example. 2 pics of the same basic boomer, which actually has a 5-band EQ.
Count those sliders on the bottom one...
...What a con.
Useless piezo tweeters
I'm aware that with proper design, piezo tweeters can be very effective.
It's just that a decent performing piezo in a boombox is about as rare as rocking-horse poo. They're only put in so they can scrawl "TWO-WAY FOUR SPEAKER SYSTEM" all over the place. Yeah, like those 4-inch drivers couldn't possibly provide any highs...
Pointless graphics
Those ridiculous flowcharts & pictograms which are only there to busy-up a fascia with a painfully low switch-count.
Here's a reasonable example:
That lot is just a tuning dial & LED power meters... Grim.
Then there's:
- twin slider volume controls. It's penny pinching. Fit a balance control, or just one volume slider if it's a 1pc. The speakers are only a foot apart anyway.
- weedy little silver dustcaps in big speakers. That put me off the mighty M90 for a bit - I thought the woofer dustcaps should be bigger. Sanyo had it right with the likes of the M9994:
Now that is a proper fkn boombox. It might sound rubbish, I dunno, but who cares - just look at the damn thing!
Hitachi 3D woofers got it right too, of course...!
- line-in that only works when Record is pressed on the tape deck. This is responsible for the destruction of the deck on my beloved Hitachi 3D7, & is therefore A CAPITAL OFFENCE.
...aaah, that's better
ViennaSound
Boomus Fidelis
with paul!
ClaretBadger
Member (SA)
I HATE:
ALC - rubbish flawed system No matter who has manufactured it
Two sliders for Volume - JUST GIVE ME A BALANCE KNOB you gibbon!
Two aerials - Look I know it looks cool - but one invariably breaks - and I have noticed NO performance benefit with two whips.
Fake Tweeters
Push button controls - Soft touch Servo should be standard on ALL
Auto Reverse - HAS NO PLACE ON A TAPE DECK WHATSOEVER! Incorrect azimuth is not a desirtable feature no matter how convenient.
No more volume past 12 o'clock!!! Just distortion
Loudness button - OK let's cut the fooking crap - let's just label this button **** SOUND and make it function so:
Loudness on = **** off
and vice versa
ALC - rubbish flawed system No matter who has manufactured it
Two sliders for Volume - JUST GIVE ME A BALANCE KNOB you gibbon!
Two aerials - Look I know it looks cool - but one invariably breaks - and I have noticed NO performance benefit with two whips.
Fake Tweeters
Push button controls - Soft touch Servo should be standard on ALL
Auto Reverse - HAS NO PLACE ON A TAPE DECK WHATSOEVER! Incorrect azimuth is not a desirtable feature no matter how convenient.
No more volume past 12 o'clock!!! Just distortion
Loudness button - OK let's cut the fooking crap - let's just label this button **** SOUND and make it function so:
Loudness on = **** off
and vice versa
mmcodomino
Member (SA)
I hate when you have the feeling something is wrong with your boombox but actually it is totally fine 
For example I once was scared the balance was broken on one of my machines but it turned out it was positioned so stupid that the left speaker sound got reflected by the hard wall while the right one just sounded into the room = feeling that the left speaker is louder.
For example I once was scared the balance was broken on one of my machines but it turned out it was positioned so stupid that the left speaker sound got reflected by the hard wall while the right one just sounded into the room = feeling that the left speaker is louder.
Gluecifer
Member (SA)
redbenjoe said:ACL = automatic level control
its for boxes that have left//right manual recording dials-
and this over-rides the manual settings -
lots of boxed have it
your M90 has it..... its the auto/manual toggle
i like it
Ahh, thanks redbenrocker!
It all makes sense now!
Rock On.
Reli
Boomus Fidelis
isolator42 said:- weedy little silver dustcaps in big speakers. That put me off the mighty M90 for a bit - I thought the woofer dustcaps should be bigger. Sanyo had it right with the likes of the M9994:
Now that is a proper fkn boombox. It might sound rubbish, I dunno, but who cares - just look at the damn thing!
It's one of the best-sounding 1-pieces, actually. Better sounding than even the MX920 in my opinion.
hagarthefish
Member (SA)
Hisrudeness
Member (SA)
Not a specific box but in general.
1. Mouldy old boombox smell
2.Gooey belts
3. Philips boxes (except the elephant ones)
4. Channel issues
5.broken aerial tips
5.Plastic handles
6. Slightly slanted tops.(Aiwa 770, Sears etc)
7. Din inputs
8. Sunburnt tuner glass.
Can I add more as I think of them?
1. Mouldy old boombox smell
2.Gooey belts
3. Philips boxes (except the elephant ones)
4. Channel issues
5.broken aerial tips
5.Plastic handles
6. Slightly slanted tops.(Aiwa 770, Sears etc)
7. Din inputs
8. Sunburnt tuner glass.
Can I add more as I think of them?
Weedy amps, under driven speakers, drifting tuners, mid to high end models with no usable line ins.
Reli
Boomus Fidelis
Metal faceplates that are really just silver paint (Sankei TCR-S90)
Boxes that look sweet but sound so bad you're too ashamed to turn on for guests (Magnavox D8443).
​Two tape decks sharing the same motor (almost every Lasonic).
Boxes that require all the guts removed just to reach the speakers.
People who mark their favorite stations on the dial, like as if it's so hard to memorize them.
People who engrave their drivers license on it, like as if the police are going to help you recover a boombox.
Chemical smell, possibly from leaking caps
Invisible and toxic fire retardant sprayed or baked into the guts of most boxes (wash your hands!)
FM tuner problems the seller didn't disclose
"Repaired" screw posts the seller didn't disclose
Incorrect screws used as replacements
Incorrect antennas used as replacements, that refuse to stay up because they're not the right fit.
Broken feet the seller didn't disclose
Frozen VU meters the seller didn't disclose
Knobs that are only like 5mm tall, which means people have scratched the box with their fingernails
Pencil-thin battery springs that get all bent when you use them.
Sellers who put tape on the box as they're wrapping it.
Sellers who claim they don't have any tapes to test.
Sellers who say "it powers on, but no further testing was done"
Sellers who say "it has 38 watts of power" when in reality that's just the power consumption rating on the back of the box
Boxes that look sweet but sound so bad you're too ashamed to turn on for guests (Magnavox D8443).
​Two tape decks sharing the same motor (almost every Lasonic).
Boxes that require all the guts removed just to reach the speakers.
People who mark their favorite stations on the dial, like as if it's so hard to memorize them.
People who engrave their drivers license on it, like as if the police are going to help you recover a boombox.
Chemical smell, possibly from leaking caps
Invisible and toxic fire retardant sprayed or baked into the guts of most boxes (wash your hands!)
FM tuner problems the seller didn't disclose
"Repaired" screw posts the seller didn't disclose
Incorrect screws used as replacements
Incorrect antennas used as replacements, that refuse to stay up because they're not the right fit.
Broken feet the seller didn't disclose
Frozen VU meters the seller didn't disclose
Knobs that are only like 5mm tall, which means people have scratched the box with their fingernails
Pencil-thin battery springs that get all bent when you use them.
Sellers who put tape on the box as they're wrapping it.
Sellers who claim they don't have any tapes to test.
Sellers who say "it powers on, but no further testing was done"
Sellers who say "it has 38 watts of power" when in reality that's just the power consumption rating on the back of the box
MyOhMy
Member (SA)
One of my peeves with BB's is the design of the A/C socket. Whether it be on the side or the rear, why are so many designed in such a way that the cable sticks out at 90 degrees to the box? An A/C in set within a recessed socket area at an angle, low down on the rear of the BB, would have been so nice and very useful.
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