Boomboxes and Ghettoblasters

[just dave]

Dave, that is the Sharp model I had. I bought it when it first came out across the street from Grand Central Station at a audio shop. This was also when the same street (42nd Ave) had all the peepshow and sex shops and was a nasty neighborhood in general. All that stuff is long gone now, NYC cleaned it up. The Sharp was stolen unfortunately and I have looked for years for another. Not that I really need it, just the memories. IIRC it took 10 or 12 D cell batteries. Mine provided music for many a keg party. The original price was $799, I got mine on sale for $599

Wow that's a big chunk of change back then,hope you can find a good deal on one.

 

[Bahamayellow]

Finally have a boom box incoming next week. It's a magnavox D8443 model with the 3 speakers. I know everyone had one and so did a friend of mine. He's going to freak when it shows up. Got it for a good price and all the knobs are there and the cassette player works also. Will post pics when it shows up.

 

[Bahamayellow]

Here it is. Got a Fanta bottle next to it for scale. There was a really mint one for more than double the price but didn't want to spend that much. The tape player works still but for how long. Lol. Actually sounds pretty decent. Will keep my eye open for some around the thrift stores and craigslist. Circa 1985

 

[Farmhand]

I no longer have a need for a boombox, but I still have an interest. Magnavox made some that once appealed to me a lot, as did the JVC Kaboom. A friend had one of Magnavox's iterations with the sub in the center and a lot of features - probably the best boombox I ever heard (except for a heavy wooden one I built from solid oak with Pioneer component car stereo - their very first car component model - and separate amp. Ran from a cigarette lighter, or 110V AC if that were available. Weighed sixty pounds and looked very nice, if I do say so myself.) Never bought either, but was tempted. Not a boombox, but Cambridge Soundworks (IIRC) sold a portable suitcase type deal which served as subwoofer and case for satellites and an amp (IIRC, again) that I found highly appealing but never could seem to afford when raising kids. Some of you will doubtless recall the model name of that system - and if anyone here still has a set and can post images, I would find that highly interesting to see again. Pics are all I ever saw, in ads, certainly never got the chance to audition.

I had the one with the sub in the middle, in black. It was also available in silver. It had that circle molded on the back which perfectly housed a 'steal your face" sticker. Got it at a steep discount at Sears because it was a floor model and the Stereo mode on FM didn't work.
Eventually I of course took it apart.

 

[doctor fuse]

Figured this is the best place as I'm interested in talking the classics
Solid State, stereo, compact cassette, radio and portability - could fit a few of categories
Pre CD models
Anyone here heavy into boomboxes and their restoration-preservation?

If you are specifying Solid State, does that mean there are tube-based ghetto blasters out there? I WANT THAT!

 

[SVI2004A]

LMAO couldn’t imagine a poorer thing... tube boom box... can’t imagin vibration good for tubes, and outdoor atmospheric conditions.... poor things will straggle to develop much power.... like it’s a wheeled frame needed to get the 400V or so to run it.... (dcdc converters are forbidden .... evil solid state...)

Gimme any STK powered box... Technics National Sony and Sharp I know have them... there’d be more.... just haven’t seen them yet

 

[DaveVoorhis]

LMAO couldn’t imagine a poorer thing... tube boom box...

I like to think of my older Zenith Transoceanic as a proto-boombox; all-tube construction and surprisingly tough and capable of reasonable volume -- they were meant to be portable and meant to be used. This one was dragged off the top of a chest of drawers by the cat making a mis-calculated jump, with no damage.

 

[fredgarvin]

Already unsubscribed from the thread.

Aha! So you weren't interested in the least you said. I guess you were, enough to unsubscribe. Yes you were, yes you were!

 

[Bahamayellow]

I hope this doesn’t become a thing. I don’t need another hobby. Seeing double now. Picked up the second one on the right for a good deal on the bay. It’s almost like someone never used it. All cassettes working also. Want to get a few more but in great working condition.

 

[AdamAnt316]

I like to think of my older Zenith Transoceanic as a proto-boombox; all-tube construction and surprisingly tough and capable of reasonable volume -- they were meant to be portable and meant to be used. This one was dragged off the top of a chest of drawers by the cat making a mis-calculated jump, with no damage.

View attachment 1046251

I used my B600 Trans-Oceanic as a boombox of sorts several years back. Equipped it with a self-built battery pack (6xD-cells and 10x9-volts), rigged up a cable to allow me to hook a portable CD player or Walkman to its PHONO input, and hauled it around as a quasi-portable music source. Not the most integrated solution, but it sounded pretty good for what it was.
-Adam

 

[Bahamayellow]

Well just bought a JVC M70. For a decent price. The guy had deoxed all switches and rebuilt the amp boards so it should sound pretty good. Will post pics when it shows up.

 

[slow_jazz]

Does the Magnavox D8443 allow use of cd player thru any auxilary input???

 

[Bahamayellow]

I believe so but wasnt able to connect my iPod to the first one as the connections are corroded. I will try my better one to see if it works

 

[Bahamayellow]

Does the Magnavox D8443 allow use of cd player thru any auxilary input???

I was curious about your question and tried it once but didn’t work so I went to trusty YouTube. Only way you can use the line in is if the record button is pressed also. Apparently the line in was to record to a tape. I did like the video and tricked the tape player thinking it was recording and it worked. Sounds incredible with a iPod. Downside is the tape mechanism is constantly running. Probably not a good thing.

 

[Ronald1973]

High school has been in the rearview mirror for 25+ years now, but I remember a particular boombox I always wanted; it was in our math class. It was yellow. It was tall. Dual cassettes. I believe a Magnavox, but I could be wrong. It actually had inputs, something that appealed to me since I made mix tapes for the Pioneer Super Tuner in my 1975 Chevy Nova. Does anyone here have an idea?

 

[Bahamayellow]

High school has been in the rearview mirror for 25+ years now, but I remember a particular boombox I always wanted; it was in our math class. It was yellow. It was tall. Dual cassettes. I believe a Magnavox, but I could be wrong. It actually had inputs, something that appealed to me since I made mix tapes for the Pioneer Super Tuner in my 1975 Chevy Nova. Does anyone here have an idea?

Sounds like the magnavox D8304

 

[slow_jazz]

Thanks baha.

 

[beat_truck]

I hope this doesn’t become a thing. I don’t need another hobby. Seeing double now. Picked up the second one on the right for a good deal on the bay. It’s almost like someone never used it. All cassettes working also. Want to get a few more but in great working condition.
View attachment 1057415 View attachment 1057416

I found one of these amongst the junk in the back room where I used to work. I brought it home, and it had a few problems including a hum that I assume was from bad filter caps, extremely dirty pots, and maybe a bad belt in the tape deck. I ended up throwing it out like a dummy. I wish I would have kept it and tried to fix it.

 

[beat_truck]

Here's one I currently have. (picture is from the web, though-too lazy to get out the camera) It's a Montgomery Wards with built in TV. I saw it for $6 and couldn't pass it up.

 

[John James]

I had a Sony that looked a lot like this Panasonic.