Boomboxes?

[Mike Anderson]

I'm looking for a good boombox, with the following criteria:

(1) Must be able to run on batteries;

(2) Must have an RCA input;

(3) Just have the best sound you can get out of a boombox fitting criteria (1) and (2).

Any tips?

thanks

[Mike Anderson]

Well it looks like the golden era of boomboxes is over. Not much to pick from these days.

Absent help from any of you snobs here, I ordered one of these:

http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL027673&pathId=37&page=1

No RCA inputs, but it has a mini-jack AUX input and wireless from an MP3 player. Sound is supposed to be decent (or at least compared with what else is on the market.)

Looks like a friggin bazooka...

If anyone is interested, I'll let you know how I like it.

[Resident Loser]

Absent help from any of you snobs here,

...rather uncalled for...Theres only one snob I can think of off-hand...

I don't suppose it ever occured to you that most of us really had nothing to offer...pretty much business as usual...most of the time you get pure self-aggrandizing, anecdotal twaddle anyway so...

Besides, most of us don't feel the need to inflict our particular tastes in music on innocent passers-by or neighbors, preferring the privacy of 'phones...

jimHJJ(...most of us at least...)

[GMichael]

Well it looks like the golden era of boomboxes is over. Not much to pick from these days.

Absent help from any of you snobs here, I ordered one of these:

http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL027673&pathId=37&page=1

No RCA inputs, but it has a mini-jack AUX input and wireless from an MP3 player. Sound is supposed to be decent (or at least compared with what else is on the market.)

Looks like a friggin bazooka...

If anyone is interested, I'll let you know how I like it.

Very cool looking box there.
Sorry I didn't answer. Just don't know anything about who makes what in boom boxes these days.

[Mike Anderson]

...rather uncalled for...Theres only one snob I can think of off-hand...

I don't suppose it ever occured to you that most of us really had nothing to offer...pretty much business as usual...most of the time you get pure self-aggrandizing, anecdotal twaddle anyway so...

Besides, most of us don't feel the need to inflict our particular tastes in music on innocent passers-by or neighbors, preferring the privacy of 'phones...

jimHJJ(...most of us at least...)

Relax - It was a JOKE.

[Woochifer]

I think you're totally right about the golden era of the boombox being over. That market started to lose its grip once the Walkman (which has evolved into the iPod) took hold. While DVD shopping last week, I checked what Circuit City had in stock last week out of curiosity, and the pickins were mighty slim with the old school battery-powered boom boxes (I saw maybe six of them on display). I saw more mini-systems and powered speaker boxes for iPods. Nowadays when teens want to carry their music with them, they go with MP3 players, and when they want to force their music onto the neighborhood, they crank up their car stereos.

[Mike Anderson]

^^^ There's a whole forum (stereo2go.com) full of people who collect the old boomboxes of the 80s. They're constantly lamenting the decline of the boombox, which occurred for all the reasons you list.

However, they also like the one I linked to above (the JVC Kaboom Box); most of them seem to think it's the only worthwhile boombox on the market today.

I wanted to get one for camping and other such outdoor outings. Going to take it to Burning Man, where inflicting your music on your neighbor is half the fun.

[audio_dude]

ya, JVC was one of the best boombox makers, i have 1, and my grandparents have the one you bought, its an awesome piece of kit

[Woochifer]

^^^ There's a whole forum (stereo2go.com) full of people who collect the old boomboxes of the 80s. They're constantly lamenting the decline of the boombox, which occurred for all the reasons you list.

However, they also like the one I linked to above (the JVC Kaboom Box); most of them seem to think it's the only worthwhile boombox on the market today.

I wanted to get one for camping and other such outdoor outings. Going to take it to Burning Man, where inflicting your music on your neighbor is half the fun.

Ah yes, those 80s boomboxes! I think 1982-83 was about when they started evolving into the mini-systems we know today, first by including detachable speakers and then by stacking mini components onto a detachable handle/rack (I think the JVC Musicmate [?] was the first model to try that approach). All the while, these systems could still run on batteries. But, once the boombox manufacturers decided to get into an arms race with the wattage ratings and start packing CD carousels and multichannel capablity, they eschewed any pretense at "portability." If anything, the demise of the LP format created the market for these mini systems, because systems in the under-$500 category no longer needed to account for the 12" form factor of a record player (like those all-in-one "compact" systems with the drop-in record changers that dominated the 70s).

My first dorm system in college was one of Sony's first systems featuring their square aluminum diaphragm APM speakers. The thing could push 25 watts/channel and accept an external auxiliary input. It was all in one piece, but designed to look like a stacked component setup. It was "portable" in the sense that it took batteries and had a handle. But, I only lugged it on a trip once. With 12 (!) C-cells, the thing was like hauling bricks. Later on, I attached a Sony portable CD player (the very first portable model ever made), and that thing too required a battery pack to play on the go (4 D-cells plus this huge case that required a shoulder strap). My roommate had a newer Sony model that was even larger and also accepted batteries.

[Mike Anderson]

^^^ Exactly, I remember when the systems started to get so big they were no longer portable. I can remember thinking it made absolutely no sense!

I do believe the very first piece of audio I ever purchased was a Toshiba boombox, in 1981, for $80. I was 12, and I bought it with the money I earned on my first full-time summer job, making $3.35/hr (the minimum wage at the time).

My brother took it on the road with him when he toured with his punk rock band, and it came back all beat to hell!

I still have it. Heck, I bet the radio still works (don't know about the tape deck though).

[ericl]

how about the apple ipod hifi?

[audio_dude]

^^^way over priced!!!

although the "subwoofer" (a 5 inch driver) is pretty high excursion, it just can't put out the qualitly or quantity for the price!

[Woochifer]

how about the apple ipod hifi?

Basically, a $400 boombox with no detachable speakers and no tuner. The demo I heard had a noticeable amount of resonance emanating from the cabinet, which adds a lot of coloration to a signal that doesn't seem particularly neutral to begin with. Don't know if it runs on batteries either.

[MikeyBC]

Find a first generation JVC Kaboom !! We tried one with a high end cd player plugged into it and placed it on the top shelf of a 4 shelf audio stand in a 18 X 13 foot listening room and started laughing uncontrollably from the shock of how good it sounded! really !! it was almost sickening when we cranked up the Sheffield drum and track cd on it...it held its composure quite well. bass wasnt the tightest but it was definatly there and actually well balanced. Try one if you have the chance. The best boombox ever in my opinion.

[Mike Anderson]

Find a first generation JVC Kaboom !! We tried one with a high end cd player plugged into it and placed it on the top shelf of a 4 shelf audio stand in a 18 X 13 foot listening room and started laughing uncontrollably from the shock of how good it sounded! really !! it was almost sickening when we cranked up the Sheffield drum and track cd on it...it held its composure quite well. bass wasnt the tightest but it was definatly there and actually well balanced. Try one if you have the chance. The best boombox ever in my opinion.

My new Kaboom is sitting at the UPS pickup. I'll tell you what I think tomorrow.

[emorphien]

I've often been interested in those, but haven't got a reason to buy one. curious to hear what you think of your new one.

[MikeyBC]

My new Kaboom is sitting at the UPS pickup. I'll tell you what I think tomorrow.

cool...i thought they stopped making those long ago...looks like there's some improvements...anyway i hope you like it, the older one we tried in the sound room would not distort at full pin on the volume, if we had a curtain covering up the the equipment rack you would never have guessed it was a boombox... I might look at getting one sometime knowing theyre still being made. just remember they (did) sound better when the volume control for the woofers is turned down.

[Mike Anderson]

OK, I've got it. It does sound pretty damned good for a boombox.

It's big. And it is loud as all get out too.

Overall, it's a very well-designed product. There are lots of neat little features that tell you they put some thought into the product.

I find the subwoofer sounds best at around 4 (out of 1 to 6), depending on the song.

I'll try to post a pic later.