DENON DOing H-5 (1982)
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Denon has supplied the broadcasting industry with professional equipment for many years and met with highest acclaim. As a result of this experience in 1982 Denon introduced the H series boomboxes. The H-5 is a portable system that consists of 4 separate units. To increase portability by reducing weight, the main body that contains the cassette recorder and radio could be separated from the loudspeakers and the amplifier module that was housing the power transformer for mains operation. The amplifier however could not be used as standalone unit because the source selector was located on the main unit. When fully assembled the amplifier could deliver 20W/ch to the removable 2-way wood speaker system with 10cm woofer and 5cm tweeter. When the main unit is used in "Walking Style" (with the amplifier removed) you will have to use headphones (AH-P5) that also have a dedicated storage place on the top of the unit. The cassette recorder section is Metal tape capable and it features Dolby B noise reduction system as well. For full a musical experience an external turntable can be connected to the system. Dimensions: 613x308x206 mm | Weight: 11.8kg | Operation: Mains, 8 batteries and 12V car power. The Denon H-5 was available in silver and black.
JVC PC-5 (1981)
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The JVC PC-5 from 1981 is more than a simple boombox. It was advertised as The Quintet because the system is actually built from 5 independent components. For home use the amplifier, tuner, cassette deck and the two loudspeakers can be placed in any configuration you want. If you wanted a portable unit, all these components could be assembled into one piece and with the added handle it could be easily transported. The amplifier section is a 20W/ch max. power unit (10W/ch DIN 45500) with independent left and right channel IC modules. The amplifier contains the mains transformer which means that the amplifier could be used independently but it will also power the other components of the system. The sensitive tuner brings four radio bands, including FM stereo, AM and two short-wave bands. Clean, low-distortion FM stereo reception is delivered by a PLL circuit. The cassette recorder section is an advanced 2 Motor Full Logic controlled unit featuring JVC's own SA-heads and ANRS (Dolby compatible) and Super ANRS noise reduction systems. Recordings can be made on all tape types, Normal, Chrome and Metal while the recording level can be set manually and visualized on a very basic LED VU meter. It is the cassette deck that contains the battery compartiment which means that the whole portable system will be battery powered by the cassette deck which in turn can be used independently as a field recorder if necessary. The loudspeaker looks like a two-way speaker but it actually contains one 10cm full range driver while the "tweeter grill" only hides the bass-reflex opening. There is however an additional bigger loudspeaker set (RB-95) sold as an accessory for home use that is a genuine two-way loudspeaker. Among other accessories we could mention the L-E5 Linear Tracking turntable and the R-15E wired remote. Fully assembled Dimensions: 538x294x243 mm | Weight: 12.9kg | Operation: Mains, 12V ext., 8xR20 batteries.
LASONIC TRC-931 (1985)
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The LASONIC TRC-931 is a true Cultural Icon. It was introduced in 1985 and it was manufactured in Taiwan by Yung Fu Electronic Appliances. The LASONIC brand name is composed of LA "Los Angeles" and SONiC, as in ... "supersonic". Main features of the TRC-931 are: 5 band graphic equalizer, dual cassette (slot-in autoreverse and front-loading recorder), 20cm Bass-Reflex Woofer, 5cm high-frequency cone tweeters, 15W/ch 4ohm, soft touch tape mechanism, built-in condenser microphone, microphone mix volume, line-in/line-out and phono input. Dimensions: 635x360x156 mm | Weight: 8.6 kg | Operation: AC, 10 "D" cell batteries, Car battery. The same boombox was also sold rebadged as CROWN SZ-5000L or UNISEF SZ-500SL.
PHILIPS D8814 (1981)
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The PHILIPS D8814 was introduced in 1982 and it's an upgraded version of the D8714, with added Digital clock and Digital display for the radio section. Due to it's "space age" styling it is affectionately called "The Elephant" by enthusiasts. Technically it belongs to the top-class portable recorders (boombox) featuring all the bells and whistles borrowed from full size High-Fidelity components. Even though the cassette recorder section features a basic mechanically controlled unit this is capable of handling Normal, Chrome and Metal tapes and it also features Automatic but also manual recording level setting with LED recording level meters and Dolby noise reduction. On top of this the cassette recorder section has a Digital counter (a not too common feature even on separate Hi-Fi components of this age), ACS - Automatic Computer Search for up to 19 tracks on a cassette and Memory Stop. As usual with Philips, this model also features the well-known Philips Long-Life head. The radio section of the D8814 features a Digital LCD frequency display and fine-tuning knob for AM and SW radio stations. It has to be mentioned that all the "Digital - LCD" panels are sourced from Sharp-Japan. (More about Philips-Sharp in the TV to GO section). The amplifier section is specified at 10W/ch that drives a - 7" Woofer 2" Tweeter 4Cone speaker system. Even the front grill suggests that there is a separate tweeter inside but in reality, there is only a large woofer with a whizzer acting as high frequency extension. The truth is that this type of speaker works brilliantly in such a portable system. So, you think this is all? No, this top quality boombox also features a Quartz Clock with Digital display, Timer function for radio and cassette and a 0-99 minutes sleep timer function. Wait, there is a Phono-Line input as well for external sources and line-out connectors as well ... and connectors for external loudspeakers. Size: 480x28x140 mm | Weight: 6.6 kg (batteries included) | Operation: 12V car, 8xD cells.
PHILIPS D8614 (1982)
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Think of the Philips Sound Machine as a sound factory. The D8614 was the first model in a new and modern boombox series introduced by Philips in 1982. The amplifier section is specified at 3.5 W/ch in battery operation mode and 5W/ch if the unit is operated from the mains. Most brochures specified 10W/ch Music Power. The speakers consist of a 17 cm woofer and one tweeter per channel. There are separate tone controls for bass, treble and Loudness. The amplifier also has continuously variable Mono-Stereo-Stereo Spatial setting, Phono input and Line In-Out connectors at the back. The radio section has FM-Stereo, MW, LW and SW wave bands. The cassette recorder section uses a feather touch Micro Processor controlled 3 Motor Drive unit equipped with Longlife heads. There is manual tape selector for Normal (50-12000Hz), Chrome (50-14000Hz) and Metal tape (50-15000Hz) while the record level setting has Automatic or manual level setting used with a two colour LED VU meter. Dimensions: 610x250x130 mm | Weight: 6.5 kg | Operation: Mains, 12V external, 8xR20P batteries. A black version was sold under the Radiola name, a Philips sub-brand.
PHILIPS D8254 (1985)
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Part of a design-oriented range, this is the D8254 from Philips. It was introduced in 1985 as part of the "Cubic Compo" range. It's a 3-piece boombox with red body and black front. The main unit features long, medium, short and stereo FM wavebands. The amplifier delivers 2x5W while the bass, treble, volume and Stereo Spatial sliders are situated on the front of the unit. Even though this is a basic portable unit the cassette recorder features soft-touch tape transport with Longlife head and Normal/Chrome tape compatibility. Inside the clip-on "cubic" loudspeakers we can find 10 cm full-range drivers. Dimensions: 575x155x160 mm | Weight: 3.8 kg | Operation: Mains, 6xR14S batteries.
PHILIPS CD555 (1985)
World First CD Boombox
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Philips, creators of Compact Disc technology, have created the pure, perfect and powerful sound of the CD 555 - The World First CD Boombox. New-generation integrated circuits and a new ultra-compact laser assembly. That's how Philips have made Compact Disc transportable. A player with just the same specifications, just the same fingertip facility as a Philips home player (you can even connect it directly to your HiFi system as the CD source). Next to the CD player is a HiFi cassette deck. Among the host of high-spec features in the cassette deck you will find a SER solenoid electronic soft-touch tape transport, exclusive Philips Azimuth tape guidance, Long-Life head, Dolby B noise reduction, automatic tape selection and a LCD display to show the exact state of operations. With the APLD, Automatic Program Loading Device, you can select up to 20 tracks to play in any sequence (from a single side of the cassette). The Record Sync facility automatically starts the recording at the same time as disc playback - at any chosen track. Auto Record Pause automatically inserts 4-second intervals between recorded tracks, to make sure of error-free track search and programming. You can, of course, record from the tuner too, or from external sources including record player, cassette deck, TV set or microphone. The tuner section has four wavebands: FM/LW/MW/SW with fine tuning and PLL FM stereo decoder. The amplifier section has a Music power: 2x4 W (12V dc supply) and 2x25 W (220V ac supply), 5-band graphic equalizer and volume control with automatic loudness. For true HiFi sound the Philips Sound Machine CD555 is equipped with a fully-sealed particle board enclosure that can be clipped on or detached from the player unit. These are two-way loudspeakers with a 40mm cone tweeter and a 130 mm woofer. Size: 600(320)x220x200 mm | Weight: 10 kg |Operation: Mains, EM 5555 rechargeable battery optional.
PIONEER CarryCom system (1983)
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Pioneer's CarryCom System was a new concept in compact stereo components. It packs like a portable, but unpacks into individual components - speaker systems, versatile stereo FM/AM tuner/amp combo and fully-equipped stereo cassette deck. Together they add up to integrated component system, just like home hi-fi's. When sold as complete system the following combinations were available: CK-3, CK-W3, CK-5, CK-7T and CK-R11. Your options however are not limited to these "readymade" combinations as the CarryCom System is a modular system and the components are designed so you can choose exactly the right combination of units that best matches your needs - and your budget. These are the components that you could choose from:
TUNER-AMP: FA-C3 tuner-amp with analog AM/FM Stereo | FA-C5 tuner-amp with analog AM/FM Stereo, 5-band Graphic Equalizer | FA-C7T tuner-amp with Quartz-PLL Synthesizer preset SW/MW/FM Stereo tuner, 5-band Graphic Equalizer. All models feature the same power output: continuous average power 12.5 W/ch, min. at 6 ohm from 60-20.000Hz with no more than 5% total harmonic distortion and the same size, 225x110x150 mm. There was an additional Power Amplifier as well with continuous power output of 30 watts per channel, min. at 6 ohms from 40 to 20.000Hz with no more than 5% total harmonic distortion. Size: 225x110x192 mm, weight: 5kg.
CASSETTE DECK: CT-C3 stereo cassette deck with Dolby noise reduction and Automatic Level Control | CT-C8 stereo auto-reverse cassette deck with full-logic control, auto tape selector (Metal/Chrome/Normal), music search, Dolby noise reduction | CT-C9W stereo double cassette deck with 2+2 motor transport, double speed tape copy, relay play, full-logic control. The CT-C3 and CT-C8 have the same size 225x110x150 mm, and can be powered by any of the tuner-amplifiers or with 10 D-type batteries. The CT-C9W dimensions are 225x110x200 mm and can be operated from the mains or external DC: 12-15V.
SPEAKER SYSTEMS: CS-C3 2-way bass reflex with 12cm cone woofer and 2.5cm Ceramic Tweeter, 6ohm, 50-20.000Hz, 45W, 168x226x150 mm | CS-C7 2-way rear open type with acoustic dampers, 15x21cm Pioneer exclusive Flat Woofer and 9cm cone tweeter, 6ohm, 40-20.000Hz, 100W, 168x226x150mm | CS-C11 3-way rear open type with acoustic dampers, 15x21cm Pioneer exclusive Flat Woofer, 9cm cone tweeter and Ribbon Super tweeter, 6ohm, 30-50.000Hz, 100W, 168x336x150 mm.
Additional components are the PL-C7 belt-drive turntable, AC-C7 accessory case, AD-C23 carrying handle and mounting set.
The Pioneer exclusive FLAT WOOFER covers the front panel of the speaker enclosure edge to edge. You get much more bass in far less space. All the center is a cone tweeter to handle the mid and high frequencies with maximum clarity. A port on the rear, and special acoustic dampers on one side of each enclosure add dimension and authority to the sound. In the 3-way CS-C11 systems, super highs are handled by the Ribbon Super tweeter.
TUNER-AMP: FA-C3 tuner-amp with analog AM/FM Stereo | FA-C5 tuner-amp with analog AM/FM Stereo, 5-band Graphic Equalizer | FA-C7T tuner-amp with Quartz-PLL Synthesizer preset SW/MW/FM Stereo tuner, 5-band Graphic Equalizer. All models feature the same power output: continuous average power 12.5 W/ch, min. at 6 ohm from 60-20.000Hz with no more than 5% total harmonic distortion and the same size, 225x110x150 mm. There was an additional Power Amplifier as well with continuous power output of 30 watts per channel, min. at 6 ohms from 40 to 20.000Hz with no more than 5% total harmonic distortion. Size: 225x110x192 mm, weight: 5kg.
CASSETTE DECK: CT-C3 stereo cassette deck with Dolby noise reduction and Automatic Level Control | CT-C8 stereo auto-reverse cassette deck with full-logic control, auto tape selector (Metal/Chrome/Normal), music search, Dolby noise reduction | CT-C9W stereo double cassette deck with 2+2 motor transport, double speed tape copy, relay play, full-logic control. The CT-C3 and CT-C8 have the same size 225x110x150 mm, and can be powered by any of the tuner-amplifiers or with 10 D-type batteries. The CT-C9W dimensions are 225x110x200 mm and can be operated from the mains or external DC: 12-15V.
SPEAKER SYSTEMS: CS-C3 2-way bass reflex with 12cm cone woofer and 2.5cm Ceramic Tweeter, 6ohm, 50-20.000Hz, 45W, 168x226x150 mm | CS-C7 2-way rear open type with acoustic dampers, 15x21cm Pioneer exclusive Flat Woofer and 9cm cone tweeter, 6ohm, 40-20.000Hz, 100W, 168x226x150mm | CS-C11 3-way rear open type with acoustic dampers, 15x21cm Pioneer exclusive Flat Woofer, 9cm cone tweeter and Ribbon Super tweeter, 6ohm, 30-50.000Hz, 100W, 168x336x150 mm.
Additional components are the PL-C7 belt-drive turntable, AC-C7 accessory case, AD-C23 carrying handle and mounting set.
The Pioneer exclusive FLAT WOOFER covers the front panel of the speaker enclosure edge to edge. You get much more bass in far less space. All the center is a cone tweeter to handle the mid and high frequencies with maximum clarity. A port on the rear, and special acoustic dampers on one side of each enclosure add dimension and authority to the sound. In the 3-way CS-C11 systems, super highs are handled by the Ribbon Super tweeter.
Sansui CP-7 (1982)
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Imagine the dynamic sound of a quality stereo system. And imagine how nice it would be if you could take this sound along with you wherever you go. Now you can experience the beautiful sound of Sansui in a package so compact you can carry it anywhere. It's the Sansui CP-7 P-Compo System from 1982. Tune to your favorite program (choose from 20 presets, 5 FM, 5 AM, or 10 shortwave bands) or play your favorite tape. The amplifier will always deliver the clearest reproduction of your music source (15 W/ch 4 ohm). And you can program up to three selections in advance on the metal compatible cassette deck using the Automatic Music Program Selector (AMPS), a special Sansui feature. With the convenience of a built-in digital clock, timer and sleep timer, you'll want to take the Sansui CP-7 wherever you go, and it even has inputs for a turntable. Simply lock the speakers and the handle to the main unit using a coin and you will have beautiful music in motion. Size: 530x210x193 mm | Weight: 9.3 kg | Operation: Mains, car battery, 8 D cells. (Also available in black)
SANYO PH-WCD3 (1987)
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The PH-WCD3 is part of a new generation of boombox introduced by Sanyo in 1987. At the bottom of the unit, we can find a CD player with 3-beam laser tracking system and a traditional slide-out tray for the CD. The display of the CD player is mounted on the front of the autoreverse playback deck. Another display can be found on the front of the autoreverse recording deck. This display acts as tape counter, time display and timer. The cassette units have the mechanical transport key situated on the top panel where can also find the manual tape selectors (independent for cassette A and B and compatible with normal, chrome and metal tapes). The cassette section has Dolby noise reduction system and it can copy tape at normal and high speed. Also, on the top panel is situated the volume control, 5-band equalizer and the analog tuner that can also receive TV audio channels. The main feature of the WCD3 is the built-in surround sound with sound space selector and surround level setting. For the built-in surround sound there are dedicated speakers that are pointing outwards but the whole system can be extended with additional external surround loudspeakers (SX-SRU4). It should be noted that this surround system is not the same with the surround systems later used in home cinema. This system only adds more space to Stereo your music while the home cinema surround system is using multichannel sound recordings. The amplifier section of the unit is specified at 7.5+7.5 W. For added convenience the WCD3 also has a dedicated remote-control unit. Dimensions: 647x166x193.5 mm | Weight: 7.3 kg | Operation: AC mains, 10 D cell.
SHARP GF-555 (1980)
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Expanded Creativity. Extended Quality. Exceptional Ease. This is the Sharp GF-555 from 1980. It features Sharp's unique twin cassette mechanism that allows copying from one tape to another but also uninterrupted playback of 2 or more cassette tapes. For recording level adjustment there are two front sliders and dual LED level meters but you can also use the automatic record level control (ALC) if desired. Frequency response is 40-15.000 Hz using Chrome tape while wow and flutter is 0.17%. Behind the small door located between the speakers there are separate Chrome/Normal tape selectors for each deck. With Sharp's unique APLD (Auto Program Locate Device) any song can be located on a tape, forward or back on the tape up to 11 tracks. The amplifier section has a 12W total RMS Output Power delivered to a loudspeaker system that consists of a 16cm woofer and a 5cm tweeter. The radio section features FM-stereo, AM, LW and SW wavebands. A series of additional components were available separately, such as the: AD-115N car battery adapter, CP-303 external loudspeakers, MC-78DV microphone, MC-50CL wireless microphone, RP-5 turntable or the SY-505K dedicated rack. Dimensions: 530x320x150 mm | Weight: 9.0kg | Operation: Mains, 10 D-cell batteries.
TOSHIBA RT-S93 (1981)
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The RT-S93 is the Japanese market version of the Toshiba RT-S931 introduced in 1981. Its most interesting feature is the remote control. Called Wireless remote control, the RT-S93 was probably the only boombox in the world with remote control during the 80's. The remote-control unit is a front panel integrated module placed under the cassette compartiment. (Note that the cover photo is not entirely accurate as it shows the remote control both at a distance and on the unit itself in the same time). The remote can control all the functions of the cassette recorder, music search (MQJS) and volume control. The cassette recorder section is a 2-motor logic-controlled unit capable of handling metal tapes as well. The amplifier section has a power output of 6W/ch (EIAJ/DC) delivered to a set of loudspeakers using 18cm bass unit and 4cm tweeter. Dimensions: 520x307x172 mm | Weight: 7.4 kg | Operation: Mains, D-cell, 13.5V external power.
TOSHIBA RT-S90 (1981)
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The amazing Toshiba RT-S90 was a Japanese market only boombox from 1981, part of the so called BomBeat series of Toshiba portables. This extremely beautiful boombox features a 2-motor feather touch, full logic-controlled mechanism. (Wow & Flutter 0.047%). The cassette recorder is compatible with normal, chrome and Metal tapes, features manual record level adjustment and a large and beautiful needle type VU meter. Instead of the more usual Dolby noise reduction, Toshiba has opted for his own "adres" (Automatic Dynamic Range Expansion System) noise reduction system with a claimed 100 db signal to noise ratio. With the help of the MQJS (Music Quick Jumping Selector) system track search is possible up to 10 tracks. The amplifier section is specified at 10W/ch (EAIJ/DC) delivered to a set of 2-way loudspeaker system with 18 cm woofer and 5 cm tweeter. Another unique feature of the RT-S90 is the placement of the circuit board. Usually in a boombox the circuit board is placed vertically and they extend behind the loudspeakers. For better acoustics in the RT-S90 the circuit board is place horizontally on the top part of the unit leaving a free acoustic chamber behind the loudspeakers. The radio section is a traditional analog tuner featuring AM, FM Stereo, TV Band and FM wireless microphone reception. Dimensions: 600x350x160 mm | Weight: 9.1 kg | Operation: AC mains, DC 15V.
Victor/JVC PC-55 (1983)
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After the very successful PC-5 from 1981 (see above), JVC introduced in 1983 the PC-55, taking this portable compo concept to the next level. The PC-55 is the first portable system with full-logic auto-reverse tape transport and Dolby C noise reduction. Its comprehensive LCD display panel includes a multi-function digital counter, built around a quartz-regulated clock, which functions as a 4-digit electronic tape counter, a remaining tape time display, a stop-watch, a timer for delayed operation, and a Music Scan counter. The amplifier section is a BTL (balanced transformerless) power amplification circuitry delivering 2x21 W maximum power. There is also a five-band S.E.A. graphic equalizer for recording and playback. The four-band high performance section is housed together with the amplifier section and it features a single-cord connection to the separate unit, the cassette deck. The cassette deck is a two-motor full-logic tape transport with an additional motor to eliminate plunger noise. It is a flip-reverse system with selectable auto-reverse modes. The four-color backlit LCD display (see description above) is located in the middle between the cassette compartiment and the transport controls. The deck can be used separately from the other components. This is where the battery compartiment is which allows the deck to be used for live, on-location recorder. The detachable loudspeakers are two-way bass-reflex units. The 12-cm woofers and 2-cm tweeters feature a JVC-developed high-ceramic cone material and special ceramic-coated aluminium cap for more powerful lows and crispier highs, with reduced break-up oscillation even at high input levels. They can be wall mounted or free-standing as well as attached to the system. In Japan the Victor PC-55 advertising campaign featured musician Yukihiro Takahashi from the Yellow Magic Orchestra. The PC-55 was available in black, white and silver with Victor badge for the Japanese market and JVC for the worldwide market. Some versions have different loudspeakers installed. The unit can be operated from the mains outlet, with the optional 12V auto-adapter CN-332 or the BP-12 rechargeable battery and AA-12 charger sold separately. Price when new: 1'198 DM Germany.
Victor RC-X90 (1988)
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The Victor RC-X90 was part of the CDian series of boombox sold by JVC from 1988 to 1990. The RC-X90 was the highest model in the range. Featuring the G-Horn EX system (built-in subwoofer) it was the only model of the series to be equipped with full logic cassette deck and Dolby B noise reduction. In addition, the main display did not use a general liquid crystal display, but used an FL (two color Fluorescent) display and it was the only one in the series to be equipped with a spectrum analizer. Power output is 4.5W+4.5W EAIJ/DC delivered to 2x10cm full range speakers + 13W for the G-Horn EX subwoofer. The RC-X90 in addition to the usual FM-Stereo and AM radio also featured TV Multiplex Stereo reception. The full remote control was standard accesory.
RECCOMMENDATION
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