Amstrad's BIG Boombox

[@gteaz]

Built better than a £25,000 MasterGroove.

[@paulspyker3749]

I sent my £250 Amstrad to Tom Evans for a repair, he quoted me £7.000

[@gteaz]

@@paulspyker3749 What was the quote for?

[@paulspyker3749]

@@gteaz £3 belt £97 labor, £6.900 sand the chips.

[@2Hard2Core]

​@@paulspyker3749Hilarious!😂

[@scottishcontentcreators]

Lol 😂

[@ralphalder14]

The perfect end to a Sunday… a new Mend It Mark video 👍👏👍

[@Durzel]

Well said.

[@acswales]

LOL. Another fine piece of audiophile equipment from Mr Sugar.

[@ralphj4012]

All that quality, and not a cardboard shim in sight!

[@that_thing_I_do]

I was afraid we lost you.Growing number of YTBers have chucked it in.Very happy to see you back.

[@Muggles87]

Slightly surprised he's not acknowledged the huge number of new subscribers, nor all the other KZbinrs who have shown him considerable support following his ridiculous copyright strike.

[@Kolfonik]

@@Muggles87 No need for that really.

[@asdfasdfasdfasdeff]

@@Kolfonik gee whiz, no kidding. "notice me senpai!!" people online are so entitled.

[@ctid107]

​@@Muggles87I imagine it's best to say nothing in case Mark is accused of encouraging further "copyright" infringement!

[@georgedyson9754]

I always wonder how manufacturers make profits on these lower end boxes. There seem to be so many little parts to assemble and it takes time. How much do they pay the factory workers? I can’t imagine having a job assembling these all day.

[@1over137]

Taking stuff like that apart takes me back to my childhood. Mine tended not to go back together as well though.

[@EPgeek]

LOL, same here!

[@costarich8029]

I disassembled most of my belongings as a kid. I was way more interested how they worked. Some went back together ok. Others far exceeded my skills and tools to reassemble.

[@dacco2]

The correct term for this piece of audio nostalgia is a ‘Mugs Eyefull’

[@azmoz1321]

Has someone been watching tech moan ? :-))

[@user-mv5bu2kk8b]

I call it you have been sugared like tangoed

[@johnallen8680]

At least this one actually HAS hf speakers ! Many models just had fake grilles ! 😅

[@markianclark9645]

dacco...that was what I was trying to think of...thanks TechMoan...he will probably buy one of these now...for a silly price

[@gwheregwhizz]

Who would have thought it? £25K audiophile to Amstrad and Amstrad looks better quality.

[@syhi7971]

Haha

[@rosland63]

That’s why he said “I have seen worse” 😊

[@syragrippa8769]

Amstrad probably won't issue a copyright strike!

[@Groove1024]

you are right the build quality of that boombox is much better than the overpriced phono preamp stage

[@user-mv5bu2kk8b]

Meow😅

[@harpingon]

I had an Amstrad twin cassete radio record player, with a vertical linear turntable. I loved that thing. When he hit Long Wave on the radio, I had nostalgia for Long Wave Radio, Atlantic 252

[@user-mv5bu2kk8b]

Omg forgot about 252!

[@harpingon]

@@user-mv5bu2kk8b The phrase that pays.

[@brainache555]

Perfect I just had a Marathon today watching all your videos! And low and behold you uploaded a brand new video! I'm so happy

[@Muggles87]

Must have been a bit stale, they've been Snickers for quite a while now ;-)

[@sbalneav]

I just imagine some teenager coming home from the store, having spent 6 months worth of money earned from delivering newspapers, and being the life of the next party back in 1985. Thanks Mark!

[@andyhoudini]

Sky 1 and Sky 2, you're really spoiling us Mark. :)

[@JamzeGrovedale]

Just got a drink and got the notification about this video. Thats me sorted 😊

[@raythomas4812]

dinner on warm !

[@Nugglashine]

Thank you so much Mark! You and Mr. Carlson can always keep my attention for nearly one hour! Quite a feat in the modern age.

[@danielknepper6884]

Mark is definitely better than Mr Carlson. I get tired of hearing him breathe in and out on his super sensitive microphone

[@FourIntoOne]

Having had first hand experience of Mr Sugars early electrical products back in the day and being subject to the terrible quality for which they were rightly derided, I am AMAZED this thing has even lasted to this day, let alone be repairable now. Oh the sound of creaky flimsy plastics and very sparsely populated pcbs brings it all back. shudder.......

[@driftydoes]

I’ve been waiting a long time for you to upload again.

[@Matt-od6em]

. . . Then Mark sent it back to the owner - and Sir Alan was chuffed to bits that he could listen to all his old Wham tapes again in pristine glory. When the woofer line crosses the tweeter line - we all have a good time. 🎵🎶🎵 (love that little picture on the front of the machine)

[@Mulletsrokkify]

Nice repair again Mark! Built down to a price, but no sanded off component id's, sheilded cables and even sockets! Quality! 😂

[@cjh0751]

Looks like a real mugs eyeful you've got there Mark

[@sivoltage]

lol

[@TassieLorenzo]

Even though Amstrad computers had some issues (bad board trace after all these years?), it's still crazy how much better made they were than Amstrad Hi-Fi stuff!

[@MaxStax1]

I love the thumbnail. Mark with the "boombox" up on his shoulder playing a record with a big smile on his face. 😂 Brilliant.

[@kirkhamandy]

It's nice to see I'm not the only muppet that keeps the original packaging, lol. Nice work as usual Mark.

[@steelscooter]

Good old Amstrad. The quintessential mug's eyeful. Flashy on the outside and a virtually empty box of broken hopes and dreams on the inside. 😆 Great video.

[@graemedavidson499]

I can still remember my disappointment and despair when I first opened an Amstrad all in one unit with a blown amplifier. Hot melt glue everywhere and the unforgettable smell of fibre board and burn resistors. A further surprise… the later discovered blown speaker was in a glued shut cabinet!

[@andygozzo72]

all the cheaper systems were pretty much the same, maybe even made by the same manufacturer, Orion did a lot of Amstrad stuff, which also manufactured for Saisho/Matsui brands

[@jonmurray158]

That's mended my day, a new 'Mend It Mark' video, yay! I find these so relaxing to watch, just lovely video's. Thank-you!

[@ericinthebush1961]

The final cherry on the top of another great video Mark, was when you took out a SKY album to do the final test. Loved it... 🙂

[@mags5761]

Mesmerising. I’m loving the IPA dispenser, need to get one of them. Brilliant work, am binge-watching, salute sir!

[@adamsaint2890]

I'm a simple man. I see a new Mend It Mark video, I click play and I click like.

[@andy9023]

Well done Mark - SKY at the end bought back some memories... Hi from Sydney Australia.

[@rogerkaday3973]

You are by far my favorite youtube channel. Please keep em coming!

[@lesclark830]

Another 44 minutes of MiM skill and problem solving, 10/10

[@shiva_MMIV]

To be honest this was good quality in the Amstrad scale, all plug in and with real tweeters 😂. Mark, nice job as always.

[@sallyhobbit1956]

Great!!! A new Mend It Mark vlog!

[@LoveElectricStuff]

It has real tweeters, metal fly wheel, electromagnent erase head, AC bias recording. Better than the stuff made today.

[@carpemkarzi]

Wow and they have the original box and styrofoam. Great service Mark, made my day a little brighter

[@DukeN1WWS]

About time!! You have so many new subscribers who have been waiting.

[@DavidKutzler]

Wow! Mark even packed it in the original packaging!

[@daveturner5305]

40 year old 'Amstrad' capacitors. No replacements required! That's some feat. Nice one Mark.

[@-silkman-3573]

What a great Sunday treat!

[@ProgresistaGuayaquil]

i am a simple man and i like electronics so, when i see a new video from Mend it Mark, i press play. :D

[@Fotosaurus56]

Just watching a pro fix something right gives the rest of us a bit of confidence. Thanks!

[@Trolle1953]

Good to have you back Mark

[@campoleis]

Mark excelente trabajo, y ya con ganas de ver el próximo, agradezco el poder escuchar el video en mi idioma, un saludo desde Galicia, España.

[@petern3363]

Ah Bliss! Mark and some authentic British tat.

[@resipsaloquitur13]

Cool to see one of those alive again🎉Crack'n job, Mark!

[@jimsimpson1006]

Nice job. I like how the output has separate woofers and tweeters, not bad considering it's an Amstrad!

[@kendom33]

I remember these from back in the day. Didn't like repairing them one bit. Goodness you're brave 😊

[@MrMersh-ts7jl]

Stop the presses! Mind blowing content ahead!

[@michaelsparrow4798]

Continue to enjoy watching you do what you do. 😁

[@interdiction2]

I've still got that Sky album. That repair was like putting lipstick on a pig. Well done.

[@stormrider8236]

These were forsale in the Naafi shop on most military bases during the early to mid 80 - at an extortionate price, nearly a months wages for a young soldier back then! I can distinctly remember doing block jobs in the evening listening to Bob Marley's 'Buffalo Soldier' blasting out, amongst other tunes :) Like most electrical items back then, it may actually have had an owner, but in real terms it was a collective bit of kit that we all appreciated, much like the 12 inch black & white portable that I managed to acquire later on lol.

[@markfx12]

always amazed his ability to re-mantle without having extra bits

[@Jordan-sj5ky]

Helloooo I never thought I'd watch videos like this but I'm totally engrossed in the videos from start to finish

[@toki_-_wartooth]

Ahh the old mugs eyeful as Techmoan calls amstrad stuff xDDD. great video fella

[@Dazzy84]

Came here to say exactly that!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TomFynn]

Still better build quality than a certain amp we're not supposed to mention.

[@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391]

But if it wasn't for "that amp", I would never have heard of mend it Mark.

[@user-mv5bu2kk8b]

Turn your head to the left and cough😅

[@ImolaS3]

Always great to watch! Hard to believe that someone would pay the standard repair charge to have something like that repaired; hardly 'hiFi' :)

[@SaeedTV_]

Can you mend Man Utd?

[@michaelmiller641]

Great repair video, Mark, thanks for that!

[@MasseyLee]

Always a pleasure to watch you work Mark, even if you are beatifully polishing a turd !😂

[@njm1971nyc]

Haha that was my exact same thought (and comment) too. A turd indeed, but nicely polished 😆

[@knoxyish]

yes they were really cheap but they gave millions of young kids music in there bedrooms !! amazing work again mark .

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Belt drive is better than intermediate wheel and honestly in some ways better than direct drive to. But you are right on this particular unit it may not be much to brag about.

[@rust1962]

As always, a magnificent renovation!

[@dr.feelicks2051]

Fun refurb blurb, handy helpful history✌️

[@Dave.Wilson]

Blimey, it's still got it's box!!!. Good one Mark, A lot better quality than a master Groove.

[@scottlp2323]

Joy of joys, a new video on a Sunday evening! And, I haven't heard Belinda Carlisle's 'I Plead Insanity' for years. A top quality slice of power pop. As was 'You're Nothing Without Me'. Anyway, I digress. Back to the video. :)

[@rigley8830]

Great work once again Mark 👏

[@hbp2m]

The song at 15:30 is by Sky and is called Where Opposites Meet

[@DrRock2009]

“Hotta” from Sky 2 @43:11 😎

[@raythomas4812]

I had a Amstrad Tower brought from Rumbelows on Friday - it went back Saturday and brought a Sharp VZ3500E

[@markianclark9645]

ray...one mistake I never made...no Amstrad in my history...Sony and Kenwood Trio and Sharp and Technics and Rotel and i can't remember afterwards...Walkmans and Minidiscs too..oh yes..a NAD amp...might be a Toshiba somewhere...not quite 100% Japanese...Rotel Korea

[@stickman393]

I admire your taste in 12" LP, Mark.

[@liroso]

Don't have enough good things to say about MiM & his videos. Always leaves you satisfied.

[@tunderbird123]

Nice to see you again...

[@myturkishlife1777]

That turntable is EPIC 😄... "You're fired👉" 😄

[@robinsutcliffe_video_art]

How is it that the sounds of Mark's repairs are so satisfying? Especially compared to other repair videos! Must be in the microphone placement?

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

It's actually surprising that something built to that price point is in fairly decent shape, forty years later. They even had it in proper packaging, unlike some devices.

[@sonic2000gr]

Holds quite well considering the age and quality. Amstrad got well know in Greece (probably all of Europe) because of their CPC home computers (and later on their PCs).

[@EsotericArctos]

Great to see some cheap junk being worked on in the workshop. I remember Alan Sugar calling his equipment the "mugs eyeful" as anything Amstrad looked fancy, but was made as cheap as possible :) Thanks for the entertainment,

[@keithmarlow143]

A simple upgrade with this sort of kit is to change out the main power supply caps with next higher value and swap out any 'wimpy' power cables. I had a very cheap hifi unit when I was at Uni I did this to, made the world of difference.

[@simonmiddleton4977]

Hi Mark, I did a weeks work experience at the Amstrad factory in Tottenham back in 1981

[@user-mv5bu2kk8b]

Ptsd I'd imagine

[@hadibq]

Satisfying job as always Mark 👍👌

[@periurban]

When I was buying my first hi-fi in the 1970s one of the options was Amstrad. I was advised against it by a more knowledgeable older friend who said that Amstrad was cheap because they would design something that worked and take bits out until it stopped working, then put that bit back!

[@frankowalker4662]

Amstrad : World leaders in cheap tat. LOL. I was given an Amstrad all in one midi system in the 90's. The only thing I could get working reliably was the CD player, so I made it into a stand alone unit. It worked for years.

[@hogshouse]

It's nice to see that the Amstrad Boombox has as good, if not better build quality than that Tom Evans preamp you repaired not so long ago 😀

[@Synthematix]

I had an amstrad boombox, it went boom when i put my foot through it. Still, at least it didnt cost 25 grand.

[@user-mv5bu2kk8b]

Best kind of maintenance

[@countzer0408]

The mugs eyeful. What a classy sort he (Sugar) is.

[@rupertkingsley]

I remember the sound of that cheap plastic! Very 80’s. Must have been an Argos special

[@UncleDansVintageVinyl]

Great video as always! Thanks, Mark!

[@quanchyplimp]

"A mugs eyeful" ~ A. Sugar

[@hifimuzikodasi]

Checking phono cartridge with your finger was hilarious 😀

[@TheCrakkle]

I like the use of the oil paint spatula. It's a testement to how cheaply Mr Sugar had things made lol Must say it has lasted well, must have had very little use. I would have loved an ultrasonic cleaner in the 80's Must have done all the same repairs when they were reasonably fresh lol Top marks on the handle recovery.

[@JessicaFEREM]

this radio was suprisingly repairable considering how cheap it is I recon connectors were cheaper at that point in time

[@drxym]

Alan Sugar was the Gerald Ratner of micro electronics. I'm surprised anything his companies made has survived this long.

[@UpandDownRacing]

You send it Mark mends it, thanks for another enjoyable vid :)

[@McGyver0479]

Ottimo lavoro! Grazie per aver aggiunto le lingue europee.

[@andrewlittleboy8532]

That had actually respectable cassette mechanisms. Nice big aluminium flywheel with an AC erase head. Probably decent w&f performance.

[@jon-paulgrainger1303]

'a mugs eyeful' 😂 Good ol' Sir Alan.

[@morph-the-cat]

the king has returned once more

[@suzomehmedov1509]

Hey Mark, many greetings from Bulgaria.

[@DeathInTheSnow]

Blimey. I remember the Amstrad system that Techmoan featured some time ago, and bloody hell, Mr. Sugar really did sell the sizzle rather than have a decent sausage.

[@audioorigami]

love your videos ...especially the turntable ones !!

[@marjon1703]

Getting worried, glad you're back. I hope Lord Sugar doesn't file for copyright 😱

[@The_Last_Ninja]

6:00 “…got him”…classic!