Boombox Time Capsule

A look at a New-Old-Stock Boombox from the 80s/90s.
Available from eBay UK here: goo.gl/0yhCte ........DETAILS OF MUSIC PLAYED IS LISTED BELOW (CLICK SHOW MORE)
Techmoan can be supported via / techmoan
All music is from the youtube audio library.
www.youtube.co...
Long Way Home - Silent Partner www.youtube.co...
New on the Block - Silent Partner www.youtube.co...
Smooth Ridin - Huma-Huma www.youtube.co...
Saturday Groove - John Deley www.youtube.co...
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When you click on links to various merchants posted here and make a purchase, this can result in me earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network & Amazon.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON Sites (including, but not limited to Amazon US/UK/DE/ES/FR/NL/IT/CAN)

[@LGR]

What a delightful piece of junk, haha. Loved seeing all the cheap trickery inside.

[@Pepsiphopia]

+Lazy Game Reviews Hi Clint

[@gietie96]

+Lazy Game Reviews It's great to know that you're here as well :D

[@posysajrazdwatrzy]

Why am I still surprised to see you on a channel dedicated to old/obscure cool tech, d'oh.

[@PeugeotRocket]

+Lazy Game Reviews Awesome to see you here! Somehow I'm not surprised lol.

[@thesimstecoo]

How's Ralph doing? He must be at peace after the lack of new content from the sims team :P

[@AlexKworld]

"The graphic equalizer will give you the choice of it either sounding dreadful,...or terrible." That line absolutely cracked me up!! Love your videos, keep it up!!

[@daddymulk]

True as well😂

[@heliumtrophy]

I'm not going to lie, that weird galactic cyber-warfare sound it had while playing the two tapes at once is the best thing about this.

[@MistahJigglah]

Grab some sweet samples of thst

[@MrTruth111]

I want a round of applause, this is the first cheap boombox with an actual tweeter!!

[@Appleboy78165]

MrTruth111 Yeah that's literally the ONLY thing this piece of crap has in its favor lol

[@AutPen38]

And a super tweeter! (Not actually super).

[@kamiboy]

That poor, poor thing. It waited 20 years in the darkness, then as soon it was taken out it was butchered for our entertainment.

[@mark314158]

Mercy killing ...

[@AsellusPrimus]

According to another comment below, it could actually be a recently manufactured piece masquerading as old tech. If you think about it, ever obsolete technology leaves behind tons of factory equipment and plans to make them.. Once you have those, it's dirt cheap just to keep making them and selling them to whoever is willing to get them.

[@Fireglo]

Even Jason Voorhees hates it XD I swear that is the exact same model he kicks in that movie kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZPXlGyLa814j68

[@aris95]

@@Fireglo There should read "No Sharp WF-939 boomboxes was harmed during the filming"

[@themirrorsofmymind]

I felt even worse for that poor kiddie car being chucked over a cliff! *(Funny as hell, tho...)*

[@MF-le7fp]

I received a JVC PC-150 for my 16th bday in 1985. It still kickin along today, relegated to dusty garage radio duty. Faithfully delivering it's tired flat sounds, daily. I'm still amazed by its seemingly bullet proof construction, and it's amazing resilience in terms of total life span. Hats off to JVC, because the word "die", doesn't seem to be in this unit's vocabulary. It even has SW1 & SW2. Which seems to be devoid of anyone broadcasting anything these days

[@mckaycheatham5980]

I used to have the best boombox EVER. The lubricant on the doors had gunked up so the doors took OVER A MINUTE to open up!

[@cosminogloocosy1154]

Hahahaha XD

[@8bit_coder]

That would DEFINITELY pass the test for "how slow does the door open" Haha!

[@metallitron9000]

oh yea, well mine got jammed and never opened!

[@greggfaded9662]

@metallitron9000 ALPHA AFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!

[@charlieangkor8649]

that’s so dubstep!

[@dcflake5645]

There's something so nostalgic about cheap tape being played on an even cheaper tape player. Takes me right back to childhood.

[@eddievhfan1984]

I like your mentioning the whole "the medium is only as good as its playback hardware" phenomenon, because the same thing happened with CDs. Most portable CD players that first came out on the market (or even home receivers for that matter), as I understand it, used things like underspeced digital-to-analog converters to save cost, and it made CDs sound worse than they really were.

[@Techmoan]

I'm really not too sure why so many people have decided to explain to me how continuous play operates....I don't recall saying I didn't understand it....and of course I do (how could anyone not...the description of the function is in the name). On this deck the far left piano key operates the continuous play feature. I didn't demonstrate continuous play in the video because it's just not interesting enough to spend any time on.

[@jquest43]

Its there so u can play 1 and 2 cassettes in rotation ALL night.geeze!!

[@Meekerextreme]

+jquest43 If you can not take the time to pick an Avatar how are people going to take your comments seriously? As you just shown you lack the basic reading skills of a nat.

[@patrickwalsh2086]

+Techmoan yea i always thought continuous play on a cassette deck was a pedestrian feature.

[@AttilaTheHun333333]

+jquest43 "in rotation ALL night" ....you wish buddy! This deck has of course no auto reverse, so the continuos play function just plays one side of each tape and then stops. Means, you get 90 minutes of music if you put in two 90 tapes...that's a pretty short night I would say.

[@patrickwalsh2086]

It's a knockoff brand of boombox, that's why there's a fake button in the middle. Those fakers love to deceive the buying public!

[@letthetunesflow]

The crazy sound effects created by playing both tapes together makes that boom box actually worth the price IMO! It just sounds like a lot of fun to mess with…I’d lose hours mixing sounds of tapes together, and creating some crazy messed up tape speed sound effects!

[@TheCarDemotic]

Text everywhere, lots of buttons, lights all over the front, big, and low quality sound. Perfect

[@melquizedec]

This is why people think Marketing is about lying to consumer. Nice video, mate.

[@piffdaddy420]

"the best thing we can do with this machine is take it apart" LMAO

[@CaptainDangeax]

EEVBlog enters the room

[@HiroNguy]

In Arizona we'd use this kind of shite as targets.

[@one2micreview846]

Mark Stach 😂😂😂

[@visionist7]

I love my silver Sony boombox! Fixed speakers, single cassette deck, no gimmicks! Just awesome sound! Thing is probably older than me. Paid a hundred pounds for it in 2009. Takes eight D cell batteries.

[@RogerSartet007]

I just subscribed to your channel. Been casting to my tv all evening. So many memories. I used to (try and) repair these in my last years of high school and my college years. For friends that is. Never had one myself. I remember the mainboards of these cheapo's were so badly soldered, some of the (badly) printed connections were re-done (in the factory I suppose) using wires. When you opened it up, you found these wires glued to the inside of the case...: Detaching (I mean simply moving around, not even disconnecting) one to get to the mainboard, often led to irreparable grounding issues (worse than the noise you demonstrate above) because of interference through the wires which weren't supposed to be there in the first place. The king of these cheapo's (lowest tier possible) here in Belgium was a brand from the far East called "Tokyo" (sometimes also called Tsuru, with the same logo). Their logo was a trident. What I mean with "Far East" is that some of their stuff came from Singapore, others from Malaysia, China, Korea....but never from Japan (probably already too expensive back then). However, if I remember correctly (it's more than 30 years ago): At the heart of these boombox devices, whether it be a low-tier Tsuru/Tokyo or a more renowned brand, was very often the same "integrated amplifier IC": STK-something. (something = a number I really don't remember :-) If you come across a Tokyo or a Tsuru, leave it, unless indeed it's just for 'set decorating' :-). I bought my mum an Aiwa in 1997: Still works as a charm: CD, radio, cassette all in good order after 23 years. Aiwa imho was one of the better, let's say 'mid-tier' brands in that era, especially for cassette based stuff, like boomboxes and portable cassette players. Sony bought 'em up and closed them down...for obvious reasons. Keep up the cool work!

[@lulock]

"if you throw it off a cliff"... that had me laughing out loud... just discovered your channel... great videos!

[@bettyschnauber8238]

That cliff might be the best place for that jambox!

[@mervynstent1578]

@@bettyschnauber8238 never to be seen again!

[@BastetFurry]

I would have still used that for a party-basement where stuff could get damaged. And after the 3rd or 4th beer you don't mind the quality anymore. ;)

[@thephoenixhasflown]

LOL, nice!

[@TheProfessor529]

Eh, that's what we've got AmazonBasics Bluetooth speakers for, these days.

[@jayt653]

Way late response: Continuous Play is supposed to allow the first tape deck to play all the way thru, then the second plays after the first stops. To make it work, you had to press play on the second deck and CP buttons at the same time, then play on the first deck. It sorta "loaded" the play button on deck two to engage when the first deck auto stopped. I remember seeing many units that had the fake CP buttons though, or for whatever reason they did not work. Just another feature copied from a higher end unit that they could print on the box.

[@chromewater1879]

i had this exact model and used it for my computer speakers for a ling time. Brings me back.

[@R.T_Go_Your_Own_Way]

PMPO is "Purely Mythical Power Output"

[@thephoenixhasflown]

Purely mythical power output, LOL nice.

[@remoob6454]

For home usage you don't really need more than 20-30W RMS, especially if system is decent, unlike that one.

[@Balikon]

Labeled 200W P.M.P.O. equals to 2 to 3 Watt RMS in real. This "Thing" is more like a Doom-Box than a Boom-Box.

[@faidularcs]

Peak music power output This bloger showing fake one Original one is NATIONAL made in Japan all mechanism is Power wheel control

[@palemacaroon4836]

@@faidularcs r/engrish

[@tremorist]

Send it to the guy who runs the "Hydraulic Press Channel".

[@micha0001]

+tremorist Or to "Demolition Ranch" ;-)

[@urbanalitics]

That Russian Hydraulic Guy particularly

[@tremorist]

He's from Finland.

[@redX111t]

Russian.... LOL

[@tremorist]

Finnish

[@djcrazy65]

Throughout my high school years, I had both the JVC RCM-70-JW and later the RCM-90. These things rocked! Me and my friend used to go to these tunnels (storm drain from a golf course to the lake) powering it with a car battery because the 10 "D" cells never lasted long at the volumes we used to play it at. While I don't have those ghetto blasters any more, I still have a JVC Kaboom that was made in 1998, and it not only rocks, but it works perfectly.

[@Locoboy5150]

Thank you for the in depth review. Like you said, back in the day audio equipment like this boombox was the gateway that lead us into being audio enthusiasts today. Not many audiophiles will admit that now though so I salute you realizing and telling the truth about how you got into the audio hobby - good job! (I wish that more audiophiles today would admit their humble beginnings into their passion for audio equipment. It would bring their feet back down to earth with us commoners.) For those that don't know, this International IT-939 is a copy of the Sharp WF-939. The Sharp is pretty highly regarded amongst boombox collectors. You can easily tell the difference because the WF-939 has a bright green LED spectrum analyzer on the front.

[@Techmoan]

*TRACK NAMES* A lot of people have asked for the names of the music tracks. These are now in the *Video Description Text Box*

[@CEzikMaj]

+Techmoan Thank you so much. Shazam can't find this.

[@findthebug]

cool thanks

[@burntflowerzfallen]

+Techmoan - you the man! Thank you! Even if it's just KZbin music....DAT BASS LINE!! :D

[@Urko2005]

+Kyle Pittman Its like a lot of 70s stuff on CD , just doesnt sound the same as an actual vinyl copy.

[@Coolkeys2009]

+Urko2005 Stuff that's going on vinyl or tape needs to be mastered taking into account the characteristics of the media. The early stuff that was (re-)released on CD was not remastered CD's so would never sound right. I'm curious if you can put 35mins a side of bass heavy music that retains some of the highs and mids on a LP the way that's commonly done on CD's nowadays without it skipping? CD is just uncompressed 44.1khz audio, something that's a lot better than the compressed mp3 etc or Dab most people are happy to listen to nowadays. I think that fact that most people couldn't afford expensive hi-end analogue audio gear needs to be taken into account when considering the merits of the different formats etc.

[@VectrexRoli]

8 Watts and a fake button, you could not ask for more. :-D

[@alleykat6273]

National: Just Slightly Ahead of Our Time International: Just Slightly Behind of Our Time

[@ZeekMX]

I thought I had dynamic speakers all this time. You've changed my life.

[@francoisgermain3991]

Me and my friends all had one of these... and yep, they did sound terrible! BUT... it's all we could afford, so we loved them!

[@SamBorgman]

Haha man the memories! My cousin had THIS EXACT THING but I remember it to sound mighty fantastic since I was very jealous. The same FD letters and flat looking speakers and all. He used to blast Chris De Burgh's Missing You on a loop for hours. Good old 80s.

[@SamBorgman]

After some digging (on web and in memory), it was definitely a Sharp, probably WF-939z or similar (www.shizaudio.ru/audio/data/media/17/SHARP_WF-939.jpg). Your thing is a direct copy. There was a brand called National who made similar things but International was definitely a fake brand who made terrible things. No wonder it was good sounding since it was a Sharp that my friend had. :)

[@werkis2]

I have Sharp WF-939 in working order (rec tape is jammed and damaged) but it has relay relay good sound

[@lyrichasmoxie2586]

Sam Borgman wish i grew up in the 89s or 90s. Your lucky. Todays music is sucky.

[@emmareporter4324]

@@jeanbonnefoy1377 whoa so national was pretty high quality

[@joechlystun7979]

ha! thats what i did to. chris deburgh was great only i blasted the "into the light" tape

[@dannygroom3327]

hey I had one of those machines. it accompanied me and a girlfriend on a road trip from Dayton Ohio, to San Francisco. It was very good for hiding weed in the large battery compartment.

[@vinto34]

Bought an Aiwa CA25 back in 1987. Went until 1991 when the belt failed. Got a replacement recently and it goes like new and used in the kitchen.

[@michaelparker2449]

sometimes I'd spend hours going through the Argos catalogue just dreaming of things i wanted to buy.

[@toryglen]

I believed I was the only one who thought that way. Wishful thinking. 😀

[@soulsoul386]

I still do

[@d_vibe-swe]

The double deck weird glitch was actually something that made me want it 😊

[@stevejensen2751]

+d vibe (swe) haha me too

[@QuadTubeChannel]

Yeah it sounds boss lol

[@baremetalHW]

Lol... the reel-to-reel cassette tape he use in this video probably cost more than the whole unit...

[@thestargazer679]

woah, didn't expect to see you here

[@baremetalHW]

@@thestargazer679 lol... I love Techmoan... I see you do too!

[@jacksonborges6821]

@@override7486 e OK omm..

[@nvrndingsmmr]

Wow it's baremetalHW! That's so cool, it's always awesome to see my interests intersect like this!

[@DarthVader1977]

used*

[@tomstickland]

The 80s were fun for this sort of thing. The boxy systems were far more interesting than the splodges that came in the 90s. Saisho and Matsui were Dixon's own brands and not much cop but Phillips/Pye, Sharp, Sony, Hitachi etc made some good things. I had a single tape deck Super Woofer.

[@Farie977]

I lost it when you play both simultaneously.

[@cubanomx2]

When you play both cassette decks and have such problem is because 1) there is just one motor for the 2 decks - not in this case or 2) there is not enough power for the motors (wrong AC voltage input) i.e: 220V instead of 120V

[@Farie977]

CubanoMX possibly a poor power distribution?

[@Origoangelohrol322]

Maybe an integrated voltage regulator in the power supply becomes overloaded with the two motors on and the over-current protection causes this type of behavior. Excellent example for just at the edge utilizing of the resources.

[@kennethbouchard8643]

It was cost cutting. Some dual decks did have 1 motor and a long belt that ran both decks. That cut cost a lot to not have to use 2 motors. When cassette decks went quality like the Pioneer Decks that were all logic controlled and touch buttons, then you had something worthy. The most solid deck I had was one that featured a motorized loading. It was a Crown. When you ejected the tape, it had a door that brought the tape out about 1/2 inch, and then tilted the door. You placed the tape in and it would then close slowly a motor was used to load and unload the tapes. It also like the Pioneer decks, would then auto calibrate the bias and eq bu recording a very short section at the beginning of the tape a test tone. They self adjusted to the tape to get the best possible sound. The most complicated deck I once owned was an Onkyo. Dual recording and dual auto reversing. You could actually record on both decks at the same time, or in sequence. It also would skip past the leader and auto adjust to the tape, pausing on the tape and unpause itself as soon as a signal arrived. It also had both time counter rather than just a tape counter for each deck, and you could search for blank gaps up to 16 songs. Even could cue up the next song on the non playing deck, while listening to the song on the other deck, and switch over to the cued up song. Pretty complicated. I regret having to give it away. Really should have kept it.

[@devonoved7]

High speed dubbing many have been turned on

[@matthewburroughs9597]

This video made me laugh more than most comedies. "Dad Test" Brilliant.

[@LegoWormNoah101]

I kept thinking he said "Down test"

[@jaharrollingstone2423]

OMG @0:31"transform you from being wack to being fresh". Dead.

[@ChoboUnjeon]

5:52 Nice feature. It lets you know when to start recording the backup for a show.

[@mattmers]

You should get a P.O. Box so we can send you stuff to review. lol

[@Nostalgianerd]

I live for shite 80s electronics like this.... Check out all that Hot snot on the circuit boards. That crazy aussie bloke would have a field day.

[@wa1ufo]

Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!

[@Navneetvaio]

Hahahahahahahaha

[@SzymonSaysStuff]

This guy predicted DankPods

[@ondrejbrandejsky5592]

@@SzymonSaysStuff didnt even realize that comment was 5years old, i immediatelly thought that he was talking about DankPods

[@adenernest9987]

@Austin Payton Instablaster =)

[@rechtrecht]

My father still ones and uses one. It is the coolest shit on earth! He has it in his workshop and he is always there in the late evenings. So it's dark, those big wing doors are open, the light in shining outside and the 90s music can be heared all over our yard

[@readlearngrow]

I actually remember this junky stereo. What a “blast from the past”. Wow.

[@maxdoe8812]

Techmoan is fantastic , who in their right mind would watch a 10 min video of an obsolete , utterly useless pile of retro junk. ME! hell its Cheaper than Therapy. Teachmoan continues to rock solid.

[@greenanubis]

+max doe Hahaha, its about as effective as therapy too.

[@wa1ufo]

Ha Ha Ha Ho Ho!!!!!!!

[@PlaynationGames]

You could describe a tin of paint and I would find it interesting and I would watch

[@RetroElectroville]

On the authentic SHARP WF939Z version looks like the center piano key is a working "Dubbing Start" button, and the covered center holes held switches for tape direction and reverse mode. It also has a fancy "Spectrum Analyzer" in place of the Sound Level Meter.

[@christopherrichardson4641]

seems to be using old sharp wf 939/940 casing with crap electronics inside as there are switches where sticker is and center button was one touch dubbing button that worked. I have original wf 940 and my humble research seems to show most were sold in old eastern block countries and worth good money. Have only heard radio working on mine as tape mechanicals stuck with dried solid grease. restoring now but this video gives me more things to check out

[@markhuang8425]

I laughed when the cassette door just exploded its way to open

[@TheJaHa5]

This boombox is an imitation of the Sharp WF-939Z! While looking through a few vids, I came across the Sharp WF-939Z and I thought... why does this system look so familiar? Not too long after, I remembered this video, and I must say, this is indeed some cheap imitation of Sharp....

[@riverhuntingdon6659]

Looks like a VERY cheap and nasty Sharp clone. I think they're still on Ebay now, but definately not built for the UK market. The 220 Volt sticker gave it away. Had it been intended for here, it'd be 240 Volt, and it'd have had the BEAB "Kitemark" thingy on it ! Hope you're doing okay, I was once AG3304....and yes, I'm still tinkering.

[@TheJaHa5]

Hey man, what's up?!! I unsubscribed and resubscribed to your channel. Now, I see you're still tinkering around with some old electronics from your school days and such... I don't comment as such, but I am subscribed to your channel, and I do watch your videos whenever I have the time. Thanks for replying! Formerly 'TheJaHa5'.

[@80s_Boombox_Collector]

Yep it's just a knockoff of the Sharp. I was never a fan of that particular Sharp anyway, as I prefer knobs instead of sliders. But it does look flashy!

[@drakevevo3710]

I have a maxim version of this exact stereo, maybe smaller brands tried imitating the sharp.

[@werkis2]

I have real Sharp WF-939 but it is US version 110V so I need to use transofrmer. Thoes knock off clones are making fun of this device, cause it has fantastic sound. It's sad becuse in most videos people has clones but they talk about this particular device or smimilar model.

[@charliegovenor3681]

When I was 13 I saved up and bought a Hitachi TRK-W55K - Jeez I loved that thing. With my TDK MA-XG60 cassettes and a haversack full of batteries - I was the shit .

[@deangtspecial6689]

Thank you for the trip of nostalgia. I miss these days sometimes!

[@kermitthesnitch8735]

Those are actually reproductions of the SHARP WF939 Labeled as New Old Stock, claiming they were supposed to go to different stores Like Radioshack Dixon etc. There new, and garbage. There a 100s of these type of boomboxes on eBay

[@aus80srockradio94]

+Kermit the Snitch And I'm sure the original Sharp would be a massively better unit & would have much better sound, better internals, speakers and everything.

[@kermitthesnitch8735]

You are correct

[@neversurrender5798]

+Kermit the Snitch Wait, So these are made to fool people into thinking they are new? That's actually a thing?

[@kermitthesnitch8735]

Yes, its called marketing skills

[@werkis2]

Real Sharp WF-939 has fantastic sound and middle button on real thing works its a dubbing button!

[@RediffusionMusic]

The actual drivers in the speakers look as if they could sound pretty nice in a set of designed enclosures. Real cone tweeter & a fair sized magnet for a 8 watt speaker! Would probably do very well in a 100v line speaker setup. :)

[@TampaTec]

I loved my boombox, you crushed my nostalgia bro 😂, guy in 2020 trolling 1990 tech. Anyways great look inside and out of a retro boombox. 👍 you should check out 70s tvs with vac tube and oak wood panels.

[@werkis2]

Hello Mr.Techmoan i have real Sharp WF-939 from 86-90th. It has fantastic sound. Middle button on real thing actually works its a dubbing button, was very useful back in a day. Also real WF-939 has 8 ohms speakers . And overall build quality is realy good. One day you should revisit boombox video and compare fake on - knockoff in the video with real Sharp WF-939 i guarante you will be suprised!

[@ponsholm]

These are my favorites, you actually taking things apart, analyzing, see if a fix can be made to improve etc. My results have always been "sorry, I broke it!"

[@nperm8250]

same

[@yusdiy]

Its a fake/copy of Sharp WF939.I seen the guts of the original.Its nothing like this.

[@greggv8]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXi5ZaOnZdprgsk

[@TheDutchShepherd]

You're right! Damn.. what a bad copy

[@johnruschmeyer5769]

@Bob Smith "HAVE SEEN the guts" :-)

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

@@TheDutchShepherd Created by fucking copycat bootleg RED COMMUNIST FUCKERS of China.

[@bleughbloop8569]

@@MichaelOKeefe2009 those RED COMMUNISTS are manufacturing the circuit boards I need to pass my uni course. And they got the last lot to me before the local board manufacturer even got back to me with a quote...which was 4x the price...even after I redesigned to pass the more stringent requirements. If communism means empowering the little guy like that then sign me up comrade...

[@BalearicBeatnik]

THE DAD TEST. I remember my dad explaining that to me, in Dixons in Fareham Shopping Centre once in the 1980's. made me crack up when you reminded me!!!

[@elkapitan75]

That continous play button is keeping me awake at night.

[@danxepha4535]

My favourite piece of superfluous text has got to be "INTERNATIONAL" on the cassette deck. What is it supposed to even be referring to?

[@Techmoan]

+Dan Xepha That's the make.

[@danxepha4535]

Brilliant!

[@garyparton168]

+Techmoan I appreciate you doing a review moan even if it's a shitty boombox good looking out on the ll cool j pics I was hoping it was the one on the album cover or similar see what you mean by disappointing all good though thanks

[@runnlikehell3]

+Gary Parton what.

[@garyparton168]

+matthew bryant who knows

[@GamingPalooza]

my dad owned a Lasonic huge boom box with two tape decks, 10 inch subs on each side.... it was awesome.

[@WooferCooker]

I own one, and can confirm that they are awesome.

[@FYJ2972]

Lasonic is a piece of crap, If you know boombox history.

[@wa1ufo]

Yo Ho!

[@kennethbouchard8643]

Yeah I ermember all those cheezy brand names. While the Lasonic ones looked cool, they performed way worse than they looked. In old radio days, the speakers were huge to make up for the lack of power. So back then a 5 watt speaker could fill a room with sound, because the speaker was 10 inch or 15 inch. I recall I had a set of Jensen 15 inch 15 watt speakers I managed to save from Grandmas attic. Those were impressive, having full throw, red cones, and would blast out well with just 10 watts from Tube amplifiers.

[@fjl05]

Your videos are awesome. always great for some insight into some less known tech. Also the part about the toy car going 100 miles an hour had me cracking up. Keep these awesome vids coming.

[@halcyondaystunes]

This is fantastic and you had me nodding and smiling in agreement at all the observations re what us teenage boys wanted from our stereos. And i too used to love looking through the shops little catalogues dreaming of what i could have. great video.

[@DiHandley]

Another embarrassing trip down memory lane. When the measure of a stereo system was how many lights and buttons it had! Ugg. lol😃

[@greenanubis]

+David Handley People still seem to evaluate electronics based on how much flashing lights it has. Evidence is that manufacturers started to put RGB lightning in all kinds of shit: keyboards and mouse, headphones, pc cases, even on graphics cards which are usually hidden in the case. Times change, people stay the same.

[@Adam_Adamsky]

3:24 Aaaahhh... that was really hilarious :) "too keen to open"

[@NemesisDawn]

I remember I used to actively search for broken, discarded Boomboxes back in the '80's and repairing them. I had some of the best out there. I wish I still had a few cause their selling today for (an authentic retro) $1000-$5000. I'm 50years old now and still on the lookout for discarded, broken things like PC's. Great Video!

[@Voltaic_Fire]

You have the ability to fix broken PCs? I don't mean just by replacing the components but actual repairs. I've got a GTX1080 I would love to have repaired, it's worth it's weight in gold right now.

[@carlpurkins]

I've only just discovered this channel and it's my new addiction... right up my street!

[@siva992]

the door on the deck 2 came out fast because it was "hi-speed".. haha! ok, that was lame. I'm gonna shut up right now.

[@valeinikofff]

classic LADA was great... I've got one in those olegoodtimes)))

[@Sashabooboo]

Truer words were never more spoken when he said the ones in the pictures were what you wanted to get for Christmas but this is what you actually got for Christmas

[@sheendex]

Omg at 0.27 I had that red Sharp boom box when I was a kid... Recognised it immediately. Aw memories of recording the top 40 with that...

[@GPVlog]

I lost it with the toy car over the cliff comment.

[@MrSonofsonof]

There were the things you wanted, and then there were the things your parents bought you.

[@donaldspaulding6973]

I just found your videos. I'm a pro audio engineer and enjoyed seeing all the gear that got me interested in the business. My first recorder was a Sony Pro DC-6. I can't tell you hard I laugh when I hear you say "God awful" in the classic British accent! Thanks for doing these!

[@chooseaname50]

Target had awesome cheap retro Ghetto-Blasters, ( plastic, made in china) but looked so funky, and came complete with bluetooth, re-charging battery, and equalizer display. I bought the last one on the shelf for $35 au, and have been using it at work for 2years, and it still hasn't stopped. Sound quality is good enough for what i need. My workmates all get a kick out of it, and a laugh. there still might be a couple for sale at Target online, i always keep an eye out. Ghetto Blaster Model: TEAC, GB-5000. cheers.

[@mandolinic]

I think (but I'm not too sure) that "Continuous Play", meant that you could press play on both tapes, but only one would play, then when it finished, the other tape would play.

[@speedstrn]

+Mandolinic Yes, I had one with that feature.

[@vincentdeguard4726]

thing is...if one looks around around there is still modern versions of this sort of "junk" being sold nowadays; especially around/on "Black Friday"

[@wildbilltexas]

+Vincent de Guard I have heard the IPOD/Iphone boomboxes like the Lasonic retro models are very cheaply made.

[@TheChipmunk2008]

+wildbilltexas Those retro 'looks like a gramophone/phonograph but has a cd player and radio as well' (and these days an ipod dock) are often made of what looks like reject pallet wood, held together with hot glue, with undersized 1980s style electronics floating around inside on woefully undersized wiring. With hot glue. Lots of it. Some of it even holds bits together.

[@wildbilltexas]

+TheChipmunk2008 I've seen plenty of them. They are sold under the Crosley brand in the USA. They are all made in China and they are all cheap crap. Sadly it seems like most budget electronics are all made in China now.

[@sharkamov]

Got a glimpse of my old Pioneer FT-1250 there, - brings back memories . . . . .💓

[@Evan420]

there was a model with auto reverse (sharp wf-939) and the continuous play button keeps the tape playing forever, and the holes covered by the logo between the tape compartments were switches for directions for sides A and B, and a reverse mode to stop the tape at end of side or to make it autoreverse

[@forsetha]

This car goes at 100mph *IF YOU THROW IT OFF A CLIFF!!*

[@audiodood]

yeet

[@glipk]

That was hilarious

[@GASH_one]

Boombox??? No, it's a GHETTO BLASTER, kids!

[@bessallin459]

Incorrect it’s a portable stereo

[@rafas6168]

I had one of these back in early 90's, but it was little bit diffrent model and sounded not bad. In fact mine was built good enough so it lasted for decades. I think it still works.

[@Schule04]

The music on the tape in this video fits the machine perfectly

[@drkastenbrot]

It isnt about watts, its about quality. I measured the input power of my monitor speakers and they draw 24 watts total when the loudness levels begin to hurt. 9 watts at normal production levels. Average customers are mislead into thinking more watts = better sound.

[@mapesdhs597]

+drkastenbrot Doubly so because few know about speaker acoustic efficiency, and companies don't tend to mention it. Most consumer speakers are very inefficient, ie. very little of the electrical power is being kicked out as acoustic energy. It's all down to the speaker design, especially the magnets. I've been to a few concerts over the years, perhaps the loudest being Yngwie Malmsteem, for which I was in the 6th row. However, by far the loudest speaker I've ever heard was a hand-made 5 foot high horn-type cinema speaker, driven by a hand-built valve amp, which uses the walls as the final cone. It belongs to my step-Dad, now retired; much of his job was speaker design for Kodak. The unit is a spare that was never used. IIRC he said the mono amp he built was 5W. What was amazing was how clear it sounded even when very loud, though he didn't have the volume contol turned up much, as he worried that doing so might damage the house. :D

[@dennythomas730]

While you are correct in the watts are not all that matters the more watts you have the louder you can go. My jbl xtreme with 40watts goes a lot louder than my 16watt flip 3

[@kennethbouchard8643]

My Panasonic 5 CD shelf mini system, has a nice sound. They put in 2 stereo amps, and 4 wires per speaker. The woofer is only 4 inches yet they fill the room nicely with deep bass, and then they used separate wires for tweeter/mid range to make them sound much better.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

You don't understand 1980s teenagers. 😀

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

That's pretty much the first thing my dad taught me about audio equipment.

[@areasevenpro]

Seeing all of the Chinese-made components and the overall poor quality, it seems that you picked up a Chinese knockoff of the original model.

[@colinjohnston8519]

areasevenpro what?? It's a no name brand piece of cheap crap. Why would they knock that off??

[@Pasi123]

It's a clone of a SHARP WF939

[@Colt45hatchback]

I had the sharp one, was quite good, still in use today at my place of work, donated it to the warehouse 10 years ago, and shes on from 7am till 5pm 6 days a week, still going strong

[@winni223]

a minor correction: it did fly after almost 30 (?) years in the box. Belts OK. Pinch rollers OK. Knobs and capacitors OK. Amazing. My Technics CH770 deck's rubber did not last any longer than 3 years in a storage, the rollers fell in pieces and so did the belts.

[@Hurricanelive]

I had a mini 2xAA magnavox cassette/rec with a really nice 5 or 6 inch speaker with bass/treble dials and I would take that to school in my pocket and we'd blast it in the bathroom with everything from the 80's for years in elementary school. We'd get some really good reverb and echo in there. I was the only one that ever brought his deck and tapes to school which looking back was weird. My minibox more use then any of my dozen cheap full sizes, it wasn't a walkman but I used it as my walkman for years.

[@BlackieNuff]

For those who may NOT know : Continuous Play was a feature that allowed the two decks to play consecutively without manual intervention. So, you could begin playing Deck A, meanwhile having Deck B queued up somehow ; typically in playback mode with the pause button activated. Once Deck A finished playing the tape (with or without the Auto Reverse initiated, to play one or both sides) and enters Stop mode, the stopped Deck A triggers a release of the pause button on Deck B allowing it to play. Some decks may even automatically replay each deck, one or both sides of each tape, alternately and indefinitely, depending on the mechanism and circuitry. Sequence could be modified from : "Deck-A Side-A >> Deck-A Side-B >> Deck-B Side-A >> Deck-B Side-B", to : "Deck-A Side-A >> Deck-B Side-A >> Deck-A Side-B >> Deck-B Side-B", and other sequences (if any). It was an okay feature for those instances where you might want anywhere from 30 minutes (one side of a C-60) to 240 minutes (both sides of a C-120 in both decks) of continuous music without the interruption of stopping whatever you might be doing to flip tapes over and press buttons. Otherwise, it was one of those "features" whose significance, relevance, and importance was over-emphasized. Any units I had which boasted this feature, often had poorer sound from the "reverse play" position, and/or sometimes even one deck sounded worse than the other. So I had to favor one particular deck playing in a particular direction if I wanted to hear it best output quality. As for that peculiar mechanism you pointed out when pressing the Rec/Play buttons on the one deck, that is very likely the trigger mechanism for some kind of "Synchro Dubbing" action ; one motion to activate both decks in "perfect" unison. Judging by the sloppy quality of this model, my guess would be, it's to have the playback-only deck queued up in play-pause mode, and once you initiate the recording mode of the recording deck, that mechanism releases the pause button on the other deck and begins playing, to be dubbed to the recording deck ; now both tapes are in "synch"... Apparently, being a half-second ahead or behind was a "big problem" in the tape-to-tape dubbing process?

[@BlackieNuff]

I don't think I said anything about any stickers. What are you talking about? And try some goddamned punctuation - I'm sure you're educated beyond the 2nd grade to know what that is and how to use it? I don't know if you're making a statement or asking a question? Next time, copy & paste what I said (maybe I said something in another comment somewhere that isn't showing right now? At any rate, I'm not seeing it). But even if I said anything about the decals on these old blasters, positive or negative, who cares? How does it affect your little world?

[@zampa4ever]

Continuous play = press play on deck 1 press continuous play then press play on deck 2. When deck 1 auto stops deck 2 starts to play At least that's what mine did in the 1980's

[@Techmoan]

+zampa4ever yep.

[@AlanJenney]

On the machine shown in the video, the button on cassette deck 1 for continuous play is to the left of the regular play button. The dummy middle button just happens to be next to the text explaining that you have to press the leftmost one on deck one, then the normal play button on deck two. Rather unusual, as the normal behaviour was to simply have an interlock between the two play buttons as you said.

[@aris95]

@@AlanJenney So there is continuous play feature but its design have been changed and the dummy continuous play button is left there for the manufacturing reasons? EDIT: Yes it is true when watching closely the "continuous play" text is in the different height than the other marks. It leads to confusion easily if there is no user guide left.

[@stcrussman]

My brain still prefers to read your username as Technoman. Also I inexplicably got unsubbed from you and I'm glad one of your videos popped up on my home page.

[@Techmoan]

+stcrussman perhaps you subbed to Technoman.

[@Patrick_B687-3]

I cannot believe they have gone up in value like this. My God!!

[@fishcakes1621]

Tandy & Laskys! I had a Philips Stereo Boombox in the 80s and used to stroll around the neighbourhood educating the musical philistines who had yet to discover Rush, Van Halen, Malmsteen, Vinnie Vincent's Invasion etc.

[@OscarScheepstra_Artemis_]

In Brazil we call PMPO "Potência máxima para otários": peak power output for suckers.

[@leandrolaporta2196]

+Oscar Scheepstra HAAAAAAAAAAHAAHAAHAHAHA FANTASTIC! you make me laugh so much with that hahaha, potencia maxima para otarios!!! I'm gonna take note of that one!!! dude you just made my day!

[@OscarScheepstra_Artemis_]

valeu! heauhea :D

[@Wvramoz94]

Legal, não sou o unico br aqui.

[@danielh9252]

At least the EQ sliders are separate. I had a cheapo box with an "8 band" equalizer that was actually 4 band.

[@kennethbouchard8643]

8 band meant 4 left and 4 right. How to make it claim that, was misleading.

[@neilhannon711]

Daniel H ..so had I. ..It was made by proline from a connect store in belfast. ..A hundred and fifty quid down the toilet. ..I had to collect scrap metal to fund a hitachi 3d superwoofer. ..It still works. ..

[@rasser80]

my old boombox was made in 1983 and i found it in a skip in 1987 and i used it up until 2008 or 9, it had the best radio i ever had in it well in the end that was the only thing working in it aswell. :)

[@bobbobson4069]

Brilliant review. I love techmoan's objectivity! Clear and informative.

[@KarmaElectronics.]

still using the Panasonic RX-C45. and still sounds good. but i did need to recap it.

[@Qwertyoneify]

7:43 No I doubt that car would even reach 100 when thrown off a cliff. Perhaps if you melted into a sphere and shot it out of a cannon.

[@LeonardTavast]

My grandma had that system when I was a kid. Seeing it again bring back memories...

[@aris95]

I believe your grandma had the original Sharp boombox not this one

[@fattomandeibu]

The little red and black Taisho thing on the far left of the catalogue at the beginning is the exact unit one of my friends used to copy C64 tape games on... I was lucky and my dad let me use his hi-fi. Not that 6 year old me would ever do such a thing.