Boombox for the beach

[dusty_bottoms]

Hey yall, a while ago I went to tapeheads for a boombox that was cheap and enjoys being opened and fixed. I eventually settled on a broken panasonic rx 4930. It was everything I asked for, it was easy as hell to open up, clean, change belts on, etc. I haven't had to change out any of the circuitry, but given how easy to read the circuit board is, I have a lot of confidence that even that identifying problems and replacing parts in the circuitry wouldn't be much of a hassle at all.


Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and I took the thing to the beach on a windy day. I've brought it in the past, but this time it took on too much sand and I had to pretty much disassemble the whole thing to clean every nook and cranny for grains of sand. I should've taken photos before disassembling it, but alas I didn't, and now I can't get it working again, and the limited documentation on it has me taking this as a sign to get a new boombox. I've also started an account here just to get more feedback and suggestions.


So I gotta ask again, what are some good boomboxes that fit these criteria:
(Doesn't have to be super strict, I appreciate gives and takes for different models, I'm sure there isn't going to be a perfect one that fits all of this)

- Simple architecture that lends itself to easy maintenance, I'd rather have something that breaks semi-regularly but can easily be fixed/cleaned than something that lasts but gets one problem and dies forever. I also don't want any bluetooth or any extra BS, I use it for tapes and tapes only, I'm sure it'll come with radio and I'm fine with that but besides maybe an audio in channel, I really don't want any extra features beyond the ability to play tapes.

- In similar vein to this, good documentation, I can reasonably find a free schematic or service manual online, youtube videos of teardowns, etc.

- Bonus is its capacity to be brought to the beach, if anyone has any advice for bringing boxes to the beach without breaking them, I'd love to hear that too. The RX-4930 has many loose parts with decently large gaps between the case and the knobs, tape controls, radio/tape/am/fm switches, which all let in a lot of sand and other gunk that might turn up by bringing it out and about as I tend to do. I'd love to find something that has a pretty sealed design, my last boombox, while being annoying as hell to operate on, let in almost no sand besides into the battery compartment, if I could find something like this but easier to operate on, I'd love that.

Obviously audio quality is nice, but honestly, I just care about making a bit of noise. For a piece of kit I'm going to be taking out an about, I'd always rather take something that's durable and easy to fix, but does the job, over something that sound nice, but wastes too much of my time or money once I take it home. Besides, they're tapes, if I want audio quality, I'll go home to my vinyl, I'll go to my car for my cds, but when I'm out, as long as I can hear the music, it's all good for me.

 

[hopey]

There's only one.

 

[blu_fuz]

Are you looking for a classic non rechargeable battery operated rig or a new age rechargeable setup with BT?

 

[dusty_bottoms]

Are you looking for a classic non rechargeable battery operated rig or a new age rechargeable setup with BT?

Probably a classic version, I don't really need or want BT, and in my experience they're usually cheaply built, and are annoying to work on. That being said, I'm open to any suggestions.

 

[Transistorized]

This post is right up my alley. I take radios to the beach all the time.

If you are wanting to stick with a vintage boombox then personally, I think you were on the right path with a Panasonic model. They're plentiful, cheap(ish) depending on model, dependable and easy to work on as you have noted. I take my Panasonic RX-5050 to the beach almost every year for a vintage experience. But, I must admit, I tend to shy away a bit when it comes to taking it down to the sand. I'll do it but, it has to be the right day for it and it definitely gets a blanket. Also, a radio that is taken to the beach is going to eventually suffer from dirty controls. That salt air is brutal on open air electronics. Sand in a record bar, etc..is even worse.



When I want to truly relax and not risk a vintage boombox, I take my JBL Bluetooth speaker or my mini M90. On the JBL, as long as the cover is closed, you can literally bury it under the sand with a shovel and then rinse it off at the house and throw it in the pool and listen to it as it floats. Now that is a true beach box but, it is Bluetooth only so it's streaming all the way. The mini M90 does have a radio that picks up okay but isn't water and/or sand proof either. It is easily carried and puts out the tunes quite nicely and has that old school look to it. Sometimes I hang it up under the umbrella to keep sand off of it. Of course neither have cassette. These are my modern go to models at the beach.



Vintage radios will get sand in them no matter how hard you try if taken down to the beach. For that reason, I only take a very low end vintage model or a modern vintage replica. If I have to have a tape player on the beach, I will usually take my ION Retro Glow. It has a radio, plays tapes and has that old school look but, if it gets ruined who cares. It's $69.99 all day long brand new. Cheaper than a low end vintage Panasonic. This is a nice modern boombox that looks, feels and sounds almost as good as a lower end Panasonic and has everything you would want to tickle that vintage itch but without worrying about a true vintage radio being destroyed that isn't as easily replaced.



So these are all the ones I have taken on a regular basis. This covers a fairly broad range from true old school, to modern waterproof options and modern vintage replica options in all price ranges from 400 dollars down to $69.99

 

[dusty_bottoms]

This post is right up my alley. I take radios to the beach all the time.

If you are wanting to stick with a vintage boombox then personally, I think you were on the right path with a Panasonic model. They're plentiful, cheap(ish) depending on model, dependable and easy to work on as you have noted. I take my Panasonic RX-5050 to the beach almost every year for a vintage experience. But, I must admit, I tend to shy away a bit when it comes to taking it down to the sand. I'll do it but, it has to be the right day for it and it definitely gets a blanket. Also, a radio that is taken to the beach is going to eventually suffer from dirty controls. That salt air is brutal on open air electronics. Sand in a record bar, etc..is even worse.

View attachment 61212 View attachment 61208

When I want to truly relax and not risk a vintage boombox, I take my JBL Bluetooth speaker or my mini M90. On the JBL, as long as the cover is closed, you can literally bury it under the sand with a shovel and then rinse it off at the house and throw it in the pool and listen to it as it floats. Now that is a true beach box but, it is Bluetooth only so it's streaming all the way. The mini M90 does have a radio that picks up okay but isn't water and/or sand proof either. It is easily carried and puts out the tunes quite nicely and has that old school look to it. Sometimes I hang it up under the umbrella to keep sand off of it. Of course neither have cassette. These are my modern go to models at the beach.

View attachment 61209 View attachment 61211

Vintage radios will get sand in them no matter how hard you try if taken down to the beach. For that reason, I only take a very low end vintage model or a modern vintage replica. If I have to have a tape player on the beach, I will usually take my ION Retro Glow. It has a radio, plays tapes and has that old school look but, if it gets ruined who cares. It's $69.99 all day long brand new. Cheaper than a low end vintage Panasonic. This is a nice modern boombox that looks, feels and sounds almost as good as a lower end Panasonic and has everything you would want to tickle that vintage itch but without worrying about a true vintage radio being destroyed that isn't as easily replaced.

View attachment 61213

So these are all the ones I have taken on a regular basis. This covers a fairly broad range from true old school, to modern waterproof options and modern vintage replica options in all price ranges from 400 dollars down to $69.99

Thank you for the detailed response and the photos.

I'm currently thinking the same thing on the panasonic end, just with some play-by-play adaptations between deciding if it's I can cover it with an extra towel, or if I just keep it in the car if it's too windy or dusty. Unfortunately, I don't use a smart phone so bluetooth is out of the question most of the time, but a guy on tapeheads suggested bringing a walkman sport with a modern aux in speaker (I'm sure your JBL or another modern sport speaker equivalent will do) would be fine for cassettes but we'll see.

There's a weird part of me that likes embracing the degradation of my gear and enjoys fixing, maintaining, de-oxidizing each of my machines, but I try not to indulge that side of me too much lest it become the whole of my time. All fix and no work, let alone play.

Thanks again for the detailed response, I hope people understand that I'm not looking for a specific answer per-say, but just some insight, suggestions, and info to think about. I'll leave the answering and purchasing to myself, my wallet, and my own circumstances given the info and opportunities I can gather on such old products, along with what I experience myself.