*does anyone like boomboxes from the 1990's......?

[JvcPC-X1000man]

I'm new here so forgive me, but I'm looking around and seems that most people on here are all into the 70's-80's silver type boomboxes. Im 40 and grew up in the mid 80's mid 90's. I feel other than the nostalgic factor, most of the higher end boxes/mini component systems, sounded WAY better from around 1990 and up.

I mean what about the Sony CFD-775, or the JVC PC-X500, or the 1000! And what about the Sharp QT-73CD, or maybe the Panasonic RX-DT690 with 3-way bi-amped speakers and full logic cassette?..
I don't know, if I'm the only one who digs those era boxes, then cool, I guess I'm unique. lol
-Thanks yall

 

[crazygamer]

I do have some low-end boomboxes from 90s as i was born in ´97, i have close relations to our Philips boomboxes and music centres we had, especially one, the Philips AZ1202, we still have it but it´s in really poor condition. I hope i´ll find one like this some day again.

 

[skippy1969]

Welcome!
Yes i like some of the late 80's and early 90's boxes. My wife an I bought a brand new Sony CFD770 in 1991.
We paid over $500.00 for it,it's a great sounding feature packed unit.
I've also owned the JVC PC-X1000 and a few of the others you mentioned.
So your not alone in being a enthusiast in these type boxes from when you were growing up.
its great you have fond memories of these boxes just like some of us "older"guys and gals have fond memories of the 70's and 80's boxes.
The Sony CFD770 I used to own got trashed when it fell off a shelf in my shed one year,Grrrrrr….. :'-(
But here is the JVC PC-X1000 I used to own a few years back.

 

[JvcPC-X1000man]

Nice!.. Thanks for the welcome. Did your pc-x1000 sound good? I own a pc-x500, its little brother, and it sounds great but sometimes at higher volume with the 3D bass on it "huffs" a little.. (Just wondering if the larger/nicer model did that..?
Thanks

 

[Mystic Traveller]

*does anyone like boomboxes from the 1990's*

Yep, I do..

 

[ralrein1]

Welcome to the site!Even though I'm an older guy who prefers the one piece boomer, I also like the 90's three peicers too.Especially the Panasonic's.So your not alone.😃

 

[jimmyjimmy19702010]

Sound wise, the later, 3 piece units with equalisers generally will sound better than the older 1 piece units with only bass and treble controls. The mids are often too strong on many portable units. Having that equaliser allows you to shape the sound nicely and get those mids under control for a more Hi Fi sound.

Boomboxery is more about the nostalgia, the look and the build quality of boomboxes. Surprisingly for many non-enthusiasts, the overall performance of a unit rarely dictates it's popularity or market value.

By the 90s, most manufacturers had reduced costs in many ways including no longer painting the outer cases. The chrome also disappeared around this time.

The Panasonic RX-DT680 is a model you can pick up for pocket change and is one of the best sounding boxes ever made. I'm actually going to pick up another local unit today for a grand total of $30. The DT680 actually has stronger bass than the DT690 you mentioned.

There are exceptions to the rule though. There are older units that sound really strong and go for pocket change e.g the Hitachi TRK-9150W from 1979 - what a fantastic sounding boombox!

The Yamaha PC-8 from 1984 is another 3 piecer that will outperform 99% of the popular one piece grail boxes for sheer output power and sound quality - just scored one for $40.

Beware though of the super powerful 3 piecers that sound great on AC but don't perform well on batteries. (Assuming you want to bring your tunes outdoors).

Welcome to the site,

James....

 

[JvcPC-X1000man]

Thanks James, Alex and Ralrein1!.. I appreciate it!
I guess everyone has different views on what makes a killer boombox, and it's ALL good! Looks, nostalgic factor, SQ, or just because it was the one you had (or wanted) in high school!! Lol

Thanks Guys

-Taylor

 

[Reli]

I agree that 90's boxes "sound better" if your first priority is lots of bass.........But the problem is, most of them have small cones (4 inch) with soft surrounds (foam or rubber) that aren't stiff enough to produce loud mids. A good M70 will blow them away for sheer volume outdoors.

Also, you have to be sitting towards the front of those boxes to hear them well, because their closed-box design doesn't let any sound leak out the back or the sides.

 

[Hisrudeness]

I have a couple from the late 80s. A Panny DS-650 and a JVC PC-X300 and they rumble quite well at low volume levels.
The difference is with these and the older boxes is the charisma. Apart from the Lasonics the 90s boxes are just not interesting to look at. I mean do you really gawk at a DT-680 the same way you would a 5350 or a C100 or even a 9696? There's so much more going on visually with the earlier boxes regardless of sound quality.

 

[skippy1969]

Nice!.. Thanks for the welcome. Did your pc-x1000 sound good? I own a pc-x500, its little brother, and it sounds great but sometimes at higher volume with the 3D bass on it "huffs" a little.. (Just wondering if the larger/nicer model did that..?
Thanks

Yes,the PC-X1000 sounds very good. I never noticed any "huffing" at louder volumes though. Also it can't really be considered a true boombox as it only operates on ac power,no batteries except for an AA batteries for the memory.

 

[redbenjoe]

the awesome jvc kaboom was from the 90s -
nothing has a stronger bass

any most all of the 3 piece panny PLATINUMs sound great
like - as mentioned above - their ds 650 is an alltime favorite

 

[MyOhMy]

I have a couple from the late 80s. A Panny DS-650 and a JVC PC-X300 and they rumble quite well at low volume levels.
The difference is with these and the older boxes is the charisma. Apart from the Lasonics the 90s boxes are just not interesting to look at. I mean do you really gawk at a DT-680 the same way you would a 5350 or a C100 or even a 9696? There's so much more going on visually with the earlier boxes regardless of sound quality.

I have to agree with Hisrudeness on this. I have a Sharp GX-CD75E & a JVC PC-V2 and they're both OK for 90's boxes but don't even aesthetically compete with the boxes from The Golden Age of Boomboxes. What dismays me about most of the 'lower-end' 90's boxes is the proliferation of almost identical black plastic molten blobs, there seems to have been a distinct lack of designer imagination for the most part.

And there ain't no fun in 'tuning' a radio by pressing buttons either!

 

[hardmen]

the awesome jvc kaboom was from the 90s -
nothing has a stronger bass

any most all of the 3 piece panny PLATINUMs sound great
like - as mentioned above - their ds 650 is an alltime favorite

Ira.

When you hear the Aiwa Exos 9 in person, you certainly change your opinion.
Better controlled bass even outdoors...

My kaboom for comparison it's the Victor RV-X70, thar I have since 2009.
I'm looking for an DT 680 for a long time, but they still are very expensive here.

Cheers.

 

[jimmyjimmy19702010]

Ira.
When you hear the Aiwa Exos 9 in person, you certainly change your opinion.
Better controlled bass even outdoors...
My kaboom for comparison it's the Victor RV-X70, thar I have since 2009.
I'm looking for an DT 680 for a long time, but they still are very expensive here.
Cheers.

Its weird how BB40s are available there but 680s are expensive!!

The last 4 680s I bought totalled about $70 total!!

Good luck finding one - they do sound great!

 

[Reli]

Ira.

When you hear the Aiwa Exos 9 in person, you certainly change your opinion.
Better controlled bass even outdoors...

My kaboom for comparison it's the Victor RV-X70, thar I have since 2009.
I'm looking for an DT 680 for a long time, but they still are very expensive here.

Cheers.

I don't know for sure, but I think some Kabooms are more powerful than others. I think the DP100 and DP200 are the strongest. So I've heard.

 

[redbenjoe]

no reli --the dp200 does have treble and midrange controls -
but NO more power than any of the original BIG kaboom models -- which is PLENTY

and yes hardmen -- i sure do want to hear that new aiwa 9 model sometime soon
you might be right - i may like it more than the kabooms

 

[Reli]

But I thought JVC made the Kaboom cheaper in later years.

 

[hardmen]

Thats mine.



Cheers.

 

[baddboybill]

I think the Lasonic TRC975 was probably one of the last one piece square boomers from the 90's 🤔

Bad Boy Bill