Hello! New Here!

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soundslikespace

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Hello! I'm a new user here!

I'm interested in picking up a good quality boombox from the 80s finally. I'm the right age where I wanted to own one as a kid, but by the time I had my own money, most people had switched to CDs. I had a few decent CD component systems, but never anything too impressive.

I'm just trying to decide what brands/models I like best.

I want to be able to play cassettes, but also an Ipod classic or turntable through RCA cables. Or I might try to use phone/bluetooth adapter.

I just wanted to introduce myself before I start asking a lot of questions : )
 
Tinman

Tinman

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Welcome.
It's a tough choice because there are so many brands & models to choose from.
I think that's why most of us end up owning numerous boxes.
Japanese brands like JVC, Panasonic, Aiwa, etc. made some excellent boxes but don't forget about brands like GE, Sears and Realistic (Radio Shack).
I have some heavy hitter boxes but the Sears SR-2199 that I'm listening to right now is one of my favorites.
 
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soundslikespace

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Thank you! Just based on looks, I like a lot of what I see from JVC, Panasonic, Aiwa and Hitachi. A lot of the Hitachi that I see for sale are labeled for 100v though, and I am in the United States.

I've seen some nice looking stuff labeled Sears and GE also! I read that some of the Sears stuff may be made by the other companies, but redesigned slightly and given a different name. I haven't noticed much labeled Radio Shack yet.

As far as sound goes, I wish I could just walk into somewhere like a used guitar store, and test 20 of them out... But for the most part I think I will have to choose based on their reputation.
 
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Tinman

Tinman

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Vintage boombox showroom, that'd be awesome, lol.
Radio Shack's electronics brand was Realistic.
The Scr-8 is a popular model from them.
It sounds good and has cool led VU meters.
 
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soundslikespace

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Oh yeah, I have seen some Realistic boxes and they do look nice. For some reason I forgot they were the Radio Shack house brand, but I knew that at some point!

Panasonic made the first "walkman" cassette player I owned, so I am kind of loyal to them. I was searching to buy a replacement for the exact walkman model that I used to own, and that led me down the path of boombox shopping.

But I think I like the look of some of the other brands more than Panasonic so far. It's also a shame that so many of the Panasonics seem to have heavy discoloration/yellowing. I've dealt with that with some other electronics before, and it bothers me more than it should lol.
 
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