LEDs and VUs - last boomboxes with them?

[uneksija]

I really love LED meters of old boomboxes. Needle meters are OK too, but I really love the LEDs. It's disappointing that later era boomboxes don't have any kind of meters.

I wonder which boombox model was the last to have LED/needle meters? Or which boomboxes were particularly late to have them during times when most new boomboxes didn't have them any more?

I wonder why LED and needle meters were discarded from boombox design at some point? I haven't recorded any cassettes in years, but I would imagine the meters are at least somewhat useful?

 

[Eddy]

Many boomboxes have manual recording level controls. The VU meters were helpful not to record at too high level.
Later boxes have automatic recording level , no dolby , no tape type selector just to make them cheaper .

 

[BoomboxLover48]

VU meters were the best to have on boomboxes and they are still out there on latest high end audio systems.
They went cheap and split one LED to appear like 2 LEDs pushing out through an Al screen like you see in Sharp GF9696.
LEDs were just a showoff and didn't do much.

 

[Netsurfer_x1]

Hmmm...If I had to opine, probably the famous Lasonic TRC-931 (or one of its siblings)...I mean, considering how long they sold it for.

 

[uneksija]

Hmmm...If I had to opine, probably the famous Lasonic TRC-931 (or one of its siblings)...I mean, considering how long they sold it for.

You are probably right!

I wonder what other late ones there were and when in general boomboxes "lost" the LEDS/VUs?