Hi Guys,
Well I've been patiently waiting for my latest baby to arrive. This one was coming from a US member (his name is Bill and he is bad)
. (Thanks Bill for the fantastic packaging and for the prompt shipping and excellent communication).... And it has finally arrived: Yes, it's a very clean Hitachi TRK-8080W!! 
I wanted to provide you guys with a Mini Review of this one as it's so close to NIB condition & performance wise, I experience a little time warp everytime I fire it up. By the crisp feel of the switch gear etc, it certainly has been well looked after and sparingly used over the last 34 years!!
I've been wanting a nice one of these for years - yes, I've been a boombox addict long before my short stint here at Boomboxery.com
All of the local 8080s (not that many to be honest) I've seen have been rough old dogs with cloudy dials and tape deck doors. The metal fascias on the 8080s are very prone to scratching with most I've seen missing almost all the knob function lettering with heavily corroded metal parts.
Condition: Being a US model, it has a multi-voltage transformer and RCA jacks - the aussie versions I've seen have 240v only and 5 Din inputs/outputs. The unit has new belts, and has been extensively restored to a fully working condition. The switches and handle ends are perfect with no pitting or corrosion. The fascia has a couple of dents and scratches but you have to look closely to see them.
Sound: As is common with many early boombox 1977-1978 models of various brands, the mids and highs are very well represented with only a modest amount of bass in the mix. You can pretty much leave the Loudness level switched to 'on' at all times.
It is quite loud in output and doesn't easily distort unless you go past 8/10. The speakers seem to easily handle what the amps gives them. I bet they could handle another 5 watts a side with ease. As you can see on the photos, I have Bass & Treble turned to max for testing. I wouldn't normally leave them there for normal listening.
Tuner: The tuner is very sensitive with a very effective AFC function. The tuner dial is super smooth with a large, easy to read station indicator. I find the tuning knob to be more convenient on the front fascia as apposed to the common, right hand side of the unit position. The petite VU meters only show the output levels on Tape mode. On radio mode, the left VU Meter displays the battery level with the right VU Meter displaying the signal strength. So don't expect to see bouncing VU meters when listening to the radio! The tuner light has 3 bulbs which are quite bright and light up the entire length of tuner window and VU meters well.
Tape deck: The manual deck has a smooth, solid feel and action. Auto stop and Cue/Review functions are all there and work well. The 8080 can handle normal and chrome tapes, however, being an early model, metal tapes are not provided for.
Portability: At around 7 kgs, it's a handy size and weight for portable, outdoor use with all controls on top. The full length carry handle sits quite high above the box and has proper metal ends.
Build quality: This is where these old school boxes really shine.
My personal priorities (which differ to many) in a bombox are in the following order:
1. Build quality
2. Sound quality
3. Styling/appearance
4. Features.
The build quality of the 8080W is easily the best I have ever seen - even better than the Sanyo 9994K IMHO.
I much prefer the convenience and feel of a good quality rotary knob style controls over sliders. The rocker switches on this 8080 are super smooth with just the right amount of feel. Adjusting the often used controls such as the volume of this unit is a wonderful experience.
A proper balance knob is provided too instead of the dreaded separate L/R slider volume controls such as those found on my JVC RC-727 that require two hands for adjustment 
The woofer covers are painted thick metal and appear very resistant to denting. The tweeters are protected by a very fine, metal mesh.
Summary: Although the 8080 doesn't provide the modern, heavy bass type of sound found on the later, more powerful 80s & 90s boxes, for general use it provides a very satisfying sound. The conservative 70s styling and top notch build quality are what make this 8080W my most treasured box to date. Yes, it's a keeper!!
Thanks,
James.....
Well I've been patiently waiting for my latest baby to arrive. This one was coming from a US member (his name is Bill and he is bad)
. (Thanks Bill for the fantastic packaging and for the prompt shipping and excellent communication).... And it has finally arrived: Yes, it's a very clean Hitachi TRK-8080W!! I wanted to provide you guys with a Mini Review of this one as it's so close to NIB condition & performance wise, I experience a little time warp everytime I fire it up. By the crisp feel of the switch gear etc, it certainly has been well looked after and sparingly used over the last 34 years!!
I've been wanting a nice one of these for years - yes, I've been a boombox addict long before my short stint here at Boomboxery.com
All of the local 8080s (not that many to be honest) I've seen have been rough old dogs with cloudy dials and tape deck doors. The metal fascias on the 8080s are very prone to scratching with most I've seen missing almost all the knob function lettering with heavily corroded metal parts.
Condition: Being a US model, it has a multi-voltage transformer and RCA jacks - the aussie versions I've seen have 240v only and 5 Din inputs/outputs. The unit has new belts, and has been extensively restored to a fully working condition. The switches and handle ends are perfect with no pitting or corrosion. The fascia has a couple of dents and scratches but you have to look closely to see them.
Sound: As is common with many early boombox 1977-1978 models of various brands, the mids and highs are very well represented with only a modest amount of bass in the mix. You can pretty much leave the Loudness level switched to 'on' at all times.
It is quite loud in output and doesn't easily distort unless you go past 8/10. The speakers seem to easily handle what the amps gives them. I bet they could handle another 5 watts a side with ease. As you can see on the photos, I have Bass & Treble turned to max for testing. I wouldn't normally leave them there for normal listening.Tuner: The tuner is very sensitive with a very effective AFC function. The tuner dial is super smooth with a large, easy to read station indicator. I find the tuning knob to be more convenient on the front fascia as apposed to the common, right hand side of the unit position. The petite VU meters only show the output levels on Tape mode. On radio mode, the left VU Meter displays the battery level with the right VU Meter displaying the signal strength. So don't expect to see bouncing VU meters when listening to the radio!
The tuner light has 3 bulbs which are quite bright and light up the entire length of tuner window and VU meters well.Tape deck: The manual deck has a smooth, solid feel and action. Auto stop and Cue/Review functions are all there and work well. The 8080 can handle normal and chrome tapes, however, being an early model, metal tapes are not provided for.
Portability: At around 7 kgs, it's a handy size and weight for portable, outdoor use with all controls on top. The full length carry handle sits quite high above the box and has proper metal ends.
Build quality: This is where these old school boxes really shine.
My personal priorities (which differ to many) in a bombox are in the following order: 1. Build quality
2. Sound quality
3. Styling/appearance
4. Features.
The build quality of the 8080W is easily the best I have ever seen - even better than the Sanyo 9994K IMHO.
I much prefer the convenience and feel of a good quality rotary knob style controls over sliders. The rocker switches on this 8080 are super smooth with just the right amount of feel. Adjusting the often used controls such as the volume of this unit is a wonderful experience.
A proper balance knob is provided too instead of the dreaded separate L/R slider volume controls such as those found on my JVC RC-727 that require two hands for adjustment The woofer covers are painted thick metal and appear very resistant to denting. The tweeters are protected by a very fine, metal mesh.
Summary: Although the 8080 doesn't provide the modern, heavy bass type of sound found on the later, more powerful 80s & 90s boxes, for general use it provides a very satisfying sound. The conservative 70s styling and top notch build quality are what make this 8080W my most treasured box to date. Yes, it's a keeper!!
Thanks,
James.....
I'll have to see what belts it needs and attempt a fix, then I can really enjoy it. It's definitely not the best sounding box in the World, but it's not the worst either. It certainly makes up for its fairly mediocre sound with its outstanding build quality and looks, I just love the fabulous grilles on the sides, and that black plastic with the grid design pressed into it!