The lack of Sony love here?

[el cad]

I joined up here a few weeks ago and since then I have noticed a real lack of Sony BBX love here. Like up in the banner it even has Goldstar, but not Sony. The Sonys don't seem very popular it the threads I have visited either, It does not make me angry or sad, but it makes me wonder why? Are they not as good or cool? Maybe some other reason?


I am not a Sony fan, but my first stereo BBX was a Sony. I got it on my 11th birthday. My parents made me sell my mono boomer to help pay for it. I'm pretty sure this is the box:

Sony CFS-45L

I remember it being a decent sounding BBX and I never felt outgunned by the other kids in the neighborhood, though one girl had a cool Casio keyboard BBX.

My Sony did have it's problems. The FF and Rew buttons did not like the stay down, which I always thought was some issue with the AMS. My parents were cheap and got it at the scratch and dent section at Best Co., so maybe that's why it was there. After less than a year the handle broke. The sides of the handles just snapped while I was waiting for my dad to open the car. Luckily I was standing on grass at the time. My parents got it fixed for me with metal replacements, but it no longer had the stops to keep the hand from rotating forward in front of the speakers, but at least it never broke again. I used it heavily until I was 16, when I got a Lasonic Discolite. I'm not sure what happen to it after that. Maybe it's still in my mom's basement. I've got to check when I go over for Thanksgiving.

I have never owned another Sony BBX, though i have own a few Sony Walkmans and a Discman. Though I would like to find one like I used to have for old times sake.

Has any one else had AMS or handle issues with Sonys? Or handle issues with any other BBXs? I've seen a couple of old Sonys on eBay with missing handles that look to be about the same vintage so maybe it was a common problem.

 

[Superduper]

They are not as common as some of the other brands and their lineup is rather thin. Also, the features, even on their top models aren't very feature rich. That being said, I have 8 Sony's myself, although admittedly, 4 of them are the CF580. The others are CF550, CF570 CFS-81 and a black 3piecer -- model # I can't remember.

 

[el cad]

You make some good points there, Superduper. I'd also be the first to admit that the styling on the Sony's can't match a lot of the BBXs I've seen pics of here.

 

[Retro Addict]

I remember when I saw a Sony CFS-45L like that one above, and a Sharp GF-5959 for sale together, and I chose the Sharp. I always knew I should have got both. The Sharp just looked better and more 'flashier' at the time, but I was always wondering what the Sony would have been like. I've since had a Sony CFS-71L, which was quite good. It had a serious problem with the speakers though.

 

[babya]

I have 2 Sony's-a 1990 CFM-140SII mono and a 2001 CFD-V7.

 

[Radio raheem]

Here is one of the better sony's nice box

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SONY-CFS-9000-BOO ... 19b7ccac74

 

[Uncle Ed]

WHHAAAT???

What is in fact true is that SONY being unique and proud back int the day when they were proud and unique built some fine boxes...perhaps not monsters and ghettoblasters of archival merit, but certainly no Turkey Basters either.

Everyone knows I love my CFS-D7 .....

and what about the 560??? huh, huh???

And the never seen in real life DW95...What about it Huhu??

and the zilba????

and the irregulars....did you even consider the fact that these odd birds can be delicious to your ears???

and or this one here below .....what in the ????

and not to mention the ones I did'nt mention.....

For the love of God I think I'm going to throw up because I'm so nonplussed....

 

[Gluecifer]

I'm not a massive fan of the majority of Sony 's radios, not like quite a few other manufacturers. I think they were too concerned about walkmans to bother with a lot of R&D into making the best ghettoblasters, but I do really love the FH line and the CFS-99, which is one of my personal grails. I LOVE the look of that radio.

Image courtesy of Vladi.



Rock On.

 

[redbenjoe]

there is love and affection for the # 580

 

[Fatdog]

Hey El Cad, maybe you've just never seen it in the rotation, but there is a Sony CFS-F5 up in the banner. The Zilbap is where it's at, although the newer FH-5s are really nice.

 

[MONOLITHIC]

... although the newer FH-5s are really nice.

One just recently sold for what I think is a good price (I've bought lesser quality boxes for more money). http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT Wish I had the money to buy it!

But yeah, the FH series is all that!

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Seems Sony's are in general a little understated in the lower line styling and overall didn't seem to be nearly as common as many of the other brands. Sony did make plenty of nice boxes as noted already in the thread but they just seem to sit quietly in most collections.

I have a few Sony's in my collection.

CFS-D7
CFM-31
CFS-65

 

[monchito]

well i have a few which i like very much and i have only one in my want list cfs-99 i have the cfs-66,77,88.. which to me are very good and well built box

 

[ViennaSound]

ey ramon, one for you! :vespa:

 

[el cad]

Thanks to all for the nice pics.


Gluesifer, that is one nice BBX, love the tuning knob. Hope you find a nice one.

redbenjoe, man is that pic shiny. Is it like that in real life?

Uncle Ed. Sorry you're not feeling well. You posted some great photos. That woody is to die for. That last black one has some real style, simple but elegant.



There was a Sony i remember from the early 80s. It looked like 3 cubes stuck together. The speakers could rotate upwards, and the tape deck was on top. Oh and it was red. Anyone know what I am talking about?

 

[bill]

sony put out some of the coolest most feature laden boxes that there was.
i mean lighted eq sliders and excellent dual conversion tuner on the fh7s was really cool. they also were one of the early companies to try the rechargeable battery pack.
also the really different apm speakers .
one thing about the sony boxes the higher end ones were super expensive back in the day which could be one of the reasons why they are so rare today. i mean i think alot of owners of a fh7 that has one of them still kicking around at home would not part with it. i mean what would they replace it with that would be as good.
many of the sony designs triggered look alikes by the competition.

 

[MONOLITHIC]

There was a Sony i remember from the early 80s. It looked like 3 cubes stuck together. The speakers could rotate upwards, and the tape deck was on top. Oh and it was red. Anyone know what I am talking about?

Could it be this one?

^ The Sony CFS-700.

 

[bill]

mono that box is killer.

 

[MONOLITHIC]

mono that box is killer.

You're right about that! I wish it was mine...

sony put out some of the coolest most feature laden boxes that there was.
i mean lighted eq sliders and excellent dual conversion tuner on the fh7s was really cool. they also were one of the early companies to try the rechargeable battery pack.
also the really different apm speakers .
one thing about the sony boxes the higher end ones were super expensive back in the day which could be one of the reasons why they are so rare today. i mean i think alot of owners of a fh7 that has one of them still kicking around at home would not part with it. i mean what would they replace it with that would be as good.
many of the sony designs triggered look alikes by the competition.

Could Sharp be one of those who hopped on the Sony bandwagon with the square woofers? Panasonic maybe? JVC possibly? Sanyo? I don't know.... Even a lesser company like Lasonic borrowed the lighted EQ sliders for their TRC-935...

Sony's made so many innovations throughout the years that other companies couldn't help but bite their style.

 

[bill]

for sure. i mean there unique design influence was pretty well felt.
i would also say that i think that there is little or no doubt that sony was going for a different market in terms of who lasonic would have been aiming for.
theres a ton of love for sony boomboxes and when i think about it i think you would be hard pressed to find a maker who put out as wide a variety of boomboxes as sony. i mean they really did push the envelope for design. also i seem to remember sony being the first company to give us a cd boombox. i could be wrong but... i dont think i am.