What comes first the music or the boombox

[Radio raheem]

The reason i ask is because i guess im a bit snobbish (for want of a better word) basically if the boombox sounds poor or not to my liking i just pass it on i just cant bring my self to listen to disatisfuying sound what ever box it may be (eg been listening to the 90 of late then i went on to my sanyo 920) and although the sanyo sounds ok (its passible by my standards) it's just no way as satisfuying as the m90 or dt680 pc55, based on quality of sound alone (plenty other good boxes i could mention) my point is i just can't bring myself to listen to a realy disatisfuying box (no boxes mentioned as i REALY dont want to offend anyone) after all If it wasn't for music these great boxes wouldn't have been invented , so what are all your opinions on this?

 

[Radio raheem]

I must add this isn't a who has what thread or who has the best :'-( but you can apply the sound issue to those big ol stack systems of years gone buy, i remember the choice you had in the home hifi's you used to have, if you had a grand or whateaver anmount you had i would spend ages i mean like a day comparing all the hifi, and would get the best sounding, loudest unit (to my ears) i could afford, i sure as hell wasn't gunna spend a grand on a pos , quality of sound and volume were always the most important issues to my mind,,,,,,,,,, so common guys fess up or does the sound thing not realy bother you and you just like the music for what it is.

 

[MasterBlaster84]

I apply different standards to my home gear than I do to my boomboxes. I like my home gear to look and sound great, in fact I demand it. When it comes to boomers I see them as art and a representation of my youth and a generation and this means as much or more to me than the sound they produce. It takes a careful balance not to get carried away so I have some great sounding boomers to balance the collection but bottom line is what they represent and what they mean to me is most important. To that extent and having enjoyed so many boxes that I only dreamed about 25 years ago I could easily thin my collection 75% and still be very happy.

So for me I guess it's the boombox that comes first.

 

[Ghettoboom767]

It's the boombox because I have a way with them-I usually always will have a working radio otherwise I probably won'y buy it.
I clean them first then I test them!
The cassette is the last thing I test because I then if it works put in some break dance music & let it rip!!
Have a great weekend-GB.

 

[Old school Scott]

The ooooo's and aaaaahhh's come first with me sometimes.
I have this one little box that looks awesome but it's a challenge to get it to sound good with taped music.
a challenge but not impossible with the right cassette and a stereo frequency equalizer.
But when cute girls stop in there tracks to tell me how utterly cool it looks and my choice of music makes them dance in the street, suddenly the sound quality isn't as important to me.
I could always whip out the big guns and crack the windows if I wanted to, but OSS is all about style...
and the ladies.

 

[Jovie]

For me it's equally about their different functionality,styling,sound.Sound to me is no more important than these other characteristics.It's the total package to me.Some of my favorite boxes excel more in the area of sound,others do not.

 

[MasterBlaster84]

It's the total package to me.Some of my favorite boxes excel more in the area of sound,others do not.

Jovie, If I was just after sound I wouldn't have collected boomboxes instead I would only have a few. Hey that might actually make sense, own just a few with good sound. Nah I would miss my plastic friends!

 

[Johnny]

The ooooo's and aaaaahhh's come first with me sometimes.
I have this one little box that looks awesome but it's a challenge to get it to sound good with taped music.
a challenge but not impossible with the right cassette and a stereo frequency equalizer.
But when cute girls stop in there tracks to tell me how utterly cool it looks and my choice of music makes them dance in the street, suddenly the sound quality isn't as important to me.
I could always whip out the big guns and crack the windows if I wanted to, but OSS is all about style...
and the ladies.

Sounds like me and my big empty black boxes... cool style... okay sound..

 

[jaetee]

In order of importance for my consideration when I am looking for a boomer:

1) Sound quality : If it doesn't sound reasonably good playing a tape, I don't want it.... because there are plenty out there that do.

2) Build quality: Will it last? Is it well made? Does it rattle? Does it feel cheap? Is it light for its size??? I have no desire for any of the "plastic fantastic" boxes..

3) Style: I will not own a box if it looks great and sounds like ass. However, I will own a butt-ugly box if it sounds good. However, I prefer them to sound and look good.

4) Reputation: A minor consideration... At the core, I really don't care what anyone thinks about my boombers.

 

[monchito]

to me the looks first as i go around checking the contruction where it was made then i plug it in turn on the radio to see if it picks up all the stations if a cassette is avaliable at the spot then i check that if not then just look to see if the capstan turns when in play but for me it is important that the radio works as mostly thats what everyone uses anyway

 

[Master Z]

While I love music and listen to it on a daily basis, when it comes to sound quality I don't get my hopes too high when it's comming out of a vintage boombox. Afterall it's portable audio and it had limitations due to the portability/size and the technology of the time.
I agree that boxes have their own sound characteristics and thats what I like about them. They have their own personalities. Shure it's disapointing when a box looks cool but sounds ugly ** cough,Mag power player, cough**
but I'll keep it in my collection.
I like to think I'm split between the two.

 

[Johnny]

While I love music and listen to it on a daily basis, when it comes to sound quality I don't get my hopes too high when it's comming out of a vintage boombox. Afterall it's portable audio and it had limitations due to the portability/size and the technology of the time.
I agree that boxes have their own sound characteristics and thats what I like about them. They have their own personalities. Shure it's disapointing when a box looks cool but sounds ugly ** cough,Mag power player, cough**
but I'll keep it in my collection.
I like to think I'm split between the two.

I agree if you are looking for the best possible sound, its not portable! These retro boxes provide nice sound that is movable... so make sure you all get them to the next picnic or family reunion!