Why we love having Boomboxes?

[trippy1313]

Apparently because they are awesome doesnt justify having more than one... What reasons do you all tell people that its worth having more than just one or two? People around me just dont understand... Is there a more logical or even understandable reason tgan just that they sound/look awesome???

Hope this isnt a repeat topic. I searched firts

 

[oldskool69]

Nothing wrong with asking a question which may have been answered. Searching over thousands of posts tells me at least you did dome due diligence first which makes you probably the least laziest on this site. And along with Bobby, Rick Ira, and a few more...I am one of the laziest.

Anyhoo...I collect them because for the most part I've always had a fascination with electronics. I have vintage gear and test equipment too but really limit that because of space limits. My dad was a tech over 45 years and helped me build a Heathkit receiver when I was 9. The other reason is to get my hand on the "untouchables" I couldn't get growing up, along with preserving a part of history that has been forgotten for the most part until recently. There is also something to sharing music besides sticking someone else's waxy ear bud in your ear and listening monaurally.

I enjoy listening to what was then considered extreme engineering to get the power and sound of a hi-fi stereo into a compact battery powered device. That is the definition primarily of my collection as I have a bunch of high end component boomers. Don't get me wrong, I have mini's, and a nice chunk of one piercers including one that will stun many when I reveal it. (Not because of what it is, but the price...)

When people ask why I have more than 50...well, one because the variety is neat, and two, because I can.

 

[redbenjoe]

just one of many good reasons --

lots of us think they are beautiful and//or very interesting to look at -
any brand of any style of any color can look so good -
to me --a big collection on display --all in one room = a very cool boombox museum

check thru our collections forum -
see some awesome member displays -
then you will see why

 

[trippy1313]

Oh I feel the same way BECAUSE I've been looking through the collections... But I have a hard time explaining why even just wanting three or four. They just don't understand... And no way id ever be talk them into checking out this sweet site.

 

[bklyn sound]

Well for me they are better than a time machine....They remind me of being a kid again..I listen to all old school tunes and I find no better way to listen.. than the way I had originally heard the music on a boombox

 

[superlew]

Oh I feel the same way BECAUSE I've been looking through the collections... But I have a hard time explaining why even just wanting three or four. They just don't understand... And no way id ever be talk them into checking out this sweet site.

I don't even bother explaining it to people anymore. Some get it, some don't. Funny thing is, if you extended your arm with a blaster in it and said, "Here, take it. It's yours," 70% would probably take it.
Of course, I'm not that generous, so I'll never find out if my hypothesis is correct.

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

I have them simply to share music! I have always loved sharing music...and now....I can do it for any setting and occasion!

 

[BoomboxLover48]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Born in the late fifties and growing up with vinyl records, tube radios, wireless, cars, planes, science experiments and all fascinated me. I built my first radio when I was 11 years old. It had only MW so I added SW also to it. I was happy with the MW but SW was so hard to tune in and get a nice reception. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]At age 7 or so I opened up our Murphy radio to check if there were little people inside it. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]My father knew I was very curious and will open up any electronic items without him knowing about it. After several incidents I was asked not to touch them. Actually that is the time I wanted to make radios of my own. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]When reel tapes became the big thing we had Akai GX series. Back in those days my father had the state of the art tube amps , stereo tube radios, tube reel to reel Akai recorders like M8. I have good memories of our PYE 4 speaker record player with Gerrard turntable. the sound quality was unbelievable. I still look for buying one like that. Then cassette tape players came to the market. I was amazed by the seeing the size of the tape compared to the big reels. When cassette recorders were first out they were bed type small cassette players with no radio. They also started to come with radios on it....wow! The next big thing was when stereo cassette players came to the scene. When FM transmission came to the pictures it added another dimension to the sound quality form these stereo boomboxes. Those days most people thought if the stereo cassette recorder weighs heavy they are very good. Basically they related weight to the quality of the box. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]I had many cassette players back in the 80s including GF9696 and Panasonic RX5230. Every time I went on trips I saw bigger, better and more sophisticated looking boxes. I wanted boxes that sound excellent with lots of controls that look good and unique. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]When I wanted unique, better quality, good looks along with high quality it became a habit to acquire more and more in my collection. I cannot sell a single one because it is some way or other attached to a time frame of my life.[/SIZE]

55+ years on this beautiful shore weathered my 6'2", 225Lbs frame a little, but mind is still young and healthy by the grace of almighty.
[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]

 

[baddboybill]

Back sometime in the 70's when I was maybe 10 yrs old we would go dumpster diving after the huge garage sales of our neighborhood. I found a little hand held am/fm radio that didn't work one time. So I took it home and pulled back off, blew all dust out and checked wires. Everything seemed ok so I tested and it worked great. Ever since this I have always loved electronics and bought and worked on many in my lifetime. I even took 2 years of electronics in high school and made a few devices including a phone, TV jammer, 2 way intercom, and hooked up a volume slider in place of rotary volume pot. I also got an electronics lab for Christmas that I loved lots. My original had been gone a long time but I purchased the exact one over a year ago on eBay and just love the memories from it

I had lots of then and even now getting these 30 yr plus old boomers fully working again although like everyone else the looks of these units are just cool that the hobby is even more fun. Just to see the speakers bounce with the LEDs and sweep meters going is just so fantastic. And all the different colors, styles, sizes and shapes is awesome as well. It makes you wonder the actual person or people who designed each different unit and what they were thinking when doing so

 

[Ken]

I love having state-of -the-art, battery-powered, headache-inducing, heart-pounding volume at my beck and call. Add to that the quality of the sound, which is also what it's about with me, and there you have it.

Crispy, thudding, audiophile-quality sound that can be loud enough to make a dead man's ears bleed. :devil: There's nothing quite like it.

Oh, and they look cool, too.

 

[skippy1969]

For me it's like Jimmy it's a time machine and boomboxes take me back to the best time of my life.
I've always loved boomboxes and what they represent to me music and freedom........

 

[trippy1313]

You guys have a lot deeper reasons than me. I was born around the time these were out ('86). So i don't remember all that, but I've grown up living to only 60's-80's, music, working on classic cars, appreciating the way things were made/look back then.

 

[baddboybill]

You guys have a lot deeper reasons than me. I was born around the time these were out ('86). So i don't remember all that, but I've grown up living to only 60's-80's, music, working on classic cars, appreciating the way things were made/look back then.


Heck you were born same year I graduated high school but by 86' the boombox era was really starting to die down. Black boxes from Lasonic, discolite and Wheely were starting out and by 89' they really changed adding CD players to line up


Bad Boy Bill

 

[Old school Scott]

I like to copare each design to another one and consider the reasons for the making of that design.
To do this, I need several Boomboxes to look at.
They look great all together too.
Each day I am in a different mood that will require a different type of Boombox.
If I am going for a long walk, I need good sound but light weight,
Robbing a bank will require a stealth model..etc.

Cheers OSS

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

Robbing a bank will require a stealth model..etc.

Cheers OSS

Very important to have the right radio for the job!