Replacing stereo system by a boombox?

Discussion in 'Chat Area' started by BLiNDEAD, Oct 11, 2018.

  1. BLiNDEAD

    BLiNDEAD New Member

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    I think about a boombox that can replace mini/midi stereo system. You ask why? Well, soon i'll move out my home and i don't know if i'll have space to place my big midi system with speakers. Also it will be cool idea to have portable well-featured stereo that i can just pick up and go somewhere.
    It must have CD, full-logic deck, some kind of equalizer or bass boost and must make at least decent recordings.
    Im thinking about models like Panasonic RX-CT680, RX-DT5, RX-DT9, RX-DT75. RX-ED90. I don't know about other brands, but these models seems to be very well-featured. I wonder how they sound?

    What do you think?
     
  2. Boodokhan

    Boodokhan Well-Known Member

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  3. Longman

    Longman Well-Known Member S2G Supporter

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    Well you could. Howver a couple of things worth considering are

    • Wanting a CD player rules out a large proportion of classic boomboxes, although you are right about Panasonic, JVC and other manufacturers making ones with CD players.
    • You can get Mini Systems which are smaller (including speakers) than boomboxes. Not having to accomodate batteries allows them to be smaller
    • I would insist on having line in. That is the biggest drawback of the Panasonic RX-EX300 I have had from new.
    If you want to buy new then the GPO Brooklyn might meet your requirements. At least one member here has one and has done a Youtube review.
     
  4. BLiNDEAD

    BLiNDEAD New Member

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    Well, i have large collection of CD's aside from tapes and thats why i want CD player. I consider mini system also, i like some of these but they are not portable... Maybe something like CT680, its portable and have detachable speakers. I don't want new, because i need decent tape deck, i still recording tapes. That GPO looks pretty well IMO
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2018
  5. Longman

    Longman Well-Known Member S2G Supporter

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    I quick look on ebay for suitable mini Systems (although you haven't said what you want to spend).

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TECHNICS...504561?hash=item4429b50231:g:Y-QAAOSwkZhbh-FY

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-CHC...121716?hash=item3b1ea3ccb4:g:bhcAAOSwJo1bbZWd

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-HCD...099342?hash=item41e775500e:g:ZQ4AAOSwIVhaH0Tc

    Back in the early Noughties there were some really interesting Mini Systems. Now everyone seems to think that all anyone wants is Bluetooth and possibly lucky streaming radio.
     
  6. Mystic Traveller

    Mystic Traveller Well-Known Member

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    You may also consider one-piecers from Panasonic, their famous Cobras from 90s,
    RX-DT75/707, 95/909.
     
  7. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    That Technics might be a mini gem Longman, I've never seen one before but it seems to be on the higher end for them which would have been well over $1000.00 USD in the 90's. The bottom Sony looks like it could be a keeper as well.

    I don't have a lot of CD Boxes BLINDEAD but my feeling is that when the quality of the CD player went up, the quality of the tape deck went down. Tape decks were kind of uncool in the early 90's and the very few CD boxes I have are all mechanical piano-key style. I don't know which box makes good recordings besides the field recorders so I'd find a box with a great CD Player and add either a Walkman Style Player or a component tape deck to make the tapes.
     
  8. Longman

    Longman Well-Known Member S2G Supporter

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    The people bidding seemed to know what is was. You could have bought a new (but lesser speced) new Mini system for less than that.

    The Technics is described here as the best system you can buy for §600.

    http://www.audioreview.com/product/other/mini-systems/technics/sc-hd55.html

    Regarding things like the Panasonic Cobras they tended to have full logic autoreverse decks - I don't know how they compare with HIFi decks though. They certainly don't have manual recording levels, and many models from around that time don't have Dolby.
     
  9. BLiNDEAD

    BLiNDEAD New Member

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    Yes, in the 90's mini systems were really good, with plenty of useful features. I remember Sony and Technics made some really good component units, which even had decks with Dolby C and tape calibration! Also i miss these 5-speakers "surround" systems. They had powerful amplifers and solid speakers (as mini systems). Nowadays they are too small and "minimalistic" (almost no features, buttons and dials).

    We lived in different environment ;) I remember in 90's decks and tapes were really popular, people often dubbed tapes or borrowed CD's from friend to copy them on tape. Since almost nobody had internet, back then it was the only way to listen music. In shops they didn't have maany albums. They were even shops when you paid for cassette copy of CD that guy made for you!

    I like boomboxes which look like mini systems. Im talking there about all that Panasonic models i mentioned in first post. These Cobras are good too. I don't want to have additonal components like discman or walkman to plug in, just everything in one box. Im thinking about minisystems, i like some of these... I guess something like RX-DT680 will be good. Also im just loosely thinking about it, not planning to replace my system now ;)

    PS Im really sorry for any grammar mistakes i've made, i can understand english but grammar is hard to learn for me.
     
  10. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    Don't worry about your grammer BLiNDEAD, it's easily understandable.

    Things might have been different in the US, we had record labels fighting with manufacturers about the ability to copy any music. DAT never really got into the consumer market due to ongoing litigation and my guess is we got the cd boxes with substandard tape decks as a compromise. I'm sure there's great models out there, I just never run across them; it would be a great idea for a new thread.
     
  11. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    That technics hifi is technics low end and cost £250 new over here, a friend of mine has one and it's that bad he can't even give it away lol
     
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  12. Longman

    Longman Well-Known Member S2G Supporter

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    Welcome back Radio Raheem. I was wondering if you had given up on S2G.

    Any suggestions on better Mini systems would be interesting to both me and the original question asker. I know that more recently Denon Mini Systems get good reviews but they don't have a tape deck.
     
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  13. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    Thanks Radio Raheem! It's so hard to tell from a photo, I was going by the wood sides and the kind of cool cassette tray, at least it looked kind of nice. Technics had some really neat mini systems but they never showed up over here, mostly the Panasonic Versions, I've been tossing around going in on a 007 System.

    t007.jpg
     
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  14. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    Hi guys my critisisums aren't very helpful im afraid as i don't really do mini systems, tried a few of them and wasn't happy with them, to the point i gave my last one awy...

    i had an su 1010 power amplifier and pre amplifier and if you look on ebay the price is quite shocking for these ones....but now iv sold them to as i have always been a fan of silver gear and not that 90's gear.... mr x the only way to get good technics gear is to spend a fortune and i hate saying this as iv never agreed qith the silly prices

    also it depends what quality of sound you're accustomed to....iv just sold a technics 32 band per channel eq and replaced it with the same but in silver Mn sh 8065

    and use another 12 band eq with that, iv gone from the 90's to high end 70's early 80's

    Mr x that technics looks quite nice and might be worth getting, never seen one but as everything it depends what the price is, it lacks two things that i can see, a 3 head cassette deck and only has basic dolby but that depnds on weather you like dolby or not

    thanks for the welcome back longman wkere has every one gone lol

    the best ghettoblaster for sound out of those mentioned is the Dt 680 by far imho

    if you ask me the dt680 sounds better than the m90 but doesent cost thousands

    mystic travller help me out here lol, whats the mn of the dt680 (the one without cd) thats the one to get as it has dolby and you can plug a portable cd into it, the cd is always cram crackered on the 680
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2018
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  15. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

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    gone onto f@$%book/snapchat...???;)

    I have two words of wisdom: Aiwa CSD-NS1:
    L1140934.JPG
    now playing in my modelling/soldering den thanks to the generosity of my neighbor @Boodokhan :)
    L1140785.jpg
    Solid wooden medium particle-board cabinet, in three compartments: speakers are sealed and as promised by acoustic-suspension the sound is clean and punchy, without our beloved overbloated midbass...:( Display in English but buttons in fancy Japanese, looks real cool!!! Rated for 100V but so far works well off 125V here. 220V might be too much for this mini

    Now, lets get weird: in my ever-growing Discman collection (see my first-ever post here) I have Sony CDP-S37 and Denon UD-M31, both pulled out from their respective mini-stacks
    L1140937.JPG
    Denon still needs a cassette deck to fit the requirements of the OP, Sony is just a spinner. The lesson I had learned from these: although I believed that Denon is "more hi-end" than Sony (that was before I discovered the beauty of hi-end, to the chagrin of my family and my wallet), this Denon sounds shrill and painfully digital compared to the older Sony player. 1-bit DAC vs 4x-oversampling CXD1161, who knows?
    To get a feeling of what lower-end "hi-end" has to offer, get to listen to Linn Classik. I paired mine with ProAc Response 1sc and it sounded pretty good, but at some point I needed a few extra $$ and sold ProAcs, then bought Linn Kans cheapies and, wow, now it is my favorite second system!

    Last but not least: if you can get over the snobbish comments from the friends and neighbors, B&O toys sound surprisingly good, and BeoSound 2000 has it all. I was forced to buy BeoSound 1 for my Boss and I cannot force myself to hate it: it sounds almost as good as it looks!!!
     
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  16. Mystic Traveller

    Mystic Traveller Well-Known Member

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    Sure, Rah-Rah, I am here, mate. :) Glad that you are back!

    That's a Panny RX-CT990 or a RX-CT980 (more simple, no frills like auto reverse decks, remote) but still possessing the same sound level owing to the same schematics).
     
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  17. nickeccles

    nickeccles Well-Known Member

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    Yeah that Technics SE-HD550 so called 'System' is completely Mickey Mouse! I set one up for a neighbour back in the early 2000's & I could not believe how spectacularly bad it was!! This really was the end of the road for Technics sad to say...............Dreadful sound & a nasty so called sound enhancer which further messed up the sound!!

    That Technics 007 system though........:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I want one now!! :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
     
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  18. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    Thats the one thanks alex, yes this whole range sounds exactly the same, had em all back in the day, thanks my friend:thumbsup::wink2:wavey:
     
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  19. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    Where not allowed to use the term mickey mouse anymore Nick lad lol some members on the forums don't like it lol as for the 550 i was offered it but promptly said get the sledge hammer out lol
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
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  20. Reli

    Reli Well-Known Member S2G Supporter

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    Mini systems? I thought he wanted portable. And if so, there is only one choice for portable hifi (not pseudo-hifi like the Panasonics)………..Telefunken Hifi Studio 1 :bigthumbsup:

    It does not have CD though, so maybe the Panasonics are the best option
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2018
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