Boombox Archealogy

A small blurb from May 1979 Electronics Australia for the AIWA TPR-950, one of the best looking boomboxes of all time.

 

Casio CD-1050 1991 Popular Electronics, this box was expensive, myabe Casio had a nice one?

 

1981 Vibe Article, reprinted in a later issue.

 

Panasonic Platinum Ad on the front page of Billboard from 1980. They did a few of these, it had to be one of the most expensive boombox ad campaigns of all time.

 

Playboy's Guide to Electronics 1982
Potent Portables!

 

One of my favorites, the Sony XF-5000 from 1980, also one of the most expensive boomboxes made, the housing is all metal on both the main unit and the speakers. The boombox also includes a built in rechargeable battery, similar to a motorcyle battery. The pins on the top are for metal braces that hold the while unit together. This is showing a price a little under $1300.00! From Esquire Magazine.

 

There was also a less wattage unit, the XF-3000 that is typically painted white in the series. The market seemed to be places that might see severe duty like buses or boats; the power is 12 volts to make plugging in easy if you don't want to drain the internal battery. From what I can gather the components are based on one of Sony's Automotive Stereos and there's at least one other option, I think it's an EQ, that can be used instead of the tape deck or tuner.

I had to buy the service manual, taking apart the unit requires the removal of a lot of screws, some have to be removed from the front but they're in the back of the case so the screwdriver needs to be long and thin. One of the heaviest boomboxes made, pulling out the components requires a soft table and a lot of patience.

 

Another article from Playboy Magazine 1994

 

Toshiba RT-8340S 1979, from Electronics Australia Magazine.

 

Zzap 1987

 

The sawblade from 1985, HiFi Stereo Review. Sony's PS-Q3 is often found with the FH Series.

 

I don't think I've posted this yet, the famous Philips CD555 from 1986, Electronics Australia Magazine Review.

 

It might have been a Sony, I think I posted one that was from this time, but my guess would be either Sony or Philips.

There's a directory in the back of one of these issues and it lists all of the CD releases in Australia, maybe 1000-2000 but not many, mostly classical recordings.

 

Philips RR260 from 1975, Electronics Australia Magazine
Is it just me or isn't the tape deck normally on the left side? This is a very early mono box but it has all of the same design cues everyone was using, rounded-perforated speaker grill, round indents on the body, flat metal bar handle with plastic grabs on the top. Any kid would have loved the military look, kind of the opposite of the bright colored transistor radios that everyone had. The price is Australian Dollars.

 

JVC introduced Biphonic Boomboxes around 1977, in 1975 Sennheiser was looking into binaural headphones, check out the JVC Ad in this article. The headphones are the type the Astraltune used.