Big and little Sony Brothers! CFD-5 and CFS-7000

Discussion in 'Gallery' started by 2channelhero, Jun 9, 2017.

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  1. 2channelhero

    2channelhero Active Member

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    I didn't have any Sony Boomboxes yet because I never really liked their quality, but these are pretty solid little units from 1985! Had to get these both because they both share the same logic tape mechs. Plus I grew up in the mid 80's so they take me back to some better times.
    image.jpg
     
    2channelhero, Jun 9, 2017
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  2. Brutus442

    Brutus442 Well-Known Member

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    Better times indeed!

    I love how Sony carried over the same function buttons and display from the portable CD player D5/ 50. Probably saved a few bucks in production and allowed them to get it to market faster.

    Beautiful units!
     
    Brutus442, Jun 9, 2017
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  3. T-ster

    T-ster Moderator Staff Member S2G Supporter

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    Sony just did there own thing with boom boxes and i love the designs and the quality :D
     
    T-ster, Jun 10, 2017
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  4. Mystic Traveller

    Mystic Traveller Well-Known Member

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    Very nice Aunt Sony babies indeed! :)
     
    Mystic Traveller, Jun 10, 2017
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  5. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    I agree most sonys are rubbish but these are a little better, the best are the big fh and the best of those is the sony fh 909, thanks for posting
     
    Radio Raheem, Jun 11, 2017
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  6. Cristyx

    Cristyx Member

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    I like Sony boxes, they dont have big power but they sound good, i like in specialy the Mega Bass function, it really pumps some bass.
     
    Cristyx, Jun 12, 2017
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  7. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    yes the 90's ones were much better indeed
     
    Radio Raheem, Jun 12, 2017
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  8. nickeccles

    nickeccles Well-Known Member

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    More innocent times indeed.......but so grim in the UK until the late 80's early 90's

    I just love the fact that these boomers & hifi systems were all we had & the early 80's gave us so many classic designs both quality & Mickey Mouse........all of which play a part of our lives now :wink:
     
    nickeccles, Jun 13, 2017
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  9. K7guy

    K7guy Member

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    Beautiful pair of brothers!
    I just got the younger brother...
    Did anyone find the CFS-7000 service manual?
     
    K7guy, Oct 13, 2021
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  10. Reli

    Reli Well-Known Member S2G Supporter

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    Actually, Sonys from the mid 70s to the mid 80s were VERY high quality. It's the 90s Sonys that sucked, especially the yellow Sports rubbish.
     
    Reli, Oct 15, 2021
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  11. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    Sony had so much name cache that they could put out a turd with a cassette deck and it would sell. The problem is they ended up doing it in mass quantity, but some of my forum friends tell me that these turds can have great sonics, and they might. For boomboxes, I wonder if we can pick the year they started going downhill, maybe around 81? I've got a few that I love, the CFS-99, CF-570, CFS-88S, XF-5000, FH-100W, most were made around that time and these are giant killer statement pieces.

    Back then my life was pretty active, a nice boombox was out of the question, it would see severe duty use and I didn't have a ton of dough. Sony was always a decent option but we only saw the "now serving one billion models", the other brands always discounted, they had to to keep up with Sony and it worked great because you would get a better box for less money.

    Reli if your dissing on the Sports Models Walkmans, I disagree, while the sonics might not be top-notch, some of these are built like tanks, they put a lot of money into the "clam-shell" body. These had to work in wet conditions, I'm sure Sony didn't want any returns. There's only about 3 or 4 other brands that even came close, Panasonic and Pioneer are two, maybe Sanyo?

    The boomers are a little different, we didn't have them back then at the beach but I wish we did. Something kind of cheap but you could still splash some water on it and it wouldn't die. They knew the market, we didn't want to go overboard because of the friend that liked to see what "damp-proof" meant but sand and water were always an issue.
     
    Mister X, Oct 15, 2021
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  12. Reli

    Reli Well-Known Member S2G Supporter

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    During the 70s and early 80s, Sony had the absolute best quality boomboxes. No other manufacture came close. When you look at how they built the CFS-F70, CFS-F40, and CFS-10, no other manufacturer used those kinds of construction techniques. Even the "lower end" models that most collectors ignore, such as the CF-590 and the CFS-D7, are still built better than the competition.

    Then into the mid-80s you had the FH component systems, rock-solid powerhouses that were imitated by many.

    I say the 90s Sonys sucked only because they were dominated by the yellow Sports stuff which were very basic in features, but I forgot they still had some very high quality and advanced models like the Sonahawk series and the MD-7000.

    Sony had the money to spend on innovation, and it certainly showed in their top models. Most other manufactures "played it safe" and used less innovative designs and cheaper build materials
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2021
    Reli, Oct 16, 2021
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  13. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    Just like every other consumer products, the competition, with lower prices and usually lower build quality, drove the markets. I love finding the gems now a days but I would never had invested in one as a kid, too much risk. You have to love how the big guys didn't mind have an ultra-expensive model, even the Japanese Car Guys had special editions. Those were good times.

    I had to look on my shelfs, I have only one sports model, the Panasonic Shock Wave. The one displayed is cheesy-cool, it even has reflectors built into the lid! The gaskets and metal latch release are pretty impressive. I'd put it in the interesting catagory.
     
    Mister X, Oct 16, 2021
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  14. Reli

    Reli Well-Known Member S2G Supporter

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    I had the CFS-905, it was built well for an entry-level box I guess, but I didn't think the rubber gaskets were a big technological leap forward. I'm betting the only reason the other manufacturers didn't follow suit is because they didn't have as much money to launch a separate waterproof line like Sony did. Instead they played it safe and just stuck to the regular box designs. Plus I don't think sales figures for each specific model were made public, even to shareholders, so by the time it was clear that Sony Sports models were mildly successful, it was too late to copy them.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2021
    Reli, Oct 16, 2021
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  15. rcpilot23

    rcpilot23 Active Member

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    My Sony CFD-5 I restored recently and had to buy another as a parts unit. The CD player is the D-50 inside.
    Working very nice
    Uses the same tape mech as the CFS-9000 and CFS-W900 dual cassette boombox and the CFS-F11 from 1981
    Here are pics of mine :) IMG_4848.PNG IMG_4849.PNG IMG_4850.PNG
     
    rcpilot23, Jul 9, 2022
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  16. rcpilot23

    rcpilot23 Active Member

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    Untitled2.png
     
    rcpilot23, Jul 9, 2022
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  17. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    here is my latest sony to go with my 2 sony fh 909

    sony fh 215 ... i love this more than the 909....i just don't like the draw loading deck on that one.....at the moment she is connected to my mission 705 speakers.....this system sounds superb....you don't really need any other hifi when you have this set up.....unlike me lol

    a hifi with a handle guys win win....sorry for the crap pic DSCN3128[1].JPG DSCN3128[1].JPG
     
    Radio Raheem, Jul 10, 2022
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  18. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    the build quality was better....but the sound quality was total mickey mouse....any walkman with sports written on it i would smash up with great pleasure lol
     
    Radio Raheem, Jul 10, 2022
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  19. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    The FH-215R looks like a beast! Never seen one before, the APM Speakers are just a little different, they even have a dust cone?

    I love some of the Sports Models, they weren't high-end Walkmans but some of the amazing engineering that went into making a damp-proof player is pretty cool. After reading hundreds of articles, retailers did not want returns! Sending out a player for wet conditions was asking for trouble but Sony accepted the challenge. That was such a different time, we always used boomboxes on the beach but we'd see lot's of runners with Walkmans and I'm sure the beefier Sports Models worked great. Personally I use a "rugged" phone, it's not the best but if I drop it or it gets wet, it should still work, my last phone I dropped last winter on my ice rink when I was flooding it, into a puddle. DOA!
     
    Mister X, Jul 10, 2022
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  20. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

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    I confess i don't like anything to do with sports Mr x....they get paid far to much for nothing imho.....also the sports walkmans look hideous in a puky yellow lol........beauty is in the eye of the beholder i guess

    i confess i fixed one about 20 years ago (belt change for someone but i never listened to it....it's like the singer adelle....i don't know what all the fuss is about, half her tracks she just drones on and sounds like she is dying lol...never seen a 215 where have you been, under a rock lol the 215 and 909 are hifi contenders not ghettoblasters mr x....best sounding boxes ever made
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2022
    Radio Raheem, Jul 10, 2022
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