I have at least one box where the line in can be switched between line level, or RIAA level and equalisation for a phono record deck cartridge. The problem is working out which boxes have the features you want. It seems to go in phases. On early boxes the input was for a record deck, possibly incorporating a Phono pre-amp, like the SL-N5 that matches some of the 1980s Panasonic three pieces. When CD started to take off it was put in for a CD player. On the cheap Dual Tape deck Panasonic I mentioned the line input is actually labelled CD/Line so no guesses as to what they thought it would be used for. On the Sony ZS-D50 the line in is part of MD-Link fir connecting a MiniDisc. In the opposite direction there is actually a TOSLINK optical output to output CD digital data straight to a MiniDisc Deck. However, when vinyl seemed dead and MiniDisc was floundering you can imagine the designers of many CD Radio Cassettes thinking "we have got all popular formats covered so what else would anyone want to connect" Almost last in the list we had the era of the iPod dock. Eleven years ago even my Panasonic TV came with one (which is still in the packet). The only time I have seen a JVC Kaboom in a Charity Shop I wasn't tempted as it was the one where they replaced the tape deck with a 30 pin iPod dock. Slightly off topic Techmoan has just reviewed the Sony ChordMachine which he seems to consider to be a strange one off. However, I recall a Kaboom that incorporated a Drum Machine and a Guitar input, so a very similar concept.
Hello Longman , yes I watched that video on the Sony ChordMachine what a strange unit and when Techmon soldered the speaker jack i would had soldered all the connects the other one did not look that great either . Sincerely Richard P.S. I am waiting for a 1950s Sony transistor radio that won around Christmas on auction site can't wait to get it .
Thanks, looks pretty good. I couldn't find one for sale so I'm almost tempted to ask you to sell me one of yours, but I may have found something I like better... Here are some more small radios with vertical CD players, similar to the Sony ZS-PE60 you mentioned: - Sony ZS-E30 (looks the same as ZS-PE60 but without USB) - Sony ZS-PE40 - Sony ZS-E80 - Sony ZS-E70 None were sold in the US it seems. The ZS-E70 looks quite nice, seems older than the others and with nicer plastics/build quality. I should also mention the Sony ZS-E5; build quality looks similar to the ZS-E70 but it has knobs (good), a weird form factor (bad), and looks to be only in bright colors (bad). I think it was meant for children.
I suspect carriage costs would exceed the value of the of a XDR-S100CD as with the wooden case it is quite a heavy unit. I actually have a Sony ZS-E5. With 1W per channel and speakers to match I wasn't very impressed given the size of the unit. After buying it at a car boot sale I think it spent a couple of days downstairs before being relegated to the attic. I hadn't even noticed it has line in. If you are buying a Japanese unit make sure that the tuner covers the bands you want. Also check that it actually takes batteries. Panasonic made an entire range of slim CD Radios that don't. https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/home-entertainment/hi-fi/sc-hc200.html While this doesn't meet the "older" requirement i would be quite tempted if I wasn't interested in a cassette deck. https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/home-entertainment/hi-fi/rx-d550.html p.s. Having another look on eBay I spotted this ZS-Y3 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284482382131?_trkparms=ispr=1&hash=item423c78a933:g:NX8AAOSw9dJhYaHf&amdata=enc:AQAGAAACkPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSwcmzw5CLtzTE60FqHcnq2HLe8AXeMhewnaBlneq59EICwXlG2s7mOGzk3LWSwJO5vFwzg0GRdg%2BBQ3XRtVJZvFHST6M3rJNoItJJeIKdGfnQ2ah7w%2FRctCuVS41qRtBkqtBOWJUm8M7F%2FJ6ZedQ9VVozR%2FnYBuXrsXzXAeUeNaBhcdaA67TAEpYJNC4jqErXtCe6PTzFrH%2FV5SkiHUOmmEY5jSE8ij%2BIIlzj89bQWrzGRdwQZL%2BwTHYJ20XNGY8%2F3mHZozcqbUCbF0sLVoh8Jy01S2mxyfwDuRNvlBtKlEo%2BsEqEekpZt4dXgUBX8XBl3ZPKdwizinnDnymVYE3sSU%2BCXdD1pca0PiqrewW%2F8qe26Dgw7ZjhVMPAWR9HN0XzozEXAd6TYWmeI27bmFBqRQHW8%2Fn8AdoxYm%2BFP2%2Fh9YXp877yUJTG7IGp5NzjdUJr9IzOdV6Mrs%2BLKA7nKf263pDvsD%2BxYdLGHutQdCvpiBTRrK%2BM54dhmvePb7qnFqPSMZ2hn6G13qx8GQDE3pwbh9KQqEsjezRfC7RNULDex%2FSvt3Uedu5EK9ZyNEvMHWRBYKtAZfAg4xqHlxV1L9JMoOexz%2B8SCyqi%2BHdkfQxyzuiP54YGyx0%2BqsX%2FtBkS6hq7NvUI8K96mEr1fb4ExLiYCUtaulBggr80aQsnPJC3CG%2Fyjbdx%2BlYLhiifiU4dT5CRtUv%2BPuZjBq96lr%2BDNwPsZCbtwq5LlV2sPqM4Gfs7Dya%2FSzorHU0yyUOh4vvCJcijIzgmBoUPsO99YfYf8mwZWfms6%2F2LTIuEZr7qcFGTf9BLH%2B%2FHK2Y7PRxaIJYSqKMr|clp:2334524|tkp:BFBMzoesjshf with MD Link I think it has all the features you were asking for p.p.s. Double check that the ZS-Y3 sold in the U.S.A. Actually has the MD Link socket as no eBay.com listings picture it.
The ZS-Y3 is a nice find! Received the ZS-RS09CP and it's nothing special, but it does the job. It's basically the same as the CFD-S05CP/CFD-S07CP, with the cassette player replaced with a USB port. I hoped it would be older and have better materials than the ZS-PS10CP/ZS-PS30CP, but it seems to be the same materials in a slightly larger and more angular form factor. I also suspect it was never marketed in the US, as the manual it came with was only in Spanish. At least it was cheap!
Another Sony ZS CD Radio with a line input. Sony ZS-SN10L. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144362396956?epid=24046493921&hash=item219cab5d1c:g:xhAAAOSwxVBhD-1f;
Sweet! I like that one more than the ZS-Y3; I'm also finding more US results by searching just ZS-SN10. Don't love how Sony coated everything in silver powder in the mid '00s, but the ZS-SN10 looks more normal at least (lol), plus the curve below the speakers makes a nice "cave" to put your aux input device! It should definitely be old enough to feel less brittle/flimsy than stuff from 2010 on (such as the ZS-RS09CP I just got). This review dates the ZS-SN10 to 2005, with its predecessor being the ZS-YN7 (perhaps the immediate successor to the ZS-Y3 as it looks very similar): https://forums.sonyinsider.com/topic/1131-atrac-cd-player-zs-sn10/ If anyone cares about my particular search, I will probably use the ZS-RS09CP for now, and depending on my usage patterns will consider getting the ZS-SN10, ZS-E70 (if I won't miss having radio above 90 MHz), or Panasonic RX-DS20/30/50 (if I don't mind the bulkiness or keeping it plugged in; would only use batteries if I made an event of bringing it to the park or something). Or I'll buy all 3 in case they become hard to find down the line haha. tbh might also get a Sony ZS-RS60BT or Panasonic RX-D550 if I want to accommodate friends who don't have headphone jacks in their phones. Guess this type of thinking is how you end up with a bunch of random boomboxes in your attic! Keep the suggestions coming if you find any more, but this thread feels like a pretty comprehensive study of what's available, I really appreciate it!
For completeness here is a picture of the ZS-SN10. Once I clicked through the warnings about the Sonyinsider link you posted there were some reviews praising the sound quality. Not a bad price if you are in the USA. You know you need one to compare to the ZS-RS09CP https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234134741577?hash=item368384a249:g:jjYAAOSwEqphFPCL The L suffix on the European models stands for Longwave which is used for broadcasting in Europe but irrelevant elsewhere. @Mister X has commented on the Multiband dials on some European Radios. For a long time only the very cheapest radios in the U.K. had just MW (AM) and FM, while mid-market usually added LW and SW. I had seen the ZS-YN7, whicjh I think uses the same back casing as the ZS-YN3 However I haven't seen any mention of an Aux port. It is still a bit of a mystery if the American market ZS-YN3 has one. I can imagine the product planners saying "MiniDisc has flopped in the USA, so we might as well save $1 a box by removing the MD-Link" of which the Aux Port was part.
Hello Guys, Very cool I love those Sony boxes and Longman Panasonic made some nice portable boxes too. Sincerely Richard
I have had a Panasonic Rx-E300 since buying it new http://stereo2go.com/forums/threads/boombox-archealogy.2424/page-18#post-48299 The only thing it is missing is a Line Input, hence my interest in this topic. At the time of purchase it didn't bother as at the time MP3 was literally still in the research lab.
Randomly found another worthy candidate: Panasonic RX-ED50. Probably made c. 2000, similar to a Cobra but more boxy.
Lots of smaller cassette-corders did not have inputs. Maybe this was done to discourage kids from copying, or maybe folks who wanted to copy bought component decks. Maybe also depended on a market. Soviet small cassette-corders rarely had built-in mics, but always had an array of inputs and outputs, because it was assumed that it could be the only cassette machine in a household; component deck was a luxury. ZS-Y3 is a pretty one, I was thinking of getting it. I saw ZS-X1 at a local thrift store for $35 (a Blu-Ray player next to it was $10), but did not bother. Looking at the user manual, it does not have any inputs.
With twin cassette decks it certainly isn't small. I would check out the dimensions before purchasing. @CDV a component deck was a luxury I couldn't afford in 1980 which was why I spent a lot of time looking at inputs and outputs on Boomboxes. When I got my first CD player in 1989 (which second hand still cost me £65) I initially used the same boombox to play it through, as the contents of my house were in storage at the time.
The RX-ED50 definitely seems closer to the old RX-DS20 than the newer more portable options. Compared to the RX-DS20 is uses 8 D batteries instead of 10, and being made in 2000 instead of 1990 could conserve battery life a lot better.
