I was wondering what other people thought about Sharp Boomboxes.....

Earlier this year I stumbled upon a Tosh RT120S on ebay and because this was the one I owned in my early teens I wondered what else was out there because although the Tosh did the job very well back in the day there were others that I would have had if the pocket money was there!

I bought a Panasonic RX-F32L which was always on my list and was very fortunate to get a perfectly working one and was so happy with it that I started getting hold of the other popular machines of the day and these naturally included Sharp GF555, 575, 8989 and 500. Without exception these are absolutely rubbish. There is little warmth to the sound and the build quality (with the exception of the 555) is poor. What i wanted to know is why these are so popular and sought after when there are so many much better sounding machines out there?

I now have a tosh 8900S (lovely), a Marantz Soundscope 4800 (fantastic sound quality), JVC838 (big sound and pretty too), Panasonic FW39L (big sound from a small box and nicely quirky), and finally a Sanyo 9998 (which is simply wonderful to listen too, if a bit less loud than some). I am looking for a Aiwa 950 and a Hitachi 8600 and nearly got a JVCm70 last week so I am not quite done yet but the question remains.... What is all the fuss about when it comes to Sharp machines? I just don't get it and definitely won't be spending a large amount on a 777 any time soon because it looks like a certain route to disappointment.

Anyway; as a newcomer i wanted to thank the members for their advice and information on the site. I have learned a lot lately and hope to be able to assist others in the future if I can.

Nick

sharps are cool gf777 is an icon, vz 2000 & 2500 are wonderful pieces of design, and so on and so forth. i suspend judgement on toshibas, as my personal experience with them is rather unfortunate; but i too think that, for instance, marantzs tend to sound better than sharps. however vintage stuff is sought after mainly because of its symbolic value, cult status and the like. boombox are no exception, and sharp boxes are among the most representative specimens of the category.

welcome nickfish-

seems like you have already made some great choices with a quality

collection -

most here do collect lots of sharps - but i think it may be only a cult // design // looks

attraction -

as for sound quality --most all sharps sound cheap -- over bright and with

thin bass --

not in the league with the good aiwas. pannys and jvc and sanyos

just my opinion 

welcome aboard nick,

       i agree with you on sound with sharps they cant compete with aiwas or jvcs,bare in mind im only talking from my experience with mid size units,

i dont own a 777  ive heard one and they sound good.

glad you like the rx-f32 its a great little box i have one theyve got to be the best mini out there

sharp 777 is good but lacks treble sharp 939 is also very good....i agree about the sharps you mentioned they are rubbish....just get an m90 or a kaboom rvdp200 and be done with it...i wouldn't bother with a jvc m70 but that's just my opinion...although the m70 is much better than those awful sharps you talked about

nick if you want a fairly cheap good all round sharp i suggest a gf 9494 cant go wrong with them fellow

.....and reno were's me pics lad

Thanks guys, all useful stuff.

Radio Raheem; I have seen references to 'Kaboom' before.... What the heck is that? What is it otherwise known as?

Nick

a smartie tube with speakers

sorry no i was wrong.... what i meant to say was a toilet tube with speakers

Very good. I suspected as much. When was the rvdp200 made and have any of the later ones that i see on ebay frequently been any good? I like the idea of a having at least one cd boombox if there is a decent one........

might be a tube but it eats the m90 for breakfast and is quarter the price....dp200 is the best kaboom ever made infact one of the best boomboxes ever made....wouldn't trade my boxed one for another m90 (no chance)

I and most others would trade a dp200 for a m90. A m90 is just worth way more and is going up in value and harder to find. You can even sell it if you don't want it and get another dp200 and have a good lump sum of cash in your pocket.

I have never collected anything because of value Retrodos......i like music and good sound reproduction....i have 3 dp200 but my boxed one is going nowhere my friend

good evnin bison how about the kaboom being called a boobtube

Thank you all; just one more question for now then....

Given that my choices are based on looks to an extent and sound quality above all; is the Hitachi 8600 a good machine or not? They seem to be commanding a lot higher bids now than they were earlier in the year, but there again aren't they all?

I am definitely reaching the conclusion that the best built and sounding machines date from the 70's and not so much the 80's.

If anyone has a nice dp200 they would like to sell I would love to hear it and do a deal. (I am in the UK).

Nick

hi nick the hitachi 8600 is a good box looks the buisness and sounds fine , the kabooms do sound good but its the look of them they are no eighties box which is what mainly this site is about .    the sharp 9494 /9595/9696/ 9000 sound good to . 

First of all - 'back in the day" all of japanese majors brands "did their job well", not only Toshiba.
In the early/mid 80' all of them started to make less quality products.

You said Sharp's built quality is poor, then open up, and try to compare, for example Sharp GF-9191, Hitachi TRK-8190, Aiwa TPR-950 - the same class boxes, from the same years.
Hitachi and Aiwa are pure nightmare to disassemble, and if you gonna replace the belts on them, you will understand - how easy and smart to disassemble the Sharp.
Hitachi has deck with 5 (!) belts, and horrible frequency response, but who can say Hitach didn't do good job back in the day. Yes, Aiwa 950 has better sound, than Sharp 9191, but Aiwa's sound doesn't mean Sharp's build quality is poor.

As for Toshiba.... you mentioned that Sharp GF-8989 is "absolutely rubbish", but if you open some of Toshiba's from the same years, you'll see the same "rubbish", and unlike Sharp's, some of them have an erase head made of magnet (!), as on the cheapest boxes ever made.

Everybody is entitled to have his own opinion, but anyway it remains only the personal opinion, but not the fact.
I'm trying to say it would be correct to compare boxes from the various brands, but the same production year.
And one more thing - storage conditions.

A lot of opinions that JVC 838 has no big sound, without bass - posted on here.

yeah, it's pretty, but sounds flat.

Whose opinion is correct ?

all i can say is each to their own, we all love different boxes for whatever reason, me i'm just a simple philips fan, not for build but for sound, obviously i like the d8614 the most although i would love an elephant

I accept the points made about ease of maintenance but that is not how i measure build quality. A solidly constructed machine will have less resonance and should be able to dig a bit deeper than a flimsy but easily disassembled one. This is a trade off that is worth it in my opinion. I just unwrapped my latest buy which is my first 'mini', a Panasonic FM25 in a striking yellow colour! It exhibits more warmth and a generally more pleasing sound than the GF575 that is about 10 times it's size! It is not especially well built but it shows what you can do with a bit of effort even in such a small box.

I hear what folks are saying about the complexity and bass shyness of the Hitachi 8600 but I think that it is a style icon for me, in much the same way that some of the Sharp machines are for others so I will forgive it.

The JVC838 may not be as boom as some but it has an even tone that is very appealing. I have been running a Sony MP3 through it with the bass turned up a bit and it holds it's own with anything else I have bought so far. Overall it has the most HiFi sound I have heard from a portable so far with the exception of the amazing Marantz., which has to be the one to beat for me on a sound for size for cost basis (£26!!). Love it.

Are the tube machines from the 90's then?

yes nick the kabooms are from the 90s, they really do punch out bass no question, if you like swiss rolls then you will love the design

just google jvc kaboom and you will find most models made and ebay auctions ect, they demand high prices though if your thinking of buying one at some point

JVC 838 was made in 1978, and Sharp GF-575 in 83-84, GF-500 in 83-84, so it's incorrect to compare them.

It's like comparison between GF-9191 (1978), and, for example, JVC RC-880, or RC-660 (1984) which has thin, empty, rattling cabinet, with tiny speakers, and to come to conclusion that JVC has "poor build quality", and "absolutely rubbish".

So it's agreed then!

70's machines sound better but 80's machines have been the iconic designs that everyone relates to. The cost cutting and mass manufacture did them no good at all in terms of sound quality unless you had deep pockets and went for the monster machines which while loud and boomy were probably not a particularly pleasant sound. I will keep my Sharp machines and look at them. I will listen to the 70's machines and more thoroughly enjoy them.

Style V substance exists in every area of popular interest; The Ipods and Iphones are crap but people just 'have' to have them! Emperor's new clothes anyone?

iPods and iPhones are crap???? Beg to disagree. Depends on how and what you use them for. 

no it's deffinetly not the case that 70s boxes sound better than 80s ones. in fact it's the other way round, all the best sounding boxes fall into the golden age of boomboxes which was 81 to 85.

i'm sure there was a few great sounding boxes at the end of the 70s but the 80s were the pinnacle of boxes in all aspects.

I won't get drawn into the usability of them as phones, or reliability, or frailty but as music playing devices I have found them to be pretty terrible. I have a modest Sony NWZ-E445 16GB that i paid £80 for about 4 years ago and no Ipod that I have tried has performed anywhere near as well whether it be through a car stereo, boombox or driving my 600ohm Sennheisers. I think it's just that the Apple units have such weedy amplifiers that you have to turn them up louder and this introduces too much distortion. Headphone amplifiers do not help, working i suppose on the rubbish in = rubbish out theory! I have tried several ipods and they have all been the same. Therefore, and taking the cost into consideration; I think they are crap. Pretty, but crap.

I think the old adage has been disproved; You can in fact fool most of the people, most of the time if you offer them something fairly irresistable and make it reassuringly expensive! I don't mean to offend anyone; this is my carefully researched conclusion but only my opinion at the end of the day.

Lav Loo,

Perhaps you would be kind, nay generous enough to list your preferred (decent sounding) boxes from the early eighties so that i can stop wasting my money on the obvious rubbish? I could definitely do with some guidance here! Thanks.

ok Nick here's some of the best sounding boxes iv'e ever owned.

pioneer sk909L, undeniably awesome sounding.

philips d8614 stereo sound machine, great sounding box.

rising src 2020, another great sounder.

sanyo mx920, a beast in size and in sound.

lasonic trc 931, great hard pumping bass hits hard.

ge 5259a, aka blockbuster, smallish box but awesome sounding.

panasonic rx5250 another beaut with great sound.

panasonic rx5500 nothing will match this box playing acoustics through it, sounds live.

these are just a few examples, notice there's no hitachis or sharps here, that's because they were among the poorest iv'e owned in the sound department.

hope this helps a little but i'm sure more people will add here Nick

never heard the 575 --

but  i have this 787 version --and it sounds very good to me ( not awesome )

--cant imagine how yours sounds like " rubbish " ??

I think your gunna have to work it out for yourself nick as opinions vary wildly......pioneer 909 for example .....had loads of them and loved them at one point....clarity build quality volume all good but the bass is hollow and crap....

aiwas genrally sound the best.....aiwa 880 being one of the best......like i said before m90 is great but just sell for stupid money...had about 10....still the best sound i have heard overall is the jvc dp200....i have been into boxes since birth......i mean people recommed the sharp gf9000, for example....i have 2 and to me they sound shit.....most boxes do to me im afraid.....so i guess your going to have to work it out for yourself by buying yourself.....more fun this way but it's expensive

And agree about the ipod....biggest worst sounding pile of crap ever made on this planet

forgot to mention the jvc pc 55, it's a 3 piecer but boy it sounds fab and built like a tank as is the pioneer sk909

the aiwa 880 sounds great as reno states,  the jvc pc-5 packs a punch for its size .

Agree Chris pc5 pc55 great boxes 55 does lack bass tho...but makes up for it with overall clarity....and the build quality is second to none

it may just be the pc5 i mean Reno, the one i got off you with the real nice LCD display?

you mean the 55 lav bro....naa not that son have 5 somewhere all sound the same.....apart from one which i changed out those rubbish speakers in.....sounded way better....not sure were they are now tho hehe

Thanks. Some good suggestions and it confirms that for the most part I am on the right track. I am not at all surprised that Aiwa sounds best, after all their Personal cassettes always completely out performed any Sony at any price point, often for less. Shame about the capacitor problems but I won't dwell on that.....

I have not seen an Aiwa 880 yet; I assume they are very rare and in the hands of collectors already. I very much want a 950 or 955 though and they seem to come up from time to time but fetch a lot of money.

I have also heard some good things about the sound that the Conion's make but also that they are a bit fragile? I will file them under 'exotica' for now.

If anyone has any of my target machines that they would like to sell I would be delighted to hear from you and in addition to cash I have a couple of Nakamichi cassette decks that are surplus to requirements and a huge stack of Panasonic S VHS recorders, Sony CD personals and Aiwa personal cassettes if that floats anyone's boat! I had a few items pack up on me and went on a buying binge to future proof myself. I got a bit carried away!

If i get any boomboxes that i don't like or are good only for salvage I will let you guys know first.

cheers ma man i thought it was the 55, great box tbh

I think the best sounding smaller sized box I have heard is the Toshiba RT-932, the one with the remote. Superb deep sound and crystal clear.

Remember that as well as it all being subjective that listening to a box 30 years after it was made is bound to have some definition differences to how it was intended to be.

The best sounding Sharp I have heard is the GX300. I've heard the Aiwa 880 and it sounds good but I wouldn't class it up in the top notch.

JVC ooze quality and no mistake, pickup an M70 if you can, you won't be disappointed.

Like LL says, if you want good quality sound for peanuts get a D8614, that will fill the void before you move onto a bigger sized box with stunning sound like a Sanyo BIGBEN, Toshiba S90 or the JVC M90.

Fully agree with Docs. Ive compared the M90, M70, and Aiwa 880 side by side with the same music using the same inputs.. and the M70 sound beats the Aiwa, while the M90 is in a whole different category altogether. I would go with an M70- and they still pop up regularly on ebay. My Sharp 777 doesnt sound good, but I cannot comment on its sound much because either I have blown speakers or a fake. 

the sharp 777 gets a hard time on here ,  listen to a good one there is no way they are that bad .

A larger box will exhibit rattles & resonances.  Anotehr design flaw of most boxes are the vented backs.  A vented back robs BASS response as the front wave is cancelled by the back wave & weak bass is the result.  If you want your sharp to sound good strip it down & deadmat it with panel damping sheets & seal the back.  They cheaped out on the actual woofers & tweeters in the majority of their boxes & that is why you get flat sound from the 777's & other Sharps.  Too bad, really as the tuner dial, VU's are designed to be lit form the top, tape decks are built like tanks, pre-amp & 4 amp design is really top-notch on the 777.  The superwoofers have a 6db/oct filter BEFORE the amps that mimics an active subwoofer crossover.  The other area they really skimped on is AMP power.  8 watts RMS @ 10% THD & 15v input x 4 is absolutely horrible for a grail box & you have to really be careful which replacement speakers you choose.  The amps are 2 ohm stable on the 777 as far as I can tell but not sure if you can use 2-ohm woofers or not.  I'm using 3.2ohm Panasonics, which are extremely rare, as my 'SuperWoofer' drivers & they really kick out the 808's now.   I actually bought them from JVC, a great guy to deal with/ 

Having said that, I got a mostly mint 777Z & it is a modder's dream since they have TONS of room, are easy to disassemble, the decks are very, very ruggedly built, use real working horn apertures to boost treble output but again the actual speakers are cheap POS crap.  Also, the heatsinks are way oversized compared to the amp chips so coooling, even with a sealed back is a non-issue for the GF-777Z.  Some may disagree but so far no problems with amp fade or loss of dynamic range or muddiness due to heat saturation. 

Hi gang,

Can anyone that has a Sharp GF9494 please confirm whether it has inputs for aux items like MP3 through either Din or Phono? As far as I can see there is a Phono input but is it too sensitive; ie only for turntables? Perhaps there is a selector switch that makes this possible?

Help needed soon please!

Thanks

Nick

the other rca"s are line out but it has a din , as you say the phono is to sensitive. there is no switch that makes it possible

Thanks for that, I could see the Din in a picture but thought it said 'amp' above it and ruled it out. I will see when i get it!

You need to use something like this to use a line level phono input with an external device such as an mp3 player. That input is line level and for turntables so this external pre amp will set it so it can be used as a normal AUX input.

Thanks docs but i am sure that works the other way round and is to amplify a small phono output up to a normal line level. Nonetheless I have a din lead and will find out soon enough 'cos i just bought one!