Nothing new here, but I happen to stumble upon these close-ups on a Japanese web site.

i like the faux wood top

adds a bit of class to the occasion

There's a sort of greatness about just how tacky this thing is. The "500W" sticker is a particular triumph.

That said, the feature-count isn't bad. I suspect the sound may not be all we might hope for  

I have one question: is the speaker output really stereo? The spec is deliberately vague about it: "Built in speaker", but boasts "Stereo Earphone Jack 3.5mm"

I do like how it only takes 4 D-cells.

Some smaller Philips 80s boomers did this (like my first stereo boomer the D8132) & it really saved me money. It was only 3 watts per channel, but it played all day on 4 Ds.

It annoys me how so many modern small boomers (usually eggs) take 8 C-cells - almost twice the price & unnecessary for their 1 watt per channel. Just lazy design.

Anyway, has anyone got one of these Quantums?

Thank you for the pictures.

Just for s**** and grins I have one of those on the way. I'm not expecting much output do to it using just four batteries, but it could be something fun to play with anyway. If nothing else I could use to it listen to podcasts.

Some of Quantum FX's tuners are awful and a couple I have are alright, but below average. There's no telling how the radio works on this one.

Maybe it's stereo, maybe it's not. The one they make that says "stereo" on it (Quantum FX J-90U) isn't...

.... but this one ( Quantum FX J-21U) is and there's no mention of it at all anyplace online or on the box itself.

 It's a gamble for sure, but for $37 and free shipping I figured it was worth a shot. Amazon has them on sale.

I have several other models of them (mutant sort of boxes mostly) including the  J-101U, and J-90U (pictures above) as well as the  J-114U, "Supersonic" SC-1089, SC-1086, and "Unirex" RX-110 ( all by the same factory/company)

The radio on the SC-1086 is awful, below average, but usable on the J-114U, SC-1089, and RX-110, and the J-101U and J-90U. All of the SD/USB slots are the same for the most part with no cue or review and only jump tp the next or previous track. The J-101U and J-114U play back in stereo, but there is no FM stereo.

They have their shortcomings, but I love the idea of being able to load up an SD card and slip it into something that'll play through speakers. Also they're kind like the modernised verstion of the old boxes only not as refined and with an SD and USB slot insted of the tape deck. Franky nobody has it right yet (including the Lasonics), but I can't help but have fun with them just the same. Besides, they're very inexpencive. I knew what I was getting into with them, and that they would be lackluster at best, so I honestly can't say I was dissapointed other than with one of them; the  FX J-90U. There's no real reson for that one to be mono, and again it has "STEREO" stamped right on the front of it. Ceap or not that's an outright ripoff.

I'm hopint this one's in stereo, and the price was low enough that I figured I'd take a gamble on it.

I just got one in the mail about an hour ago. The verdict?

First off much to my surprise it's quite small. The speakers are maybe 3 1/2 inches, and the overall a height is about the same as a DVD box is wide.

And it's 100% mono. Mono tape head, mono SD/USB ports, and no FM stereo. At least they didn't lie this time. The sound? About what you'd expect from 4 D batteries and small speakers. The SD/USB is the same as all the others (no cue or review). The radio tuner is surprisingly decent.

There's one thing really odd about it that I've never seen before. The voice coils on the speakers are off center. They're cockeyed.

All in all I'd say save your money, but I'm sure you already knew that.

Thanks for getting back to us, at least you have 30 days to return it, and it didn't cost a fortune.

You're quite welcome. Somebody has to take the plunge on this stuff and it's hard for me to resist a new box for $30.

I'll hang on to it. It will wind up o the shelf collecting dust i time I'm sure. I had a good idea what I was getting into so I don't feel cheated. If nothing else it's something fun to play with and I can use it for the radio and to play podcasts.

Just to give anyone interested an idea of it's size:

Classic stuff 3db,

I love the faux wood cassette door!

It looks like great fun....I'd say $30 bucks for a boombox grin is a good deal. Thanks for sharing!!

Ya gotta love fake wood.

I just wish it didn't have the cheezy huge white X-BASS painted on the grills. I've thought about painting over it, but why bother? The hilarious "500W HIGH OUTPUT POWER & SUPER BASS SPEAKER" sticker has to stay on though.

Without the lame lettering on the grills:

For some reason I've grown fond of the little thing.I find myself dialing around on it and playing it often. The AM is actually quite decent, and the FM's about average. The sound isn't great of course, but for it's size it's alright.

I use it to listen to podcasts mostly, so the mono sound isn't much of an issue.

I see the USB and SD ports, and I'm assuming they can playmp3, mp4 etc's, but how do you scroll through the directory of music?

Can you even? 

Is there a limit to the size of card/ USB that it can read?

There's no screen. It has play/pause, next, previous, and that's it.

It'll work with HCSD, but I've never tried over 4G.