So,the cousin to the famed 3-5259 "Blockbuster". The Realistic SCR-8 has had the famed reputation of being far louder and far more tone filled than its smaller size may suggest. I'm here to help fill you in and figure out whether or not this great box lives up to the hype that follows it around. First off lets start off with a run down of what this box offers first.

Features and Quality

First off this box is no small fry,its just "small" compared to the big boys such as the larger Conions,Sharps and others. I don't have a ruler handy but its just a bit smaller than my Magnavox D8443 which checks in at about 23" long so this is by no means a small box. Its a very solid box checking in at around 15lbs or so.

When you lift this box up you get a great sense of quality and heft. You feel like this box will be around for many years to come. Each knob on this box is nicely weighted with the pots having a very smooth feel through the entire sweep range. Each push button engages with a positive click and feels well put together. The soft touch tape controls activate with a very slight touch and have a nice mechanical feel when depressed once again lending to a feel of quality.

Even the handle feels significant and is well up to the task of handling this box's weight. The entire box feels of quality and feels like it was well put together with the only let down being the flimsy and loose feeling tuning knob. I'm not sure if this is just a problem with my box but the box tunes very well its just the tuning knob feels a bit cheap and flimsy. Considering,however,that this is the only knock against the SCR-8 this is quite impressive indeed.

So,the features layout. This box is pretty well equipped and comes with the following.

AM/FM/FM Stereo
Bass and Treble tone controls
Balance control
Loudness option
Stereo Wide option
Regular/CrO2 tape switch
VU Meter On/Off switch
Tape,Radio and Aux selector switch
Full complement of soft touch tape buttons
Power/Tuning/Record/FM Stereo LED's
Beat Cut
Auxiliary In input
Auxiliary speaker inputs
Auxiliary microphone inputs

Operation and Sound Quality

This box is a joy to operate,simply throw on the power switch,select your source(radio,tape or aux in)and adjust from there. The tuner in this radio is quite strong and both the AM and FM portions do well with picking up distant stations and for FM it does a great job holding lock on FM stereo. I will update you when I have a chance to do more serious AM DX'ing but so far the AM portion seems to be quite sensitive and relatively selective. This radio sounds great through the tuner with a very balanced tone. I'll save my remarks about the sound for a bit later but needless to say this is definitely one of the most balanced boxes I've heard.

The tape functions are a joy to use with the soft touch buttons making it easy to work the tape deck. I really dig the faux glass tape deck cover,it really gives this radio a look of class and quality.

The frequency dial is large and well spaced out so tuning stations is easy. The tuning pointer on mine is stuck at the moment so needless to say I've been tuning by the seat of my pants since I've received the radio but thats qite okay.

The auxiliary function of this radio works extremely well and does not require a lot of drive to achieve significant volume as is the case with my D8443. The connectors are located on the back of the radio and are well labeled.

So a big feature of this radio are the 12 LED's per channel for the VU meter and do they live up to the awesome hype for their sheer bad ass cool? I have to say that this is a resounding yes. They look great as they dance about to the music and look even better in a pitch black room! When using the radio the input from the tuner often means that the meters are maxed nearly all of the time so the effect isn't quite as great when using a tape or an auxiliary source.

So right,onto the sound quality. How does this box sound? If I had to describe it in a word it would have to be superb. First off this box does go quite loud,its quite a bit louder than my D8443 which says a bit as that box is quite loud in its own right. The SCR-8 has a much more present midrange and so its loud is much more in your face and authoritative.

Even when on batteries the SCR-8 loses little of its headroom and doesn't sound all that much different than when on the plug. This is a 2 way system meaning it has a main woofer and then a tweeter sitting above it. The tweeters are indeed cone units which goes a long way towards this box's excellent treble reproduction.

The overall sound signature of this box is balanced. The bass is rich and well controlled and soulful. It never becomes domineering or over present in the mix. My D8443 has more bass in the lower register but I'm sure its larger center woofer has a lot to do with this. Needless to say you'll never be wanting for bass with this box,there is more than enough to go around.

The midrange is really quite in your face and present which makes it great for rock and pretty much anything with guitars in it as they're very present in the mix. I spent 2 hours with my friend sitting and playing metal through this box at top volume and I was always impressed how clean and present the guitars were. The midrange,however,is never chalky or overdone. Its there in just the amount you need it.

The treble is really quite good on this box,those real cone tweeters really help with accurate and lively treble production even at high volumes. I don't hear any high end breakup on this box even when its maxed out and shoving out serious amounts of air.

Regardless this box works well for all sorts of music with anything from metal like Vader,Death,Wintersun and Tyr to hip hop like Bad Balance and Mitsoura to jazz like Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass. This box does it all with flying colours.

The loudness switch does do a great job towards helping this box sound rich even at low volumes. Engaging this switch gives a meaningful boost to the sound all around with a slight hump in the bass. This is helpful as the box doesn't seem to really start showing its best until higher volumes when this is not engaged.

The stereo wide switch helps widen out the sound of the SCR-8 even more but one must be careful how they use it. It works great for some songs but less well for others. One thing is consistent and that is the vocals for the track will become more recessed in the mix and the sound overall will become more relaxed with a slight roll off in the treble. This is a tool that when well utilized can make this box sound even wider and richer.

Conclusions and Closing Remarks

So,does this box live up to its legendary "Blockbuster" name? I can say that with a definite yes that this is so. I had the SCR-8 placed on the ground of an asphalt parking lot and my friend was walking towards his apartment to retrieve some camera gear and he said with the SCR-8 going at top whack he was able to hear it about 600-800 feet away which is an incredible feat. This box is not just a heavyweight sound bruiser but it is also a balanced and extremely lively sounding radio that works well for so many types of music and will never leave you wanting. With an excellent tuner,solid line in capabilities and an excellent deck this radio really has done everything in a solid and well executed manner.

The quality feel of this box will also inspire confidence in knowing this box will be with you for many fun filled decades to come. Overall this box is a terrific investment and a worthy boombox for anyone's collection.

As a parting ending here is some photography by my good friend Dan Falkenstrom. I shall have some photography of my own showing off the features of the radio up shortly.

That's a great write-up! I also think that the cassette door, with the lightly-green-tinted plastic window is beautiful. The only thing missing from those pics is Jack Bauer kicking somebody's ass! Very nice.

Excellent review! Well thought out and written, good stuff 928GTS. Any radio that can crank out Poland's perennially brutal VADER at top power with quality is a worthy addition to anyones collection!

Already had this radio in my Wants list, the review puts it now in my Needs list. Thanks again for the great work 928GTS.



Rock On.

Excelente!!! I need to get back on my game! Well done!

What a well-written, insightful, detailed review! Thanks for all the time and hard work you gave to this project. I can't think of a boombox that's more worthy of this sort of attention and analysis. A+ all the way around!

Any idea who made the SCR-8/Blockbuster? One of the electronics Big Boys? Hard to believe a small, no-name manufactuer could turn out something so spectacular.

That's an impressive review, 928GTS. You covered just about every possible aspect of a boombox, and with great accuracy. The SCR-8 is a great looking boombox, the LED meter being it's best feature in my opinion. Yours looks to be in superb condition, and I'm sure it will be taken great care of for many years to come!

I will be writing a thorough review like this shortly, about my Panasonic RX-5500LE following it's arrival this Saturday.

quote:

Originally posted by baby boomer:
What a well-written, insightful, detailed review! Thanks for all the time and hard work you gave to this project. I can't think of a boombox that's more worthy of this sort of attention and analysis. A+ all the way around!

Any idea who made the SCR-8/Blockbuster? One of the electronics Big Boys? Hard to believe a small, no-name manufactuer could turn out something so spectacular.

Well if you look at the back as with pretty much all RadioShack products you get the usual "Custom manufactured for RadioShack by the Tandy Corporation,Made in Taiwan blah blah blah" but I remember searching through the forum looking for SCR-8 info and found this.

quote:

Originally posted by jamescyberjoe:
The Realistic SCR-8 was OEM'ed by Sampo in Taiwan.
All Realistic audio products whether portable or home units that were made in Taiwan was produced by this manufacturer.
Sanyo and Sharp were also big OEM for Realistic branded equipment.
Hitachi made mostly a small number of cassette decks for the shack.
All Realistic equipment regardless of function that was made in Korea was manufactured in a Tandy owned factory there.
The SCR-8 is a fine boombox but if not cared for will fall apart. Common problems are the chrome pieces that fall off when the glues dry out. And the tape mechanism will need service as the lubricants and belts dry out as well over 20 years of service.
I own 2 myself..one a parts source and the other mint in the box.
Realistic branded equipment have proven to be well made over the years, but alas Radio Shack has ceased to exist for decent quality equipment.
A good way to find the exact manufacturer of your unit is to do a FCC ID search.
Every radio has a FCC ID #. This does not apply to non radio equipment.
Enter the FCC ID # into the FCC database and voila! there will be the info you need.
Just Google FCC ID search.

Hopefully that helps!

quote:

Originally posted by Gluecifer:
Excellent review! Well thought out and written, good stuff 928GTS. Any radio that can crank out Poland's perennially brutal VADER at top power with quality is a worthy addition to anyones collection!

Already had this radio in my Wants list, the review puts it now in my Needs list. Thanks again for the great work 928GTS.



Rock On.

As long as you don't turn the bass up too high at top volume this box is just fine. It seems to have plenty of reserve power from its amplifier. It has even more headroom on the plug and I should have made it more clear in my review that you DO gain headroom when its on the plug but when its on batteries its not like you're losing much.

quote:

Originally posted by Retro Addict:
That's an impressive review, 928GTS. You covered just about every possible aspect of a boombox, and with great accuracy. The SCR-8 is a great looking boombox, the LED meter being it's best feature in my opinion. Yours looks to be in superb condition, and I'm sure it will be taken great care of for many years to come!

I will be writing a thorough review like this shortly, about my Panasonic RX-5500LE following it's arrival this Saturday.

Thanks man. Besides a small ding in one of the speaker cover,a deck that will need belts someday and a stuck frequency dial pointer this thing is in great shape. Like all my radios I plan to use them as they were intended but they're not going to be banged about in any sense. They're all treated with great respect and care. I look forward to your review!

realistic makes some sweet sounding boxes ,as far as i know they were made for radio shack as realistic is a radio shack brand.

Yes this is very insightful and yes they do deserve to be respected and well care of, for these were and still part of our history growing up in that era as I did. It's amazing how a little boombox can fill someone with joy. Your SCR-8 looks great and those pics. are excellent this is what it's all about!

quote:

Originally posted by 928GTS:
I remember searching through the forum looking for SCR-8 info and found this.

Originally posted by jamescyberjoe:
The Realistic SCR-8 was OEM'ed by Sampo in Taiwan.
All Realistic audio products whether portable or home units that were made in Taiwan was produced by this manufacturer.
Sanyo and Sharp were also big OEM for Realistic branded equipment.
Hitachi made mostly a small number of cassette decks for the shack.
All Realistic equipment regardless of function that was made in Korea was manufactured in a Tandy owned factory there.
The SCR-8 is a fine boombox but if not cared for will fall apart. Common problems are the chrome pieces that fall off when the glues dry out. And the tape mechanism will need service as the lubricants and belts dry out as well over 20 years of service.
I own 2 myself..one a parts source and the other mint in the box.
Realistic branded equipment have proven to be well made over the years, but alas Radio Shack has ceased to exist for decent quality equipment.
A good way to find the exact manufacturer of your unit is to do a FCC ID search.
Every radio has a FCC ID #. This does not apply to non radio equipment.
Enter the FCC ID # into the FCC database and voila! there will be the info you need.
Just Google FCC ID search.

Hopefully that helps!

Wow! Yes, it helps a lot! Thanks for tracking that down.

what an exciting review --

in fact, many of those same compliments can also be applied to your porche 928GTS !
solid, balanced , etc

the ONLY bummer -- is that you are a few days too early with this report

cuz -- just yesterday -- i put up a wanted post for this model --
and had one of our 'lesser' members , oldskool,
moments away from an even trade for my coby -

now -- the deal is screwed !!

------------------------------

its not so easy to make a well known 25 year old box -- seem brand new and thrilling --
yet your terrific review -- did just that --
thanks

Thank you for sharing this thorough, insightful review. As others have already stated, very well written, and presented.

I'm a big fan of Realistic boomboxes, they're quite rare here...I think that's because most people know a good thing when they see it, and tend to hang on to them. The SCR-8 was kind of a flag ship in the Radio Shack portable audio line.

Thanks again!

...I do believe there is one of these Realistics in a storage room in the basement of an apartment building on the campus of where I work at as maintenance. I remember seeing it on a workbench and the left side area where the tweeter is has some damage, but overall its all there in one piece. I think I am gonna go check it out tomorrow and kinda "pry" it away from the table......

Matrix ---if it works (at all)........
DIBS

quote:

Originally posted by redbenjoe:
Matrix ---if it works (at all)........
DIBS

Ira, respond to your PM. With the proper trade, my briny friend a fully working one will be YOURS!!!!

Great review, man!

I said it before and I'll say it again - I want one of those boxes!

quote:

Originally posted by redbenjoe:
the ONLY bummer -- is that you are a few days too early with this report

cuz -- just yesterday -- i put up a wanted post for this model --
and had one of our 'lesser' members , oldskool,
moments away from an even trade for my coby -

now -- the deal is screwed !!

You own a Coby? Hold up a second - let me re-phrase that question...
You're actually admitting to owning a Coby?

mono -- wait a day or so --before you make fun of my coby !!
i just did a private , extensive coby review for oldskool --and he is now 'all over it'

928GTS-Nice review!Your observations about the boxes sound are very accurate in my opinion.I've used my G.E. version of this one extensively and it never disappoints.Its a workhorse and one of my favorites!

quote:

i just did a private , extensive coby review for oldskool --and he is now 'all over it'

ira failed to mention that coby is a stripper.... Not a boombox....



BTW great review!!!!

Interesting.....I saw that box on Ebay, and thought about bidding just for the cool LED's, but I decided to pass simply because the overall physical appearance wasn't my style. But good to hear that it's a high performer.