We've all bought boomboxes that have disappointed us, and boomboxes that have really surprised us. Which ones have you bought that have been in either category?

For me, the one that disappointed me, was the JC Penney 681-3195. Cool looking box, but the sound was very disappointing, despite it's nice features.



The one that really surprised me with it's 4 inch woofers would have to be the JVC PC-5. Wow, does that have some good sound. I was amazed by the sound and volume that comes out of that thing!!

I hear you on the JC Penneys box. I remember playing with one in a mall right after they came in many moons ago. It easily distorted and had surpringly little bass when brand new. A shame, the box looks like a tank, probably the thickest case on a single piece boombox that I can recall ever seeing. All these years later, I bought one just to make sure that it was still true, and sure enough.....


Cannot wait to get a hold of a good PC-5.

My biggest disappointment when I first heard them were pretty much all of the big Lasonic "plastic fantastic" boxes.

Biggest surprise, Sanyo M9990! Its an incredible sounding little box!

my biggest tradgedy were all of the many gorgeous panasonic 7700s that i bought and quickly SOLD !!

i am bonkers over the looks of these things --but the tuners and sound qualities are , at best ,
no big deal -

still - the big fun with these are --that you can pop up the little mics , and spin them around
thats about ALL they are good for.

Doesn't the Big Ben have that 8" woofer though?

My stupid philips boombox

I was surprise 4 years ago when I got my first Telefunken HiFi Studio 1M I couldn't beleave the bass response coming out this unit. Now I was disapointed with the sound of the Fisher PH-492K no bass hardly a lot of treble but when I reduce the last eq for the treble it sounds better but not what I expected from this big and heavy 3 piece boombox.

That surprising to me on the Fisher as I have a 490 and it sounds great! I actually want a 492 as I like its looks more...My big disappointment is the Sharp GF-9000, it looks like a KILLER, but I find they sound ok, and I have had a 3 of them. My surprise box is the Pioneer SK900/909. It sounds amazing and is smaller and very heavily built! Great idea for a thread, thanks!

my best surprise to this day --
is the mini panny # C50 -

alot of clean power in a tiny pack


plus -- the panny platinum series sound great -and almost always very low $$$

Biggest disappointment: the Victor/JVC RC-550. You'd think, with its 102" (well, almost) woofer, it would blow you down the street. It doesn't.

Biggest surprise: The Sears 2199. I always expect so-so from store brands (like Buzz's J.C. Penney), but the sound from this one, with its resonant bass, pronounced midrange and crispy highs, knocks my socks off. Looks aren't bad, but don't reveal what a super box this is. It's now my everyday user/show-offer.

Also came as a Luxor, as seen here in a stolen and cropped photo from GuSG's (wonderful!) collection:

quote:

Originally posted by redbenjoe:
my best surprise to this day --
is the mini panny # C50 -

alot of clean power in a tiny pack

Biggest surprises...The itty bitty Sansui FX-700R. And IMHO...It and my Panny C50 are about neck and neck, a tough call...but I'd give the Sansui the ever so slight edge.

And my Sanyo C9, I had no idea the power this beast had...

Biggest dissapointments...Sharp HK-9000, yes it's loud, but not a "quality" loud. Maybe the speakers in it? I dunno...

Panasonic RX-C300. Still a wonderful box but something got lost in the genes from Papa RX-C100...

quote:

Originally posted by Fatdog:
Doesn't the Big Ben have that 8" woofer though?

yes, see here.
sanyo mr x20 bigben bigben top

100_3270 08 April 08 SANYO BIGBEN

sadness: TRK-8290H looks great, no Bass at all

happiness: as oldskool said : FX-700 also TPR-920 nice meaty sound from a little pup

real dissapointing sound the gf9000 all they make good for is a big door stop, i agree with buzz the pc5 is great it actually sounds better than the pc55 untill you upgrade it.

quote:

Originally posted by JT:
My biggest disappointment when I first heard them were pretty much all of the big Lasonic "plastic fantastic" boxes.

Biggest surprise, Sanyo M9990! Its an incredible sounding little box!

I 100% agree with you there. It is a small jewel.

The Realistic SCR-8 I would consider to be one of the most underestimated boxes there are because of the name. It is a sleeper in the truest sense of the word.

3 big surprises,mini rxf9 and sanyo 7850k,both exc,as well as mr yellow submarine magnavox d8300
By far the biggest dissapointment Anything i ever owned by emerson,ctr 949,ctr 960,961,all gone now thank god,total garbage!

Biggest disappointments here were Sharp GF-777
and Conion C-126.

Was pleasantly surprised with the sound of the Telefunken HP-800

quote:

Originally posted by transamguy1977:
Biggest disappointments here were Sharp GF-777

My biggest surprise so far has been the sanyo 620k. I wasn't expecting near the clarity and dynamic range it has. Was a great surprise, phenomonal radio that one.

I've not been disappointed yet, but that's mainly because I read up on most models here before I look for it and if I find one that's not been documented then I don't have high expectations for sound quality.



Rock On.

It's a good box, but not in the same league with the best of that size (M999x, RC-M70, CS880, CS660, etc.)

That said, it has very pleasing overall sound, the wide mode works pretty well and the LED show is impressive. Wish they would have added a Knight Rider mode the display. Perhaps as the burglar alarm display mode

quote:

Originally posted by oldskool69:

quote:

Originally posted by bashngu:
The Realistic SCR-8 I would consider to be one of the most underestimated boxes there are because of the name. It is a sleeper in the truest sense of the word.

Got one and must agree here as well.

got the ge blockbuster version --

quote:

Originally posted by Panasonic Fan:
It's a good box, but not in the same league with the best of that size (M999x, RC-M70, CS880, CS660, etc.)

That said, it has very pleasing overall sound, the wide mode works pretty well and the LED show is impressive. Wish they would have added a Knight Rider mode the display. Perhaps as the burglar alarm display mode

Oh absoloutely, now I've got an M-70 I can appreciate the very pronounced difference in sound quality, but I wasn't expecting much out of the 620k as I always considered Sanyo a weak brand. Just some baggage I've carried since the early 80s.

In fact it could've sounded quite a lot worse and I'd have still be impressed. That's all changed now though, hopefully I'm not setting myself up for a fall by expecting quality audio from my next Sanyo.

You're on the money with the LED's, especially that angle so they're still nicely viewable when it's on the ground. The blue and orange accented dial is a work of art too, probably my overall favourite dial so far.



Rock On.

quote:

Originally posted by redbenjoe:

quote:

Originally posted by oldskool69:

quote:

Originally posted by bashngu:
The Realistic SCR-8 I would consider to be one of the most underestimated boxes there are because of the name. It is a sleeper in the truest sense of the word.

Got one and must agree here as well.

got the ge blockbuster version --

Got the Blockbuster too.

quote:

Originally posted by oldskool69:

quote:

Originally posted by redbenjoe:

quote:

Originally posted by oldskool69:

quote:

Originally posted by bashngu:
The Realistic SCR-8 I would consider to be one of the most underestimated boxes there are because of the name. It is a sleeper in the truest sense of the word.

Got one and must agree here as well.

got the ge blockbuster version --

Got the Blockbuster too.

Don't want to rain on anyones parade but they are not the same box by far. I have them both also. Although I like the GE, it does not sound like the SCR-8. You would think it would but it doesnt. Not in my opinion anyway. How about it OS? Do you think they sound the same?

oldskool --wake up --we need your opinion on this !!

or does any other member have BOTH ?

(we cant just go by bash --he knows nothing)

I thought the Jvc's PC550C/PC55C M70 and PC11 were a big disapointments in the bass department. I was not really that impressed with it's overall sound

biggest disappointment so far was the Sony CFS 77L for me

Huge 8"-speakers,big solid quality box nice tape-deck and only a tone control!!not even a slight touch of bass on this unit

biggest surprise has to be my Tecsonic MX-900.I had it apart this week and worked on it to make it 100% and the sound was even better than i remembered.

From what i bought new and hearing the first time the unexpected one probably was my Loewe RS2000 (aka GE whatever ) and the Stereo Sonic ( Boltbox-aka ).

And well of course the Hifi Studio..I expected good sound and was overwheelmed with PERFECT sound

Biggest disappointments:

Sharp GF-9000 - very poor sound when compared with the looks.

Sharp GF-777 - I can't really make my mind up about this box, it has great bass but weak highs. Doesn't sound as high quality and HiFi-like as I expected.

Hitachi TRK-8200 - I expected a lot more bass. Clarity is good though.

Biggest surprizes:

Philips D8634 - a fantastic sounding machine.

JVC RV-B90 Kaboom - incredible bass.

Sharp GF-9090 - great sounding box for the size.

Sanyo M9930 - can't really make my mind up about this one either, has a lot more bass that I expected for such a small one, but the same story as the GF-777, great bass, weak highs.

Aiwa CS-600 - Same again, good bass, but weak highs.

Tatung TSC 5101 (my newest addition in the collections area) - a great sounding little box.

i was very shocked how crappy the gf777 sounded at first but the box is sick with the right speakers in it, it's as formittable as they come ,i was pleasantly suprised with the jvc pcr m 100 mini ,it can blow away alot of bigger boxes. the conion was also a huge let down as where i was suprized with the j1 super jumbo blows away the conion might not sound as good overall but lays the smackdown on it in the bass department and is louder .

I guess I'll have to revise my list after seeing some responses:

Biggest Disappointments

JC Penney boombox I mentioned before

Panasonic RX-C38: has XBS speakers, but it's a cheap box. Speakers really only go down to about 100 Hz, and a significant roll-off after that. A pretty tinny sound.

JVC PC-30, PC-70, PC-90 - they all have the same basic amplifier and 5-band graphic equalizer. While they look nice, they lack any bass, and the equalizer is quite limited in its range.

Biggest surprises

Panasonic RX-C60 - Boy, does this boombox sound nice, and it's heavy as hell. Separate bass and treble, and a loudness switch. I love that. For a mid-size boombox, it does get fairly loud, and has nice tone to it.

GE 3-5268 - Okay, it's a GE. I didn't expect that much, as I've had some mediocre GE boomboxes in the past. But this boombox really blew me away with its fidelity and volume. It certainly is a very nice boombox, and very pleasant to listen to.

JVC PC-5 - I know, it was on my list before. I've put it up against the PC-55, and as far as fidelity, there's no contest. The PC-5 combines some nice features with a great amplifier, making it one of my favorite boomboxes.

JVC PC-V55 - this is the black JVC with the "extra bass" port underneath the tape deck. Although kind of cheesy looking, and not a ton of volume, at modest levels with the extra bass on, this boombox might surprise you.

sharp gf-777 is a joke with the factory speakers. like owning a ferrari with a lawnmower engine.

quote:

Originally posted by autobot84:
sharp gf-777 is a joke with the factory speakers. like owning a ferrari with a lawnmower engine.

lol that is funny autobot .

quote:

Originally posted by L LOPEZ:
I was surprise 4 years ago when I got my first Telefunken HiFi Studio 1M I couldn't beleave the bass response coming out this unit. Now I was disapointed with the sound of the Fisher PH-492K no bass hardly a lot of treble but when I reduce the last eq for the treble it sounds better but not what I expected from this big and heavy 3 piece boombox.

How does the Telefunken's bass compare to a DT680 and DT75?

I won't slate any of my boxes as I like them/love them all in their own unique ways, but if I had to name a slight disappointment (in sound) it would be the Sharp 575; in spite of it's imposing looks it really hasn't got much balls in either amplification or bass. However it redeems itself somewhat on it's fantastic sound clarity, recording quality, looks and features.

The surprise for me was my Hitachi TRK9100; really loud box, sounds eager to please and respectable bass from the smallish woofers. Nice looker, good array of features and under-appreciated in my view.

That suprises me the remarks on the 777 it distroys the likes of the gf9000 not that the gf9000 sounds good, can anybody recommend any better speakers to replace the origionals with? links would be good thanks.

Been pleasantly surprised with both my Panasonic RX 5010 and my Magnavox D8443.

The Panasonic is quite a bit louder than I expected and is really balanced across the spectrum. The D8443 is very lively and vibrant to listen,especially through the tuner.

quote:

Originally posted by rimmer36:
That suprises me the remarks on the 777 it distroys the likes of the gf9000 not that the gf9000 sounds good, can anybody recommend any better speakers to replace the origionals with? links would be good thanks.

go back and do a search in boombox collections and type "mutant gf-777" the speakers i used to upgrade that sharp were amazing. ask Floyd he will tell you the same, he heard it before i did

I expected a lot better sound from the Panasonic RX-5050.It certainly came through with "A LOT" as its impossibly LOUD!Unfortunately it fell short on the "better" to my ears.I agree with baby boomer on the Sears 2199.Despite its name and unassuming looks,its beautifully balanced with nice highs without moving its tone controls.The bass is ultra tight and holds its composure amazingly!

I have to agree whtith baby boomer, that box definitely delivers more than you expect. The pana 5600 on the other hand was kind of a disappointment. Same size and looks as the luxor, but weaker sound.

Well i have to agree that the GF-9000 was disappointing, definately expected more. Still i do like how it looks.
Also have to agree with oldskool about the HK-9000 too, sounds rubbish im afraid. Expected a lot from that considering its size and how it states 'Hi-Fi Component' and Multi Purpose Music System'. Looks the business but

The GF 9494. I have an average one that sounds crap IMHO so i bought a minty one, still sounds crap ! So i bought an even more minty one.... still crap ? I was sure these would sound great. anyone ??

Now for the one that surprised me... i have just recieved a mint GF 9696 and based on the 9494's i had low expectations. But i have always wanted one for looks if nothing else. But to me it sounds great, really great in fact !! so that was a nice surprise.

Great topic buzz70, i really like your matching Panasonics too !!

I have both the GE and the realistic mine both sound the same. I have not opened up either one of them though. Both decks do not work on the ones I have so i am going by radio only but on the radio the same same volume out of both also.

quote:

Originally posted by erniejade:
I have both the GE and the realistic mine both sound the same. I have not opened up either one of them though. Both decks do not work on the ones I have so i am going by radio only but on the radio the same same volume out of both also.

nah!

Biggest dis: Sharp GF-9191
Biggest surprise: Sharp GF-9090...blows the 9191 in bass department and overall sound.

quote:

Originally posted by bashngu:
Don't want to rain on anyones parade but they are not the same box by far. I have them both also. Although I like the GE, it does not sound like the SCR-8. You would think it would but it doesnt. Not in my opinion anyway. How about it OS? Do you think they sound the same?

The Blockbuster has a richer bass while the SCR-8 is crisper. And not to split hairs but I have to give the Blockbuster the nod in looks as well.

And Ira I was awake butI hardly have time to do much anymore. Thanfully I don't have to think too hard to post in this forum.

yes -- that is obvious from your posts !!!!!

_________________________

also - thanks for your input on this close-call
i am trying to avoid buying boxes that sound so close to the same.

quote:

Originally posted by Matrixambience:
Biggest dis: Sharp GF-9191
Biggest surprise: Sharp GF-9090...blows the 9191 in bass department and overall sound.

Now that is a surprise! I've been trying to find a 9191 or 9292 to replace my 9090!

don't do it!! the 9090 is way better!unless my 9191 is not 100%,it doesn't do it for me....

Buzz is right on with the jvc pc55V that little unit has some fantasitc sound! Not the loudest on the block but it sounds much better then most out there.

Dissapointing sound for me sharp 8989.

hey Rimmer, I agree with you on the GF-777z. Sounds awesome to me?

Biggest disappointment for me is the Pioneer SK-95. No bass, nice highs. And not very loud. I have and SK-71 that's sounds better, weird.

Biggest Surprise. Telefunken 8200, or something like that. Smaller then a M70, but a match sound and loudness wise