I'm not sure why,perhaps it was just something that my OCD addled brain decided to come up with but one day I was randomly browsing the pocket calculator boombox showcase website and I sort of became hooked on the whole idea of collecting old boxes. I guess its because I enjoy vintage items.

I'm a weird one I guess,at age 20 I collect vintage guitars,guitar amps,stereos,speakers,radios,etc etc not to mention I love vinyl. I guess this is just another chapter in that love of everything vintage saga. I've been lurking through this board the past few weeks and have been reading and gathering and this seems like a very pleasant place to be. I hope I can gain some further knowledge by hanging out here some more.

My collection so far is pretty modest. I have 3 boomboxes but quite a few old vintage radios. In the picture below you'll see my Panasonic RX-5010,my Magnavox D8443,my Telefunken Bajazzo TS 201,my late 50's Imperial tube portable and my special little no name boombox.



And here are some more individual pictures with some focus...









The Panasonic is really built well and is a lot louder than you'd expect it to be. It doesn't have overwhelming amounts of bass but thats alright because the sound is very balanced,the mids are very well defined and you can hear the drums and guitar just fine which is a surprise. The treble is never too piercing or annoying,everything is just well balanced. The tuner on this radio is great and everything feels well put together. Its a great radio for when the time calls for smaller amounts of block rocking. =)

The Magnavox is just a big hilarious beast,its loud,its built like a tank and each of its knobs and switches have a good heft to it. It feels quality and you can feel it in its weight. The tuner on this one is pretty good as well. With the stock speakers you need to twiddle the knobs a bit to get the best sound out of it but once you do its loud,clean and pretty nice detailed. Its relatively well balanced with more bass than the Panasonic. The Panasonic is more delicate and exacting in its presentation of the sound compared to the Magnavox which is a great box for rock and roll of all kinds! People trash this box and say its rubbish but I must disagree however I do believe there is significant room for improvement and I'll be doing this by replacing each and every speaker on this unit with more modern high efficiency units. This is a good box just waiting to be made better!

The no namer is just special to my heart because I found it in my parent's closet around 1994 or so and it had never been used so I took it out of its box and attached the speakers to it and its been with me ever since. The sound isn't too great but I don't care. This box has been with me everywhere. I remember one cold winter night last year my friend at college and I were waiting near the school theatre for the movie to let out so we could meet with our friends so to pass the time I busted out this box,threw on some Rage Against The Machine and him and I beatboxed to it for what seemed like about an hour! Classic!

The Telefunken is my sweetheart,I imported her directly from Germany and she's in near pristine shape. One of the best sounding small portables I ever heard. When people talk of the Telefunken tone they're not lying and this radio proves it to me over and over with some of the sweetest and cleanest tones ever to come out of a radio. The tuner in this radio is also fantastically sensitive not to mention the wood casing is just very very stately and attractive. This radio is built to a standard and not a price and you feel this every time you actuate one of its buttons or click on the volume knob to turn the radio knob.

The little radio there is my late 50's Imperial Japanese make 4 tube AM portable. This was a birthday gift to me by my dad and this is one of the smallest miniature tube radios I've found in my searchings. Its tiny,sounds wonderful and really does a wonderful job bringing in stations. You really can't beat tube tone and I'm always a believer when I turn this little guy on and listen in.

I know compared to some of your collections on here mine may not look like much but I've just started and also being a college student without any source of income leaves me with not very much disposable cash to work with. I also have to split that money many ways over my tons of hobbies I have but I'm pretty happy with what I have so far. I think I'll start saving up for a nice solid upper tier box like an M70 and see how I feel after that.

I use each and every one of these radios,the bigger ones I don't keep inside the house and admire them. I throw my tape adapter in them,sling them over my shoulder and use them the way they were meant to be. You wouldn't believe the looks I get from people walking around with the big Magnavox on my shoulder! I enjoy these radios,take care of them and use them because I feel thats doing them the best justice.

HI!
Welcome Exc 1st Post,Hope u Enjoy The Hobby,and Stick around! Very collection,u have there! I too collect Radios as Well as BBX's Love The Telefunken Bajazzo,Very Very !

Well, there's only a few things to say to all that -

1. You are certainly not weird and DEFINITELY in the right place. Dare I say, you finally found your way home!!

2. The fact your radios have such nice stories and meaning behind them negates the need for 'more impressive' radios at this time. You get a lot out of what you have and for a lot of people here, that's what collecting is all about.

3. Man with a first off review like that, you are going to be very well received around here. A lot of folk simply dont have the time to write about their radios in such detail and it is always a joy when someone makes the effort.

So thank you and welcome!

Hey man! Welcome to the site!

Havent been here long either, but i can tell you that i'm gonna stay!

Big Welcome from down under you are definately in the right place!!!! Excellent group of people here... They have well and truely put up with my ranting

You are perfectly normal and welcome aboard! However, before long being here you WILL NOT be normal.

It's great that at such a young age you can appreciate what a great deal of us here got to experience growing up (including myself). Enjoy the hobby and don't let go. One of the great things about being a kid in the 70's/80's was that we had all these wonderful toys around us. And now newer generations like yourself can experience some of that as well.

Welcome to your new home. If you are weird, then we are all certifiable!! We're gonna have a blast!

welcome - thanks for joining -
you are a terrific writer.

Welcome aboard home, 928GTS! You're going to gain a lot of knowledge if you hang around long enough. Plus, collecting boomboxes can become very addicting.

By the way, the Telefunken you have is freakin' adorable! I love the red color!

Do you own a 928GTS? If so, post some pictures of it too!! (big-time Porsche fan!)

Hello and welocome

Hi there, 928GTS. I can tell by reading your first post and seeing your pictures, that you've found the right place. You have real enthusiasm and obviously have a well established interest in these superb pieces of machinery. I hope you realise that you won't be able to move around your house so freely for much longer! Most of us only had a few boxes when we joined, and now we have collections of 30+!

Welcome aboard.

quote:

Originally posted by Fatdog:
Welcome aboard home, 928GTS! You're going to gain a lot of knowledge if you hang around long enough. Plus, collecting boomboxes can become very addicting.

By the way, the Telefunken you have is freakin' adorable! I love the red color!

Do you own a 928GTS? If so, post some pictures of it too!! (big-time Porsche fan!)

Gah,thats what I get for taking pictures in low light. The Telefunken's wood is more of a middle of the road brown,it just looks red because of the low light. If you ever need to restore the wood in any radio then go find a bottle of Old English wood restorer and put 2 coats on the radio,separated by about a few day's time and it will really bring the luster out in the wood!


My father owns two 928's. An 85 928S and an 83 928,both manuals because a Porsche thats an automatic is a crime. :P

quote:

Originally posted by oldskool69:
You are perfectly normal and welcome aboard! However, before long being here you WILL NOT be normal. Laugh Out Loud Laugh Out Loud

It's great that at such a young age you can appreciate what a great deal of us here got to experience growing up (including myself). Enjoy the hobby and don't let go. One of the great things about being a kid in the 70's/80's was that we had all these wonderful toys around us. And now newer generations like yourself can experience some of that as well.

Yeah,I'm glad I have parents who appreciate and support my hobby. My dad appreciates the quality in each piece I pick up. Older stuff was just made better... People at my college just find it a peculiarity,I find these boxes a great representation of style and function that really do serve a good purpose and have plenty of practical application today.

I'm glad people still have these boxes around and cherish them,it reminds me,as I stated before,when things were built to a standard and not to a price.

quote:

Originally posted by Retro Addict:
Hi there, 928GTS. I can tell by reading your first post and seeing your pictures, that you've found the right place. You have real enthusiasm and obviously have a well established interest in these superb pieces of machinery. I hope you realise that you won't be able to move around your house so freely for much longer! Most of us only had a few boxes when we joined, and now we have collections of 30+! Roll Eyes Big Grin

Welcome aboard. Smile


R.A.

Oh heavens,I can only imagine what my dorm room will look like a few months. A testament to woofers,VU meters and tape decks. But then again,would I have it any other way?


You all seem to be a great bunch of chaps,glad to meet you. Now,off to the local Goodwill with a crisp 20 in hand!

me and fatdog are porche 928 fans --
a real V-8 with the correct balance!

I love all Porsches,they're all great cars with their own unique character. A wonderful marque that has always produced great cars with great qualities.

I remember driving a 79 911SC and just remembering exactly how connected to the road it felt and how it telegraphed every single piece of information about the road to your fingertips. Magic

Welcome 928GTS you gonna have a fun ride here in S2G wait till you see some of the boomboxes here your collection will start growing. If I may the next one should be the JVC M-90 one of the grails in this boombox world.

quote:

Originally posted by 928GTS:
My father owns two 928's. An 85 928S and an 83 928,both manuals because a Porsche thats an automatic is a crime. :P

Damn right it is!!

quote:

Originally posted by redbenjoe:
me and fatdog are porche 928 fans --
a real V-8 with the correct balance!

My first love is still a 1974-1978 Porsche 911 Cabriolet with a whale tail. Second, would be a 1990 Porsche 928 S4.

There's a rumor that Porsche will be bringing back the 928 in about 3 years!! The new look doesn't do anything for me though.

http://www.autospies.com/news/Porsche-928-to-come-in-2011-9202/

Sorry for slightly highjacking this thread.

quote:

Originally posted by ford93:
Welcome 928GTS you gonna have a fun ride here in S2G wait till you see some of the boomboxes here your collection will start growing. If I may the next one should be the JVC M-90 one of the grails in this boombox world.

I've been lurking a lot and viewing posts so I've learned quite a bit. If I can afford an M90 I'll definitely go for one. I think my budget may only stretch to an M70 but then again I've been planning on checking out local flea markets/Goodwill stores.

Welcome aboard 928!!!
You have been lurking in the right place!!!
Love that funken bajazzo,very vintage.
Never seen one like it before.
Let us know how the Magnavox Mod goes.
Keep us posted if you do it.

I'd love to see some pics of the vintage guitars and amps too. I love vintage guitars!

quote:

Originally posted by idontknow:
I'd love to see some pics of the vintage guitars and amps too. I love vintage guitars!

When theres a bit more light tomorrow I'll get some shots for you!

Hey chaps,made a short clip of the D8443 rocking out. Mind you all distortion is from my camera mic not being able to take it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tkyQufPBNc

Hi.... Welcome, and thanks for the clip!

Welcome!! pull up a boombox and stay for a while!!

New blood....howdy.

Welcome to the site 928GTS.

Welcome home 928GTS! Glad to have you in the family. Thanks for sharing amigo.

Hi 928GTS-Welcome & thanks for such a detailed review of your radios.
I think almost all of my radios,especially the older ones have a story behind them.
I started collecting radios when I was about 13.
I have some older transistor radios and some vintage 70's radios as well as my boomboxes.

By the way I love cars to,my friends dad had a Porsche928 back in 1983'.
Those little V-8's sound really nice!
I have a B.M.W. which I just love.

It's great to have new collectors on board.
Have a great week-Ghettoboom777.

Top new member, nice to see such enthusiasm!

Excellent reviews of the sound quality and a great video that I watched all the way to the end. Hey, you've convinced me to try and seek out a Magnavox/Philips now! Stick around, this site and the folks on it are awesome...