Picked this up about 5 yrs ago...

At first, you look at it and say "what's so interesting about it"




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But then, you have a closer look.....




And you discover.....



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MIRROR COAT, BEYOTCH !!!








Closeup of the controls:



The tape player is on top:




5-disk CD player.




The speakers are interesting.....3-way, with a "subwoofer" on the sides. The bass still ain't kickin unless you put it in the corner of a shelf so the subs can reflect. Also I wish the tweeters were a little smaller, for more precise high's




On the backside of the speaker, you have a bass port (which I don't really like because it prevents the bass from being nice & tight). What's cool is the two wires going into the speaker, instead of 1. This is Panasonic's famed "dual amp" system, which has a dedicated amp for the low and high frequencies. They claim it provides more accuracy. The verdict? Nice warm sound, good power, but....Eh.... just another shelf system. Guess I'll sit on it for another 20 yrs and then make bank on it

: D'oh! Def could not tell from the first pic.
I wasn't too crazy for these intially,but i'm starting to like them now,This mirrored glass one is kinda

reli --we all stink at predicting the future classics --here is my GUESS at one :
an early kaboom with light up woofers ---

http://cgi.ebay.com/JVC-Portable-CD-Radio-Tape-RV-B550-...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

quote:

Originally posted by redbenjoe:
reli --we all stink at predicting the future classics --here is my GUESS at one :
an early kaboom with light up woofers ---

http://cgi.ebay.com/JVC-Portable-CD-Radio-Tape-RV-B550-...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That's cool.........fails in the looks dept though

I think you'll be surprised what is considered collectible in the future.As the world becomes more virtual,companies are going to figure out how to sell you everything in virtual form.Keep in mind that this thing actually does have physical speakers instead of it beaming sound to certain user selected points in the room.Yes,holographic virtual speakers will be the next cost cutting idea.In the future if you can touch it and its a dedicated purpose device it will be antiquated and thus collectible.

Good thinking......Also, the day may come when nobody buys monitors or TVs anymore, becuase they've been replaced by heads-up display goggles, or by those newfangled flexible screens that you can roll up and store when they're not in use.

I wonder when that day comes when everything is (nearly/only) virtual, what people will think of my 31 kg turntable, or big, heavy wood-encased speakers, or big receivers and amps you can hardly lift, in steel and wood cases?

I find it very hard to believe that "beamed" music is going to sound as good as the notes that come from some of those big, very solid vintage speakers! At least not for some years to come.

Just as tube (valve) gear and vinyl records are beginning to make a comeback and growing in popularity again, I think at some point there may be some kind of resurgence in the older technologies, simply because they sound better. Vinyl sounds better than CDs, if done right, and CDs sound better than MP3s. Similarly, big, heavy gear with tubes and/or solid-state components (when done right) sounds better than lightweight plastic stuff with chips inside.

Give me heavy metal (and wood!) any day.

quote:

Originally posted by Arkay:
Just as tube (valve) gear and vinyl records are beginning to make a comeback and growing in popularity again, I think at some point there may be some kind of resurgence in the older technologies, simply because they sound better. Vinyl sounds better than CDs, if done right, and CDs sound better than MP3s. Similarly, big, heavy gear with tubes and/or solid-state components (when done right) sounds better than lightweight plastic stuff with chips inside.

Give me heavy metal (and wood!) any day.

Good point Arkay, i do believe you are correct. People are beginning to realize the sound quality.
But i can't agree to 100%. Yes. MP3 files are crappy, but there exist other formats were the sound quality beats -everything-. (see .FLAC for instance). Therefore comparing MP3's to CD's /vinyls wouldn't be fair. A more accurate comparison would involve MP3's VS some old scratched up Vinyl (which has laid in the sun way too long.) [Then you'd have a fair race!]

I can't wait till technology advances and we can enjoy our audio in a truly lossless state. That will be awesome.

But having said that. I believe that the old gear will have a place in our heart forever.

What I'm hoping for is the day when no more CD's or DVD's are manufactured. What a ridiculous waste of materials, plastic and petroleum. Plus the shelf space required, not to mention all the ridiculous Blockbuster stores occupying precious real estate (can't believe people still go there)

That looks good.
Looks like they put some real tech into it.
And not the flashy nonsence.
But does it have a handle, battery?

I did see a mini audio system the other day.
Had cassette, CD and DVD with video out.
Maybe the only system with all 3 media types?

There have been several systems that play all 3 of those media types, most notably Panasonic, JVC and Phillips. Some even with USB ports to access the music on your computer.

I think the all-media ones 'with cassette'
will become collectable.
As there is not that many units with cassette
being made these days.