And Also Boxes that are Not Desirable But Should Be..

i'm Not going to say right now,going to wait and see what other people think..

Always fancied getting a Crown CSC 850. Not a great sound and only 15 watts but I like the look of them

Not Desireable But Should Be..........

I got a GF-9595 from Stereo-Mad recently, not many people seem to mention these for all sorts of reasons.

A lot of people dont like the digital tuner and some dont like the look of them but for me its now one of my personal favs and certainly one of my heaviest hitters in the volume department. And its not just loud it has great sound right through the range and fairly decent bass for a mid size box.

Also it weighs a ton which to me just means well built, and the fact its in fully working order (once i stuck a new pair of ariels on ) and looks great cosmetically helps my decision.

GO GF-9595

let down for me 9696 the 9494 is better sounding to me ,  good box never mentioned sankei tcr-s90 m2 could do with more bass love mine      oh and how can i forget my glorious teleton tpc-10

ok the box that i feel is a let down is the Lasonic 975,i mean to look at its soo good looking,but the problem starts when you switch it on,bass is way too much and it spoils the overall sound..

Big let down..

Unisef SZ5000, a really great looking box and THE box that my non-boomboxing friends always go to first but really not good sound for its size, it feels like its going to break when you pick it up and the radio is pants. Is the Crown version of this the same, i assume the Lasonic is better

I've heard (and would expect) the Crown 5100 to be loads better

Unisef were a very budget brand of the 80's

the crown 850 is a good sounding box , just wish it had one handle instead of two

Badger,mitchell is right,i used to have a Lasonic 931 and they kill the holy ass out of the unisef/crown sz5100 on sound,bass and quality feel..the lasonic feels solid and quite well built,and they dont make plasticky creeky noises like the 5100 does when you pick one up..but saying that i've wanted a Unisef for ages,i already have the Crown 5100,bought it in around 04 for £80 on ebay,but i just wanted the unisef because the colour scheme is different,so i just wanted both..but i'm not willing to pay loads of money for one because they are quite cheap n nasty,they kinda sound ok,not loud and bassy but passable i suppose..

oh by the way,the crown 5100 and unisef 5000 are identicle,just different colour scheme..

so the crown is a lasonic clone?

gotcha

i wouldn't pay more than 19 on these boxes

but the looks are hawt

agree....but no handle bugged the pantz of me

Maybe the Crown Ive got is not a good one. It's just compared to a Sharp or Phillips I was expecting the same. (I'm probably influenced by the look......typical man).

Agree about the Crown 5100, another box that should be better, feel like its built on a tight budget.

I'm lucky I got the original black shoulder strap with the Crown 850 otherwise it would be a complete pain to move about.

Mind you, I only picked up the Crown yesterday so early days to get used to it.

have to back that statement up 100%...not because it was once mine,because it really does take you by surprise...been after another ever since and forgot i was watching one the other day on ebay and lost out

mmm you sure???

i think it packs out a good sound....maybe not as good as some of it's same size but still a nice sounding box

and i'll back that statement - coz you have mine

the crown is no better mj....it creaks and and sounds like it's held together with celotape when you pick it up....it's funny that also all my non boombox friends always go straight to the crown as well,i guess its because its quite a blingy box

dis be bling man

na man the crown got more bling than that

Ive got the Crown 950 and i love it, well built, good sound etc. A few members have/had the 850 and the story generally seems the same as the 950.

So did a totally differant Crown company make the 5100???  Also how did Crown (and Unisef) get away with blatenly copying the Lasonic 931 (if that was first), was there no such thing as patents

Michell,i dont think crown and unisef copied the Lasonic mate,i've had a lasonic 931,and its made completely different,the lasonic have loads more innards,and better quality speakers,the only thing that the crown and lasonic have in common is the bumper bars over the speaker grills,everything else is different,lasonic is way better quality,and sounds loads bassier..the only common probs with the lasonic is that stupid source selector,they go brittle and old,then break,also the common one is belts,but apart from that the lasonic is a nice box

Oh if you want a really nice crown,get a 970,they are a beauty box,but very rare,reno has one so bug him half to def and he might sell it lol..

yea the 970 is no ordanery crown...as for selling dont think so

Ahh go on lad,its a horrible box,you dont need it,you got the M90 ,GF1000,Aiwa 880..you wont miss one little teeny weeny crown

haha....took me what 7 yrs to get one....i maybee convinced for a pack of malbro and demi moore's knickers though...

well i have that hyperbass thing lad but i don't think the guy is going to send it so im stuffed....think i need to dig out my 1000 to cheer me up

have to agree with others on this about the unisef,

as for an underrated box my panasonic rx 32 really surprised me for a small box,good sound and solid build quality.

for me the lasonic 935 is way more powerfull than the 975 or 931, i had one that was all beat up and still was very loud and WITH the led's on the EQ, well you got a nice bling bling box.

the crown sz5100 is very nice looking box , but the sound and quality is a let down 100%

gotta give a shout for the philips d8614, should be more popular than it is, great looks excellent sound

Panasonic RX5250
JVC RC m60

my jvc hyperbass guys...my mate just heard it...and the m90 dosen't get a look in....if only it was as loud...but it's loud enough....good news i now own 2 of them

Crown 850 is a great-sounding box, it got more bass than the 950.  And the 980 has even more bass still.

Disappointing = GF9191, I've had two of them, and both of them were muddled and imprecise sounding.   The GF-8989 sounds clearer, even though it goes for less money.

Another disappointing box = RX-5150, it sounds like there is carpet in front of the speakers.  The tweeters are cheap pizeos that produce no sound. 

im well surprised at that reli....i have a mint 9191 and it sounds really good...much better than the three 8989 i have they all sound quite crap like the look of them though

never liked the 9xxx series or the 8989 but the 8989 is loud

so is a wasp in a tin,i would say they sound quite similar

i agree with both you and RELI here STEREO MAD, the 9191 i had sounded very good but the 8989 i think has more clarity, defo prefer the 9191 as a whole though

Yeah the 9191 is damn good looking, especially the black one

But I think the high notes are lacking, and imprecise-sounding.

The 8989 has more highs (but not as much bass).

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the 8989 is great.   I am just saying it sounds more "clear" because its got better highs.

Neither of those boxes are in the same league an Aiwa TPR-950/955, in my humble opinion. 

^Reli

I'm sure the original pricepoint of the Aiwa's reflected this

iirc

I don't think the Crowns are as high-quality as the top manufacturers, they are kind of empty inside.  Hell, an RX-5500 weighs the same as a Crown 850, even though it's much smaller.  So I wouldn't be surprised if your Crown isn't working correctly.  The sound quality could easily decline with age, due to bad caps etc.   Also, check if yours is an F model or an L.  The F isn't as nice as the L.

And I love the shoulder strap loops, they're what makes it special and different from other boxes.  Walking with your box on a strap looks cooler and more original than walking with it way down by your knees like everyone else.  Also it frees up your hand to do something else.

Yeah my uncle bought one in 1984 for $395, and that was 4-5 years after it started selling.   The sound quality is like taking all the realism & clarity of an RX-5500 and adding more bass, more warmth, and a Wide setting that beats every other Wide setting hands down.  Best quality sounding midsize box I've heard so far.

Crown 850L now sounding better after a good clean out. So maybe I was too harsh with it earlier. Just took a chance on a JVC RV-B550 from ascheap aschips after all the praise everyone gives Kabooms. What a great machine, lovely sound, just the rotating tape head non operational. Thanks Guys