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As 1985 progressed, interest in the behemoth stereos from
years prior was on the wane. Consumers were less concerned with
sound quality and more observant of functionality and cost. The
result was a flimsy machine probably sporting twin cassette
drives, an equalizer, detachable speakers and a sub $200 price
tag. The shoddy craftsmanship and tinny sound could not be
missed. Gone are the days of 10 inch speakers, rich sound and
massive weight. Store shelves in the latter half of the '80s were
stocked with models like the ones below as boombox sales
continued to rise. Like many consumer electronics, ghettoblasters
lost their soul during this period, replaced by hollow,
disposable boxes. How the mighty have fallen.
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One of Sanyo's many lackluster home-stereo styled portables.
5-band equalizer, detachable speakers, silver chassis.
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This laughable Yorx featured three cassette drives-- one was
detachable, doubling as a walkman. Probably released sometime in
1986 or 1987.
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Ninety bucks bought you this in 1985; a Sears boombox under
its LXI brandname.
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We're not claiming that all post-1985 boomboxes sucked. This
Signal offered shortwave and knob-styled audio controls--Jay's
cat seems to like it.
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Sony's CFD-5 is true craftsmanship in an otherwise dying
boombox world. This was the boombox to have as it was the first
to offer a CD player. Jeff in San Francisco bought this in 1986
and admits that he, like the rest of us became caught up with the
"one-upsmanship" that proliferated in that materialstic age. This
gorgeous example faithfully provided music poolside while Jeff
and his friends lounged the day away, sipping margaritas. Thanks
Jeff!
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Paul's faithful stereo in 1988 thru 1989--this Aiwa replaced
a hefty '82 Sharp that would've appeared in the earlier era.
There's some sentimental attachment to this boombox. It offered
auto-reverse, eq, and fair FM reception. Aiwa was certainly a
small player in the boombox market.
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Spotted in a Manhattan flea market, this slim Sony has logic
controls and an unusual off-white color. This one's cool!
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From the 1985 film The Last Dragon, some urban youths
trade stories around a ghetto blaster. Was this you in 1985?
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DAK offered this in 1986--a Unitech with unusual cassette
placement and 5 band eq. We won't say anything about the fire,
you can make your own assessment.
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This Emerson was a successful seller--it was under $150 in
1985, and offered everything the average consumer wanted at the
time.
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Single cassette boombox available at Sears in '85 and '86.
Yawn..
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This portable's unusual for a variety of reasons: it's
manufactured by Citizen (a very obscure name in ghettoblasters)
and it features an black and white LCD television. To the casual
viewer, this appears to be a second cassette deck.
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No-name brand boomboxes proliferated the 80s from places like
Taiwan and Hong Kong, that's why this obscure MI "Master Blaster"
boasting its Japan manufacture is unusual. It's a pretty large
system (2 feet long!) but lacks the quality of the Sonys and
Sharps of the era. This particular model offered left and right
volume control, five band graphic eq and shortwave tuning. It was
dubbed the "Master Blaster;" we're not sure Stevie Wonder would
be honored by the tribute.
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A 1985 Sharp ad displaying their latest and greatest
boomboxes--a far cry from the hefty models sold two years
earlier. Obviously, their goal was to make available a boombox
for each and every walk of life.
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