Category Archives: Boombox

Toshiba WX-1

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Our buddy Dean from Boston visited a friend in New York and was floored to see his apartment peppered with systems like this Toshiba “Bom Beat” WX-1. Says Dean, “This is the ADRES model (Automatic Dynamic Range Expansion System) with insane mixing and EDITING capabilities, phono preamp, some unusual detachable speaker setup, double cassette, SW1&2, Toshiba “Passive Radiator” speakers, and more than a few offbeat controls like “Beat”. Owner is a paint collector, check out the cans on the side for sizing.” By the way, Dean is a spray paint can collector; check out his site rustmagic, an effort to preserve classic aerosol and spray paint cans.

Boombox Window Shopping

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The boombox fan, heck, any gadget fan who ever spent any time in a big city was drawn to the electronics shops like a moth to the fire. Ed, from Brooklyn immortalizes one of his fondest memories in the photos below. He recalls a day 1984 when he purchased a giant Conion ghettoblaster, a stereo as loud and glitzy as the shops that sold them. Refusing to let one of his fondest childhood memories fade into obscurity, he documents his trip on film.

We were obviously drooling at the merchandise displayed on these store shelves. Sure, we’ve got eBay now, but there’s something special about spotting gear like this in its “natural” state. Until someone builds a time machine, we’re hoping our boombox museum will suffice for the good ol’ days. Thanks, Ed for taking us back to a happier, more exciting time in electronics history.

Boombox-O-Meter

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Here’s some cool info provided by boombox enthusiast Jens. He’s compiled a list of those well-known and not-so-well-known boombox brands. Is your favorite missing? Let us know! Thanks Jens!

“Here is a little ‘ghetto blaster appearance statistic:’
(items found in the last half-year on ebay and other internet auctions)
included ghettoblasters built from about 1976 till 1989.doubles were not
counted. From the needle-meter time up to the detachable machines…that
means all the blasters we are looking for …)this is absoloutely not
exact or complete cause I`m not an expert-searcher but the search criteria
were allways the same, nevertheless it’s interesting how many blasters were
sold of the different brands….. and there are a lot of interesting manufacturers!!!”

sharp-------------------------------103
panasonic/national------------------------99
aiwa-----------------------------------------71
sanyo------------------------------------------60
philips----------------------------------------62
grundig-------------------------------------59
hitachi-------------------------------------- 47
universum ------------------------------47
jvc-----------------------------------------45
toshiba--------------------------------30
siemens--------------------------25
rft(gdr)--------------------------24
g.e.---------------------------24
goldstar----------------20
saba-----------------20
telefunken--------------21
itt-----------------------------18
pioneer------------------------16
crown------------------------------16
emerson-----------------------------12
realistic----------------------------------12
akai------------------------------------------11
lasonic--------------------------------------11
fisher---------------------------------------11
magnavox--------------------------------9
uher---------------------------------------9
sears-------------------------------------9
conion-----------------------------------8
sanwa---------------------------------8
superscope------------------------8
samsung---------------------------7
tec---------------------------------7
lloyds----------------------------7
isp----------------------------7
unisef---------------------6
mitsubishi-------------6
sankei--------------------------------------5
ultrasound----------------------------------------------5
interfunk--------------------------------------------------------5
nordmende------------------------------------------------------6
victor--------------------------------------------------------5
teleton------------------------------------------------5
prosonic-----------------------------------------5
elite-----------------------------------------5
loewe------------------------------------5
diatone-----------------------------5
maximal-------------------------5
maratz-------------------------5
lenoxx------------------------5
mbo-------------------------------4
nippon---------------------------------4
hgs(grundig)----------------------------4
mars---------------------------------------------4
jcpenney--------------------------------------------4
contec--------------------------------------------------4
mainton---------------------------------------------------4
sondesign-------------------------------------------------4
perdisco------------------------------------------------------4
rising----------------------------------------------------------------4
quasar------------------------------------------------------------------3
helix--------------------------------------------------------------------------3
jeagam---------------------------------------------------------------------------3
kenwood---------------------------------------------------------------------------3
intercord--------------------------------------------------------------------------3
mi-------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
clairtone------------------------------------------------------------------3
audiosound---------------------------------------------------------3
electronics------------------------------------------------------3
candle----------------------------------------------------3
luckay---------------------------------------------3
eaton-viking-------------------------3
belair-------------------3
aimor-------------------------3
montgomery----------------------------3
radiotone-------------------------------------------3
electro-brand-----------------------------------------------2
citizen--------------------------------------------------------------2
adyson--------------------------------------------------------------------2
ashahi-------------------------------------------------------------------------2
b&o----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2
casio-------------------------------------------------------------------------2
blue-star------------------------------------------------------------2
cobra---------------------------------------------------------------2
deltaphon------------------------------------------------------2
euromatic-----------------------------------------------2
harvard-----------------------------------------2
kings-point----------------------------2
macdonald---------------------2
magnus------------------------2
multitech---------------------2
philon-----------------------2
signal-------------------2
silva--------------2
symphonic---2
yamaha----2