My name is Alex. I am a long-time reader and first-time poster. I love all things audio. The first boombox I ever bought was a JVS RC-838, and that was in 1981. I always loved its design and rugged looks, but not its sound and dated features. I later traded it for Panasonic RX-F35. And I still own it! I am very partial to analog hi-fi audio, especially AKAI, Technics of the '80s, and SONY ES series stuff. I am not an expert fixer, but a few attempts to maintain and adjust my equipment were successful. I love learning how to restore and fix up stuff, and this site has been very helpful.
Welcome to the forum! Too bad you don't still have that 838, those things are like gold now, I bought one a few years ago and it was an adventure getting it locally.
Thank you for your warm welcome! yes, I have been following how the wave of boom box collecting has been rising and what collectors want. I will be honest I am not surprised that 838 is so popular (also expensive and hard to get). I remember why it was my first boom box back in the day. I think I know why in some ways it appeals to others. My own unit was falling apart on me: switches getting broken, recording head was getting out of alignment, etc. that’s after 2 years of daily use. That influenced me to let it go before too late. Perhaps it was just a lemon because JVC made some of the better boomboxes in terms of mechanics back in the day, lots of metal parts, very sturdy. I never owned Sharp GF 9696 and if I would look to buy another boombox for collection , I think this would be it. perhaps, may be also National RX7200. Either one. Love that vintage look, sound and quality build.
As a student of design I get suckered in by all of these little marvels and I love music or talk radio, especially lugging 50 lb bags all day, plus I wear a hearing protector (with radio). I just got three new units last week including a super crusty Pioneer that still pulls in stations like a magnet. It's my 2nd crusty Pioneer and they both work surprisingly.
Pioneer made some of the most iconic boomboxes! Just think of the monster, SK 900f to name a few. I think that the ones that are really in demand today by collectors have a perfect blend of design, engineering, and performance. Or so I think
Yeah welcome to the forum! Whenever someone lists make and model I have to Google it and look at pictures. Because I am not familiar with more than a dozen or so models off hand. So I looked up the JVS RC-838 and Panasonic RX-F35 and read some info about them. Panasonic RX-F35 looks interesting. Said to sound quite good too I am super picky about the look / design I like of boomboxes, very few appeal to me, hence always looking up model numbers and searching for "that look". (preferably with separate tweeters, midrange and bass speakers...)
Completely understandable (and also 100% thumbs up to that) about the design. I personally think that at this point it is all about the nostalgia, the looks, then the sound, and the mechanics. Since boomboxes’ sound is rarely of a HiFi quality, in spite of valiant attempts to make them sound nice, by today's sound standards it is the looks that win big. (Google Home speaker sounds better...) Also, The 3-way speaker setup gives you just enough bass and clear midrange to enjoy the sound (this is why I mentioned those 2 b-boxes, the Sharp 9696 and National 7200). I intentionally did not mention recording because practically any mediocre 2-header tape deck from that era will surpass any B-box legend. And if you play a well-recorded tape, this is what it's all about here! RX-35 has a very cool 4-speaker vertical design. Just like the Sony CF-f40. But its drawback is base: its speakers are not quite big (and the case isn't deep) enough to sound exceptional. But it is a reliable machine and a real joy to look at. A very sophisticated mid-size box. The soft-touch mechanism is sweet! It was a big deal then, and this feature aged well. I use Pinnacle AC-400 bookshelf speakers to play it through and it elevates the experience to several levels up. I just love this unit! By the way, this review is spot-on! https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/panasonic/rx-f35.shtml
