Lets See Your Portable Tape Players

[braxus]

Not many posts on this perticular subject, so I'd thought I'd start one. Lets see your portable cassette players/ recorders and maybe a little history on it.

I'll start with two units I have. One is my first good walkman which I bought for $100 back in the mid-late 80s. Its an Aiwa HS-G35 with tone control and a chrome-metal switch. Also has auto reverse.

The other is one of those portable Radio Shack recorders used for those old TRS-80 computers. Model number CCR-82. It works wonders and still as good as it was then. They don't build them like this anymore and its heavy for its size. I got this unit in around 1983. I've used it for portable recording before, though it is mono. This recorder is a lot smaller then those old portables. This one could fit into a jacket pocket.

[ferriteman]

Hey...know one has responded to your posting...so here I have posted my humble little collection of portable cassette players. None of them record; I prefer to do my recording at home, so I can take music with me. They all work, except for 2 of the Walkmans...they work but the speed is a bit off, I think they need a belt replaced perhaps? Well, given their age, what can you expect...how many ipods will still be used in 25 years anyway?

The Panasonic is my favourite, with the Sony Walkman in the same picture coming close (it has an excellent RF section-can reallly pull in the stations!).
The Panasonic made the trip with me to Australia...used a set of Bose "noise cancelling" folding headphones on the trip (not the headphones, but they block out a lot of the jet noise, you know) plus I also use my Grado SR80's on them. Use cheap folding phones on the bus. My goal is to eventually get a pair of the small Stax phones (with amp) & then really hear how they can sound.

[Nak_novice]

Hey Ferriteman, I was thinking about getting some new headphones and the grado sr80's are an option, how do you find them?

BTW dont have a portable deck now that the sony WM-D6C has gone. Great deck though and superb build quality with metal tape compatability. a bit too big to take out running or cycling so the tiny MP3 player has taken over that job.

[ferriteman]

Hi...they are pretty nice 'phones. I currently use them mainly for monitoring when I'm dubbing LPs onto tape. They are also pretty efficient, and have the smaller headphone jack, so you can use them with a portable if you like (just take in mind they don't keep out external noise that well). But they are certainly a "real" headphone as well...well worth their price I think. Great for playing jazz. But I don't use them too often for my serious at home listening...for that I use my Stax electrostats...they are in another league for sound, but obviously a hell of a lot more expensive (plus require a dedicated amp to drive them).

[Nak_novice]

Thanks for your response ferriteman. I suppose thay are not what I am looking for then, What I need is to be listening to my music oblivious to the pandemonium going on around me. Also to be quiet for others in the room if I am listening while they watch TV or something. I have a pair of Nakamichi SP-7's which sound good but operate similar to the Grado's by the sound of it and annoy anyone else who also listen to what I have playing. Output from my McIntosh amp, cassette decks or direct from the Teac R2R is how I will operate them. Any recommendations guys?

[braxus]

I will be getting a set of new headphones sometime this year. I'm looking at a set of AKG Studio 240 MkII phones to do the job.

[NAD613]

Here is one of mine, the Aiwa HS-TA403. I bought this about 8 years ago at Target (?). It's the nicest portable cassette player I've ever had & it runs on 2 AA batteries. The headphones sucked, but I always used different/better headphone for these anyway.

It has a 4-button configuration (PL, ST, FF, RW), AM/FM stereo, auto-reverse, etc.. Everything except Dolby NR. Funny, back when I was in junior high, a portable tape player like this would have cost $80-$100. I bought it a couple years after college for only $20!

Two things I like about my Aiwa vs. an mp3 is:

1. Runs off regular AA batteries. If the batteries go dead, just put some fresh ones in & you can get them anywhere; nothing to charge! Although I have a couple of mp3 players that run off AA & AAA batteries, too many of them have their own internal battery you have to charge. They should give you an option to also use regular batteries, IMHO.

2. The Aiwa and my Sony Walkman I use @ work both have an AM/FM tuner. Where I live, we have some decent AM stations for sports & classic country music. Some of these mp3/ipods cost quite a bit & have no AM radio! What's with that? I guess people would rather watch a downloaded re-run of "Friends" on a 1.5 inch screen instead. Geniuses.

[braxus]

I wish I could remember the model number of that Aiwa that had Dolby C and was a high end model. It looked pretty high tech and new.

[NAD613]

Thanks for your response ferriteman. I suppose thay are not what I am looking for then, What I need is to be listening to my music oblivious to the pandemonium going on around me. Also to be quiet for others in the room if I am listening while they watch TV or something. I have a pair of Nakamichi SP-7's which sound good but operate similar to the Grado's by the sound of it and annoy anyone else who also listen to what I have playing. Output from my McIntosh amp, cassette decks or direct from the Teac R2R is how I will operate them. Any recommendations guys?

The headphones I've used for years are those closed "studio" kind, that you can usually find just about anywhere, made by Sony, Panasonic, etc.., for $20-$40. As long as the specs are at least 20-20,000Hz, I've never had any problems, which I still find surprising considering the price. I think the reason why those types of headphones have always sounded good has to do with the headphone section on my NAD integrated amp. Those headphones should sound good with any well built amp. Also, no one can hear what you're listening to with these types of phones.

These are the types I've been buying for years with no complaints. I also used these kind for my Walkman-type portables as well.

http://www.jr.com/panasonic/pe/PAN_RPHT227/

http://www.jr.com/sony/pe/SON_MDRV250V/

http://www.jr.com/sony/pe/SON_MDRV300/

[Nak_novice]

Thanks for your responses guys, these look much more like those old Pioneer SE-305's I once had which were really comfortable. The frequency response 18 - 22k Hz is more than adequate for me.

I see there are some cordless ones available, are these any good?

[NAD613]

Thanks for your responses guys, these look much more like those old Pioneer SE-305's I once had which were really comfortable. The frequency response 18 - 22k Hz is more than adequate for me.

One year for Christmas my brother gave me some Koss headphones that topped out at only 14,000Hz. Yeah, the high end was a bit weak on those phones, and they were uncomfortable, too.

[Scorpion8]

Been racking up Sony Walkman's lately. I picked up these two within the last few weeks.

Sony WM-F2015...
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p141/Scorpion008/SonyWM-F2015Walkman.jpg

Sony WM-FS399 Walkman Sport (kinda water resistant)!
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p141/Scorpion008/DSCN2133.jpg

[KatCassidy]

I did have one of these until a power serge popped it a few months ago
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Oh6NHCR7L._SS500_.jpg
Sounded rather good for a "kid's toy". On par with the current Sanyo or Sony portables. Yes, there is a cassette recorder behind that yellow "plate". Plays well. Records crap. If anybody can fix it, please PM me and let me know ASAP as they don't make them anymore and I'd rather keep it than throw it!

I also have an old Sanyo portable twin cassette "boombox" with aux input but we don't use it anymore unless there's a thunderstorm. Shut down all the hi-fi gear, TV, computers, etc, throw the radio on the portable on instead.

[Mr_rye89]

Sony Walkman DDIII puts the final nail in the coffin for my 4th gen ipod *devil*

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii156/kriscool7/IMG_0025.jpg


looks sexy there with my home made tube PA

sorry about the huge image

[JaeTee]

Here's mine...!

[westgate]

my boombox (http://www.tapeheads.net/showpost.php?p=52912&postcount=24)...

[CanJet]

I don't have a Walkman. Anyone want to offer their thoughts on what would be a kick ass Walkman to get?

I really have no knowledge when it comes to walkman's as to what's quality and what isn't.

[Mr_rye89]

if you're lookin for a great walkman try any of the Sony Disc Drive/professional (they can be pricey), or sony wm-ex series (the japanese market ones) or Aiwa Gmetal collection, also sony's first "sport" walkman wm-f5 which is a disc drive in disguise and it has an awesome fm stereo tuner in it *bigthumbsup*

[Mr_rye89]

this is my newest sony disc drive (broken wm-d3 and wm-dd3 are my other two) wm-f5

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii156/kriscool7/0623090033.jpg

I took the amorphous ex head outta my wm-d3 and the volume potentiometer outta the wm-dd3 (cuz they're busted anyways) and it sounds awesome! not too bright real smooth even with old ratty pre-recorded ferric tapes

[TheReeler]

Not cassette, but tape! (http://www.tapeheads.net/showpost.php?p=53837&postcount=30) *reelspin*

[hakka26]

Here's one of mine (if it hasn't been posted elsewhere).

[DaveInVA]

Ah you're all a bunch of wusses :) with those tiny players. Try carrying around something like this instead from my collection of junk. And yes it runs on a rechargeable battery and has a carry strap...
Or better yet the one in the second pic is a real manly portable as you have to wind it up first.


Dave

[hakka26]

Ah you're all a bunch of wusses :) with those tiny players. Try carrying around something like this instead from my collection of junk. And yes it runs on a rechargeable battery and has a carry strap...
Or better yet the one in the second pic is a real manly portable as you have to wind it up first.


Dave

Where do you attach the belt clip?

[westgate]

"Or better yet the one in the second pic is a real manly portable as you have to wind it up first."

for manly men only!*omg*

[Superfly]

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj96/Rush8track/Dynomite.jpg

[MASTERTAPE]

Hi .Well I like to share pics of my walkman ,just a few but they still play and sound great.
Regards Mastertape.

[4tified]

Hi .Well I like to share pics of my walkman ,just a few but they still play and sound great.
Regards Mastertape.

The Sony you have in the first pic, what model is that again? I saw one on ebay and passed it up, was wondering if I should try to find one again? Also, do you have a pic of the back? Thanks!

[MASTERTAPE]

The Sony you have in the first pic, what model is that again? I saw one on ebay and passed it up, was wondering if I should try to find one again? Also, do you have a pic of the back? Thanks!

Hi, The model is WM-FX493,this is my second choice of the ones I have.I remmember buying this one at Best Buy in Westminster CA. about 10 years ago.
Regards Mastertape.

[Pentium100]

National RQ-115. Good tape recorder, but such small tapes (reel size 8cm) are hard to find, that's why I bought a Uher 4400 Stereo IC (still on its way from France).

Ir runs on 6 or 12 AA batteries.

[Tapemystic]

http://www.tapeheads.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=9915&stc=1&d=1261264976
WM-FX221, probably hasn't got all the bells and whistles like Dolby, I don't generally need Dolby...This one is to give the other Sony Walkman a rest (asides it has some troubles...Stuck bass-boost!) for now...*reelspin*

[R.Daneel]

Hi .Well I like to share pics of my walkman ,just a few but they still play and sound great.
Regards Mastertape.

Hi! I really like the colors! The second pic... is that Sony WM-EX5? I really like that one as it has that cool vertical loading mechanicsm and capstans with bearings on both ends. It sounds really good and I think it is one of last grat sounding Sony walkmans.

Regards!
RD

[MASTERTAPE]

Hi! I really like the colors! The second pic... is that Sony WM-EX5? I really like that one as it has that cool vertical loading mechanicsm and capstans with bearings on both ends. It sounds really good and I think it is one of last grat sounding Sony walkmans.

Regards!
RD
Hi ,R.Daneel .Exactly is the WM-EX5 and you are right the sound is great even with the big headphones you see on the first picture.
Regards Mastertape.

[Elite-ist]

Last year, when I made the 10 hour round trip to visit my best friend, I packed this on the front seat of my Buick GS455. The GS has an AM radio, only. The Panasonic RX-7000 takes 10 D-cell batteries and has plenty of nice features.

Nando.

[R.Daneel]

Last year, when I made the 10 hour round trip to visit my best friend, I packed this on the front seat of my Buick GS455. The GS has an AM radio, only. The Panasonic RX-7000 takes 10 D-cell batteries and has plenty of nice features.

Nando.

Incredibly cool looking boombox!

[Mr_rye89]

Hi .Well I like to share pics of my walkman ,just a few but they still play and sound great.
Regards Mastertape.

i really like the f100 in the third picture, ive got one in black. the fm tuner in it is exceptional as well as the cassette transport too.

[MASTERTAPE]

i really like the f100 in the third picture, ive got one in black. the fm tuner in it is exceptional as well as the cassette transport too.
Yeah ,The only thing I do not like about this Walkman is the way it hold the battery .if it moves a liite bit the walkman stops playing.I do have one more that has no radio(for parts this one is broken).
Once in a while I play and clean them to keep them in good shape.
Regards Mastertape.

[koseltri]

I wish I could remember the model number of that Aiwa that had Dolby C and was a high end model. It looked pretty high tech and new.

Brax, I believe it was the HS-JX707.

[SilverFox]

I used to own a box full or portable tape players, then I downsized and got rid of most of it (mostly generic crap). I currently own a Sony WM-FS555 and and WM-FX405. The 405 is TOTL with Dobly and has a switch for Chrome and Metal. The problem is that the head is out of alignment and I have to whack the player to get it to play one side and it is terrible on batteries. I like my 555 because it's pretty sturdy (water resistant) has a TV and weather band and runs for a very very very very long time on ONE AA battery. Tapes sound great on it as well even though it doesn't have Dobly or a Chrome switch.

[SilverFox]

Last year, when I made the 10 hour round trip to visit my best friend, I packed this on the front seat of my Buick GS455. The GS has an AM radio, only. The Panasonic RX-7000 takes 10 D-cell batteries and has plenty of nice features.

Nando.

I wish I had one of those back when I had my 89 Dodge Spirit with a nonworking FM/AM radio. I drove around with the Walkman on in that old clunker.

[Elite-ist]

I wish I had one of those back when I had my 89 Dodge Spirit with a nonworking FM/AM radio. I drove around with the Walkman on in that old clunker.

Hi SilverFox,

Because of the size of the Panasonic, it straddled the whole passenger front seat. And some of those old clunker Dodge Spirit's came with 224 h.p. 2.2 litre turbo engines. A friend up the street owns an RT. Quite an under-rated performance car.

Nando.

[JaeTee]

Here's my childhood boombox!!!! This is what got it all started for me. My tapehead training ground was the basketball court when I was 12!

This is one from my collection!

LOL!

[4tified]

Here's my childhood boombox!!!! This is what got it all started for me. My tapehead training ground was the basketball court when I was 12!

This is one from my collection!

LOL!

Haha, nice. Also, if you look at the bottom on the right of the RCA inputs, it looks like a TOSlink connection.

Nah.

[JaeTee]

Haha, nice. Also, if you look at the bottom on the right of the RCA inputs, it looks like a TOSlink connection.

Nah.

LOL!

I had a turntable plugged in there, and external Pioneer CS-522A speakers. That box made some good tapes back in the day!

[nestbox]

Sony keeps cropping up time-and-again here, and so it is, I feel, appropriate to nominate my favourite portable player,[I] because it [I]does have a respectable monitor built in, and is simply the sexiest thing to have wrapped around your shoulder and rubbing against your hip... ("oooh-er, I'm coming... ugh...all over woozy...") The machine is the TC153SD. If you want another very sexy eyeball, then check out the TC158SD ("...uuuuugh... errr.... aghhHHH") Blimey, just the thought improves my sexlife! M

[JaeTee]

OOOHHHH! You mean those kinds of portables....!? Real cassette decks that take batteries, not boomboxes...

I can accomodate that! Check out these two recent non-boombox acquisitions... I kinda lucked into these bad boys, couldn't pass them up as I was told they both play and record and they came from a trusted source.

The black one is a JVC KD-1636 mkII ($400 back in 1978) and the silver one is a Sony TC-152SD ($300 back in 1973). These pics were taken next to my desk. I spent the last couple of days listening to the JVC via headphones and the built-in speaker. This thread inspired me to hook up the Sony for the pic and finally give it a try as well.

The JVC sounds more warm and alive than the Sony, and occasionally I can hear just a hint of some W&F going on during horns and sustained high pitch sounds with the headphones. Initially it was a bit scratchy from the right channel, but the more I played it the better it performed. I like that it has an independent headphone and speaker volume control. This is quite a substantial unit and I intend to keep it and maybe change the belts soon. You never know when you need a good tape deck that can run on batteries.

Listening to the same XLII-S (ambient music rec on the Nak RX-505) in the Sony that was in the JVC.... The Sony sounds clean, but quite clinical compared to the JVC. It's not nearly as warm and alive sounding as the JVC. More plain vanilla than personality. Plus, the headphone volume is not adjustable and the built-in speaker or internal amp seem to have a rather dramatic problem. This deck should be used via RCAs for best effect. I think the speaker must be rotted in there as it tries to make noise...

I'm going to plug the JVC back in...

[Naknut]

Now those are way cool JaeTee!

[nestbox]

A REPLY TO JAETEES POST BELOW.... "oooooH... photos.... yummy... let me blow them up 400%... (dribble) ...oh, core blimey, ....ones a SONY... (slobber... drool) ...blown it up, now wheres that magnifying (uuuuugh- phew....) glass... oh yeeeeahhhhhHHH... (drivel... slaver) .......I think I'm g-g-g-g-G-G-G0NNA CO(spurt)" (...blimey, did I laugh typing this = you bet...)

[JaeTee]

A REPLY TO JAETEES POST BELOW.... "oooooH... photos.... yummy... let me blow them up 400%... (dribble) ...oh, core blimey, ....ones a SONY... (slobber... drool) ...blown it up, now wheres that magnifying (uuuuugh- phew....) glass... oh yeeeeahhhhhHHH... (drivel... slaver) .......I think I'm g-g-g-g-G-G-G0NNA CO(spurt)" (...blimey, did I laugh typing this = you bet...)

*lmao*

I shoulda uploaded some higher res pics, eh???

[Elite-ist]

*lmao*

I shoulda uploaded some higher res pics, eh???

HI JaeTee,

Is there an annual get together coming up for the group, you also belong to, who collect portable stereos?

You have a nice collection of portables, John. Which portable is your most prized?

Nando.

[JaeTee]

HI JaeTee,

Is there an annual get together coming up for the group, you also belong to, who collect portable stereos?

You have a nice collection of portables, John. Which portable is your most prized?

Nando.

Hi Nando,

Yes, the Boomboxery.com meet was actually earlier this month. Didn't bother posting about it here because this is more of a non-portable forum. But, since you asked, the pics from this years meet are HERE. (http://www.pbase.com/jaetee/sunshine_mix_iii__2010)

This shot right here shows about 80% of my boomboxes:

http://ic2.pbase.com/o4/01/380001/1/122569447.TjTEORgS.DSC_0211.JPG

There are two I would consider my most prized. One being the Sharp GF-9292 that I attached to my previous post in this thread, because I had one as a teenager and built an audio system around it. The last thing I bought to complete my system at the time was actually the amp (which you normally need first). That amp ended up being a Kenwood KA-701. Very good amp.

Anway, moving on... Then there's this JVC RC-M90JW below, which is just a total boombox brute with a great tape deck and tuner section. The M90 has attained "holy grail" status among boombox collectors because they were used on many album covers by early hip hop artists and are actually quite rare. Oh, and they can pretty much crush or hang with any boombox out there for loud, good sound. And when they do change hands, they often go for more than Nakamichi Dragons in good shape.

http://ic2.pbase.com/o2/01/380001/1/113111848.OwY9TRVd._MG_1008.JPG

Mine won a trophy at this year's meet as it proved to be the best sounding and loudest box at the meet.

M90 gallery with some closeups (http://www.pbase.com/jaetee/m90)

Yea, we had battles... It was a lot of fun!

[Elite-ist]

Hi John,

I'm glad you posted the pictures and links; your collection of portables, shown, has expanded since I first had a dialog with you, shortly after I joined THs.

Could you go into more detail about your JVC RC-M90JW? I love my Panasonic RX-7000, and as you've said, these puppies fetch big prices on Ebay. I've seen a Panasonic, in worse condition than mine, sell for $1,100.

http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/boombox/golden4.html

Nando.

[JaeTee]

Hi John,

I'm glad you posted the pictures and links; your collection of portables, shown, has expanded since I first had a dialog with you, shortly after I joined THs.

Could you go into more detail about your JVC RC-M90JW? I love my Panasonic RX-7000, and as you've said, these puppies fetch big prices on Ebay. I've seen a Panasonic, in worse condition than mine, sell for $1,100.

http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/boombox/golden4.html

Nando.

Did you see the write up and pic of the M-90 and the Panasonic RX-7700 (very similar to yours) in that pocketcalculator show site? Here's that extract:

If there were a single boombox you could own, one that had nice looks, performance and lots of features you'd probably select either the Panasonic RX-7700 or this JVC RC-M90. It's the RC-M70's big brother, making this one a holy grail among grails. It's large, it sounds great, and has a knob for just about everything. Tune AM, FM and many SW bands. Coverage must be impressive, because I'm counting eight buttons (on the left) for band selection. That large hole toward the bottom is for a remote. We must thank Ed for the photo and info on this rare system. He keeps this on his desk at work, right next to a JVC DC33. Hmm, my co-workers complain about my loud typing, wonder what they'd say if I strolled in one day with one of these on my shoulder?

That pretty much sums it up. The M90 is pretty much the absolute slayer of other boomboxes (when it's plugged into the wall). It has 8" woofers and sounds pretty good at low and high volume levels. I also own the RC-M70 mentioned above, which is much more efficient on batteries and a bit lighter and easier to handle. Both units have excellent tapedecks utilizing the same type of sendust alloy head that JVC put in their component units and they were built to last. Both of my JVCs are in great shape and sound like its 1982 and I just got them.

Personally, I think every tapehead should have at least one fully functional, tape playing vintage boombox. 'Cuz sometimes a walkman and isolation just don't cut it...

LOL!

Incidentally, unrelated to this boombox discussion, but on the topic of portable tape decks in general..., I am listening to a recording I just made on the JVC KD-1636mkII portable tape deck that I posted pics of previously in this thread... The recording was from a DJ set I did back in 2004 and recorded onto minidisk at the best recording quality setting (re. least amount of compression). I just found this M-disk among a box of items that came out of the Acrua I traded in a while back and thought I'd lost it. Happy moment for me. I plugged my MD directly into the line-in on the JVC, loaded a 1984 Maxel XLII I found in a thrift store for re-use, tweaked the levels a bit and made a copy to tape. HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!!! this JVC makes fantastic recordings!!!! Even listening to it in the RX-303 via my Grados and I can't believe how good it sounds. The low end is absolutely scrumptuous and the highs are crispy in all the right places! I gotta say, I always knew JVC was a good company, but I am REALLY becoming more and more of a JVC fan these days.

[Elite-ist]

Did you see the write up and pic of the M-90 and the Panasonic RX-7700 (very similar to yours) in that pocketcalculator show site? Here's that extract:

If there were a single boombox you could own, one that had nice looks, performance and lots of features you'd probably select either the Panasonic RX-7700 or this JVC RC-M90. It's the RC-M70's big brother, making this one a holy grail among grails. It's large, it sounds great, and has a knob for just about everything. Tune AM, FM and many SW bands. Coverage must be impressive, because I'm counting eight buttons (on the left) for band selection. That large hole toward the bottom is for a remote. We must thank Ed for the photo and info on this rare system. He keeps this on his desk at work, right next to a JVC DC33. Hmm, my co-workers complain about my loud typing, wonder what they'd say if I strolled in one day with one of these on my shoulder?

That pretty much sums it up. The M90 is pretty much the absolute slayer of other boomboxes (when it's plugged into the wall). It has 8" woofers and sounds pretty good at low and high volume levels. I also own the RC-M70 mentioned above, which is much more efficient on batteries and a bit lighter and easier to handle. Both units have excellent tapedecks utilizing the same type of sendust alloy head that JVC put in their component units and they were built to last. Both of my JVCs are in great shape and sound like its 1982 and I just got them.

Personally, I think every tapehead should have at least one fully functional, tape playing vintage boombox. 'Cuz sometimes a walkman and isolation just don't cut it...

LOL!

Incidentally, unrelated to this boombox discussion, but on the topic of portable tape decks in general..., I am listening to a recording I just made on the JVC KD-1636mkII portable tape deck that I posted pics of previously in this thread... The recording was from a DJ set I did back in 2004 and recorded onto minidisk at the best recording quality setting (re. least amount of compression). I just found this M-disk among a box of items that came out of the Acrua I traded in a while back and thought I'd lost it. Happy moment for me. I plugged my MD directly into the line-in on the JVC, loaded a 1984 Maxel XLII I found in a thrift store for re-use, tweaked the levels a bit and made a copy to tape. HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!!! this JVC makes fantastic recordings!!!! Even listening to it in the RX-303 via my Grados and I can't believe how good it sounds. The low end is absolutely scrumptuous and the highs are crispy in all the right places! I gotta say, I always knew JVC was a good company, but I am REALLY becoming more and more of a JVC fan these days.

Hello JaeTee,

I looked a bit deeper into the site and discovered there's even a matching stand which goes with my Panasonic. I have 2 stands which look similar, but never thought to use them for the portable. Some of the boomboxes remarkably came with flip-down turntables. Your JVC M90 is one very full-featured portable!

http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/boombox/cool.html

Nando.

[nestbox]

Im considering the idea of welding a strap onto my newest acquisition, a stunning SONY TC-177SD and parading around the front garden with it slung over my shoulder with a very long mains lead to power it, and some camparatively long phono leads going to the speakers indoors while the windows are wide open, and may do this so long as it isn't raining at the time. However, I can't do this until its delivered, or until I have got my mits on an acetylene torch. M

[Warped Bezel]

Haha, nice. Also, if you look at the bottom on the right of the RCA inputs, it looks like a TOSlink connection.

Nah.

I think that's a DIN jack. Similar versions are called PS2-Mini DIN and S-video (miniature). DIN was a plug that (I think) handled input and output, left and right, with a common ground pin/ It was not as popular in the US but led to it adaptation as the standard keyboard connection used since about the 486 generation of PCs. With only 4 pins they are S-video and variants of that may have 7 or so pins in other applications.

[Sanyomichi]

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/d790ce7cb5.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

AC/DC 6V portable stereo cassette recorder,if it was a bootleg from the early 70's it was probably recorded on this.Built in mono speaker and 3W stereo extension speakers.This unit weighs more than many plastic 80's boomboxes.

[Maxell-LN]

Did you see the write up and pic of the M-90 and the Panasonic RX-7700 (very similar to yours) in that pocketcalculator show site? Here's that extract:

If there were a single boombox you could own, one that had nice looks, performance and lots of features you'd probably select either the Panasonic RX-7700 or this JVC RC-M90. It's the RC-M70's big brother, making this one a holy grail among grails. It's large, it sounds great, and has a knob for just about everything. Tune AM, FM and many SW bands. Coverage must be impressive, because I'm counting eight buttons (on the left) for band selection. That large hole toward the bottom is for a remote. We must thank Ed for the photo and info on this rare system. He keeps this on his desk at work, right next to a JVC DC33. Hmm, my co-workers complain about my loud typing, wonder what they'd say if I strolled in one day with one of these on my shoulder?

That pretty much sums it up. The M90 is pretty much the absolute slayer of other boomboxes (when it's plugged into the wall). It has 8" woofers and sounds pretty good at low and high volume levels. I also own the RC-M70 mentioned above, which is much more efficient on batteries and a bit lighter and easier to handle. Both units have excellent tapedecks utilizing the same type of sendust alloy head that JVC put in their component units and they were built to last. Both of my JVCs are in great shape and sound like its 1982 and I just got them.

Personally, I think every tapehead should have at least one fully functional, tape playing vintage boombox. 'Cuz sometimes a walkman and isolation just don't cut it...

LOL!

Incidentally, unrelated to this boombox discussion, but on the topic of portable tape decks in general..., I am listening to a recording I just made on the JVC KD-1636mkII portable tape deck that I posted pics of previously in this thread... The recording was from a DJ set I did back in 2004 and recorded onto minidisk at the best recording quality setting (re. least amount of compression). I just found this M-disk among a box of items that came out of the Acrua I traded in a while back and thought I'd lost it. Happy moment for me. I plugged my MD directly into the line-in on the JVC, loaded a 1984 Maxel XLII I found in a thrift store for re-use, tweaked the levels a bit and made a copy to tape. HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!!! this JVC makes fantastic recordings!!!! Even listening to it in the RX-303 via my Grados and I can't believe how good it sounds. The low end is absolutely scrumptuous and the highs are crispy in all the right places! I gotta say, I always knew JVC was a good company, but I am REALLY becoming more and more of a JVC fan these days.

JaeTee,

I'm just curious on yours and others from the boomboxery groups opinion on recordings made on these machines. I myself love my Philips D8514, however like many of these recorders at the time, had an automatic level input, there was no manual level setting.

What this meant was, whatever the input from whatever source, the machine would always automatically push the signal to max all the time, this was particularly so on tracks noticable from Dire Straits, Electric Light Orchestra, and any group who had much dynamics in their music.

So on playback, all the dynamics would be flushed out, otherwise making for a very flat recording.

Though not desirable for other listeners, I personally thought of it as a unique sound. Of course at the time I used my unit to tape a lot of stuff off the radio. As the program material was already,compressed from the air-waves, it was never a big deal.

Nowadays it's no issue as I run a compressor through the program material on my computer, before I feed it to my Philips.

So in a nutshell, I've got no problem with it, but curious to know what you and others think?

[JaeTee]

JaeTee,

I'm just curious on yours and others from the boomboxery groups opinion on recordings made on these machines. I myself love my Philips D8514, however like many of these recorders at the time, had an automatic level input, there was no manual level setting.

What this meant was, whatever the input from whatever source, the machine would always automatically push the signal to max all the time, this was particularly so on tracks noticable from Dire Straits, Electric Light Orchestra, and any group who had much dynamics in their music.

So on playback, all the dynamics would be flushed out, otherwise making for a very flat recording.

Though not desirable for other listeners, I personally thought of it as a unique sound. Of course at the time I used my unit to tape a lot of stuff off the radio. As the program material was already,compressed from the air-waves, it was never a big deal.

Nowadays it's no issue as I run a compressor through the program material on my computer, before I feed it to my Philips.

So in a nutshell, I've got no problem with it, but curious to know what you and others think?

Most good boomboxes have a switch that allows you to choose auto level control or manual, with a set of sliders or a pair of rec level knobs. With the exception of my four smallest boomboxes, all have manual recording level controls. Especially the ones I posted pics of here. I haven't recorded on any of them in a while, but part of my testing routine is to record on a box when I get a new one and listen to the tape on the home system to evaluate how it did... And I couldn't stand auto level control, it was always too quiet for me and didn't sound right. (Sony's AVLS on minidisk is the exception, that's a great level control process, but not part of this discussion).

The quality of boombox recordings varies quite a bit, but the JVC M70 and M90 are, IMHO, among the best boombox decks available. They have that same type of JVC Sendust Alloy head that was in a lot of JVC component decks and are capable of very respectable recordings. So good, in fact, that I bet you'd be surprised they were made in a boombox.

Next in line in my collection with roughly equal results are a Sharp GF-666 and a Panasonic RX-5150 with soft touch controls, followed closely by that Sharp GF-9292 in the photo, one of which was the central part of my first sound system in 1980. I also have a Sanyo that I have not record-tested because I only recently replaced the decks, I'll have to test that one out soon. The same goes for my Sharp GF-9696, recently repaired and not tested record, that is a way cool boombox where the tape deck actually has a pitch contol slider, too!

I think that's a DIN jack. Similar versions are called PS2-Mini DIN and S-video (miniature). DIN was a plug that (I think) handled input and output, left and right, with a common ground pin/ It was not as popular in the US but led to it adaptation as the standard keyboard connection used since about the 486 generation of PCs. With only 4 pins they are S-video and variants of that may have 7 or so pins in other applications.

The little black plug next to the RCA cables is the phono ground connector. It is spring-loaded so that you push it in to expose the hole where you insert your phono ground and it locks in place when you release the button. This is where I would plug my turntable in back in the day and make my very first recordings, circa 1980.

[Sanyomichi]

When put up against the JVC M-90 the Aiwa TPR-990 smoked it in tests with
B&K and Kenwood test equipment.The 990 rivaled Naks of that era in recording quality. In all my runs of the cassette era the Aiwa AD-FF90 that a local studio had at least 50 of was the best cassette deck ever made as far as the quality of tapes it made.When it comes to service I run when I hear
the name of Aiwa,I think they contracted with a licorice maker for their belts.
But for overall preformance and tuner quality the JVC M-90 is the finest and deserves it's place in boombox history.I hope you can source the Chinese connection that has hundreds of NOS wired remotes and DIN extensions for it.I always extended service times on M-90's brought in repair.I had to make sure they preformed up to spec in the shop:)They have always been out of my price range but are a lot more friendly as far as repairs than an Aiwa.

[Sanyomichi]

I took the amorphous ex head outta my wm-d3 and the volume potentiometer outta the wm-dd3 (cuz they're busted anyways) and it sounds awesome! not too bright real smooth even with old ratty pre-recorded ferric tapes

grado???are you a WWII bomber pilot?

[Walkgirl]

Here is some of my stuff http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Smilies/icon_redface.gif

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Collection%208-10-2008/Collectie1.jpg
*eyepop*
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Collection%208-10-2008/Collectie2.jpg
*hypnot*
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Collection%208-10-2008/Collectie3.jpg
*reelspin*
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Smilies/icon_smile.gif

[Des-Lab]

Here is some of my stuff

Holy cow! *hypnot*

Now that's got to be the biggest collection of porta-decks I've ever seen. You will definitely fit in here at Tapeheads.

Welcome!

[Walkgirl]

Hello *yip*

Thanks for the nice welcome!

Oh it is an onled picture from 2008 or so, I have a few more since then!

There are bigger collections as this, but they have alot of money and I do not :O

[MASTERTAPE]

Here is some of my stuff http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Smilies/icon_redface.gif

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Collection%208-10-2008/Collectie1.jpg
*eyepop*
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Collection%208-10-2008/Collectie2.jpg
*hypnot*
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Collection%208-10-2008/Collectie3.jpg
*reelspin*
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z207/1Walkgirl/Smilies/icon_smile.gif

Hi Very nice collection you have, I mainly collect tapes but I do have some walkmans too there are some pictures of what I have in this tread. Welcome and thanks for sharing pics of your collection.
Regards MASTERTAPE.

[Scorpion8]

Nice collection! I spy some great stuff in there. The microboomboxes are cool too.

[Warped Bezel]

Hello *yip*

Thanks for the nice welcome!

Oh it is an onled picture from 2008 or so, I have a few more since then!

There are bigger collections as this, but they have alot of money and I do not :O

Walkgirl, is the Sony SRF- radio in the gold box an AM stereo equipped model? I know the bluish box on the wall is probably an SRF-A1 (the LEGEND). I had two SRF-42s.

That quite intoxicating! I knew of a Pioneer collector near Germany who blew my mind but you can look at these ALL AT ONCE...a definite plus :)

[1.875_ips]

I will ALWAYS have a soft spot in my heart for one of these little guys:
https://www.audiolinks.com/Califone/6-3432AV.jpg
A Califone 3432AV. Me and my friend Chris in high school would record some epic guitar jams on one of these. He stole it from school and at first I was upset with him for doing so but after three or four days of recording with it you couldn't pay either of us to give it back! All these types of recorders sort of sound the same, cheap, flimsy, always recording the vibration of their own mechanism. but the 3432AV is THICK, HEAVY and SOLID AS A ROCK. And you know it's designed to be that way, to be handled, mishandled, dropped, kicked and stolen by students every year. I believe Chris still has it and that it works as good as the day he brought it home...

[1.875_ips]

I miss this walkman. It (or at least mine) had some quirks, but it was a good little unit. It had auto reverse, which blew my mind at the time... what is this maybe 1997, 98? Hi .Well I like to share pics of my walkman ,just a few but they still play and sound great.
Regards Mastertape.

[Walkgirl]

@ Warped bezel

The one in the gold box is not am stereo, but the regular fm stero am mono version,
it was € 10,- on sale so i got it *grin*

That other srf is the srf 33w *Spin*

@ 1.875_ips

That sure does look sturdy! *grin*, you better try to get you one via the big auctionsite or so!!

And such a walkman of course! *cool*

[Warped Bezel]

I just got the WM-something277 with cassette/AM/FM and TV audio (alas useless without a not so portable DTV converter although it's not capable of accepting coax or RCA cables). Under $3.

It's in another section and somewhere around here and I'll find it later...long day and no batteries today.

[JaeTee]

Hi Nicole! Welcome to tapeheads!!!

Glad to see someone from Boomboxery & stereo2go make their way over here!

JT

[Walkgirl]

Hello jeatee *grin*

[Pacific Stereo]

Nice, nice collection. Love it!

[TheReeler]

wrong post... sorry!

Could a moderator please delete it?. Thanks.

[SilverFox]

Hi SilverFox,

Because of the size of the Panasonic, it straddled the whole passenger front seat. And some of those old clunker Dodge Spirit's came with 224 h.p. 2.2 litre turbo engines. A friend up the street owns an RT. Quite an under-rated performance car.

Nando.

Mine was a stripped down 4 cylinder engine. I know the Canadian versions had better engines but mine was from Mexico. There used to be tons of Spirits and Acclaims in Mexico back then - from taxis to police cars. Not sure if they were manufactured in Canada as well.

[DecentMan4you]

ok am trying to delete one of 2 post's here as one is a duplicate and I cannot find the {{{ Delete Button }}}

[DecentMan4you]

Last year, when I made the 10 hour round trip to visit my best friend, I packed this on the front seat of my Buick GS455. The GS has an AM radio, only. The Panasonic RX-7000 takes 10 D-cell batteries and has plenty of nice features.

Nando.

This model below is similar your Panasonic RX-7000
and also take's 10 D Batteries
& I have a rather Detailed video of this below *bigthumbup*

Panasonic RX-5350 National RX 5350 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFOcXiwlmNo)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFOcXiwlmNo

Then somebody couldnt see the function light's, so I made a video responce here -

Why Function LED Hard to See in DayLight Panasonic RX-5350 National RX 5350 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCrcjLVtEZU)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCrcjLVtEZU

James

[Lapis]

Do Sony Walkmans have auto-reverse (the version that turns the head ?)

[retrokeeper]

All Walkmans by Sony used a 4 track stationary head,along with a lot of other manufacturers.The same with most car cassette stereos of the time. Rob

[stereorob]

holy crap walkgirl nice stash!! you have portibles like i have vintage receivers! my collection of full size gear is 350 units strong!

[stereorob]

since im in the middle of a major move and that i got all my big stuff i use everyday now im sorting threw the weird funky stuff that dosent see the light of day very often, i found these deep in my workshop under about 50 boxes of other misc. crap ive found over the years,

say hello to my little friends!!

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m589/shockandawesystem/farewellfrancina077.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m589/shockandawesystem/farewellfrancina080.jpg

this is my uher report 4000 portible RTR, it actully sounds really good and gets very loud! i picked this out of the trash when i was 14 riding my bike home from school one day, im 27 now and its still in my stash, i totally forgot about it until a few days ago when i found it again. i used to hide it in my backpack when i was in high school and blast gangsta rap threw it wile walking down the hall in between class. it weighs about 20 lbs when its loaded with 6 d batterys, and only gets about an hour of playing time. its been years since i last used it, i wonder if it still works...

[stereorob]

next up is a early ge portible cassette player probubly from the 60s i pulled from a goodwill a few years back, for $3. total impulse buy, ive never tried it.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m589/shockandawesystem/farewellfrancina078.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m589/shockandawesystem/farewellfrancina079.jpg

[stereorob]

i really should get that old uher running again, it used to turn alot of heads in high school and 10 years later im shure it would now! haha

[Mr_rye89]

i really should get that old uher running again, it used to turn alot of heads in high school and 10 years later im shure it would now! haha

You sported that thing in high school?!*eyepop* Hell yeah! If only i was a hardcore tapehead in those days........

[TerryLeBoombox]

WM D3.......

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/flockton77/Walkman/DSCF0001.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/flockton77/Walkman/DSCF0002.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/flockton77/Walkman/DSCF0006.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/flockton77/Walkman/DSCF0008.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/flockton77/Walkman/DSCF0005-1.jpg


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/flockton77/Walkman/DSCF0009.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/flockton77/Walkman/DSCF0010.jpg

[stereorob]

You sported that thing in high school?!*eyepop* Hell yeah! If only i was a hardcore tapehead in those days........

yeah buddy! i used to walk threw the halls at my high school blasting emenem threw it back in the day. you shoulda seen all the funny looks i got, haha. once i had to use it as a weapon in a fight, i broke a kids jaw with it, seriously! he was spreading rumors about my little sister. i walked up to him and swung the uher right at his face, he had to go to the hospital and i was expelled for 6 months and had to go to an alternitive school. i was a crazy lil sh*t in school haha

[stereorob]

You sported that thing in high school?!*eyepop* Hell yeah! If only i was a hardcore tapehead in those days........

hell, i was deeper into this hobby back then than i am now, and had 4 times the amout of gear then than i have now, remember 10 years ago u could find vintage stereo gear everyware for the low low, nobody wanted it yet! at my peak i had over 1000 old receivers and about 200 RTR decks all at once!! i miss those days! i was one of the lucky ones that started this hobby before this stuff was worth anything.

[Class A Clown]

No camera at work, but I just got a well-kept FM/AM Sports Walkman (WM-AF59) and loving it. *bigthumbup*

[Class A Clown]

No camera at work....

Meanwhile, back at Spinning M Ranch... *reelspin**reelspin*

http://madamebutterface.com/assets/images/walkman/4.JPG
http://madamebutterface.com/assets/images/walkman/1.JPG
http://madamebutterface.com/assets/images/walkman/3.JPG
http://madamebutterface.com/assets/images/walkman/2.JPG

[Mr_rye89]

yeah buddy! i used to walk threw the halls at my high school blasting emenem threw it back in the day. you shoulda seen all the funny looks i got, haha. once i had to use it as a weapon in a fight, i broke a kids jaw with it, seriously! he was spreading rumors about my little sister. i walked up to him and swung the uher right at his face, he had to go to the hospital and i was expelled for 6 months and had to go to an alternitive school. i was a crazy lil sh*t in school haha

Holy Sh*t!*eyepop*

[Class A Clown]

I will be getting a set of new headphones sometime this year. I'm looking at a set of AKG Studio 240 MkII phones to do the job.

I have a pair of those. They sound great, but they don't get very loud, I'm afraid. You should probably consider a pair of Sony studio monitor phones instead.

[Class A Clown]

I just bought a new-without-box WM-FS399. It's a Sports Walkman with Dolby B, anti-roll, AVLS, and Mega Bass, all of which the above unit lacks, and boasts 18 hours of play on a set of batteries. It comes in several different color schemes. Mine is violet and tan. I'll post pics when it arrives. *reelspin**reelspin*

[LesX55]

My DC2.
My other two Sony Walkmans need repair

[DecentMan4you]

Can't remember which walkman needs repair
http://i56.tinypic.com/2d1o8xf.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/2d1o8xf.jpg

heck i can barely remember where this room is...

[Lapis]

All Walkmans by Sony used a 4 track stationary head,along with a lot of other manufacturers.The same with most car cassette stereos of the time. Rob

Thanks for the info ! I seem to remember that some auto reverse machines reverse the tape by flipping the head on an assembly. That is a much crappier version than the Sony Walkmans and some cassette decks.