The last Boomboxes
‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it’.
This Ferris Bueller quote comes to mind whenever I discover that tech I've taken for granted has vanished while I wasn't paying attention. This was very nearly the case when I went shopping for a proper CD Radio Boombox. Yes there are loads of devices calling themselves Boomboxes but only in the same way I could call myself a 100 metre runner.
However when it came to finding what I consider to be a true Boombox, this turns out to be a device on the edge of extinction. Fortunately, I was just in time to capture this rare example of an endangered species on camera shortly before it is consigned to the museum of bygone tech.
https://youtu.be/vwCP6I--jgs
Everything and anything that could delay this one did - health, weather, the cat, plumbing, (not mine this time), perhaps things I'll talk about another day, but it got there in the end.
Special thanks to Simon and his assistant Generative Phil ;-) for helping out with the thumbnail… I’ve made a note to talk a little more on this in the next update in a few weeks.
Oh and as usual I’ll be keeping an eye out for music content matches on this one - I’ve been careful with the clip length, but if any do subsequently pop up, I’ll re-edit and re-upload, so please don’t be concerned if the video vanishes for a while…it will return, slightly shorter.
I do feel that I might need to start making a few shorter snappier videos - last week’s ITIC2 was the biggest flop in memory and I’m pretty sure this video won’t have mass appeal. Hopefully the thumbnail helps its chances a bit.
Take care and thanks for all the help and support. Have a good one.
Comments (60)
Great story, as usual. But Mat, you missed a trick with your excellent line about going out with a “boom”, but then should’ve been “rather than a meow” instead of “whimper” in this case 😺
Listening to Michael Palin reading his diaries. He's just referred to the boombox his son wanted for his 18th birthday as a "Brixton Briefcase"!
Kitty!
I think the “ghetto blaster” vs “boombox” thing, might also have something to do with where you’re from. In Denmark we didn’t start seeing the word “boombox” until the cylindrical models started coming out in the mid 90s. Everything from the 80s and early 90s was referred to as a “ghetto blaster”. Earlier devices had no specific term, and would usually just be called a stereo.
If you look them up in Google N-Grams, "ghetto blaster" was the more common term until 1992, when "boombox" started to eclipse it. Perhaps the L.A. riots that year got people to think the "ghetto" part of it wasn't so nice to use anymore.
Upon reading top YT comments, I love how a puppet skit you did a year ago gives so many viewers happiness today. 😀
JVC have been making boom boxes with this design for decades now. I used to have a green one with CD and cassette deck on it about 20 years ago. I think they released a few different models. Might be worth doing an in depth video on them?
Been thinking for a while to build a stack with car audio instead, as I gave up on a rugged boombox at good price. I kid myself as I won't have the time but 12v power is today much less rare it ever was . It wouldn't look nice though
A power tool battery would be a good option. That got me looking at "Site radios" from the likes of Milwaukee and DeWalt. I can't find one with a CD player but there is a good choice of ones with radios.
When JVC introduced this style of boombox in the '90s, they called it the "Kaboom!", but they seem to have forgotten to use that name on this one? They still have a web site for the Kaboom, but it hasn't been updated since 2014, and still uses Flash! http://kaboom.jvc.com/
I wasn't tempted by one of those in a Charity Shop at a bargain price a few years ago. The 30 pin iPod connector made it more dated than anything with a cassette deck. Remember when every product had to have an iPod dock to show how up to date it was. Even my Panasonic TV came with one !
I wish we had the digital broadcasting radio stations in the US, but i prefer everything British... So the bbc Sounds app is what i use 💯
We so have a semi-equivalent with HD Radio in North America, but aside from the ones in newer cars, very few radios support it. (Same thing with RDS.)
If JVC would have spent just 5 more minutes on design. As you said just add a little contrast or SOMETHING to make it look like more than a lump of black plastic. GIVE ME SOME CREATIVE DESIGN!!!!!!!!!!!! Kubrick had it right... the modern world in a black rectangle.
Wonderful video as usual.
Does that peeling thing ever get old? No! If it goes away, I will be sad. Makes me smile every time.
It’s not a bad looking effort, kinda nice from some angles, but looking at it in closeups, they’ve really gone crazy on the cheapo materials. I’ve always been a fan of displays which tell you lots of things at a glance, this is very much stock. Also has a ‘one button controls all’ feel to it, too! Which I’ve always hated. For me, a bit of a missed opportunity really. Saying that though, at least JVC has made it, and the Boombox / Ghettoblaster is not dead, yet! Cheers Matt Lee
Oooooo this was a popular subject for me, Matt. Cheers bud, hope alls good 😊 Lee
I wonder how much input JVC put into the design? It is difficult to determine which bits of JVC is JVC and which bits are Currys https://jvcsupport.co.uk/tv-home-audio Either way it is good to see a manufacturer putting a bit of an effort into sound quality.
Mat, I love you. Please stop pulling the business end of knives towards yourself.
Nice to see the "Moanppets" back for some classic snark!
These JVC RV series sausage-shaped boomblasters were everywhere back in the day (at least here in NL). They were very popular with schools, gyms and aerobics-teacher type figures, street musicians, etc. Basically everywhere you might need to fill a large space with sound without a PA setup. I remember them most vividly from primary school PE – seeing it meant you were in for shuttle run (beep test) agony. If you were looking for one with a cassette deck, something like the RV-NB10 would be a good option. I wanted that model so badly for my own bedroom back in the day! The older models also had a pocket for the remote integrated in the shoulder strap (neat!) After the one they did with the iPod dock (RV-NB50), I have not seen them much, so I was surprised JVC still make them. Although I am not a fan of the new look or the controls (not being able to tune the radio is an epic fail ... I presume you have also tried holding the track skip buttons?) Lastly, a fun fact, these JVCs were apparently popular enough to be imitated. A chain store here (Kijkshop) sold a knockoff boomblaster under the Marquant brand (MPR-51 says Google).
In the 2003 made for TV film "Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie" he uses a JVC Kaboom to pretend to be the Beast of Bodmin (a legendary Black Panther type big cat). Most of the £30 "boomboxes" would have difficulty pretending to be Bee's Knees.
Really interesting question at the beginning of the video - what qualifies as a boombox? I don't have any horse in that race but I can definitely tell you that, here in the states at least, smaller, lower-power devices were being called boomboxes by the mid-90s when I was born. I've had a couple different Sony CD/radio/cassette players over the years and my family and I always called them boomboxes even though none of them have much "boom." (Decent sound quality tho - just not "booming.") My parents also had a Sanyo twin-tape boombox from the late 80s but it was a cheap piece of crap and basically never worked, let alone boomed.
Dad Moan and Moan, Jr. had a lengthier discussion on the topic: https://youtu.be/TC4XlDrZ7OU 💚
I am slightly younger and never said boombox always ghetto blaster
We always called them ghettoboxes when I was younger. I'm lying of course.
The funny thing is that in Australia, you're more likely to hear the term "ghetto blaster" than "boombox", especially among those aged over 30. But then again we have trouble pronouncing "Sega", so make of that what you will.
Maybe not as much political correctness.
Spectacular video, laugh-out-loud thumbnail, and great boombox. Unusually though, I didn't want to buy it straight away. Then I saw the speaker lights 😍
I've been a bit light on releases in July and this video is my last chance to get a new video out on a Saturday. Therefore I hope you're OK with me putting it out tomorrow. As no one has found any show stoppers it makes sense to release this ASAP to avoid July becoming the washout it was looking to be.
I can only speak for myself, but I see myself more as a supporter than a customer. Apart from that, we all benefit when the channel is doing well.
I can see that at least the bass works very well: the camera records some shaking... I have that on church organ recordings when I put my iPhone on a tripod, or at least: until I got my current iPhone 15 Pro which has extremely good image stabilisation! And I like your cat 😺. Even Luke (my cat) hat the seldom moment that he sat on my lap for a short while while I was watching this video 😸.
Classic Techmoan, Mat, thanks. And I'm not even particularly interested in blasterboxes. It may have been my eyes, but I could swear the bass is making the camera shake in your studio shots. That's a good sign for bassheads.
When did you steal my garden bench? No, wait, mine's still here, hmmm. Great video, though!
I brought it back - you could really have done with keeping up with the maintenance on it though.
Flop or not, I thought your ITIC2 was great.
Devices with "remote control only" functions are a blight upon this earth. The fact that this is supposed to be portable makes it especially egregious. That center dial could easily have a toggle button to go between volume and tuning. Great video Mat! I might have to start calling them Boom Blasters now.
Anything requiring a remote should have a compartment built-in to store the remote - but that'd be too logical.
I remember that early MP3 players and brick phones were limited to ID3v1, although it would be really odd if the JVC had the same limitation. Nowadays you would expect a modern device to support all the different ID3 variants well, considering that its latest version v2.4 was introduced in 2000. Maybe the JVC is just picky.
Enjoyed the Video And the way you went through all the modes. Very enjoyable Video. I saw Aiwa boombox new from 2023 it had a lovely silver finish. May be it was only a concept. It had tape, vu meters, usb, sd card on it. tape mechanism was probably not great.
Yes the Aiwa name has really gone through the wringer - unfortunately it’s just another one that gets stuck on any old tat nowadays.
Oh, I wanted to add: I used to drive that car featured in the thumbnail. It got me through a good part of college. It was actually a GM sister car, (1977 Monte Carlo, compared to 1977 Malibu Classic), but it looked almost exactly like it. It was a great car!
What an interesting device... Honestly, this wouldn't be something I'd be drawn to, but it fascinates me that it exists. Of course, in the US we don't have DAB, (you're more than welcome to XM). It does sound like they made an effort with sound quality, though why did they do all the stuff with the dancing lights, but not illuminate the controls? "That's just not right." Good video, Matt. P.S. Pet Bees Knees for me.
• Excellent assist by Simon on the thumbnail. • Groovy chill tunes by Andre; very nice. • Nicely done video, despite the issues you have encountered. I hope all is well now 🙏 • 'Everyone's happy or no one's happy.' Isn't that the truth. • Peel take-off is a fine pleasure, as always. 😀 • I'm not fond of the speaker lights (I'm glad they can be turned off), nor the required functions of the remote control. If you lose that remote control you're SOL 😮💨 unless you can buy a replacement. • That thing blasts; I can feel those vibrations 4,500 miles away. • Hello again there, S2 Walkman. • Your mic demo confirms why I can rarely understand PA announcements. • I really love your back garden bench chat and the B-roll. It reminds me of the hedgehog. That camera orientation effect was sweet. • Loved the appropriate re-use of the ghettoblaster puppet bit. • Hello Bees Knees! He wants to be with his dad... and give the newest tech his stamp of approval ♥️ • What I wouldn't give to see you drive away in the automobile in the thumbnail ... • Unsolicited suggestions regarding the thumbnail: perhaps increase the contrast or add an 80's film aesthetic ( https://ibb.co/f8prJpx ). I wonder if you can add the 'Blast' term... perhaps add a transparent 'B' behind you and the JVC so that it combines with 'last'? Perhaps a more 80's font, too? Suggestions only. As always, take care 🤍.
Thanks. I can put a clean version of the individual elements of the thumb in the community area if you fancy playing around with it.
Excellent video. I've been on a bit of a boombox hunt this week but it's fairly depressing in 2024. All the good conditioned 80s ones are £800+. Some bloke wanted £1200 for his Sharp GF-777 and I think he'll probably get it. On the subject of the video,I actually like the idea of this one. Good to see JVC are still making them and supporting CDs. I'm still buying plenty of CDs new and used so always having a quality device with excellent sound will be important to me. Thanks again.
For some reason I have fond memories of an early JVC 'Kaboom' boombox being used at school in the early 2000s, nice to see they kept manufacturing a similar design at least. Also you've got to respect the Japanese and their undying love for karaoke.
Mat, is this device something you will use with any regularity--is it a worthy addition to your warehouse of music devices? From your review, I'd say it's a decent portable music system. Somehow I don't see you lugging this (or an old classic) out to a park or the beach (or the canal) to just hang out and listen to your tunes--I certainly don't do that myself. Kudos to Simon & G. Phil on the thumbnail!😃 Additionally, it somewhat saddens me to find out that your latest ITIC video was not more popular--I thought it was a Techmoan classic! But then again, I doubt that I represent the main stream of viewers anyway.
I really don’t know what I’ll do with it, but as it’s likely to be one of the last proper boomboxes I feel like I should hang on to it.
That YouTube thumbnail is GLORIOUS ✋💷✋
FYI, when many people (myself included) see an AI generated YouTube thumbnail they automatically write off the video as low-effort slop and don't bother watching (or even hit the "don't recommend channel" button). I mention this not to suggest that your videos are low-effort slop (hopefully that's obvious), but because you seem to be worried about this video doing well. This one isn't particularly egregious so I doubt it will make a big difference, but it's still something to think about.
Fortunately the image is real, just Cusack has been removed and replaced by some weirdo.
This reminded me of something that showed up in a HMV email the other day, a rather overpriced walkman like device. Curious to know if that appears to be the bog standard cassette mechanism despite claims of "On the audio side, our engineers worked hard to optimize the mechanism to be as close as possible to the best of the time." The details do say: Distortion: 0,3% typ. Wow & Flutter: 0,2% typ. https://hmv.com/store/technology/audio-players/we-are-rewind-serge-orange-portable-bluetooth-cass
You can see my review of it here. https://youtu.be/WleZGWAebsY
I've always wondered what model of boombox is on the cover of the Saliva album "Back into Your System": https://albumcoverstickers.com/saliva-back-into-your-system-album-cover-sticker-/
I’ll have a look through WikiBoombox. It looks like one of the off brand HK models from the late 80s to me.
Love the thumbnail. I have recently started photoshopping my face badly on existing images for YouTube thumbnails too (or using Bing AI Image generator to purposely make bad thumbnails).
I’ll have to give the Bing thing a go, I wasn’t aware of it. In fact I’d forgotten Bing existed.
FWIW I found ITIC2 very interesting