Same as it ever was.

Wow, a decent

I liked this video a lot. I am liking the techmoan after the illness. And he is looking sharp. I also liked the camera 1 framing. Good colours, 1A production. I liked a lot the way you supported your points about companies integrating the cheapest component that can barely pass a function test. I am a bit baffled about the suspension on springs of the cd player unit. If I had to bet, I'd presume it is because of the cd falling off if you put it down hard.

*Very* interesting bit of analysis there at the end, Mat - thanks! Also, I noticed the VU meters seemed considerably more active on the second CD you played, which had a lot more bass? That didn’t seem to be the case with the other inputs though. That thing is quite the dog’s breakfast of audio engineering

This device actually varies slightly depending on the brand. I found two versions or brands at the same online shop here in Switzerland. Compare them yourself: https://www.digitec.ch/en/comparison/46893407-38734167

Wasn't the real Camden an offshoot of RCA? Sure I've seen record labels with RCA Camden on them. Possibly a blank tape brand from back in the day too? https://ibb.co/F4xTNVkG

The real improvement regarding boomboxes and other similar devices is that the speakers are now far better than before. I can't believe how good my New Wave M90 mini sounds, for example.

This device is so close to being good... I guess a DIY enthousiast would love to upgrade it. There must be a way to adjust the auto volume settting for tuner (softer) and CD (louder) and then get a correct SD recording. Same for the amp and this horrible hiss.

It's not the first time I've made a "how remarkable that it's not absolutely awful" comment on videos about this sort of device, though I think that's still valid, but I do appreciate the context you give it towards the end of the video regarding its price and what might have been a comparable device from the past (aside from the caveats you also added about the relative quality of the tech from that era of inter-brand competition). It seems an acceptable enough playback device that features an aesthetic that will appeal to some, and that's great - buyers are unlikely to feel burned, and I hope they enjoy it. I just wish it wasn't so anodyne-looking. I note that Raffaele Merminod identified a couple of Sharp models to which it bears great resemblance, but to me it's like they took that look and then applied a denoise filter to it to make it feel featureless and generic-looking. But maybe that's just me? Anyway, I enjoyed the video, as always, and appreciate you trying to keep an open mind while looking at these things. Thanks, Mat, and I hope you're well.

I have to admit: until I saw this video, I hadn't even tried to record a cassette with the device. Afterwards, I wanted to know whether it sounded just as terrible on my Medion Life P66538 – and yes, what can I say? It was even worse. I took a cassette that had already been recorded on and made a test recording from CD to cassette. The result: the original recording remained audible, and the new signal was recorded over it in miserable quality. The erase head with permanent magnet practically didn't work at all. I knew from the outset that I wouldn't seriously use the device as a recording device, but I never expected the quality to be so poor.

Take a look at the SHARP GF-787 and Sharp GF-575 boombox from 1982. Pretty much identical casing. http://www.wikiboombox.com/tiki-index.php?page=Sharp+GF-787 and http://www.wikiboombox.com/tiki-index.php?page=Sharp+GF-575 PS:I purchased the Medion version for my office and am very satisfied with it.

This brand font is almost like they copied the stationary brand name - Rexel - their logo, apart from the letter 'o' is almost an exact match...

You seemed pleasantly surprised that this wasn't horrible only just mediocre ...

It's a bit odd to find an analogue tuning dial for FM on a DAB+-enabled radio. One might expect the built-in DAB module could handle FM tuning as well. I guess the FM section uses dedicated circuitry that remains in place irrespective of an additional DAB module.

I knew about the buffer on Discman-type devices, but I had no idea that CD players sometimes stopped spinning the disc during playback. Is that a standard operating feature?

Seems the most decent one you’ve reviewed in years. If only the designers spent another hour on its look. Small quibble- but if they nailed that… would actually have considered a purchase. Aesthetics matter.

I can never understand how they can get recording to USB so bad. The digital volume side of it is usually noisey cause the amplifier is running flat out at full volume, hence the hiss and the volume just adjusts the pre amp side of things, then mutes the amp on minimum.

I had a tough time getting through this video. I think part of it was you didn't have a lot of excitement about the product.

I can't get over just how poor the recording is on this. It couldn't have sounded worse if it was dubbing the cd through the built in mic! My gosh, how good we had it in the 80s!

I know the recording quality is pants and nobody in their right mind would use the record function, but a couple of questions / observations just popped into my head. 1. The cassette sounds very quiet and the USB is obviously clipping, but I'm curious as to how bad these look as waveforms. 2. I'd be interested to know the bit rate of the USB recording too. I know this adds extra work and the video is excellent as-is, but enquiring minds etc (plus I suspect this may come up in the YT comments a little bit too).

That might be a passable quality for playback but if I had bought it that record "quality" would have me fuming. There must be something wrong with it.

Seems pretty decent, all things considering. Avoid the headphones and don't record anything, probably neither would be huge use cases for a boom box anyway. Looks like a nightmare to change the tape deck belt.

For what it represents that's perfectly cromulent if it was 200 dollars here in NZ I would be more than happy to use it as my Bluetooth device

Leo Tech should make a reproduction of the Disco-Lite. They were never high quality when they came out but have become an icon after appearing in both Madonna and Lady Gaga videos.

This reminds me of the cheap off-brand boom boxes from back in the day, with names such as "International" and "Unisef". This one might perform a little bit better than one of those did.

All things considered, this machine is not the worst choice for someone who is looking for a “boombox” to play some music in the shed or the dorm. As you said…some things in there aren’t half bad. Better than expected, anyway. Personally I was pleasantly surprised by some things, like the tweeter. If you are at all concerned with quality of components (which includes myself), you are definitely not part of the target audience for this machine. After all, if you’re going to your local kebab / chip shop or some fast food chain, you know what you’re getting into and you likely won’t be surprised if you don’t get Michelin 5 star quality.

I'm glad you didn't think this unit was that bad. It's definitely the best modern day boombox on the market today. Let's just not talk about its recording capability, not that anyone should be recording on boomboxes anyway. I'm surprised you didn't mention that this boombox is technically a modern day Sharp GF-575. It's practically the same shell. Excellent video as usual.

Funny how you actually are pleasantly surprised by the sound quality, the DAB allows you to pick up proper stations and even tape playback is not bad. Recording is abysmal which is a shame. Some other stuff such as recording level and better display should in theory be possible to improve on a design like this even with current supply chain limitations. Proper tape recording is definitely problematic in a 2025 device for now, while it does not need to be THIS bad either.

By the way, the bar with blocks you see on DAB is probably the signal strength, I see it on other DAB radios as well

I see a lot of versions on Amazon, from Medion and Muse. But be aware, they don't seem to have a DAB+ tuner. Browsing the Leotec website is quite fun, tbh. They do have a lot of fantasy for designs 😅

Intro mode. Wow, that's a balst from the past, i am sure it was Winamp that had this feature (though it isn't in the latest version) I recall going through my entire library to find a decent song intro to use as a ringtone. It may have been a plugin for Winamp though.

I suppose it’s adequate for a lot of people - so not all bad - but aesthetically it’s ‘orrible. I know the design budget won’t be great, but surely they can do a bit better?

I think you've found where all the year's missing rain has gone, this boombox has stolen it for noise effects.

I did see the Aiwa version of this I thought just may be I would like it. Its OK and thanks very much for reviewing it Matt Video very enjoyable

Ach, I just _like_ the idea of a boombox so much. But I know in my heart that this is just 80s nostalgia pulling me down a bad road. I buy my music on CD, but the media is just an installer disc for my digital music library. Cassettes are charming, but there's no way I'm ever going to play a cassette just to hear music. And I honestly couldn't name any terrestrial radio stations other than the NPR one that I appear on from time to time. The good news is that this is all a reminder that I've been meaning to get a nice oomphy rechargeable Bluetooth speaker. It's really the modern boombox, whether it's serving as the music source on the shelf of the office or the weapon by which one inflicts their personal music tastes upon everybody at the park or the beach.

Thanks for showing! The real audio quality doesn't come over that well, I guess due to the miking... I get the feeling the bass is sometimes a bit distorted, but as you tell it sounds good, I'll take your word for it! And I expected the cassette recording to be bad, as a permanent magnet erase head usually means DC bias, which magnetises the tape which increases the noise level... But this is really horrible... I'm also surprised about the background noise, it should be easy nowadays to create an amplifier without so much background noise?!? But indeed, as you said, not worse than what you would have got back then.

• It's a very interesting video - I enjoy it when you review questionable new technology. • This 'boombox' would be a nice gift for a young person. It would be a great way to introduce youth to the fun of cassettes and CDs as well as modern features. -except recording, which is the funnest part 😬- • I'm curious about the 'shelf life' of something like this. • Was the tape deck recording your heartbeat? -I wrote that on my phone notepad before you mentioned it, had a good laugh 😂- • The sound of it through my TV's powered speakers is kind of muddy/murky when you played the USB. The radio and CD sound a bit 'brighter' or perhaps my hearing is flawed (more likely). • I didn't raise my hand. The interior isn't any different than what you've shown before. Overall it's a fun one - and it surprises me that someone is still making these at all, for better or worse. Take care 🤍

That's a weird problem with the display not being able to show the letters V and X and replaces them with U and H. Otherwise, since it seems to have decent sound it could fill the bill as a retro-looking all-in-one music device for the current era.

You're right Mr Moan all of this stuff is just straight trash, you did one a while back where you said that it should just go from the store shelf directly to the landfill, and miss the customer bit in the middle, I think you're right. But as frustrated as you seem to be with the continual queries regarding this rubbish, I'm optimistic that you'll eventually hit on a gold mine in the form of a " retro boombox" By the way I'm sure I'm not the only one who has said as much, but I watch your videos because of your personality and the way that you review and talk about products. Honestly you could make a video an hour and a half long talking about and comparing various shades of white paint, and I'd watch the whole thing.

Just popping into Lidl for a loaf, and milk. Oh and this new Boombox... lol.

Yet another boombox ("portable ghettoblaster") at Aldi Süd in Germany next week for €25: https://www.aldi-sued.de/de/p.000000000660228001.html

Also Mat, my 19-year-old daughter asked me to get her a CD player for her dorm room, completely unsolicited! I found her a used Bose Wave Music System and she absolutely loves it. It really is a great recommendation for someone getting into CDs. We added a Bluetooth receiver plugged into the aux port for her Spotify streaming, and she is in heaven.

It reminds me of something like an Alba or equivalent from back in the day, even down to the cheap plastic controls and amplifier hum. Not as bad as I expected though! I wonder if there would be a market for a retro styled boombox with modern features, made to the higher standards of the past by an actual company from the past such as Sony? I suppose the cost may be prohibitive, the economies of scale of the past wouldn't apply as it would be more of a niche product and probably have to cost £800 or more to be worthwhile (although I'd happily buy one). Just imagine a modern day Sony FH7 with a CD player, Bluetooth, and remote control...although the fact that I want a CD player shows how old I am!

14:10 it’s the signal meter.

Roxel.....you don't have to put on the red light.

That boombox is begging for another “Say Anything” thumbnail.

Before I watch; the post title is a Talking Heads song reference?

YES

42 minutes on Boomboxes! Yes Please!

Great, going to watch that now! The new "We are Rewind" Curtis boombox is also available now, will you test that one too? It's €450 though 😵

Aldi, the wretched hive of ham and linguine…

Will take a look at this later. Yes please to the update. Regards