Sony FH-7 Mkii
For a few people of a certain age, the Sony FH-7 was an unobtainable object of desire. It seemed designed to appeal to someone in their late teens or early twenties, but could only be afforded by a person with a well-paying job, who most likely wouldn't have appreciated it as much.
It might have taken me thirty three years to finally get hold of one, but all good things come to those with an ebay account.
*Some assembly required.
While I'm reminiscing...
I've noticed that Thursdays often seem a busy day on patreon/youtube with quite a few of the channels I follow putting out their latest videos. Thursdays in the 1980s were always my favourite TV night as that's when Tomorrows World was on. Although I can see from looking at the old copies of Radio Times magazine, https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1982-08-05 that back in August 1982 Tomorrows World was on a break until mid September. I'll have had to make do with 'Think Again' with Johnny Ball, then it was a couple of hours break before 'Top of the Pops' followed by 'Fame'.
With just three TV channels and no video recorder I took what little entertainment I could get back then. You can understand why the idea of making your own fun with a personal computer was so enticing to those kids with active minds and loads of time on their hands who weren't interested in kicking a football around.
Comments (53)
This thing is absolutely beautiful. Would love to have this at my cottage, over there I'm an old fashioned kinda guy. Here at home in the city (which I hate living in) I have all the latest and greatest to dull the pain of living here and marching toward an inenitable death.
Just got back from vacation. Not sure you still read these comments. I remembered systems like these. I was really amazed by them. I particularly liked the square speakers (maybe I unconsciously thought of electrostatic speakers?). But I also liked the form factor. Me and my friend even thought of getting a small stereo for under the kitchen cupboard. Why did it need to be bigger? But we didn't have the money, of course! Nice to see you managed to procure a set.
I still read all the comments on Patreon. Youtube...not so much.
Loved the video and the music selection. Looks like your description link to the YouTube audio library is the same as to the Soul Slabs vinyl, though. (Edit: I was looking for the music playing at 17:05)
Thanks - I'm surprised that no one mentioned this before. I've changed the link now.
Your enthusiasm shines through the video, Mat! I think that is your equivalent of the Uher Report reel to reel tape recorder which I recently picked up on Ebay. Buying it was the fulfilment of an impossible dream of ownership long held.
Funnily enough I’ve been eyeing over the Uher reporters recently as you could still buy them new from a supplier in Germany. Unfortunately though they were all out of the stereo models and that’s type only one I’d get any use out of.
Lovely video. I grew up near Hull and we got a Sony Centre shop open there circa 1985 and I used to go in there as a teenager and lust after all the HiFi stuff (prior to that it was as you said, Currys, Dixons and Boots, oh and the odd independant HiFi shop like SuperFi). However the most I could afford when I was 15 was the posh catalogues they had, and they were free :)
Some of those old Sony catalogues seem quite sought after nowadays.
Great video and as usual I want one now! It’s the sort of really nice modular electronic design that we don’t get any more with things now being so tightly integrated. It reminds me of the Sharp CD-56 I had in my early teens, but the Sharp employed the sneaky trick of being styled to look like separate components, whereas this Sony actually is a stack of separates.
I spent years servicing TV's, videos & hifis in my younger days.. Most of the cheap (and very cheap) units had a sectioned front panel to give the impression of separates. Invariably, they used a single large pcb and had miles of spaghetti wiring inside. Horrible things to work on..
I watched all the way through thinking you were reviewing the very same Sony HiFi that I have had stashed away in the basement. I packed mine away in its original box several years ago with a view to selling it, but never did. After you mentioned that there was more than one FH-7 model, I went downstairs to check which one I had and discovered I don't have either - I have an FH-15R. Very similar in appearance, but looking at on-line photos (rather than un-boxing it), I'm guessing it's a later, more advanced design. I think I gave up using it once CDs became popular and the matching Sony FH series CD player was rather an expensive addition to an ageing system. I still have the matching Sony PS-Q3 record player, however even after replacing 'melted' drive belts, it's refusing to run - possibly a drive motor/electronic issue. After watching your video, however, I think my study would be enhanced (assuming it runs!) by a nice looking Sony FH-15R ... once I get rid of some clutter :)
I acquired the spectrum analyser and tuner parts of a FH-15R a while ago with the intention of trying to create a frankenstein's monster mini component system. However I was surprised to see my spectrum analyser doesn't have multi-colour LEDs like all the ones I've seen in pictures and video - they're just green. Then I found out you can't really mix-and-match these components...so those parts are languishing in a box at the moment.
Ahhhh that takes me back.
Ah, I’ve been waiting for a video on these bookshelf HiFi systems. I have a very handsome-looking Akai UC-5 system with all matching components that I’m quite proud of. It even has a separate component for an infrared remote! Did any of these Sony systems ever utilize a remote function?
I'm sure some of them did - they knocked out a lot of the FH systems over the years. The UC-5 is a very nice system and one I've looked up over the years as I have something similar but a bit earlier that's a bit of a mini system icon. I'll make a video about it at some point too.
This is SO my era, the top floor if my local boots is now an NHS drop in centre, but I will always see it as the tech bit
It’s a bit sad that this shop we used to go into that gave us happiness is now somewhere you only tend to visit when you’re ill.
This is fantastic, and exactly the kind of thing I watch your channel to find out about. I'd never seen this before and now I'm tempted to track one down!
A couple of other thoughts: Boots sold a version with a CD player but it was a different colour and didn't match as well as the one you showed. It's fascinating to compare the price with the modern equivalent. In the mid 80s you typically paid £400-500 to get a hifi that was not exactly high end but better than the nasty Amstrad or Dixons/Currys own brand systems of the day. The present-day equivalent of the Sony would be a nice little Denon system that can be picked up for £200ish without speakers.
Some of those little Denon micro systems do look very appealing. I’m sure if I were getting my first HiFi for my teenage bedroom nowadays I’d opt for one of those. It seems that teenagers are happy with smartphone speakers though...so perhaps not.
Very nostalgic for me because I had a later model from the same range. My FH-55W had speakers that looked identical to your second pair and had an analogue tuner but a digital timer which could be used to set recordings or as a very large clock radio. Mine had twin cassette decks, for which it sacrificed the auto-reverse of the single deck version. I was surprised that the amplifier on yours is separate as mine was a receiver: tuner, amplifier in one. It therefore only needed a single ribbon cable which stretched only just far enough to place the cassette deck and tuner side by side. The speaker brackets and handle were almost the same as on yours although you wouldn't want to use it with them on.
It seems with each model they added something but also took something else away. I wonder if there's one of these that had everything. I like the spectrum analyser displays of some of the models and the way they squeezed two decks into the space on models like the FH-10W appeals as well. I can see why people end up collecting these.
Sorry to trouble you again, but what is the track you play at about the 17:00 point? On the cassette with red hubs and a clear case.
I filled a tape up with youtube audio library tracks a year or so back and that's one of those. I didn't write down the names - I just pressed play on a shuffled playlist containing lots of tracks and went and did other things. The track will be one of the ones that doesn't require attribution and is probably under their jazz and blues categorisation - so you should find it here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music</a> One big fly in the ointment is that youtube changed all their free tracks from 320kbps to 128kbps - so the ones you can download now aren't that great in quality.
After seeing this video, I noticed the FH7 had features my Sony portable hifi never had, most notably the digital tuner, and the auto tape sensing. After some searching I found that the set I used to own was the FH-5. Same idea, but a simpler execution. Still, it had 3 way speakers with the square honeycomb drivers. A broken cassette door mechanism was the reason it went to the tip.
I also bought some speakers that I think were from an FH-5 on the off-chance that they'd fit because for about six months no one was selling any FH-7s...but they were too tall and the brackets were different...so unfortunately I didn't get to use them.
An enjoyable review, Matt. Now please tell this Yank: What is a "B-Boy"?
It's a phrase from the US - An early 80s term for breakdancers - <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=b-boy" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=b-boy</a> I'm showing my age here.
Well now I have to watch Labyrinth.
It's a film that I've still yet to see. The soundtrack LP was sent to me by someone from the record label.
So nice that you could get that stereo you longed for in the past. I have to say though, what I liked the most was the Sony stickers on the Mark 1 speakers. So much nostalgia with that logo. Also this video made me google what the portable stereo that followed me for some 27 years was named. Turns out it was a Philips D8714. Looking at pictures on the Internets today makes the 48 year old me kind of angry at the 38 year old me that threw it way when moving.
I'd expect someone sells reproduction Sony stickers that I can apply if the urge takes me. It probably won't make you feel better though if I say that your Philips was one heck of a good looking machine.
This device is very elegant. I like it! When I look at it, though, I immediately see all of the extra cost of building it. For example, having everything in separate enclosures means there are more circuit boards, more metal and plastic housings, more wires, etc. All of that increases cost. So, today nobody would ever produce such a thing because it would be very expensive. So, yeah, they definitely don't make them like they used to. Speaking of Boots, I visited a Boots in London just recently. Yeah, I would have never guessed they used to sell electronics and stuff.
Yes you’re right. There really wasn’t too much point behind them separating out the components like the tuner and graphic equaliser either as they didn’t sell them separately and you couldn’t upgrade them. I suppose it was just so you could reconfigure the layout. I think the current iteration of Boots has just gone back to its roots. The 80s and 90s saw diversification into lots of areas that they’ve since dropped. I think the last interesting thing they has that they dropped was their photographic departments. I suspect you’d get more variety in Walgreens now.
GODS what I would have done to own that back in the day. I would have felt like a millionaire. I have to say I also spent an inordinate amount of time browsing electronic sections or stores and pouring over catalogs and talking to the sales guys. To the point most of them knew me and when I bought my first set of good speakers it was from Lechmere and they let me test the sound using Beastie Boys 'License to Ill', because half the staff made requests to crank certain songs lol. Heh... I always figured I was the only tech geek like that. :D
I think there were a lot of us. I seem to remember buying a CD with a DDD classification before I had a CD player so that I could take it around the HiFi shops to audition various amps and speakers before I settled on which models to buy. I spent my first few months wages on that HiFi.
My 80's stereo was a cheap one made by Soundesign. Garbage. But in the early 90's I got a Sony MHC-2600 component shelf system, and it was phenomenal. I would love to see you get your hands on one of those (or the 3600) to review. Mine lasted until my home went through a flood in 2016. I've been a fan of Sony electronics since then. I'm glad they hold up so well since I love seeing them pop up in your videos.
That kit sure cost a lot when it came out -- and now that I'm over 50, I can finally afford one! My personal stereo in the early 80s was an Hitachi all-in-one, with phono inputs at the back for my Sony turntable. Perfect compact size for a student.
Ha! One of your fossil tech episodes about something I actually owned. Wait... Okay, I just checked, still own. It's in its original box in my shed. I'll have to see if it still works, haven't even opened the box for something like 25 years.
I'm sure you aren't interested in selling it - but there are some FH collectors out there that would love it. There's a chap here with a full set - <a href="http://boomboxery.com/forum/index.php/topic/23589-sony-fh-series/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://boomboxery.com/forum/index.php/topic/23589-sony-fh-series/</a> unfortunately you have to be registered to see the picture.
Amazing episode! I was actually on edge most of the time. When you busted out the record player and then the matching speakers it was very very satisfying. I have a friend who inherited his grandfather's system from the same series. It's fun to see a Techmoan overview of the thing, now that I know what gem he has.
I'm glad you said that - I was trying to create some kind of progression throughout the video - so it started in one place and ended up in another...because after all it's really just a video saying - hey look at this old hi-fi.
Great video as always. I was not the big hifi guy in the 80s but more a home computer freak. So I'm still thinking about buying some of the computers I couldn't afford back in the days but I just don't know what to do with them nowadays. Might be a big disappointment. As an Sinclair Spectrum user I had my parents to pay for an extremely expensive (shipping to Germany) subcription for a british spectrum magazine (Crash). Pre-Internet was not a good time for nerds like me.
I've really did try to do the retro computer thing - but as I don't have any ability to program, I'm just left playing the games and for me most of them don't hold my interest in the way they once did. I recently invested in a PC Engine and a SD Card reader attachment. I briefly used a PC Engine in the late 80s thought I'd have a lot of fun with it, so far it's hardly been used.
That looks wonderful, I always loved Sony Hi Fi gear as it really looked the part as well as sounding good too. I can certainly remember drooling around Dixons, Laskies and Currys back in the day, also that the sales staff at most stores rarely had any clue as to how an item operated, only that you REALLY needed to buy insurance cover for it! I also remember Thursday nights with Tomorrow's World and Top of the Pops in close succession. I must say that I can't think of anything shown in TW that subsequently appeared in the shops, apart from the CD, which they famously smeared with marmalade! Anyhow, I am pleased you finally managed to get hold of something you once yearned for and that it lived up to your expectations! When I turned 50, I finally managed to get hold of a Stylophone as they had recently been reissued. I had craved one so much back in the early 1970s but never got one, but when I finally did, I think I played with it twice then put it away for good as there was less to it than I had remembered. Great video as always, Mat and good to see you appear better now. Also, I really like your 'talking window' that appears in the final credits as I usually skip the credits having seen the so many times now.
Unfortunately I'm still really not feeling right at the moment - but I can fake normality for a few minutes for a video. That's one of the great things about doing this...I don't have to be 'on' all the time like I was in a full time job. The talking window is one of those things that has appeared more out of accident/necessity than by good design. The first time, I'd recorded a segment that just didn't fit in anywhere with the rest of the video, but I really wanted to include it somehow. This time I'd promised Max that I'd mention his calendar in a video after he'd so kindly sent me one it seems liked the least I could do. But again it really didn't seem like it would sit well in the video anywhere. My only concern is that some people may start expecting this in every outro and so far those are the only occasions it's been needed - however I now know that if I think of something extra, I've got somewhere to put it.
Instant 1980's nostalgia. If Raymond Baxter said it was going to happen on Tomorrow's World we always believed him. Dixon's, where my mate bought a Sony Mini System which was later blown up by one of the "service" engineers, Lasky's, where another mate bought his amp by just demanding the one with the most watts per channel (Sansui with a claimed 60W, which lead to his Mum throwing him out after he became obsessed with Pink Floyd's "The Wall"), and Boots, where I think I bought my first CD player (Phillips CD-150). That's a nice unit, and Sony stuff really does last well.
I seem to have more luck with old Sony stuff than anything else. As far as personal stereos go, I've often been asked why I don't feature models from other companies like Aiwa. Well back in the day Aiwa made personal stereos that often surpassed the Sony ones, smaller with more features. My personal stereo was an Aiwa with a digital radio and a graphic equaliser, much cheaper and years before Sony sold anything similar. The problem with the non Sony models though is that they all pretty much need some tiny surface mount capacitors replacing by now - that's a job too far for me. I guess that Sony must have had a better control on their supply chain or perhaps just got lucky with the components they sourced. Although many Sony devices have an achilles heel - some tiny piece of plastic that snaps - their electronics keep working.
The black stuff in the tape deck could be shredded tape, I had a defective player that did that recently
Yes that's quite possible too - and a much more pleasant prospect than hair.
That is so cool! I had a Yamaha one briefly, It too weighed a ton loaded with all the batteries
I really like the new outtro with some extra info. Nice video again, I remember these kind of midi stereo sets. I also did not have the money for it.