which of your boomboxes is the loudest compared to its size? Are there any real "sleepers" in your colection? If I would pic one, it must be the m-70
I was always impressed with my General Electric 3-6035. Ear spliting volume and quite thin and heavy. It was barely 3" deep. I wish I still had it. Power consumption 49w btw. That's all that I remember.
I would say for it's size the loudest best sounding box in my collection would be my Marantz PMS-3040. It sounds great with it's individual bass and treble, and it is quite loud.
[URL=[URL=http://imageshack.us]
sanyo 9994 is one of them
masterblaster84 - 2008-04-01 14:33
Loudest but not the best sounding for it's size, that's a tough question.
I would have to say my Panasonic RX-5100. It can get really loud but it doesn't sound very good doing it in comparison to many other boxes I have. If we factor in sound quality then I would have to shift to something like the Sanyo M-9994.
It's kind of tough though because a lot of models can battle it out pretty well in the mid size category. The M70 really kicks butt except it's a very large mid size box.
i say an M70 is king in the mid size world.
also --a panny C50 sounds good for a medium size box -- but its only a sub-mini
In the loudest for it's size category - my nominations would be the pioneer sk-550 & sk-31, the panasonic rx-5050, jvc m70, sharp gf-9696. But the m70 and 9696 are larger boxes, so I would probably pick the sk-550 as the loudest for it's size. the sk-31 and rx-5050 are smaller boxes with great big sounds though.
My Hitachi:
Quite small, despite the picture (4" cones I believe) but....
It just seems to go up and up and up and still manage to sound pretty good.
It's one of those boxes which perform better with the EQ flat especially at higher volume, if you turn up the bass at high vol it can lose it's footing a little.
All in all, for a cheap box I've been seriously impressed with it in all aspects.
Loudest with quality would have to go to my Sharp GF-9494X.
Loudest just to be loud is my MacDonald.
The scrappy baby brother to the mighty Panasonic RX-C100...
THE RX-C60!
My RX5120 and my RX5200. Rated to 5+5W and 6+6W
At louder volume you can't belive the power related to their size. Both are midsize BBX's
I have no idea which of my boxes can get the loudest, because I would never risk burning 'em out by cranking them up to max levels. Besides, I don't like distortion. Probably a minority attitude around here, and I understand the interest in comparing volume levels. Just don't want to risk testing it with my boxes. Maybe one day I'll test them by seeing which is loudest at 9:00 or 11:00 positions, or something like that. Maybe still should make some adjustment for distortion, I feel, to make it a more meaningful comparison.
masterblaster84 - 2008-04-01 20:33
quote:
Originally posted by SUCCESS:
My RX5120 and my RX5200. Rated to 5+5W and 6+6W
At louder volume you can't belive the power related to their size. Both are midsize BBX's
Agree, I've also got the RX-5200 which is basically the RX-5100 with soft eject tape door plus Bass and Treble control instead of Tone. They get damn loud just not ultra clean.
Arkay-I've found over the years that audio equipment isn't as delicate as I had first thought.If you apply gain and tweak tone controls slowly you will hear if the sound starts to break up.The idea for me is to have fun with these things.As for fidelity,I don't have a problem with distortion by design as we are talking about boomboxes.In fact the old school highs I'm so fond of from some budget boxes are probably the result of a lot of distortion.Though distortion is inaccurate,artificial dynamics and "flavor" added to the sound can make up for the fact that your not listening to your music from a huge high end stereo system.It's no secret that boombox sound is a compromise so a little flavoring thrown in can be a good thing.Of course that kind of colored sound can get fatiguing to listen to if you are listing for many dozens of hours continuously.However,who is very well going to be listening to their boombox 24/7 anyway?
GuSG-Concerning loudness for size,I'd say it would have to be my Macdonald Instruments 06-33-63.Though a mid sized box,the volume from it is scary!This box is far from clean sounding but it has those sharp and aggressive highs I miss from some boxes of the early '80s.It is definitely a "rock box" and is for those who like to "feel" guitar strings.If volume is really pushed it can also be a weapon!
This is not mine but is from the database:
Ok, I'm just trying to think outside the box here....so to answer this question in a very inappropriate yet mouthwatering way - the loudest - even though not shaped as a box - was my ex - sometimes. Well, sometimes more than sometimes
Anyways, I tried to make this picture look as tasteful as possible, but if it offends anybody's feelings - I will gladly remove it and post a picture of a boombox instead
-removed
masterblaster84 - 2008-04-01 20:54
Jovie, I haven't had a chance to clean up my newly acquired MacDonald yet but your post makes me want to get it cranked up and see what the hype is about. Maybe I'll change my earlier post once I find out just how loud it will get.
APRIL fools
quote:
Originally posted by MasterBlaster84:
quote:
Originally posted by vladi123456:
Ok, I'm just trying to think outside the box here....so to answer this question in a very inappropriate yet mouthwatering way - the loudest - even though not shaped as a box - was my ex - sometimes. Well, sometimes more than sometimes
Anyways, I tried to make this picture look as tasteful as possible, but if it offends anybody's feelings - I will gladly remove it and post a picture of a boombox instead
I think we have a winner, none of my boxes can compete with that.
I Second!
I vote for vladi...no wonder he's looking.
The Sharp GF-5959 is incredibly loud for it's size and build quality. At 90% it's absolutely deafening. It's quality is nowhere near the similar-sized GF-9090, but it's a lot louder.
Since this question comes up so often, and since there seems to be a wide variation in answers, I need to ask about the whole idea of loudness when it comes to boomboxes.
1. Aren't all boomboxes loud if you turn up the volume? When someone asks about how loud a boombox is, do they want to know when the box is at full volume?
2. How do you objectively measure loudness without some sort of dB measuring device? Even then, doesn't it depend on how close you are to the speakers?
3. Or is it really a question about how high you can turn up the volume on a boombox before you get speaker distortion and sympathetic vibration of the cabinet? If it is, how do you compare boomboxes? You can't use the numbers on volume dials, because each dial is different and the numbers are arbitrary. (Remember Spinal Tap's bragging about how their guitar amps went to 11, which meant they were "one louder" than amps that only went to 10.)
4. Under what circumstances would you want to play a boombox at full volume? Maybe breakdancing outdoors?
"How loud?" has always been a question I've had trouble answering. It seems so subjective! Knowing this stuff will help a lot!
^ Woah, I've gotta build up muscles like you, so I can pull a bus along by it's bicycle rack!
This thread should be renamed "Strongest man for his size".
babyboomer-Those are good questions.However I think this was meant to be a non scientific thread (not to say one shouldn't make it so).At least for me I take this as a subjective thread.I haven't really done a lot of side by side comparisons with boxes.If you own a lot of blasters,after a while you begin to notice differences in gain for a given setting for each box.When I say my "Mac-e-dee" is louder than other boxes I am comparing the volume you get for a given input to the volume pot.I've never actually gone past half way on the box because it becomes a bit too bright sounding even for me.Besides I'd like to protect what hearing I have left!I'm not sure if the volume on it would continue to increase at the same rate if I were to dial the pot through it's upper range.
One thing I don't like is a box engineered with a volume limiter.In recent years many boxes top out at a maximum "usable" volume level.Personally I like the freedom of knowing I can overdrive a box if I really wanted to do it.Similarly I prefer old fashioned pot or equalizer tone controls to "optimized" and factory approved sound presets.Part of the fun is learning just how far you can push a box.That said I have never consistently driven a really powerful old box past maybe 8 of 10 for fear of causing some damage.
i would have to say the same about the sanyo 9994k and its little bit bigger bro the 9998 to me these have the deepest bass in a medium box the m70 is right in there two in the mid size department
quote:
Originally posted by baby boomer:
Since this question comes up so often, and since there seems to be a wide variation in answers, I need to ask about the whole idea of loudness when it comes to boomboxes.
1. Aren't all boomboxes loud if you turn up the volume? When someone asks about how loud a boombox is, do they want to know when the box is at full volume?
2. How do you objectively measure loudness without some sort of dB measuring device? Even then, doesn't it depend on how close you are to the speakers?
3. Or is it really a question about how high you can turn up the volume on a boombox before you get speaker distortion and sympathetic vibration of the cabinet? If it is, how do you compare boomboxes? You can't use the numbers on volume dials, because each dial is different and the numbers are arbitrary. (Remember Spinal Tap's bragging about how their guitar amps went to 11, which meant they were "one louder" than amps that only went to 10.)
4. Under what circumstances would you want to play a boombox at full volume? Maybe breakdancing outdoors?
"How loud?" has always been a question I've had trouble answering. It seems so subjective! Knowing this stuff will help a lot!
This is the argument I had to answer in the National/Panasonic RX-C100 Review
(National/Pansonic RX-C100 Review) I posted earlier.
I do measure using a sound level meter. I also use tone generators as well. I'm a little more scientific I guess but that makes it mor fun for me. (I'm a nerd, weeehooo!!!
) I do look for the point a unit will distort, not simply make the most noise. In general terms and on balance with all settings being neutral most boxes will distort far before reaching max levels. Now it may not be audible to everyone..."but it will distort". I've had this discussion many times.
A good listening area, will be between 6 to 8 feet from the unit centered between the loudspeakers. There is a general reasonable volume that depends on the unit. A mini will sound like it's screeching if you try to get it as loud as say, an M90. (
) What is reasonable is what is comfortable and enjoyable to listen to under "most" circumstances. This is how I determine volume levels considering the source (internal, external, digital, analog) as well.
All things being equal as possible, I set tone controls neutral and raise the volume from the normal listening benchmark established. The human ear tends to react negatively to distortion as irritating frequencies are heard along with the breakdown in shape of the intended sound. At this point is when I call it quits. Not that I couldn't drive it louder. But why drive it louder? It's just like listening to my kids scream at each other at this point. No one understands what is said and you have one highly irritated Dad.
What this reveals is that a good many sound good the way they were designed to be listend to. And some may have surprising volume and punch at these levels. (i.e. The RX-C60 is no match for the RX-C100 but has surprising volume and punch for it's size relative to the RX-C100.)
Now where's my pocket protector....
quote:
Originally posted by Arkay:
I have no idea which of my boxes can get the loudest, because I would never risk burning 'em out by cranking them up to max levels.
No idea either, for the same reason.
quote:
Originally posted by Retro Addict:
^ Woah, I've gotta build up muscles like you, so I can pull a bus along by it's bicycle rack!
This thread should be renamed "Strongest man for his size".
Wow... it didn't even dawn on me that the guy in my avatar might be pulling the bus by the bike rack. But, now that you mention it, maybe that's what's going on. All I could see was a guy being chased by a bus and running away. Sort of a "Christine" idea, but with a bus. Maybe it's not the nightmare I imagined it was!
Thanks Jovie and Oldskool for your helpful answers! And thanks for taking the time to spell it all out for me. I learned a lot!
there Below is the Loudest box
and James
and My 2001 Dakota QC 4x4
and my 1984 Honda Trail 110
and my .... favorite group playing by Boris Midney ....
100_3128 james dak jvc 550 crop
there above is the Loudest box
Well DM4U nice RC-550
, but this thread is about the loudest box for it's size, not the largest photo!
well have you heard how loud one of these JVC RC 550's are?
I guess not ....
And this is not the largest photo as i did crop this one pic here ...
Actually have heard them. Very powerful for one speaker.
And hey, had to tease a bit about the photo since you did post some pretty big ones before. All in good fun!
Yes ... thanks.... I have..... Big one's....
This is my now Daily search for More of these JVC RC 550's
Shhhh !!! dont tell anyone ....
quote:
Originally posted by oldskool69:
Actually have heard them. Very powerful for one speaker.
And hey, had to tease a bit about the photo since you did post some pretty big ones before. All in good fun!
The loudest boombox for its size that I own and have ever heard is my Panasonic RX-F20. It cranks out the sound for a tiny minibox.
I would have to say the Sharp GF-666Z, One midsize box with weight on it, And deep sound that is just amazing for it's size.
james how much for the honda trail?
Ferget that, how much for the tie?
I had totally forgotten about the bolo tie! A fashion must have for UE!
panasonic.fan - 2008-04-03 10:11
I think that the most bang for your buck at size is easily the JVC RCM100. The little guy with the removable walkman style tape deck. That radio puts a whoopin' on radios 5-6 times it's size.
I know some of these other radios mentioned are good loud units, but when size is taken into consideration (which is what I thought was the point of the thread), the RCM100 stands alone.
masterblaster84 - 2008-04-03 10:20
PF I probably would agree but the initial question asked which box in our collection and I don't have a PC-M100.
Go on, have a guess what I'm going to suggest...
...& you wouldn't be wrong
The Hitachi 3D7 is a good contenter here because it's single woofer, single deck & tuner only feature-count means it's quite small (the 3D8 & 3D80 are a fair bit longer). Also, squashing all controls onto the top & the speakers across the front makes the b-box smaller too.
...and as I
might have mentioned once or twice over the years, by God it can blast.
If you want a nice balance of sound (with bass too), it's eyebrow-raisingly loud. If you just want it loud-loud-loud (but not distorted), it's really quite something. My 3D7 has far from disgraced itself at a few parties in it's time.
Only two I have can properly out-blast it - the Kaboom & an M90. Both have around twice the amplifier power & both are of course huge, so don't qualify here.
masterblaster84 - 2008-04-03 12:40
I've never heard any Hitachi 3D*** boxes, I know that sounds pretty lame for a collector. I passed one up at the Flea market a while back and I'm still kicking myself for it but as the saying goes "That's the way the cookie crumbles".
quote:
Originally posted by JLF:
Like at night when Im on the computer late, I think its cool to have a solid bass hit on a quiet setting!
Am I alone in this???
No. I like that too, but don't have many boxes yet which can punch loads of bass at low volume. Most of mine have to be turned up a fair bit for the bass to boom. The boxes I have which do achieve deep bass at low volume include the Aiwa CS600, Philips D8634, Panasonic RX-CT900, Sharp GF-777 and the JVC RV-B90 Kaboom. But none of them sound 'perfect'. The Aiwa and Sharp lack highs, the Panasonic sound 'modern' (if that's possible!), and the Kaboom lacks highs. The Philips is the best overall, but I can't help thinking how crap it must sound compared with a JVC RC-M90. I wish I could find one!
JLF -- that question is worth its own thread
very useful topic --
imho -- the kaboom is the king of low volume bass output --and the M90 is a very close second
Telefunken Hifi Studio 1
Panasonic RX-C100/300/DT-680
Sansui CP-99W
Pioneer CK-5F
masterblaster84 - 2008-04-04 08:27
JLF that's a whole different question and I agree worthy of it's own thread. I would say the Aiwa CS-660 and the Panasonic RX-CT900 even my Crown CSC-970 has good bass at low volumes.
Did this get a new "best sounding box on a low volume" topic?
If not, I'll nominate any of the ASW Hitachi 3Ds. These are later 3D b-boxes where the extra woofer was hidden away in an acoustic box, like the JVC Hyper-Bass system. Lovely, rich & deep bass at low volumes, but quickly runs out of puff if you turn the wick up.
...more on ASW (acoustic super woofer) Hitachis here:
http://stereo2go.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8306018954/m/9511073924quote:
Originally posted by MasterBlaster84:
I've never heard any Hitachi 3D*** boxes, I passed one up at the Flea market a while back and I'm still kicking myself for it
The 1st generation ones sound pretty awful without the centre woofer switched on, but switched on the bass is awesome. I have a 3D8 and it's my bassiest boombox, well, third to the GF-777 and Kaboom of course!
quote:
Originally posted by oldskool69:
quote:
Originally posted by baby boomer:
Since this question comes up so often, and since there seems to be a wide variation in answers, I need to ask about the whole idea of loudness when it comes to boomboxes.
1. Aren't all boomboxes loud if you turn up the volume? When someone asks about how loud a boombox is, do they want to know when the box is at full volume?
2. How do you objectively measure loudness without some sort of dB measuring device? Even then, doesn't it depend on how close you are to the speakers?
3. Or is it really a question about how high you can turn up the volume on a boombox before you get speaker distortion and sympathetic vibration of the cabinet? If it is, how do you compare boomboxes? You can't use the numbers on volume dials, because each dial is different and the numbers are arbitrary. (Remember Spinal Tap's bragging about how their guitar amps went to 11, which meant they were "one louder" than amps that only went to 10.)
4. Under what circumstances would you want to play a boombox at full volume? Maybe breakdancing outdoors?
"How loud?" has always been a question I've had trouble answering. It seems so subjective! Knowing this stuff will help a lot!
This is the argument I had to answer in the National/Panasonic RX-C100 Review
(National/Pansonic RX-C100 Review) I posted earlier.
I do measure using a sound level meter. I also use tone generators as well. I'm a little more scientific I guess but that makes it mor fun for me. (I'm a nerd, weeehooo!!!
) I do look for the point a unit will distort, not simply make the most noise. In general terms and on balance with all settings being neutral most boxes will distort far before reaching max levels. Now it may not be audible to everyone..."but it will distort". I've had this discussion many times.
A good listening area, will be between 6 to 8 feet from the unit centered between the loudspeakers. There is a general reasonable volume that depends on the unit. A mini will sound like it's screeching if you try to get it as loud as say, an M90. (
) What is reasonable is what is comfortable and enjoyable to listen to under "most" circumstances. This is how I determine volume levels considering the source (internal, external, digital, analog) as well.
All things being equal as possible, I set tone controls neutral and raise the volume from the normal listening benchmark established. The human ear tends to react negatively to distortion as irritating frequencies are heard along with the breakdown in shape of the intended sound. At this point is when I call it quits. Not that I couldn't drive it louder. But why drive it louder? It's just like listening to my kids scream at each other at this point. No one understands what is said and you have one highly irritated Dad.
What this reveals is that a good many sound good the way they were designed to be listend to. And some may have surprising volume and punch at these levels. (i.e. The RX-C60 is no match for the RX-C100 but has surprising volume and punch for it's size relative to the RX-C100.)
Now where's my pocket protector....
Hi Oldskool69, What happened to your review on the RX-C100? I clicked on it and got "Did not find any data for this TOPIC." Was it removed?
Thanks for the 'low volume boom' list Retro!
Im going to keep my eye out for some of those on your list.
The reality of BBX collecting for me, is that I use them. Most often at low volumes. So I like to feel the music if I can.
Glad to know Im not alone in that line of thought!
