Introducing myself. I am from India, currently living in the UAE.

Sharing my nostalgic memories about my stereos in childhood.

The words Boombox or Ghettoblaster were not common with us. These were mostly called as "STEREO", "TAPE RECORDER" (if it is a mono) or simply a "TWO-IN-ONE" (for Radio & Tape together).

India had a closed market policy till 1990's with no multinational brands sold in the
country. There was Philips and few other brands established as Indian companies in
electronics. The Japanese brands were not sold in India. They were mainly brought by the
expat employees working in the oil rich gulf countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman
etc., when they come on vacation every year. Most will bring at least one Stereo in their
hand on every vacation.

The first tape recorder ever to come to our family was an AKAI AJ-350  sometimes in 1978. It was also brought by one of our relative from Gulf, who also had one AJ-370 with him at the same time. AJ-370 is slightly bigger than Aj-350 and with an additional Tweeter! (Photos from the net).

I used to keep my ears on the backside of the Akai to listen songs, as it used to have a better bass while listening from the back side. For years, I dreamed of having a Stereo with a better sound and the dream became true in a big way, sometimes in the 1985.

My father bought us a Pioneer CK-R500 (without CD), for a fortune, from a family friend. It must have been the first portable Stereo appeared with a CD, but because 

the price was so high and the CDs were in infancy, it was made as an optional detachable
CD unit. (Picture from the brochure posted elsewhere in S2G index.php?board_oid=193392314111653483&content_oid=222104193720397731

). It had every technology
available on a stereo with great sound. It was a proud possession for me during my college studies in the hostel, which no one had even in their home!. The Pioneer was with me, fully working, till I also left to the Gulf for work.

By the time I reached the Gulf and money was in hands, the fascinating world of Stereos had disappeared. Portable stereos have became in the shape of Helmets and Eggs now. So instead of looking for portables anymore, in 1997 I bought a Sony Mico system, MHC-G99AV. After 10 years or so, I came across a 1990 Kenwood stacked system and bought it. The portable stereo bug was still in my mind and once gone for a vintage Hi-Fi, I started looking for getting any old stereos as well. Sometimes in 2009, thus I picked up my first boombox, a Toshiba RT-S75D. Gradually, the search was extended to the web and reached S2G as well. Now joining the club.

hi ae_stereo and welcome to stg

that's an interesting story you have there,doe's that mean that boomboxes are even harder to find there then say here in the uk?

Not really. Even though boomboxes were not sold directly by the multinationals, so many were brought in through multiple channels, including smuggling. Hence every household would be having one.

Today, the only problem will be to find a specimen in good condition. Most would have been nearly scrapped now, both functionally and cosmetically.

hi and welcome to the site

welcome on board 

that's a shame,the only way i ever get any new boxes is through ebay and members on here...always stopping at junk and charity shops and ask around and never find a thing

great story AE Stereo, welcome aboard

Great background on your history with portables (and not so portables). Welcome to the site, hope you enjoy your stay. There are many great members here.

welcome to the melting pot of fruit cakes..........enjoy your stay

Welcome AE Stereo. Enjoy your hunt for a good one. You never know you might find a grail. They're out there!!!

I really like the Pioneer never seen one.  Wonderful story and so glad you shared that history.  You are in the right place to grow further in Boombox collecting.  You should look up member DocP he lives in India a most upstanding grand gentlemen of our community although I believe he mostly is just a Walkman Collector and repair person.   If you ever need a belt for something he is the man for sure to contact. 

Hello, and welcome to the forum AE.

Welcome AE. That's an interesting Pioneer.

I think I might actually have the sales brochure for this model. I'll post a scan if I can find it later.

Welcome along AE

Welcome aboard AE...I've never seen that Pioneer model before..thanks for sharing!

Thanks for your reply. I have already edited my post and link to the brochure has been given above.

I had been badly searching for images and any info on my beloved Pioneer and one day I came across the brochure posted by you in S2G. This brochure is indeed a big treasure for me. The title of the post has only CK-W700 (the bigger brother) in it, hence it was not appearing in my searches. Please tag the post with  all three models - this brochure is a treasure. One day I went through all the posts for Pioneer and found it. 

Pioneer might have made only few models of Boomboxes, as their main business was in Hi-Fis. This series might have been the last (and best?) of their boombox model line. 

Great  story from  India !

Welcome to the club AE_Stereo.

One of the best cd boomboxes from the 80's

That's a beauty mnt, bet it sounds killer