Sony FH Series

These two I think are the top of the range.

FH-215 

FH-909

They're pretty power hungry so mains only no batteries. Small hi-fi with handle rather than boombox. 

Ahhh to dream. Thank you hisrudeness.

I have a 215, a 414 and a 7 MK2.

I like the looks of FH7 better, but the 215 haves that one of the kind graphic eq which is very nice.

Sound wise, they are almost the same, competition being miles behind.

I've always loved the 215!! But having never heard one in person I have no opinion. 

Radio Raheem has a 909 and swears that it's the finest he's heard (even above the M90).

The thing is you can't really compare them to any other boomboxes because they're not really boomboxes.  I guess you could have one at a BBQ on an extension lead. But beaches, camping, street party...well not really. They were never really sold with the younger demographic in mind so don't have a street look. I recall the 215 & 909 being priced anywhere from £600-£1000 in the late 80s. They're too big to be a kitchen or garage radio so I guess they're a weird kind of hi-fi hybrid. 

Oh and another thing, when you carry them by their handles they tend to bend and creak and flex! It's pretty terrifying as they also weigh a lot. 

That being said though the sound is brutally powerful on the two I've owned!

Good point Rory.

They were "portable" in one aspect. Moving it from the table to the floor and that's about it.

I think Sony was climbing into the portable component fad like JVC's PC series and wanted to out "box" JVC's lineup but forgot to add batteries and a rugged handle

I wonder wich models stopped usuing the battery tray. My FH 5 has the slide out batt. tray. I havent ran it on batts, but heard the sound / power drops on batts. I am sure these were marketed for people with money to burn. Kitchen radio for a rich person = big kitchen. Garage radio for a palace garage. Definately portable on a limited basis - to another room, down to the car and then to some other place, but not down the street. With the leads on the back like these,and the depth, you would knock the wires off banging it against your leg, and the weight would throw off your macho strut lol. So no they were a personal choice for those with the cash. I do like the fact they can separate in to a multi piece set up and be sperad out. Even just the FH 5 - Brutal sound you can hear coming down the street (just dont drop it)

They made a battery tray for the fh7 as an optional extra......you swap the power unit for the battery unit and it becomes a portable.......That was it as far as im aware....

I have the fh3   fh5   fh7 -mk1 & 2    fh9 and fh10   fh11   fh15 etc ....

from the fh9 onwards, they never came with a battery option

Awesome davebush. Thats what I was wondering. Thanks for the info. One of my "Grails" is still the 909R. Someday.

Rory is spot on in all aspects you can't even compare an m90 or any other box to the 909 215....had a kaboom against my 909 the other day and in all honesty the 909 left the kaboom standing in the dust...these are not portable though but that's no problem, i have plenty other radios for that...im so lucky with my 909 as she was hand delivered and came boxed with papers remote the lot

Radio Raheem is the "Deech" of the UK

How do these Sony's compare to the Hitachi M2? I've got one on my workbench now! Not my picture:

That's a beautiful hitachi Michiel, 

fh7's are super loud, clean and punchy sound, totally recommend it.

And you are the Deech of the us my friend...a free M90 from you're nextdoor neighbor...nobody can beat that son

Thanks drip Its my first AC only "box", so now I crossed that line.. A nice fh7 or higher is allowed too Only thing I'm always afraid for with Sony are their tape decks. They are amazingly advanced, but very weak. Especially the cam gears. And I love tapes

He will be if he makes a trade with that free M90 for a box I don't understand why?? LOL