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We need to thank our friend Bill in Tennessee for contributing this monster
by Conion, the TC999. Coney-Onkyo was the parent company for Conion and yes, it's
the same manufacturer for the audio gear you see today. The system has similar
capabilities as the famous C-100F, but is gold in color with matching switches
and knobs. This model is also equipped with an alarm system.
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Dean in Boston provided us this photo by Peter Anderson of a San Franciscan proudly
carrying his JVC RC-550 (RC-550JW). We pose the question: Is it a ghettoblaster?
Sure, those are one-way speakers, but lookit the size of that woofer! This thing
is surely loud. The handles on the side are a nice touch and no doubt made
this comfy to carry while walking.
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Our friend Jens in Germany provided us with this oddity, a boombox fitted
with a fold-out turntable and two tape decks. Unfortunately, we're at a loss
to determine make or model. It bears resemblance to the Marantz displayed earlier, but
we're not sure. Seems to have at least one band of shortwave coverage, two antennas
and input jacks for something. This is a dream system for recording purposes,
you've got everything you need in one device! update: Says Gordon fromt the UK,
"The unit is actually made by Amstrad, it was very common in England circa 1983/4."
Petri from Finland writes, "it's a Williams model 8060 twin cassette radio record player.
Found one of these last summer from local fleamarket (I live in Tampere, Finland) .
If I remember right it cost something like 10 euros. Works great but
I'm going to buy a new needle for it because the default one looks
pretty dangerous to records." Thanks guys!
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This flashy ghettoblaster by Trident feels so chintzy, it's a wonder it made
it this long still in working order. Paul found this in Manhattan, and was pleased
with its offerings: twin 10-segment LED meters, music search and soft-touch controls.
Despite the gold color, there doesn't appear to be an ounce of metal on this thing.
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Thanks again to Chris in North Bay, Ontario for another classic. This is the
Citizen JTR-1292 and is exotic for a number of reasons. Obviously most important
is the condition. Chris found this at a flea market (screw eBay) with the ad
decals still intact! But even more interesting is the tuner on this baby. At
first glance, it looks like your average radio tuner...but look
closely, and you'll notice there is no tuning dial. That's right, this
thing has synthesized tuning, controlled with push buttons. But the display has
an analog facade! You can also see the LED readout for the programmable tape system.
I'm curious about the Citizen brand name. I know this was a popular name in Canada
through the '80s, and equipment I believe equipment was manufactured in Korea, and
distributed by a company called JIL. This stuff sold like hotcakes at Consumers
Distributing chains. Anyone with any additional information?
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Classic chrome Lasonic TRC-920, courtesy of Bill in Tennesse. Despite the
notoriety of Lasonic, we're familiar with only four classic boombox models
manufactured by the company (L30K, TRC-920, 931, 975). Were there more?
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Thanks again to Jens in Germany for finding this thing. It's a slightly ugly
ghettoblaster with a slightly ugly name: Vinix. This one is near the top of the
obscurity list. Worth noting is the handy LCD clock above the tape drive. We don't
think there exists any sort of time-controlled recording or playback functionality
on this system, unfortunately. If anyone knows of a system with this features,
please let us know! We certainly think it would be more useful than disco lights
or an alarm.
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If there were a single boombox you could own, one that had nice looks,
performance and lots of features you'd probably select either the Panasonic
RX-7700 or this JVC RC-M90. It's the RC-M70's big brother, making this one a holy grail
among grails. It's large, it sounds great, and has a knob for just about everything.
Tune AM, FM and many SW bands. Coverage must be impressive, because I'm counting
eight buttons (on the left) for band selection. That large hole toward the bottom
is for a remote. We must thank Ed for the photo and info on this rare system. He
keeps this on his desk at work, right next to a JVC DC33. Hmm, my co-workers
complain about my loud typing, wonder what they'd say if I strolled in one day
with one of these on my shoulder?
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