Why are there no boom-boxes anymore?

For the past few years I have been looking for a big ol' fat radio boom box. I grew up in the late 70s and early 80s and without any money as a kid owning a REAL boombox was out of the question. So, in movies and tv I would see these "aspirational" devices that were huge needed 20 D-cell batteries, but I could never afford one.

Now, I'm an adult I could afford one but they simply do not make anything that has that 1977-1979 "Grand Master Flash" aesthetics. With modern electronics, miniaturization, and Li-ion batteries a huge boombox could be lighter, more powerful, and better! Yet, nobody makes them! Moreover, the aesthetics of current devices that might do the same thing are TERRIBLE.

Be honest what looks cooler even to modern eyes?

This?

or

This?

Be honest a modern bluetooth speaker thing looks like crap, right?!

Even if we say, "Well, you don't need the dials and physical frequency band selector, dozens of switches, and you don't need the tape-deck," that still leaves a need for big speakers and some sort of aesthetics presence for holding the computerized equivalents with a battery! Am I off base? Am I crazy?!

Eh, this might be because I was born in the early 90s, but I don't really see the appeal of the boombox style over the Bluetooth speaker. I prefer a sleek look that takes you by surprise with its quality over a bulkier busy look. I'm surprised there isn't someone making them anymore. Did you look to see if there are any hobbyists that revitalize them? I'd imagine someone out there would be a big enough fan to bring old boomboxes back to life.

Oh man, there is a whole boombox collector scene out there. I got super nostalgic one day, and fell into a black hole reading about it.

It's waaaaay too intense for me. It would be nice to have an old school boom box to remind me of my childhood, but realistically you get about the same, if not better sound from a Bluetooth speaker.

The general audience just wants a decent quality speaker that doesn't take up a desk.

I think the holy grail of boomboxes is either the JVC RC-M70 or the M90.

I agree.

Someone stole our boom box a year or two ago. Major sucks.

Take a look at what happened to the gramophone and I think you'll find your answer

There are bluetooth speakers designed like boomboxes out there. These ones by lasonic are the most retro looking ones, but seem to only be available used at this point:

And these ones by supersonic are pretty readily available, I like this one:

but yeah, supersonic bluetooth boombox or lasonic bluetooth boombox in amazon should give you lots of options.

Edit: Well that formatted super crappy, but hopefully you get the idea

I'm 25 years old and I think that JBL speaker (while still kinda ugly) looks better than the boombox. OK, don't get me wrong, I get the appeal - I've been known to like things from before I was born, actually - but boomboxes look big, bulky, and ugly to me, whereas I can get a bluetooth speaker that sounds pretty damn good for its size and I can place it or store it pretty much anywhere. Besides, my receiver serves its purpose as my "big, bulky, ugly box that pushes out great sound" and every other speaker needs to be small enough to get tucked away into a drawer.

My Dad has a Bose bluetooth speaker that looks cool and is tiny enough to store or place wherever he wants it. It's definitely one of his most used electronic devices.

No totally fair to like what you like and tell me. ;-) I'm like super old, and I'm ready to admit that fact! But, yeah, old boomboxes just make me feel alive, it must be the same way for people who like old American muscle cars. My thing is just 1970s Japanese electronics that somehow run on D-batteries.

I would point out to some of the young folks, that 1970s boomboxes were built really well. They were made in Japan with a level of quality you simply do not/can not get anymore except in $1,000 computer power supplies. (Apple can get good work out of China by selling $2,000 computers and insisting on quality, double checking work like a nagging mother-in-law.) But, today, unless they made $800 boomboxes you simply would not get the quality. That is why when I talk about boomboxes it not about the 1980s versions. By the time teens could buy boomboxes in the mid-80s, they were the affordable mass-produced cheap stuff - not the real deal. Oh, I had a nice Sony 1984 "half size" boom box as an older teen, but it was merely nice for the time, not one of the truly epic devices. I loved it, but it was not the real thing.

Thanks for showing me this. I recently decided to enter the turntable world, and I see direct parallels in the way people are talking about old boomboxes. There's something wild about how people know there is, generally, an upper limit to quality that has been far surpassed by newer technology, but who still want to hit that upper limit even if it costs them thousands of dollars in their pursuit. Like besides the fact that boomboxes look fucking cool, why the hell would you want to use one as your primary listening device??

I prefer the term 'ghetto blaster'.

I don't miss them, I'd rather less plastic etc be used to make something that basically does the same function. Less wasteful, less future trash for a landfill.

they were rad during the time though.

I foubd this on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004DSLIV0/ref=mp_s_a_1_32?ie=UTF8&qid=1487373584&sr=8-32&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=big+boombox&dpPl=1&dpID=31ShS5R9h0L&ref=plSrch

It might be close to what you're looking for ^_^ my family used to have an old bug boombox from like 1983 or something, and ut was great! But I kind like how sound systems look now. :p

@hippie_genocide said:

Yeah, this. This is what we called them then. I don't remember anyone calling them boomboxes until quite a bit later. It might be a regional thing.

Boom box was a term invented by the industry because the average person was calling them "ghetto blasters" and they knew they couldn't use that term in their marketing/advertising materials.

The industry created the term, started using it and it stuck. That's why it seemed to come later and that's why everyone started using it.

I see Modern Bluetooth speaker design as meant to not call attention to itself. Just a tiny thing to put on your patio during a summer bbq. Boomboxes are cool, I agree, but I was never the one to put a dozen giant batteries in those things and take it out of my home. I'm personally not in the market for a space hog like that, but I can admire them in old movies and music videos.

I believe the Bluetooth boombox nastalgia phase already came and went, or it didn't hit. Kids like the small indiscrete looking black boxes, over the dope ass giant robot looking boom boxes. :-(

i really have a thing for boxy metal "technology". was thinking how some vcr and beta players look pretty fucking rad. not that i truly want to go back to those times, but they had a look and feel about them.

the only times i'm ever blasting music is in my room with my surround sound speakers and subwoofer or in my car with sub-bass.

never gonna need one of those, and having a "beats pill" type of speaker is just way more ergonomic and easy to travel with.

The JBL Charge, which is what you have a picture of, sounds better than any boom box I ever owned. It also has a ten hour battery life, and can charge my phone. It is also 1/3 of the size of an average size boom box.

It's perfect to bring to work, as multiple people can connect there phone at once and take turns picking music.

It's so handy to use in the backyard, or use in the kitchen while cooking.

I have a big bulky home entertainment system. So I guess that's where I placed my nostalgia.

i have a bum shoulder, so i can't hold it up like you're supposed to.

and no, i can't just put it down cuz what's the fucking point?!?

I recently purchased this beauty

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71UMyQ-xo7L._SL1000_.jpg

It came with a full cassette library of green day albums, and i bought some old classics as well. It's loud and fun and just way more appealing than some minimalist bluetooth speaker. It does aux cord output as well so i use it for my tablet/ipod at work or at bbqs. The vast majority of these bluetooth speakers are trash, the really big bose one is solid though.

I wouldn't carry one around on my shoulder (except as a joke with the appropriate crowd), but I would def whip one out at the right kind of party.

I'm 28 and yeah, that top picture is badass cool. In fact it's so cool I honestly don't think I could pull it off.

I have no problem with the concept of playing loud music, but the second you start playing loud music in public (i.e. not your car or home) you're a dick. People walk around now blasting music out of their shitty phone speakers and it's the most b.s. thing.

I'm 25 so I guess this shows how much attitudes have changed. Get a nice bluetooth speaker and a nice pair of headphones/ear buds for when you're in public.

I just found out that Radio Raheem's boombox from Do The Right Thing (actual movie prop, signed by Spike Lee) sold for US$ 9,375 in 2014.

People dont care for great sound anymore is the short answear. You listen to music in a phonespeaker and when its partytime a shitty sounbar will do the trick. It has to be mobile, cheap and gimmicky to sell and that leaves the market for great sounding products very small and niched.

I have the bigger version of the JBL speaker in your post and while its great for its size thats about it. JVC still makes their boomblaster however and its pretty good if your in for some carrying.

My sister still owns a re-branded version of a Magnavox boom box, which carried me nicely through childhood. I believe it mostly works to this day. As you can see, this is much closer to 90s aesthetics (black plastic, much less angular). It was quite expensive back then.

I think it still looks kinda dope, including the ridiculous "Turbo Bass" signage. It was not the easiest thing to carry around though, taking several C batteries (eight, I believe). The carry handle could barely handle the increased net weight. Consequently, this was mainly used a stationary stereo. The sound was fine, I guess -- but I had nothing to compare it to. Probably was shitty, probably was the best ever, idk.

I do not see a market for these things anymore as they are neither fish nor fowl.

Too many were getting thrown in lakes.

More seriously, stuff like the Lasonic fit the bill - ridiculously sized and run off ten D cells - but I'm guessing that as few other companies went down that route they didn't sell too well.

As someone that grew up watching WWE and seeing that damn JVC Kaboom Box ad every 20 seconds I share the love for these massive relics, however I also have respect for the fact that other people dont want to hear what I am listening to.

There aren't any because most people seem to like portable stuff that's good enough. As much as I'd like my own ghetto blaster, I don't think I'd ever use it. I usually spend most of my time inside.

That being said, I do believe they look way fucking better than many bluetooth speakers only because I enjoy the aesthetic of classic boom boxes. Carrying this mini-Transformer on your shoulder, blasting out something like Public Enemy or Run-D.M.C. sound dope.

I still see people walking around with ghetto blasters or equivalents on the streets around here during summer. Then again I live in a pretty bohemian part of the city.

The trend I've noticed more recently is people hooking up speakers to their bicycles or just carting around a massive speaker and maybe a couple of decks on a trolley.

The boombox is cooler, you're right. I still have a couple of 90s equivalent things I plug my phone into when it's gotta be loud. The rubber tubes today are still better than the multicolored plastic ipod speaker dock things from the 2000s though.

I have a Mini Jambox and I can't imagine wanting to carry around a larger device like a boom box.

I think it's hard to figure out all the specifics of this one but:

1. Media probably led us to believe there were more people walking around with boom boxes than really were.
2. Maybe boom boxes were so popular in the 90s and possibly 80s because they lined up with that in-your-face bombastic attitude of that era which started to wane as we got into the 2000s.
3. Ultimately, I think most people will take big upgrades in convenience over small-medium upgrades in aesthetics. It's real hard to imagine anyone that walks around with tiny external speakers that can connect to their phone throwing them away for this huge set of speakers that they have to carry everywhere.
4. The ubiquity of phones and personal music players mean that you don't need someone to bring a speaker to you to have music out in the street.

One of those devices looks like a sex toy.

The good news is there are still tonnes of boomboxes in the world and they are now cheaper than ever. Have you tried second hand stores or eBay?

You could sort of class work site radios as the boom boxes of today, only they're a hell of a lot easier to change the batteries now. Pull your cordless tools battery out and whack a new one in. Don't know what I'd do on site while working without one.

Funny you should bring that up...I like the 8-Bit Guy.

@monkeyking1969: hahaha well I haven't put it to any real use other than playing music in the living room, good to know how it looks smashed to pieces for its inferior quality though

They still sell them at our local electronic stores, but I'm not sure anyone is buying them nor do they ever change price. They're like a relic stuck in place.