Boombox is a common term for a portable cassette or CD player with two or more
loudspeakers and a carrying handle. Other commonly used terms are ghetto
blaster, jambox, boomblaster, Brixton briefcase, and radio-cassette. A boombox
is a device typically capable of receiving radio stations and playing
recorded music. Many models are also capable of
recording onto cassette tapes from radio and other sources. Designed for
portability, boomboxes can be powered by batteries as well as by line current.
The boombox was introduced to the American market during the mid-1970s.
The desire for louder and heavier bass led to bigger and heavier boxes; by the
1980s, some boomboxes had reached the size of a suitcase. Most boomboxes were
battery-operated, leading to extremely heavy, bulky boxes.
History The first boombox was developed by the
inventor of the audio compact cassette, Philips of the Netherlands. Their first
'Radiorecorder' was released in 1966. The Philips innovation was the first
time that radio broadcasts could be recorded onto cassette tapes without the
cables or microphones that previous stand-alone cassette tape recorders
required. Although sound quality of early tape recordings was poor,
improvements in technology and the introduction of stereo recording,
chromium tapes, and noise reduction made hifi quality devices possible. Several
European electronics brands, such as Grundig, also introduced similar
devices. Boomboxes were soon also developed in
Japan in the early 1970s and became popular there due to their compact size
and impressive sound quality. The Japanese brands soon took over a large
portion of the European boombox market and were often the first Japanese
consumer electronics brands that a European household might purchase. The
Japanese innovated by creating different sizes, form factors, and technology,
introducing such advances as stereo boomboxes, removable speakers, in-built
TV receivers, and inbuilt CD players. The boombox was introduced to the
American market during the mid-1970s, with the bulk of production being
carried out by Panasonic, Sony, Marantz, and General Electric. It was immediately
noticed by the urban adolescent community and soon had a large market,
especially in metropolitan centers such as New York, Los Angeles, and Washington
D.C. The earlier models were a hybrid that
combined the booming sound of large in-home stereo systems and the
portability of small portable cassette players; they were typically small,
black or silver, heavy, and capable of producing high volumes. The effective
AM/FM tuner, standard in all early boomboxes, was the most popular feature
of the early boombox up until the incorporation of input and output jacks
into the boxes, which allowed for the coupling of devices such as microphones
and turntables. The development of audio jacks brought
the boombox to the height of its popularity, and as its popularity rose,
so did the level of innovation in the features included in the box. Consumers
enjoyed the portability and sound quality of boomboxes, but one of the
most important features, especially to the youth market, was the bass. The
desire for louder and heavier bass led to bigger and heavier boxes.
Regardless of the increasing weight and size, the devices continued to become
larger to accommodate the increased bass output; newer boombox models were
affixed with heavy metal casings to handle the vibrations from the bass.
Design A boombox, in its most basic form, is
composed of two or more loudspeakers, an amplifier, a radio tuner, and a cassette
or CD player component, all housed in a single plastic or metal case with a
handle for portability. Most units can be powered by AC or DC cables in
addition to batteries. As boomboxes grew in popularity, they
also became more complex in design and functionality. By the late 1980s, many
boomboxes included separate high and low frequency speakers and a second tape
deck to allow the boombox to record off of both the radio and other pre-recorded
cassettes. Equalizers, balance adjusters, Dolby noise reduction, and
LED sound gauges were other later additions.
In the mid-1980s, the boombox began to become a status symbol; the popularity
among young urbanites caused increasing demand for extravagant boxes. The
introduction of the compact disc in the early 1990s led to the introduction of
the CD player in standard boombox design. As the 1990s continued, boombox
manufacturers began designing smaller, more compact boomboxes, which were often
made out of plastic instead of metal as their counterparts from the previous
decade had been. The rectangular, angular, chrome
aesthetic of many 1980s models was frequently replaced with black plastic
in the 1990s, and modern designs are typically characterized by curves
instead of right angles. However, the designs of older models are a source of
much interest among enthusiasts and collectors, who frequently seek the
larger feature-packed models. Most modern boomboxes come with iPod docks to
access MP3 technology, and some even come equipped with integrated or
removable satellite radio tuners. Boombox designs vary greatly in size.
Larger, more powerful units may require 10 or more size-D batteries, may measure
more than 760 millimetres in width, and can weigh more than 12 kilograms. Some
take a 12-volt sealed lead-acid battery, or can be a portable enclosure for a car
audio head unit. Audio quality and feature sets vary
widely, with high-end models providing features and sound comparable to some
home stereo systems. Most models offer volume, tone and balance controls.
Most brands were manufactured in Japan by companies such as Aiwa, Sanyo,
Hitachi, JVC, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba.
More sophisticated models may feature dual cassette decks, separate bass and
treble level controls, five- or ten-band graphic equalizers, Dolby noise
reduction, analog or LED sound level meters, larger speakers, 'soft-touch'
tape deck controls, multiple shortwave band reception with fine tuning,
automatic song search functions for cassettes, line and/or phono inputs and
outputs, microphone inputs, loudness switches, and detachable speakers. A
handful of models even featured an integrated vinyl record player, an
8-track tape player or a television screen, although the basic
radio/cassette models have historically been by far the most popular.
Cultural significance The boombox quickly became associated
with urban society, particularly African American and Hispanic youth. The wide
use of boomboxes in urban communities led to the boombox being coined a
"ghetto blaster", a nickname which was soon used as part of a backlash against
the boombox and hip hop culture. Cities began banning boomboxes from public
places, and they became less acceptable on city streets as time progressed.
The boombox became intrinsically linked to hip hop culture and, as Fab Five
Freddy puts it, was "instrumental" in the rise of hip hop. Certain models like
the JVC RC-M90 and the Sharp GF-777 were known as the boombox kings, having the
power to drown out other ghetto blasters; they were frequently used in
music battles. The Beastie Boys embraced the boombox as a signature, The Clash
always had a boombox with them, and Schoolly D carried around a Conion 100cf
in the UK. = Music=
LL Cool J's Radio album, JVC RC-M90 The song "I Can't Live Without My Radio",
from this album, is a love song to the boombox.
The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu's All You Need Is Love. The video for this
song unveiled the KLF logo, the "pyramid blaster", which fused a pyramid with a
ghetto blaster. The pyramid referred to the Illuminatus! Trilogy, since Bill
Drummond had worked on the stage version of this trilogy.
The Beastie Boys' Solid Gold Hits compilation album has a JVC RC-M90 in a
1984 image by Josh Cheuse Stereo Hearts, by Gym Class Heroes
featuring Adam Levine of Maroon 5, makes reference to the Boombox in the Second
verse. Music videos
Daft Punk's "Da Funk", an anthropomorphic dog walks around New
York with a boombox playing the song In Madonna's "Hung Up", she gyrates to a
Dynasty Disco Lite ES-555 Madonna's "Sorry" also features the
Disco Lite ES-555 Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" has the Disco
Lite ES-555 as well The Lonely Island's "Boombox" features a
Lasonic 931 Tim Finn's "Fraction Too Much Friction"
features boomboxes. Eminem's "Berzerk" features Eminem
rapping and standing in front of a giant boombox for most of the video.
Jules Larson's "Silly" features Jules walking all around Los Angeles carrying
a large vintage boombox. Michael Jackson's "Jam" features a
boombox. = Films=
Fame, Leroy is listening to a boombox with headphones attached and the teacher
turns it off and informs him "In the future, Mr. Johnson, you will leave your
ghetto blaster at home." Flashdance, a breakdancing scene with
Rock Steady Crew Breakin', a stickered up Clairtone
7980/Conion C-100F/Helix HX-4635 and an unidentified model
Krush Groove, LL Cool J and The Fat Boys sport boomboxes
The Wild Life, Jim carries a boombox throughout the film
The Last Dragon, in the Sum Dum Goy fortune cookie company in New York's
Chinatown sits another Clairtone 7980/Conion C-100F/Helix HX-4635 on top
of some boxes, an HGM International used by breakdancing kids in a movie theater
that gets broken, and a Toshiba RT-150 on the lap of an urban youth
Disorderlies, film poster features a Crown CSC-850
The Living Daylights, Q demonstrates a boombox rocket launcher to James Bond,
calling it a "ghetto blaster" Do the Right Thing, Radio Raheem
constantly listens to Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" on his J1 Super Jumbo
boombox wherever he goes Say Anything..., Lloyd Dobler serenades
Diane Court with a boombox Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, the boombox
henchman shows up in many of the fight scenes following Betty around while
playing rap music while he fights Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Spock
administers a Vulcan nerve pinch to a punk who refuses to turn down his
boombox on a city bus. In A Night at the Roxbury, Doug
interrupts Steve's wedding carrying a boom box, and the boom box is playing
the song "What Is Love" by Haddaway. Also, throughout the film, either Doug
or Steve is seen carrying a boom box at dance clubs, while the two bob their
heads to the Haddaway song. = Other appearances=
The 1980s television game show Press Your Luck's animated character Whammy
would sometimes breakdance next to a boombox.
In 2006, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History created an
exhibition called "Hip-Hop Won't Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life" which
featured, among other things, a Sharp HK-9000 boombox that belonged to Fab
Five Freddy. Photographer Lyle Owerko, who has a
collection of over 50 boomboxes, documented the cultural history of the
device in his 2010 book The Boombox Project: The Machines, the Music and the
Urban Underground, with a foreword by Spike Lee.
Juke from Cartoon Network's The Amazing World of Gumball is a boombox-headed
character that is a student in Elmore Junior High.
Decline The 1990s were a turning point for the
boombox in popular culture. The rise of the Walkman and other advanced
electronics eliminated the need to carry around such large and heavy audio
equipment, and boomboxes quickly disappeared from the streets. As boombox
enthusiast Lyle Owerko puts it, "Towards the end of any culture, you have the
second or third generation that steps into the culture, which is so far from
the origination, it's the impression of what's real, but it's not the full
definition of what's real. It's just cheesy." The Consumer Electronics
Association reported that only 329,000 boombox units without CD players were
shipped in the United States in 2003, compared to 20.4 million in 1986.
Compressed digital audio and the future of boomboxes
Although many boomboxes had dual cassette decks and included dubbing,
line, and radio recording capabilities, the rise of recordable CDs, the decline
of audio cassette technology, and the popularity of high-density MP3 players
and smart phones have reduced the popularity of high-quality boomboxes to
such an extent that it is difficult to find a new dual-decked stereo. Dubbing
remains popular among audiophiles, bootleggers, and pirates, though most
tasks are now accomplished through digital means or analog-to-digital
conversion technology. Most modern boomboxes include a CD
player compatible with CD-R and CD-RW, which allows the user to carry their own
music compilations on a higher fidelity medium. Many also permit iPod and
similar devices to be plugged into them through one or more auxiliary ports.
Some also support formats such as MP3 and WMA.
The simplest way to connect an older boombox to an MP3 player is to use a
cassette adapter, which interfaces an MP3 player's output directly to the
cassette player's heads. The 'Line In' can be used if the boombox has one.
Some modern boombox designs provide other connections for MP3 such as a USB
connector for use with a removable USB drive, slots for various flash memory
media such as SD, MMC, SmartMedia, and Memory Stick, or even a CD drive capable
of reading MP3s directly from a CD, thus allowing for a relatively cheap and
large music storage to be carried and played back at full volume.
Starting in mid-2010, there are new lines of boomboxes that use Bluetooth
technology known as Stereo Bluetooth, or A2DP. They use the wireless Bluetooth
technology to "stream" audio to the boombox from a compatible Bluetooth
device, such as a mobile phone or Bluetooth MP3 player. An example of this
is the JAMBOX, which is marketed as a "Smart Speaker" as it can also function
as a speakerphone for voice calls in addition to being an audio playback
device. Another modern variant is a DVD
player/boombox with a top-loading CD/DVD drive and an LCD video screen in the
position once occupied by a cassette deck. Many models of this type of
boombox include inputs for external video and outputs to connect the DVD
player to a full-sized television. Gallery
See also AV receiver
Computer speakers Vehicle audio
References Further reading
CBS Sunday Morning – Boomboxes: A REAL blast from the past
New York Times Review – The Boombox Project
External links Boombox History
Mentions of the boombox in songs, movies, television, film and print at
the Boombox Museum, PocketCalculatorShow Huck Magazine Boombox Retrospective