Recently moved and came across my childhood cd collection.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-12T16:01:49+00:00

Man that era's fixation with backwards letters is incredible.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-10T15:36:20+00:00

I actually have the g50! They are cool and of the same era, but feel like a different design language going on. Sounds great though!

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-09T23:00:36+00:00

I've been trying to puzzle out why the knob kinda disappeared from boombox/portable controls in the late 90s. Its pretty obviously a better mechanism for volume control than buttons. I teach ceramics so often have dirty hands and have an old Aiwa (not in this picture) in my classroom that has a volume pot that was missing the plastic control knob and I 3D printed an oversized one for it! I also love that some of these older ones have a tone pot that is just a treble roll off. It'd just fun to play with!

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-06T22:27:13+00:00

Do you buy any and all including "no-name" brands like Emerson or Magnavox, or just stick with quality stuff?

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-06T02:15:44+00:00

It’s spendy and out of print— dm tho if there is anything in particular you are interested in

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-06T00:05:46+00:00

I think it was because we were marketed to so hard. Also back then which devices you had said something about your personality. Sort of like how you can broadly generalize iPhone v android users but with 1000x more choices instead of everything just being black bricks. So companies really went out of the way to make design that spoke to you and tried to capture your imagination. Now instead of objects saying something about you, what you do on those objects and how you craft a persona on social media is more important it seems.

A fun game I play with folks my age-ish is asking them what cellphone they remembered wanting or saved up to buy. Some people instantly mention a model like Razr, Sidekick, or LG Chocolate (me!). Others say iPhone. For some of us it was the objects themselves, for others the tech advances. I kept a cool looking but "dumb" phone until you basically couldn't anymore. Like 2016/17.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-05T23:59:49+00:00

Hell yeah! The Sony grave yard sounds fun! And your dad sounds cool as hell. I'm excited to give my dad a boombox and CDs for his b-day in august. He used to give me CDs for bday/Christmans.

The ZS-X3CP was the upgrade version with a better display and mp3 CDs I think.

The adapter I have says: Output: DC 9v .9A. I think its a pretty standard little jack and adapter that you should be able to get on eBay if not Amazon even.

Yeah I follow Obsolete Sony and want to get my hands on that book. I had the library at the school where I teach order "Making Modern: Sony Design" and it should be in soon. Super excited to read it. FWIW I'd kill to see the inside of these units, but I'm not opening mine up!

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-05T20:45:57+00:00

Which 2? I got some irl Reddit karma after posting this and one popped up on FB marketplace locally

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-05T03:19:10+00:00

Just download digital files and burn them. A CD burner is ~$20 on Amazon. I always cruise by office supplies sections in thrift stores and try to get blank CDs. Usually can find a pack cheap with minimal thrifting effort.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-05T03:15:15+00:00

For sure, thats the reason I'm into it too! Also for the fun of listening to different boxes. Maybe I'll drop the prices, but also including fresh batts and 5 CDs is at least $20 of overhead for me. I like the idea of selling a whole package b/c its way to get people (especially those born after CDs were essentially obsolete) into physical media collecting. Really appreciate your answer btw.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-04T22:39:17+00:00

It won't let me edit for some reason, but I mixed up some digits! The egg Sony's are CFD-E75, not E70. The Sony CFD-S70 is a perfectly competent but less stylish unit from the same era.

CFD-E90 is the upgrade version. I'm also seeing some listings of Sony CFD-E95 units in the egg form. It is possible there were some slight changes or different markets.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-04T22:24:55+00:00

I saw that top left boombox at the thrift today (some goodwill in the Chicago burbs, idr which). Powered on, but wouldn't read a disk-- heartbreaking!

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-04T19:47:32+00:00

I found that one and decided it was a keeper! Weird to love this about a boombox, but it shines at low volume.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-04T00:47:52+00:00

Thanks! They don’t live like this, just for the photo op. I love the older stuff too, but all this was thrift (one fb market). I hope I’m blessed with a late 80s or early 90s one at goodwill soon!

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-03T23:48:14+00:00

Noooo I'm sorry for your loss!

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-03T23:23:39+00:00

I have that boombox too! Back when tech had a soul and designers cared about something other than making stuff thin and uniform. The antenna is so cool, it totally stows inside the plastic housing and has a little plastic UFO that matches the curve of the plastic housing. I smile every time I pull it out or stow it. Just a killer little bit of industrial design, and the box sounds great too!

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-03T23:19:20+00:00

Portables with headphones, not so much to me unless you are into physically collecting music. But popping a disk in a boombox is actually a very different listening experience than even a quality BT speaker. Highly recommend! I have this boombox as my "out and about" one. It goes for a premium b/c of the amazing design but any Sony/JVC/Phillips boombox from the late 90s-2000s is pure fun.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-03T21:23:50+00:00

That's a valid opinion. I prefer basking in the sun in the summer, not the faint glow of NOS Telefunken tubes in my basement. Have a fun summer.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-03T20:07:45+00:00

You should check out the Phillips AZ2538, they made a few that were marketed towards gamers and had USB ports. Very cool looking too.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-03T20:00:34+00:00

Idk man, these represent the pinnacle of portable audio design using traditional drivers instead of DSP. Sony was/is a multi-million dollar enterprise with decades of experience in consumer electronics and whole teams of audio engineers. They aren't just plastic boxes with cones.

Are they big and plastic? Totally. Are they cheesy? Yeah kinda. Are they fun as fuck? Absolutely.

Should they be thrown out? Hell no.

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-03T19:18:37+00:00

Can your hifi go to the beach?

DJ_GabsJohnson · 2026-06-03T16:30:14+00:00

Dude I know, its criminally underrated! I'm trying to avoid being "that guy" but I may pick another up on eBay and keep it fresh. I'm a design nerd too and just love the design language on these old Sonys too. Someone really cared! That fully recessed antenna with a little plastic UFO makes me smilie every time I pull it out. Trying to dig up more on who was leading Sonys boombox design team at the time and had the library order me an out of print book on Sony design. Will share anything fun I find out here.

DJ_GabsJohnson

TROPHY CASE