The Philips Bumbox that’s ashamed of the cassette

If you want a new stereo cassette ‘boombox’ in 2020 there are very few options. If it was left up to ‘Philips’ you wouldn’t even know this one existed.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Fake Gran wants a boombox
01:51 Where’s the cassette?
04:24 Here it is
07:48 Tape
10:30 DAB Radio
13:45 Specs
15:05 CD
15:49 Bluetooth
16:20 MP3
18:05 Wow & Flutter
20:10 Remote Control
21:08 Dynamic Bass Boost
21:35 Summary
22:27 Outro

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*******FREQUENCY RESPONSE****** - It’s not about the tape - it’s about the player....

The reason there is no bass for the tapes is due to the frequency response of the cassette deck - see 13min 38secs Cassette tape reproduction is stated in the specs as having a frequency response of 125-8000Hz - this is far narrower than the other components.

For a reference to compare this against a familiar tape deck - the first Sony Walkman from 1979 - the TPS-L2 - that had a quoted frequency response of 40-12000Hz.

So that means the 1979 Sony Walkman could play back low frequency sounds that fell between 40hz to 125hz - that this device ignores.
That’s why the bass feels as though it’s missing - because it is actually missing.
________________________________________________________________________________

FAQ
Q) Isn’t the play key pointing the wrong way?
A) The play key indicates the direction the tape moves. In this machine as the cassette is inserted with the tape at the top - the tape will move from the right reel to the left as it plays - so the arrow points left. Same goes for the Rew & FF keys - they both point the way the tape travels if pressed.

CHEESE SANDWICH FAQ
Q) Why is there a picture of a cheese sandwich on screen at the beginning?
A) A while ago I coined the phrase ‘A cheese sandwich video’ to describe a simple video that’s exactly what it is and nothing more - just like a cheese sandwich is a sandwich containing cheese.

A cheese sandwich video is simpler video that doesn’t take weeks to assemble. It’s usually a brief demonstration of one item.

If you see a cheese sandwich image pop up at the start of a video - it's a sign to expect a less complicated and elaborate video. Sometimes all a product needs (or deserves) is a simple demonstration - and that’s where the ‘cheese sandwich‘ video comes in.

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[Techmoan]

It’s not about the tapes - it’s about the player...
The reason there is no bass for the tapes is due to the frequency response of the cassette deck - see the specs at 13:38
Cassette tape reproduction for this bumbox is stated as having a frequency response of 125-8000Hz - this is far narrower than the other components, but also narrower than any _decent_ tape deck.

For a reference to compare this against, the first Sony Walkman from 1979 - the TPS-L2 - that had a quoted frequency response of 40-12000Hz.

So this means the 1979 Sony Walkman could reproduce low frequency sounds that fell between 40hz to 125hz - that this ‘Philips’ device ignores.
That’s why the bass feels as though it’s missing - because it is actually missing.

*FAQ*
Q) Isn’t the play key pointing the wrong way?
A) The play key indicates the direction the tape moves. In this machine as the cassette is inserted with the tape at the top - the tape will move from the right reel to the left as it plays - so the arrow points to the left. Same goes for the Rew & FF keys - they both point the way the tape will travel if pressed.

[brennyn]

"Bumbox" is now forever part of my vocabulary for subpar subboomboxes.

[Frankie_Fish]

"So i've got my stereo test tape here, which is just a couple arguing over directions in a car"
RIGHT left RIGHT left RIGHT left RIGHT left RIGHT left RIGHT left RIGHT left RIGHT left .

Lost it at that moment. Absolutely briljant.

[mgmg]

"No expense spent" covers so much manufacturing in this age. I had a rather anemic boombox in my day, but it surely beats the Bumbox.

[SPTSuperSprinter]

“Unsupported file formats are skipped. For example, Word documents”. Well damn. I wanted to listen to my word document and now I can’t.

[izzieb]

I choose to believe she is a real gran! She's out there somewhere...

[lelluc]

There is another version being sold without the cassette tape player, they probably re-used the box and manuals...

[colormetwisted]

Yet another "Put on a shelf in the garage for when Dad is working on something" boombox.

[keithgray]

Actually, last Christmas I volunteered to buy gifts for nursing home patients...each volunteer was assigned one resident and given a wish list...my list had one item = boombox! which I bought from amazon. (Sony model) I just hope they liked it so yeah, older people DO like boomboxes.

[Sashko_Dee]

Statistically speaking there should be oodles of grannies running around listening to Wu Tang in 2020.

[asmolbean]

"remember again, I don't actually exist." Is my new catchphrase

[bramvandenbroeck]

I live in belgium, a friend's uncle works as a guard in a prison, and he told me that this kind of boombox, but without the bluetooth and usb port, are still manufactured and sold for the inmates, and its made by philips, and it looks very similar to the one you are reviewing here, and it has a cassette deck as well, because this is the only way that inmates can record and share music between eachother, you can't buy cassettes anymore from the shops, but visitors are allowed to send or bring in sealed cassettes, (because i asked how inmates can buy cassettes since you can't find them practically no where but online)! I even have a walkman that belonged to an inmate once, the inmate went free and forgot his walkman and the uncle took it home and my friend gave it to me because i like old tech . . . Good video btw Techmoan, and i would buy such a boombox, just to see how good it sounds!

[alldreamsfalldown]

"We have a warehouse full of tape mechs, what do we do with them?"
"Just sneak them into our other products any way you can."

[RodBeauvex]

I will never actually be able to imagine Matt listening to those Rap tapes. There is just something in my mind that refuses to process this concept.

[kaitlyn__L]

"I think he's called technoman or something" brilliant!

[jensengbgb]

Bottom of the tape freq response is stated as 125Hz, so if that's -10dB (sales nonsense instead of -3dB) no amount of bass boost is going to help with adding any "bum" to this box when playing cassettes.
.

[glitchinawesome]

Hey TechMoan huge fan here from the USA your videos are fascinating!! Thank you for all your hard work!! I have actually been binge watching your videos all night and I came across this one lol I hope you get to read this. Looking forward to future videos!!

[robfenwitch]

Technoman, Technoman, Technoman and his imaginary gran...

[Thermalions]

It's okay, Granny's hearing isn't so good these days. The years spent in the mosh pit at live rock and heavy metal concerts saw to that.

[wawi]

I just bought myself a Philips AZ8490, specifically to test new cassettes and play my collection without having to use the headphones on my walkman. It’s lovely and I was very inspired by your videos and the “you can get a second hand classic player that’s far better than new ones” and for $20, I am insanely happy with this purchase. Took me 2 minutes to clean it and it runs amazingly!