The buying and selling of stereo systems and boomboxes (portables), both new and vintage, has been quite popular.  The following information will give you, the buyer,  a better understanding of the items being sold, what questions you should ask and so on.  This guide will not tell you which unit to buy. 

               The Tape Deck.  The tape deck is by far the most important and beloved part of a vintage boombox, especially those made in the 80's.  Cassette tapes were extremely popular during that period.  Countless manufacturers made both high quality and low quality tapes for use in recording (dubbing), and cassettes offered the versatility of portability that vinyl albums could not match.  Any commercially sold music or voice recording could be found on cassettes as well as on vinyl records.   The following is a list of several tape deck characteristics which will significantly define the deck's quality and performance.

     Several cassette tape formulations were introduced.  Each aspired to be better than the other.  Formulations such as normal, ferra-chrome, chrome and  metal.    So, a good question to ask is, what formulations can be played and recorded on this boombox?   Any boombox can play and record on a normal  bias tape.   However, all the other formulations are considered high bias and require different circuitry.  Ferra-chrome did not stick around very long, so you don't have to fret if it is not included.  Chrome  tapes were, and still are, extremely popular.  They were the most reasonably priced of all the high bias tapes and they were made by many manufacturers.  Metal tapes refer to the oxide particles on the tape itself and do not denote a metal frame, although one huge tape manufacturer did come out with such a tape.  Metal tapes had a higher head-room, meaning you could record slightly louder onto them.  This in turn should result in less noise and hiss in the background.  Metal tapes were popular for a while, but not as popular as Chrome.  The bias is important because  you cannot properly record on a high bias tape with a deck made for normal bias only.  If you playback a normal tape using the high bias setting, the tape will sound muffled and lifeless.  If you play back a high bias tape in the normal mode, the tape will sound shrill and a much more "hissy".  Therefore, look for a boombox that can play and record on at least Normal and Chrome positions.  Metal position is a plus only if you intend to use it for recording.

     Noise Reduction.  DOLBY LABS was, and is, the popular noise reduction circuitry of choice.  Noise reduction in itself is a huge topic, so I will just deal with how it relates to boomboxes in this article.  If the boombox you are considering features DOLBY NR, than you are most likely looking at a unit which will record and playback tapes in DOLBY B.  Tapes made with DOLBY should be played back with the same, or they will sound shrill, distorted and exhibit more noticable hissing.  With standard DOLBY B, you can make fine recordings, depending on the deck's quality of course, and playback virtually any store bought tape.  Other DOLBY circuits came out later on, but DOLBY B was by far the most popular in boomboxes.

     Other notable features.  Electronic deck controls became popular in the very early 80's.  Some boomboxes had them and some did not.  Electronic deck functions employed solenoids, belts/gears to move the deck's tape head gently into place, whereas mechanical deck keys tend to jolt and jar the tape heads. 

Auto reverse allowed recording and playback of both sides of a tape without the user having to open the deck and flip the tape over to the other side. 

Full auto shut-off is a very good feature.  If the deck is allowed to rewind or fastforward unattended, the deck will shut off when the end of the tape is reached.  Some decks only offer shut off at end of playback or recording.  These decks may not shut off in fastforward or rewind, thus having the potential to stretch or break the tape.  There are many other possible features, such as music search, editing capabilities, etc.

 Problems with older stereos: 

When a seller states the tape decks aren't working, but the cause could just be a belt, be very careful.  You are most likely buying an item that is sold as-is.  It is also most likely an older item for which parts may be extremely hard to come by.  For all you know, the buyer has no idea why the boombox is not working.  Stating that it may be a belt is a very common generic excuse.  A bad or broken belt is the most likely cause, but not the only one.  Damaged pinch rollers, capstans or motor(s) could be the problem.  Even problems with the power supply.  So, when the unit is not working, you are buying it blindly, with no idea if parts can be had. 

     If the seller states the deck is working ok, but sometimes eats tapes, be careful as well.  Again, there could be damage to the pinch rollers, capstans or motor(s) which can cause this problem.  If the seller states that a cleaning will probably do the trick, that should mean nothing to you.  If a cleaning should do it, then, why didn't the seller clean it and try again?  Tape deck cleaning tapes are still sold.  Someone knowledgable about decks can clean it very well with just a couple of cotton swabs and some rubbing alchohol. 

     The Tuner.  Most boomboxes employed analog (dial) tuners, especially in the 80's.  Digital tuners were infrequent then and became more popular in the 90's.  Analog tuners may not work because internal mechanical parts may be worn or broken.  Be wary of such units.  Digital units either work or they don't.  If it is a simple problem like the display doesn't illuminate, that can usually be repaired.  If the antenna(s) are broken, they can be replaced, but may not fit exactly like the originals.

  Amplifier.  If the seller states the amp works a little, or intermittantly, be very careful.  An amp is solid state circuitry.  If one of the channels do not work properly, then the amp may be blown.  Sometimes however, it could be the speaker.  A simple test is to connect a speaker you know is working to the amp and see if it plays.  If it still does not, then the amp may be dead.  If the seller isn't willing or able to try this test for you, then you may want to look elsewhere.  Again, if you buy it and try to repair it, you may have a very difficult time acquiring the parts and they may be very expensive.  There is always a small possibility that a fuse is blown.  However, that is assuming an easy fix for an item that might have cost quite a bit.  That is a big risk on the buyer's part.

     The Speaker Systems.  Speakers are moving parts.  Their performance can degrade with time.  The individual speakers within a boombox are referred to as drivers, woofers or tweeters.  The speakers cone surrounds should be intact.  Many woofers have cloth-roll, foam-roll or rubber-roll surrounds.  If the surrounds are torn or rotting due to age, then the speaker cannot possibly work properly.  Most of the speakers are unattainable because the boombox is so old, so you are out of luck if you buy one with damaged speakers.  Speakers may not work for many reasons.  If the seller states a speaker is not working, keep in mind that a replacement speaker may not be found.  A particular problem with most boomboxes is the way the original speakers were designed to be installed.  They may employ specially shaped flanges and mounting gear.  You can't see this from the outside.  The speaker that requires replacing may look like a simple speaker with a round or square frame that is easily replaceable.  When you attempt to install a general replacement speaker of the same size, you may find it will not fit properly or not at all.  This rule applies to all boombox speakers, even those boomboxes which feature detachable speaker boxes.  Many times the actual speaker drivers are mounted in unusual ways not seen from the outside, making the installing of a replacement speaker very difficult.  Also, many boomboxes employed woofer or tweeter sizes that were slightly different than the sizes of general replacement parts.  Finally, the speakers physical depth may be hard to match.  Many aftermarket speakers may have magnet structures which are too big.  They may fit on one side of a boombox but not the other, because electronic boards or a power transformer may be in the way. 

     Manufacturers also match the internal speakers to the boombox's amp and tone characteristics.  When you try replacing a boombox speaker with a higher quality speaker, you may find that the replacement speaker does not play nearly as loud, or does not deliver as much bass or midrange.  You would think the better replacement speaker would act as an "upgrade" of sorts.  But it usually does not work that way.  Most boomboxes weren't designed to meet the same criteria as home components, so they cannot properly power better quality speakers in many cases.

     Are all the other features working?  That can be very important.  If the unit has VU meters, but only one is working, that may indicate that only one channel of the amplifier, tape deck or tuner is working.  That's a big problem.  So, if only one VU meter is working in the pictures provided by the seller, be wary.  Broken or missing knobs and switches may be extremely difficult to replace.  If the seller states that a channel goes in and out when manipulating the volume and/or balance controls, that could mean a control defect or a short.  Static in the volume and other controls may be relieved by using a cleaning spray made for cleaning tuning controls.  It all depends on how corroded or filthy the controls' internal moving parts may be.

     Obviously, broken cases, huge cracks or very noticable damage to the boombox indicates it was used roughly or even abused.  Any type of sudden impact can jar a boombox enough to cause misalignments, shorts, disconnection of electrical fittings, belts, etc.  Unless you are specifically looking for parts only, be very careful of such units.

     Turntables.  Also known as record players.  Some vintage boomboxes feature mini turntables built into their case.  Turntables, like tape decks, use many moving parts which can break down over the years.  If the turntable does not work, you may have a difficult time having it repaired.  Another problem with turntables is that they require a phono-cartridge (sometimes called a needle).  Your chances of finding a replacement cartridge is slim.  If the cartridge on the turntable is damaged or missing the diamond tip, then you may be out-of-luck.

     CD players.Beginning in the later 80's and beyond, boomboxes began to change.  Large, one-piece units with huge woofers were being replaced by more sophisticated boomboxes which included built-in CD players.  Some of these units were very sophisticated.  Some units featured 3 and 4 piece designs, looking more like micro component systems than boomboxes.

     CD players on these older units were usually made very well.  Many of the older boomboxes with CD players will play your burned CDs (excluding MP3 CDs). 

     If the seller states the CD player is not working, or doesn't read the CD, but is probably an easy fix, be careful.  Every seller wants you to believe the CD player simply needs cleaning and will work 100% afterwards.  If only it were that easy.  You should first ask, why didn't the seller try cleaning the CD player and try it again?  There are a multitude of CD cleaners out there.  They can be bought in virtually any department store or electronics outlet.  If the CD laser lens is dead, the repair may not be cheap.   Having the CD player re-aligned is not cheap either.  And, the problem of obtaining parts is always an issue with older electronics.  When the seller states the CD player works as long as you press on the lid (top loading units), or lay something heavy on it, that  also can be a big problem simply because replacement parts may not be available or may be very expensive.  If you don't fix it, then you risk the CD player exhibiting problems such as skipping or stopping in the middle of playing, plus it looks ridiculous to have something sitting on top of the boombox.

      Brackets, Handles, etc.  Many very powerful component quality boomboxes came out in the late 80's and early 90's.  They were made up of separate components which could be locked together via metal brackets.  The speakers were actual mini speakers made of plastic or wood and could also attach to these mini system type boomboxes.  Sometimes the handle was built-in, and sometimes the handle was another separate part which attached to the entire unit, making it portable.  Such brackets, handles and so on are extremely hard to come by.  If the boombox you are considering does not come with the proper mounting brackets and handles, you may be out-of-luck.  Forget about being able to use it as a portable.

     AC, DC or both.  An ongoing arguement regards what is really a boombox and what is not.  Some of the very high end units made in the  80's and early 90's were more component like.  Their decks had all the features of a home component deck and their amps could deliver huge outputs (as compared to other boomboxes) over a very wide frequency range.  But, these units usually did not work on batteries.  So, were they really boomboxes at all?  They could be carried from room to room, or anywhere an AC outlet was available.  Some had an option to be powered by a 12 volt car battery, via the cigarette lighter.  Therefore, if you are looking for a true portable boombox, you may wish to ask if it works on AC and batteries. 

     Remotes.  A few boomboxes in the 80's and many in the 90's could be operated via remote control.  Some of the 80's models required a wired remote, meaning the remote had to be plugged into the boombox to operate it.  If the seller states the unit is missing a remote, but it is easily replaceable, be careful.  Many older remotes can not longer be found.  Replacement remotes that may not operate all functions are sometimes available.  These remotes can be very expensive.  Costs ranging from $40 to $100 is not unusual.  Keep this in mind when considering a boombox missing the remote.

     Another problem with missing remotes may not be obvious to the buyer.  Some of the older boomboxes had features which could only be operated by the remote.  This was done by the manufacturer to keep the face of the boombox simple.  So, if you are missing the remote, you may be very limited in operating the boombox.  This can pose a serious problem if some key features are on the remote control only.

     Operating manual.  Many times, a seller will state the operating manual is missing, but you can probably download a copy online.  There are many boomboxes for which the operation manual no longer is on file.  You can't even buy it.  With a lot of digging and research, you may end up with a copy, but don't be too sure of it.  Without the manual, you may not know how to operate key features, nor will you know the specifications and limitations of the unit.

     Inputs and outputs.  Many vintage boomboxes featured multiple inputs and outputs.  This may be of real interest to the buyer.  Line-inputs or aux-inputs usually refer to inputs which will accomodate most modern components, including tape decks, VCRs, CD players, DVD players, Ipods, etc.  That is to say, you can play the sound of such components through your boombox.  Phono-inputs are for turntables.  Turntables provide a much smaller output compared with other components.  If you try to play a tape deck or CD player through a phono-input, it will result in a lot of useless distortion and you may overdrive and damage the boombox's preamp.  External antenna inputs are self explanatory.  Line-outputs usually mean you can connect the boombox to a larger amp or system and play it through that system.  However, that is not always the case.  In some of the vintage boomboxes, only the CD player's output may be routed to another component.  I don't know why they were designed that way.  Speaker outputs were also pretty common.  Some boomboxes featured actual quick-connect speaker jacks just as those found on home component systems.  Others featured mini-jacks to which a cable could be connected, thus sending the amp's signal to an external speaker(s).  As I mentioned earlier, the sound quality attained by connecting a higher quality speaker system to your boombox may be disappointing.   Headphone jacks can be found at the front, top, rear or side of a boombox.  You can use the headphone jack as a line-out if you boombox is not equipped with a line-out jack.  The effect is similar, although not exactly the same.

      Always insist that a seller insure the shipment of your vintage boombox purchase.  The few extra bucks are well worth it.  If your vintage boombox arrives damaged, chances are slim that you can have it repaired.  You may have to wait months for another to appear on the internet, and then you will have to pay a high price just in the hopes of acquiring some spare parts.

     One reference sometimes used in describing boomboxes is "new old stock".  This usually refers to a vintage boombox which is supposedly brand new, but never used, and is still complete in its original retail packaging.  Obviously, the buyer has no clue as to whether this claim is true or not.  Unless the seller offers specific warranties or guarantees, the claim is of little use.