Yes it's a design decision that is bad because the tape mechanism is flipped from standard, but we know what the pay button looks like and every single boom box prior to 2006 had it facing the other way. At some point technically correct is NOT the best way. And that point is when it's grandfathered in.
@@funkmon There are many older boomboxes that have the play button facing the other way so saying every boombox prior to 2006 had it the "correct" way is not actually true. It was common even in the 80s and 90s for budget boomboxes to have the buttons reversed, especially if they were the stores own brand products. The bigger brand names had more money to spend on their products, and charged more accordingly, so were able to make better quality units but I have a couple of budget models from the 80s and 90s that have the "wrong" way facing buttons.
Great video. Good comparisons. I have the Onn. Your'e spot on about it. The sound quality could be better but for the price point its a great little player. The cassette hiss is truly awful. The radio with Antenna is nice. As far as CDS that's where it works best. Plays perfectly. In a small apartment the sound carries well. I'll have to check out the Panasonic. thanks for the recomondations!
Yes, I noted that in the video, and you have to ignore every boombox made prior to 2006 had the play button in the other orientation because that's what it looks like on car and home decks, and also every single other version of the play button all of which look the same and point the other way. The fact is, this is a novel interpretation of what the play button means on a boombox, it has always been pointing to the right, every play button points to the right, and the change didn't need to be done.
I'm not sure where you get the idea from that the arrow to the left is a new idea (post-2006). It was always the case for cassette players/recorders where the buttons are top-mounted. I own, or used to own, such units dating back to the 1970s and across the decades that are like this. They all have left-pointing arrows. The mechanism isn't Chinese either. Modern ones are, but they are just knock-offs of a design introduced by Japanese company Tanashin in 1986, and the modern mechs can, for the most part, be used as drop-in replacements for those 1986 ones. The mech in question is almost identical for the top-mount, or bottom-mount buttons - the only difference is the bottom mount ones have a 90 degree bend at the end of the plunger so that the button can be pivoted against the plunger rather than acting directly on it. If you are careful enough you can remove/add this bend to the plunger to make one type work in the other. Take a look at Techmoan's Panasonic three-well boom box from 1985 for evidence. The arrow pointing left is more correct anyway, even for decks the "right way" up. The cogs turn anticlockwise.
@@jasejj unfortunately it was virtually never the case for cassette players with top mounted buttons in my experience. For example, a search of Bing images for 1990s Sony cassette boombox shows half of them with the backwards play button, same for Panasonic. It's possible it's market dependent, which is why there appears to be a mix, but I still *have* my cassette players from my younger days, all with the standard play button orientation.
@@funkmon Well at least you now acknowledge that your earlier comment about no top-mounted boom box buttons having "backwards" play buttons was false. I'd actually like to see a Japanese one the way you mention, as the only one I found on a Google search was a Grundig, and they were known for being a bit weird.
There is a point where cheap-and-cheerful becomes cheap-and-nasty. Do the math on anything that retails for $36 (Walmart or anyone else) and you are left with a parts cost of less than $20. I don't care how many mechanisms are being churned out of factories in Asia, the MTBF is going to be appalling.
@@jsenear Yes it's a design decision that is bad because the tape mechanism is flipped from standard, but we know what the play button looks like and every single boom box prior to 2006 had it facing the other way. At some point technically correct is NOT the best way. And that point is when it's grandfathered in.
As a native English speaker I got them all right except that, to me, they say "Sherry, but Joe's" in number 2 and I can't hear "left" in number 15. although that makes the most sense.
@@jasonwilliams6005 Have you ever seen it happen ever? Do you know that it has happened millions and millions of times to people's tapes all over the world?
1:15 the play arrow points in the direction that the tape moves. it's not a mistake. an auto reverse deck has play arrows pointing both ways.
Yes it's a design decision that is bad because the tape mechanism is flipped from standard, but we know what the pay button looks like and every single boom box prior to 2006 had it facing the other way.
At some point technically correct is NOT the best way. And that point is when it's grandfathered in.
@@funkmon There are many older boomboxes that have the play button facing the other way so saying every boombox prior to 2006 had it the "correct" way is not actually true. It was common even in the 80s and 90s for budget boomboxes to have the buttons reversed, especially if they were the stores own brand products. The bigger brand names had more money to spend on their products, and charged more accordingly, so were able to make better quality units but I have a couple of budget models from the 80s and 90s that have the "wrong" way facing buttons.
Thanks for the video. You compared all the boomboxes I’ve been considering.
Great video. Good comparisons. I have the Onn. Your'e spot on about it. The sound quality could be better but for the price point its a great little player. The cassette hiss is truly awful. The radio with Antenna is nice. As far as CDS that's where it works best. Plays perfectly. In a small apartment the sound carries well. I'll have to check out the Panasonic. thanks for the recomondations!
"If you just want it to be listenable, without you wanting to die." LOL 21:27
I have the SONY which as you say is ok, and also the model above it with BT, sounds much better. Thanks for the comparison review, fun.
Play arrow is actually correct. You put the tape in tape side up. It travels in the direction indicated then.
Yes, I noted that in the video, and you have to ignore every boombox made prior to 2006 had the play button in the other orientation because that's what it looks like on car and home decks, and also every single other version of the play button all of which look the same and point the other way.
The fact is, this is a novel interpretation of what the play button means on a boombox, it has always been pointing to the right, every play button points to the right, and the change didn't need to be done.
I'm not sure where you get the idea from that the arrow to the left is a new idea (post-2006).
It was always the case for cassette players/recorders where the buttons are top-mounted. I own, or used to own, such units dating back to the 1970s and across the decades that are like this. They all have left-pointing arrows.
The mechanism isn't Chinese either. Modern ones are, but they are just knock-offs of a design introduced by Japanese company Tanashin in 1986, and the modern mechs can, for the most part, be used as drop-in replacements for those 1986 ones.
The mech in question is almost identical for the top-mount, or bottom-mount buttons - the only difference is the bottom mount ones have a 90 degree bend at the end of the plunger so that the button can be pivoted against the plunger rather than acting directly on it. If you are careful enough you can remove/add this bend to the plunger to make one type work in the other.
Take a look at Techmoan's Panasonic three-well boom box from 1985 for evidence.
The arrow pointing left is more correct anyway, even for decks the "right way" up. The cogs turn anticlockwise.
@@jasejj unfortunately it was virtually never the case for cassette players with top mounted buttons in my experience. For example, a search of Bing images for 1990s Sony cassette boombox shows half of them with the backwards play button, same for Panasonic. It's possible it's market dependent, which is why there appears to be a mix, but I still *have* my cassette players from my younger days, all with the standard play button orientation.
@@funkmon Well at least you now acknowledge that your earlier comment about no top-mounted boom box buttons having "backwards" play buttons was false.
I'd actually like to see a Japanese one the way you mention, as the only one I found on a Google search was a Grundig, and they were known for being a bit weird.
@@jasejj not at this time, no. I still expect it's based on the market.
I’m liking mine so far. The only thing that sucks is recording onto tapes.
I'm not surprised. I figured it sucked so bad I didn't bother. Haha. Thanks for reporting in!
There is a point where cheap-and-cheerful becomes cheap-and-nasty. Do the math on anything that retails for $36 (Walmart or anyone else) and you are left with a parts cost of less than $20. I don't care how many mechanisms are being churned out of factories in Asia, the MTBF is going to be appalling.
mtbf?
@@Frip36 mean time between failures - you want more not less
Thats the same amount i paid. Genius lol 35 dollars. Hey bro thats my radio. Lol 😂
The reason the buttons are that way is because you put the cassette in upside down.
@@jsenear Yes it's a design decision that is bad because the tape mechanism is flipped from standard, but we know what the play button looks like and every single boom box prior to 2006 had it facing the other way.
At some point technically correct is NOT the best way. And that point is when it's grandfathered in.
Cd player sounds good.
As a native English speaker I got them all right except that, to me, they say "Sherry, but Joe's" in number 2 and I can't hear "left" in number 15. although that makes the most sense.
Tapes get eaten. I will never buy tapes ever again. Bad format. I remember them I'm 47.
@@CBT5777 I have never had a single tape get eaten. I keep my players clean and have hundreds of tapes. Never a problem and I use them a lot.
@@jasonwilliams6005 This was back in the 80's.
@@CBT5777 same here. And up to today. I just never had that problem.
@@jasonwilliams6005 Have you ever seen it happen ever? Do you know that it has happened millions and millions of times to people's tapes all over the world?
@@CBT5777 yes I've seen it. I'm just saying that it hasn't happened to me.