The company, Philips, first developed the Boombox in the 1970’s. A boombox is a portable cassette or CD player with two speakers on either side. Not only can you listen to CD’s and tapes, you could also listen to the radio. The best part about them was that they were loud and you could take them with you, only needing batteries to power them.
Companies such as Panasonic, Sony, JVC, and Sharp were big producers of the item. The boombox fad became popular in the U.S. in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. The streets in major cities were filled with music being played out of the boomboxes.
Later models included an input and output jack allowing for microphones and turntables. Over the next few years, companies began to make the boomboxes bigger and better, having better sound, more speakers, etc. Boomboxes became very popular in the music industry, especially in the rise of hip-hop. Many artists such as ‘The Beastie Boys’ and ‘LL Cool J’, featured them using the boombox in videos, TV appearances, and even in songs.
With innovations being made in music and other electronic equipment, boomboxes began to fade out in the late 1990’s. Walkman, mp3 players and other devices made it easier for people to listen to music without carrying around such a heavy and bulky device.
Producers
Hitachi
JVC
Panasonic
Sharp
Sony
Toshiba
Aiwa
Marantz
Photo
Video
Featured Image Via: hypebeast.com