That's lovely. When you were young, you didn't care about sound quality. You just cared that it looked cool and that it worked. I'd gladly have this on display and use it.
Yet the comments just loved those! And I did too. I just started putting videos up this week so don't know what's normal or not with youtube studio, but the counts are all over the place depending on the page you're looking at, or even the part of the page you look at.
I had a similar looking Fisher Electronics tower back in the 80's. It was my tall "music altar" (lol), looked and sounded great with lots of fancy graphics, buttons, and blinking lights. :)
I had one similar to this for many years as an adult, though like you, I ash swapped the original speakers in favor of some better ones. And yes, I was glad to have it.
These were the Kmart special; usually sold for $99 from 1985-88. For those who couldn't afford the big 400 watt Sharp and Fisher tower stereos these were designed to mimic. They were incredibly popular with apartment dwellers (It's primary advantage being LOOKING high power and impressive without the neighbor complaints and eviction threats of a Sharp tower.)
@@michaelfuller34 Radio Shack had a wide range of stuff, from the Optimus brand (the higher-end stuff) down to their 'Clarinette' brand which was their budget all-in-ones and entry-level component stuff. I tripped over a Clarinette AM/FM/8-Track 'receiver' a few weeks ago at a yard sale. They had another low-end brand, too, though the name escapes me at the moment.
@@MrDuncl My old Marantz receiver was spec'd for 40W/channel, continuous, and its power transformer occupied nearly a quarter of the cabinet. I promise, Sharp never built anything THAT damned solid.
You never cease to amaze me with your ability to find old el cheapo gizmos, fix them when needed, and demonstrate and review them in a manner that makes them desirable to own. It's because of you that I've gotten back into cassettes, and I'm not sure whether to thank you or curse you, lol.
I had a SoundDesign unit from the late 70's... it had christmas bulbs and the double mirror making the infinite depth illusion. It looked SUPER COOL... sounded OK... and eventually fell apart.
Ugh, YT can be ... quite difficult to deal with occasionally. So let's make sure the algorithm recommends this great video about an interesting piece of retro tech to more people than just me.
Great video I love the look of these things, and as an added bonus I no longer suffer from asphyxiation during exercise thanks to that handy tip on the cassette :)
I had one of those stereo systems back in the late 80s through early 90s. I hooked up a TV antenna to the FM external antenna to get better reception. Then I plugged in a CD Walkman to the Aux. It was a great college dorm stereo at the time.
Gotta love this 1980’s all in one stereo system. Sure, it’s not audiophile approved but for the average Joe, an all-in-one stereo system from Soundesign would suffice to make them happy and satisfied. Very simple and easy to use out of the box. Just plug in it, turn it on and you’re ready to go!
Even now, I would absolutely love to have a stereo system like this one (despite its overall cheapness)…. but oddly enough, it’s also what makes it so appealing to me! Thank you for another wonderful video!!!
and diagonal lines. The equaliser and level display ticks that box. Away from stereos even the bedclothes had pastel colours and diagonal lines back then.
@@MrDuncl it’s has something to do with MTV and the graphic designers! Even in video games like Nintendo was pushing for pastel colors and pixels in their marketing!
My first stereo system was a Soundesign 6821M all in one complete with particle board tower and skinny tower speakers back in 1986. You could even store your cassettes in the central support column. It was awesome and the tapes i recorded with it still sound good today. It was a sound design.
I love all VWestlife's videos and I will usually leave a comment when I can. This time I'm leaving a comment to help up with the algorithm. Keep up the good work!
LOL I had that exact experience 😅 I got a stereo system (a Sanyo) when I was 10 or 12 I think for my birthday back in the 80's and indeed I was the cool kid in the street 😎 I still have the picture that was taken the exact moment I saw my new stereo for the first time standing on the kitchen table. I was so happy! Ah the good old days... 😄❤ EDIT: I googled it and I think it was a Sanyo GXT 848U.
Sanyo made some great compact stereo systems, often with Dolby and a decent Garrard record changer. They show up on auction sites quite often, but almost never with their original speakers. Where do those those speakers go? You can probably find a GXT 848U, but it will probably need some work. Some part of the good old days may not be gone. 😊
This is the sort of stereo I would have aspired to as a kid. There were always loads of models like that in the catalogs of the day, usually made by Bush, Alba or Murphy in the UK. All fur coat and no knickers, as we say.
That specific Soundesign unit and that specific Memorex tape are the chef's kiss. Would of passed this one up as a kid, but as a adult do not care that its cheap, it simply looks amazing!
I got something like this as my very first hi-fi system when I was 16 in 1988. It took me 4 months to save up for it working at the local supermarket Thursday evenings & Saturdays for $5.75 an hour! But, crap as it was, it was so nice having my own system & not having to transfer my new records to blank tapes on my parents hi-fi system to play on my crappy boombox.
I had a neighbor who lived 3 apartments from my parents back in 1991 and he had this same exact stereo system with all original parts, such as the record player and speakers! I grew up around these and wished my parents would have bought this for me and as a kid in the 80s, even if I didn't own one, would have been Thrilled to have one of these! Great Video!
One thing I can say for sure, you are the cassette deck repair expert. I have learned much from your videos on these old machines. HiFi or LoFi, you have a way to fix them! Thank you. 😃
13:55 the fact that they weren't even sure where it was made, or just used the same sticker for both Mexico and Taiwan made models really emphasises the "quality" of this turntable
Fantastic review. That volume indicator with the incandesent globes is an all-new one for me. That's something special in cost cutting right there. I do believe that's inspired by what we boombox collectors call the 'runway style' LED meters. usually with a mirror on top them to double the perceived amount. Ironically, Technics put such a thing on their SA-CA09 but Lasonic, Lloyds, Intersound, etc, etc followed suit on many other models.
Ahh Soundesign, hearing that name takes me back, My first one was a 5834BLK. I did have a few others afterwards. My last one was one that was a TV stand with fold out speakers.
The performance of that cheap sound system reminds me to my first early 2000's bookshelf sound system manufactured by Memorex, and I remember clearly how well plays pre-recorded cassettes in THAT High fidelity.
My dad bought a white Soundesign bookshelf stereo for my mom in 1987 - it was more 80’s looking than THIS. Integrated turntable, dual cassette, yadda yadda. At some point, it ended up being mine - it sucked beyond belief. I think we left it behind when my parents bought a new mobile home in 1998 - it went right to the crusher along with our old home.
I always see a ton of soundesign electronics in the thrift stores here on Long Island. That equalizer.😊 That first song you played, " In heaven there is no beer" was one of my dad's favorite , Frankie Yankovic version.
Great video! I had soundesign red boombox with a single cassette deck that I got for my 1st Holy Communion and it was one of the best gifts ever! Wish I could find another one NOS.
I remember when my sister and I were young adolescents, our parents took us to Best where we each picked out a stereo for our rooms. My sister picked out a Sony boombox which cost about 70 dollars and I picked out a much larger Soundesign stereo that looked like a mini tower system for about 80 dollars. I remember after a few days of owning it I was jealous of my sister’s higher quality Sony boombox, it pretty much did everything better than the Soundesign. I wasn’t the fastest learner either. A few years later I bought a GE tower system, it was one of the systems that had 4’ tall speakers with only one 4” driver inside the cabinet. Eventually I started getting into vintage stereo equipment through yard sales and thrift stores in the late 90s. Back then the 70s receivers were of almost no value and you would find for just a few dollars. How times have changed.
Thank you for showcasing these types of systems. They filled a market niche of decent quality at an affordable price, and for their time were better quality than much of what we see today.
Awesome find, and as an 80's Kid I would have loved this in my room back in the day, as I was lucky to have an AM/FM Panasonic boombox with dual cassette decks, and ported speakers that detached from the main unit, and among my friends that was gold, as most them either had a cheap portable tape deck, basic mono AM/FM radio cassette player, or not much of anything.
The great thing about 80s electronics is even the cheapest discount crap products were decent. I had a couple Soundesign 4617BUR stereo tape recorders in 1987. unfortunately they were not kid proof and didn't last long with me but I got one on ebay and the sound quality from that is better than anything out today.
So fabulously tripindicularly cool. When I was a teen in the 80s, indeed my first stereo was an all in one Soundesign. Mine had dual cassette deck AM-FM radio, an integrated fantastic plastic turntable and... brace yourself - 8 Track deck. The turntable had a nice holder for about a dozen cassettes too. Such fun, thanks!
Great video. Just seen that RUclips made it look like no one watched for the first few hours or something. I usually watch within minutes of a new vid because I have notifications turned on. Love your channel and keep it up brother.
I kinda miss those 80's stylings on the front. I remember, as a kid, we had one that looked similar to this. It was a great tape to tape recorder, and could fast record Commodore 64 tapes successfully.
I don't have the talent of making or fixing things...for some reason I end up breaking or doing things wrong. It amazes me to see people fixing things.
I would love to have this 80's vintage system in my man cave, because everything about this system screams 1980's. It would definitely be a conversation piece for sure. lol Myself being an 80's kid, I had the pleasure of owning many boom boxes and bookshelf stereo system of this era, but none of them had as much personality as this one does. I love your videos bro, please keep cranking out that great content. 👍
I inherited this model from my grandmother. It was like new. I threw it out when the cassettes stopped working, this was before I knew anything about replacing belts. I’ve kicked myself in the butt for years over that.
Man, this one was a walk down memory lane. I didn't have that exact system but I had a similar one that also has included the high speed dubbing feature which made me very popular for a few years. I also had those blank cassettes and you are right, it couldn't be any more 80s. BTW, using polka to test the tape deck made me burst out in laughter. Well done!
fantastic plastic! nice work MacGuyver! the fact that it's 36 years old & it all still works speaks volumes...also it's so clean it is tells me it was not used much, but like I said before, some Soundesign was actually not bad. I really like the individual volume controls for the amp. I had a 70s vintage Soundesign AM/FM with built in: turntable & 8 track...it was mostly metal & built like a tank.
That reminds me of my first stereo. It was a Samsung rebadged by Commodore (yes that Commodore) and was exclusive to the Australian market, originally in a bundle with the Amiga 500 but sold separately later on. Sound quality was on par with this Soundesign. I have a proper hi-fi these days, but I kinda miss that Commodore.
I never remember seeing the Commodore badged stereo. So I do remember that Commodore and I still have some C64's and I remember the other Commodore that is no longer around either.
The same Samsung that made the best keyboard for Sinclair to fit in their Spectrums. The funny thing is Sounddesign, Commodore, and Sinclair probably had a stronger brand back then than Samsung.
These were the kind of systems that aspiring beat makers made pause tapes with back in the day because you couldn't afford a mixer and two turn tables. You find the drum break in the song you recorded off the radio, and then record it to tape, then play it back and record it to the second tape, hit the pause button, rewind it on the first tape, and then record the break again on the second tape again, hit pause again, and on and on until you have a loop that your friend could rap on. You actually had to have one of these tape decks for it to work because the levered pause button made it possible to do seemless edits that wouldn't introduce pops and noises.
This channel is always good entertainment, you always make me smile and laugh. Your dedication to making these systems work perfectly for show and demonstration of their sonic quality is biblical. As a child, I would have been disappointed not to have the Dolby function. I had discovered the principle of operation and had demonstrated it to my father who was stunned by my discovery: "Well! You made a great discovery there!" He didn't know the Dolby system at all. .
It's always good to find a fully operational Soundesign stereo as they are a nightmare to work on mostly as everything is attached to the front fascia. This one looked a little less frustrating to fix than some of their earlier units.
I have a similar system from GPX, made in 88, great sound even on the built in turntable. It has the famous needle as this one has but its properly set for the needle. I am going to be replacing the factory needle soon with a diamond needle, as its still a good working system for a home office, and it was a gift from a close family member whos passed on.
Pretty sure my mom's system was a Soundesign -- probably a bit later, maybe around 1990? It had the turntable built directly in and was the type that came in a faux-wood grain stand with cassette/LP storage, though it could be removed. It came with speakers that were as tall as the stand. I did get a similar unit as a small child but it was condensed to a more bookshelf unit (with turntable) and annoyingly had only a mono aux input (not as nice for when I got a portable CD player to use with it). I wish I could remember the brand though! I need some early 90's catalogs to check.
For me the most 80s looking, and to this day, coolest looking tape deck / tuner combo is the Onkyo Integra series TA 2090 / 9900 models. Just all lights and buttons. Crazy. And top shelf pricing of course.
My first stereo was a Sounddesign all in one, with tuner, turntable and speakers. Paid about $79 in coins saved in my piggy bank when I was 13 (1973). Even though the sound was as you might expect, I loved the look of the blue and red lighted dial, and the tinted dustcover that went over the turntable.
I was so embarrassed when my parents got me a soundesign stereo. But honestly I had that thing for over 5 years. It was an all in one unit, but it has a great analog tuner that felt like silk dialing in my favorite FM stations. Over all it was perfect for a kid who just loved music. Great post ty!
I genuinely thought the thumbnail was a screenshot
It looks like a winamp skin
@@Chester200100 Yeah, that's exactly what I thought
It is a screenshot of the video, just with a bit of background graphics added.
I thought it was a screenshot of a VST synth of something
So did I lol
That's lovely. When you were young, you didn't care about sound quality. You just cared that it looked cool and that it worked. I'd gladly have this on display and use it.
Yet the comments just loved those! And I did too. I just started putting videos up this week so don't know what's normal or not with youtube studio, but the counts are all over the place depending on the page you're looking at, or even the part of the page you look at.
I had a similar looking Fisher Electronics tower back in the 80's. It was my tall "music altar" (lol), looked and sounded great with lots of fancy graphics, buttons, and blinking lights. :)
“Audiophiles listen use music to listen to their equipment.”
It doesn't just look 80's, it SCREAMS 80's!
I don't know where you find these items, but I approve! New Jersey must have the best second hand shops in the world!
That thing is BEAUTIFUL!
I swear I had an Aunt with this Home Deck
Let's face it, we'd all be pretty chuffed to have this now. And VWestlife is still the coolest kid on the block!
I would have definitely loved to have a system like that back in the day when I was a kid.
they were really crappy, I still remember
I had one similar to this for many years as an adult, though like you, I ash swapped the original speakers in favor of some better ones. And yes, I was glad to have it.
These were the Kmart special; usually sold for $99 from 1985-88. For those who couldn't afford the big 400 watt Sharp and Fisher tower stereos these were designed to mimic. They were incredibly popular with apartment dwellers (It's primary advantage being LOOKING high power and impressive without the neighbor complaints and eviction threats of a Sharp tower.)
I’m always associated SoundDesign with Radio Shack though I know they also had Realistic branded items. Maybe I’m wrong.
@@michaelfuller34 Radio Shack had a wide range of stuff, from the Optimus brand (the higher-end stuff) down to their 'Clarinette' brand which was their budget all-in-ones and entry-level component stuff. I tripped over a Clarinette AM/FM/8-Track 'receiver' a few weeks ago at a yard sale. They had another low-end brand, too, though the name escapes me at the moment.
That was presumably 400W peak Music Power. Have you seen the size of transformer needed for 400W continuous ?
@@MrDuncl My old Marantz receiver was spec'd for 40W/channel, continuous, and its power transformer occupied nearly a quarter of the cabinet. I promise, Sharp never built anything THAT damned solid.
@@xaenon Realistic was another Radio Shack brand.
Heck, you’d probably be the coolest kid in school now with something like this.
That device looks brand new. The design is indeed peak ‘80 😀
You never cease to amaze me with your ability to find old el cheapo gizmos, fix them when needed, and demonstrate and review them in a manner that makes them desirable to own. It's because of you that I've gotten back into cassettes, and I'm not sure whether to thank you or curse you, lol.
I did a step even further, and returned to old tube radios 😂 They make me feel like I'm in ancient times.
@@yuriivanov12
Yeah, and what's really cool is that on those things you can tune in old radio programs from the '40s and '50s and relive the past. 😉
The thing I've found is, these were low end and many considered them junk... yet every single example I find still works 100%.
Remember buying stereos in the 80s, and thinking was - the busier the better. Bloody great content lad. Great find!
I have Nikola Tesla stereo amplifier
It's still working to this day
Commenting to keep the algorithm happy for you - and I always watch anyway and this one was no exception. RUclips is behaving strangely of late...
I had a SoundDesign unit from the late 70's... it had christmas bulbs and the double mirror making the infinite depth illusion. It looked SUPER COOL... sounded OK... and eventually fell apart.
Ugh, YT can be ... quite difficult to deal with occasionally. So let's make sure the algorithm recommends this great video about an interesting piece of retro tech to more people than just me.
Great video I love the look of these things, and as an added bonus I no longer suffer from asphyxiation during exercise thanks to that handy tip on the cassette :)
I had one of those stereo systems back in the late 80s through early 90s. I hooked up a TV antenna to the FM external antenna to get better reception. Then I plugged in a CD Walkman to the Aux. It was a great college dorm stereo at the time.
Gotta love this 1980’s all in one stereo system. Sure, it’s not audiophile approved but for the average Joe, an all-in-one stereo system from Soundesign would suffice to make them happy and satisfied. Very simple and easy to use out of the box. Just plug in it, turn it on and you’re ready to go!
Even now, I would absolutely love to have a stereo system like this one (despite its overall cheapness)…. but oddly enough, it’s also what makes it so appealing to me! Thank you for another wonderful video!!!
I had a similar stereo system with that color scheme from the 1980s, we were obsessed with technicolor shapes like triangles on electronics!
and diagonal lines. The equaliser and level display ticks that box. Away from stereos even the bedclothes had pastel colours and diagonal lines back then.
@@MrDuncl it’s has something to do with MTV and the graphic designers! Even in video games like Nintendo was pushing for pastel colors and pixels in their marketing!
My first stereo system was a Soundesign 6821M all in one complete with particle board tower and skinny tower speakers back in 1986. You could even store your cassettes in the central support column. It was awesome and the tapes i recorded with it still sound good today. It was a sound design.
I remember those; They were the kind of stereos you bought when you couldn't afford those awesome Sharp or Fisher towers the cool kids had.
@@LarryWaldbilligdennon and Sony were the big boy brands, not sure what kind of whole you grew up in!
@@LarryWaldbilligi actually upgraded to a Fisher MC723BK system when I got my first job at 16 😂
I love all VWestlife's videos and I will usually leave a comment when I can. This time I'm leaving a comment to help up with the algorithm. Keep up the good work!
LOL I had that exact experience 😅 I got a stereo system (a Sanyo) when I was 10 or 12 I think for my birthday back in the 80's and indeed I was the cool kid in the street 😎 I still have the picture that was taken the exact moment I saw my new stereo for the first time standing on the kitchen table. I was so happy! Ah the good old days... 😄❤
EDIT: I googled it and I think it was a Sanyo GXT 848U.
Sanyo made some great compact stereo systems, often with Dolby and a decent Garrard record changer. They show up on auction sites quite often, but almost never with their original speakers. Where do those those speakers go? You can probably find a GXT 848U, but it will probably need some work. Some part of the good old days may not be gone. 😊
This is the sort of stereo I would have aspired to as a kid. There were always loads of models like that in the catalogs of the day, usually made by Bush, Alba or Murphy in the UK. All fur coat and no knickers, as we say.
Don't forget Fidelity!
@@rupertthomson And Waltham
AMSTRAD...
@@TheErador And Matsui and Saisho too.
Hinari
That specific Soundesign unit and that specific Memorex tape are the chef's kiss. Would of passed this one up as a kid, but as a adult do not care that its cheap, it simply looks amazing!
I got something like this as my very first hi-fi system when I was 16 in 1988. It took me 4 months to save up for it working at the local supermarket Thursday evenings & Saturdays for $5.75 an hour! But, crap as it was, it was so nice having my own system & not having to transfer my new records to blank tapes on my parents hi-fi system to play on my crappy boombox.
having this and a sega genesis as a kid back in the day would be peak cool
It has that cool 1980s Memphis Design vibe. That turquoise and the styling, very nice.
I would have been the happiest kid in the universe to have a system like this. Thank you so much for sharing.
I probably would've at a younger age.
I love how you got out a matching aesthetic cassette
I had a neighbor who lived 3 apartments from my parents back in 1991 and he had this same exact stereo system with all original parts, such as the record player and speakers! I grew up around these and wished my parents would have bought this for me and as a kid in the 80s, even if I didn't own one, would have been Thrilled to have one of these! Great Video!
One thing I can say for sure, you are the cassette deck repair expert. I have learned much from your videos on these old machines. HiFi or LoFi, you have a way to fix them! Thank you. 😃
Love it so 80s
13:55 the fact that they weren't even sure where it was made, or just used the same sticker for both Mexico and Taiwan made models really emphasises the "quality" of this turntable
Says much of the business behind making these cheaply as they did.
I think devices that are of somewhat mediocre quality but have a ton of personality and fun are an underrated category of old electronics.
I had a soundesign 8-track stereo back in the 1970's.
I LOVE the aesthetic of this thing, I'd be proud to have. Those light-up elements are so groovy
Fantastic review. That volume indicator with the incandesent globes is an all-new one for me. That's something special in cost cutting right there. I do believe that's inspired by what we boombox collectors call the 'runway style' LED meters. usually with a mirror on top them to double the perceived amount. Ironically, Technics put such a thing on their SA-CA09 but Lasonic, Lloyds, Intersound, etc, etc followed suit on many other models.
Ahh Soundesign, hearing that name takes me back, My first one was a 5834BLK. I did have a few others afterwards. My last one was one that was a TV stand with fold out speakers.
The performance of that cheap sound system reminds me to my first early 2000's bookshelf sound system manufactured by Memorex, and I remember clearly how well plays pre-recorded cassettes in THAT High fidelity.
It looks cheap yet very cool at the same time. I'd love to have one.
That was awesome a great trip down memory lane
It looks so 1980s I love it.
Hey there my hero! 🌈🤟
You knocked this one out of the park yet again. AMAZING REVIEW...and love your voice!
My dad bought a white Soundesign bookshelf stereo for my mom in 1987 - it was more 80’s looking than THIS. Integrated turntable, dual cassette, yadda yadda. At some point, it ended up being mine - it sucked beyond belief. I think we left it behind when my parents bought a new mobile home in 1998 - it went right to the crusher along with our old home.
I always see a ton of soundesign electronics in the thrift stores here on Long Island. That equalizer.😊 That first song you played, " In heaven there is no beer" was one of my dad's favorite , Frankie Yankovic version.
Great video! I had soundesign red boombox with a single cassette deck that I got for my 1st Holy Communion and it was one of the best gifts ever! Wish I could find another one NOS.
I remember when my sister and I were young adolescents, our parents took us to Best where we each picked out a stereo for our rooms. My sister picked out a Sony boombox which cost about 70 dollars and I picked out a much larger Soundesign stereo that looked like a mini tower system for about 80 dollars. I remember after a few days of owning it I was jealous of my sister’s higher quality Sony boombox, it pretty much did everything better than the Soundesign. I wasn’t the fastest learner either. A few years later I bought a GE tower system, it was one of the systems that had 4’ tall speakers with only one 4” driver inside the cabinet. Eventually I started getting into vintage stereo equipment through yard sales and thrift stores in the late 90s. Back then the 70s receivers were of almost no value and you would find for just a few dollars. How times have changed.
Thank you. Someone else who remembers Best-- and doesn't confuse it with Best Buy.
I really enjoyed this. Reminded me of the Saisho hi-fi systems sold in the UK
Thank you for showcasing these types of systems. They filled a market niche of decent quality at an affordable price, and for their time were better quality than much of what we see today.
Awesome find, and as an 80's Kid I would have loved this in my room back in the day, as I was lucky to have an AM/FM Panasonic boombox with dual cassette decks, and ported speakers that detached from the main unit, and among my friends that was gold, as most them either had a cheap portable tape deck, basic mono AM/FM radio cassette player, or not much of anything.
The great thing about 80s electronics is even the cheapest discount crap products were decent. I had a couple Soundesign 4617BUR stereo tape recorders in 1987. unfortunately they were not kid proof and didn't last long with me but I got one on ebay and the sound quality from that is better than anything out today.
feeding the algorithm and liking your videos
So fabulously tripindicularly cool.
When I was a teen in the 80s, indeed my first stereo was an all in one Soundesign. Mine had dual cassette deck AM-FM radio, an integrated fantastic plastic turntable and... brace yourself - 8 Track deck. The turntable had a nice holder for about a dozen cassettes too.
Such fun, thanks!
It looks pretty cool
Amazing time is flying shall we all go back to 80s again 😢❤❤❤
Great video. Just seen that RUclips made it look like no one watched for the first few hours or something. I usually watch within minutes of a new vid because I have notifications turned on. Love your channel and keep it up brother.
I kinda miss those 80's stylings on the front. I remember, as a kid, we had one that looked similar to this. It was a great tape to tape recorder, and could fast record Commodore 64 tapes successfully.
I had a stereo just like this one. I loved the high speed doubling.
I don't have the talent of making or fixing things...for some reason I end up breaking or doing things wrong. It amazes me to see people fixing things.
I would love to have this 80's vintage system in my man cave, because everything about this system screams 1980's. It would definitely be a conversation piece for sure. lol Myself being an 80's kid, I had the pleasure of owning many boom boxes and bookshelf stereo system of this era, but none of them had as much personality as this one does. I love your videos bro, please keep cranking out that great content. 👍
It Looks awesome, And with 80.s Music playing how can it go wrong. Everything was bigger and better back in the 80's
This was a dream system for me back in the day. Love seeing it in action!
I love this era of audio - it's a lot of fun!
I inherited this model from my grandmother. It was like new. I threw it out when the cassettes stopped working, this was before I knew anything about replacing belts.
I’ve kicked myself in the butt for years over that.
The front panel looks exactly like a DAW plugin UI. So in a way it is far ahead of its time.
Man, this one was a walk down memory lane. I didn't have that exact system but I had a similar one that also has included the high speed dubbing feature which made me very popular for a few years. I also had those blank cassettes and you are right, it couldn't be any more 80s. BTW, using polka to test the tape deck made me burst out in laughter. Well done!
Ah, sound design. I remember that brand. Yorkx brand also lit up like that too.
Bro has the best sample tracks of all retro YT
Even as a kid I never wanted something so ugly. Probably because my parents had a nice pioneer system from the 70's.
We had a few Soundesign products during the 80s, never had any problems. They actually all did a good job at what they were made to do. 🤘
the color scheme is priceless!
Really cool system thank you for showing it to us
fantastic plastic! nice work MacGuyver! the fact that it's 36 years old & it all still works speaks volumes...also it's so clean it is tells me it was not used much, but like I said before, some Soundesign was actually not bad. I really like the individual volume controls for the amp. I had a 70s vintage Soundesign AM/FM with built in: turntable & 8 track...it was mostly metal & built like a tank.
Gorgeous!
My brother has one of these in his garage in its rack with tower speakers.
Just in time for my breakfast a new VWestlife video from the best RUclipsr Kevin! Really a cool looking audio system
Nostalgia overload this morning…thanks for the great demo!
That reminds me of my first stereo. It was a Samsung rebadged by Commodore (yes that Commodore) and was exclusive to the Australian market, originally in a bundle with the Amiga 500 but sold separately later on. Sound quality was on par with this Soundesign. I have a proper hi-fi these days, but I kinda miss that Commodore.
I never remember seeing the Commodore badged stereo. So I do remember that Commodore and I still have some C64's and I remember the other Commodore that is no longer around either.
The same Samsung that made the best keyboard for Sinclair to fit in their Spectrums. The funny thing is Sounddesign, Commodore, and Sinclair probably had a stronger brand back then than Samsung.
These were the kind of systems that aspiring beat makers made pause tapes with back in the day because you couldn't afford a mixer and two turn tables. You find the drum break in the song you recorded off the radio, and then record it to tape, then play it back and record it to the second tape, hit the pause button, rewind it on the first tape, and then record the break again on the second tape again, hit pause again, and on and on until you have a loop that your friend could rap on. You actually had to have one of these tape decks for it to work because the levered pause button made it possible to do seemless edits that wouldn't introduce pops and noises.
This channel is always good entertainment, you always make me smile and laugh. Your dedication to making these systems work perfectly for show and demonstration of their sonic quality is biblical. As a child, I would have been disappointed not to have the Dolby function. I had discovered the principle of operation and had demonstrated it to my father who was stunned by my discovery: "Well! You made a great discovery there!" He didn't know the Dolby system at all. .
I was more of an Aiwa guy back in the day. But compared to modern offerings, this is great!
I love those memorex blanks. I got lucky and found some new ones at a thrift store
If I was the designer I would have asked if there was space for a Turbo button. Because, that’s why.
Definately not a audiophile system, but way better than any of the modern affordable systems you see from Crossley and the like
It's always good to find a fully operational Soundesign stereo as they are a nightmare to work on mostly as everything is attached to the front fascia. This one looked a little less frustrating to fix than some of their earlier units.
There were a bunch of brands like this affixed to lower-end equipment like this. I also remember Lloyd's and Yorx.
I was just about to mention those brands. Sold by hardware stores or discount dept stores of the lower level.
Great video! I don't remember this unit but with so many buttons it has to be good.
These old stereos remind me of Service Merchandise stores.
Had one like this in the uk. It was named hinari and had a cd player as well.
The perfect sound system for yoga class, it even matches the yoga mats and foam rollers!
I have a similar system from GPX, made in 88, great sound even on the built in turntable. It has the famous needle as this one has but its properly set for the needle. I am going to be replacing the factory needle soon with a diamond needle, as its still a good working system for a home office, and it was a gift from a close family member whos passed on.
What is the best way to add a CD or mp3 style player to these 80s systems if no aux is available
Didn't have this one, but I had a couple of others that were soooooo close.
Pretty sure my mom's system was a Soundesign -- probably a bit later, maybe around 1990? It had the turntable built directly in and was the type that came in a faux-wood grain stand with cassette/LP storage, though it could be removed. It came with speakers that were as tall as the stand. I did get a similar unit as a small child but it was condensed to a more bookshelf unit (with turntable) and annoyingly had only a mono aux input (not as nice for when I got a portable CD player to use with it). I wish I could remember the brand though! I need some early 90's catalogs to check.
The perfect system for your synthwave cassette collection!
For me the most 80s looking, and to this day, coolest looking tape deck / tuner combo is the Onkyo Integra series TA 2090 / 9900 models. Just all lights and buttons. Crazy. And top shelf pricing of course.
Great video thanks! The look of Audio Core © is a great statement of 80s design vision and values! Or a hideous clash of buttons, dials and lights. I can't decide.
My first stereo was a Sounddesign all in one, with tuner, turntable and speakers. Paid about $79 in coins saved in my piggy bank when I was 13 (1973). Even though the sound was as you might expect, I loved the look of the blue and red lighted dial, and the tinted dustcover that went over the turntable.
I was so embarrassed when my parents got me a soundesign stereo. But honestly I had that thing for over 5 years. It was an all in one unit, but it has a great analog tuner that felt like silk dialing in my favorite FM stations. Over all it was perfect for a kid who just loved music.
Great post ty!