aiwa Retro Boombox BackTrack CD Player with Cassette Recording, Bluetooth 5.0, FM/AM Radio, USB/SD/AUX Inputs, VU Meters, LCD Display, Dual 40W Speakers (Black and Gold)

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So 'I've been looking for a decent "real" boombox for a while now. What I mean is, not a Bluetooth speaker. My Aiwa CSD-EL33 quit working some time ago. I've had it since 1999. I took it apart and tried to repair it but it is possessed. I don't know if the caps went bad or if a chip got corrupted. It doesn't respond to the buttons most times, or it does something entirely different. Plus the cassette belts dissolved. I may give up on it. In the meantime while finding out that there are no real brand name boomboxes anymore, I found this. I know this Awia is not the same as old school Aiwa, just the name that some Chinese corporation bought who also makes toasters, but I thought just maybe it would be decent enough. We'll, let me tell you, it is! The only thing that disappoints me is the tape deck. Like all, and I do mean ALL, cassette tape decks in 2025. It's a piece of trash, and the makers should be ashamed of themselves. I could write another thousand words about the awesome technology and quality of tape decks we had back in the 80's and 90's, but it won't change the fact that NONE of them are being made anymore. Just this ONE mechanism in EVERY cassette player made now with its cheap play head and it's permanent erase magnet for recording. It is truly an abomination compared to what we once had, to what is in my 1999 Aiwa CSD-EL33! The tape playback is tolerable and is in stereo, but recording to tape is a nogo. The Aiwa backtrack weighs in at 17.8 lbs with 8 alkaline D cell batteries installed. Its kinda heavy, and its kinda big. It doesn't fit in the front seat of my 1987 Suzuki Samurai big. Which is GOOD! And it sounds good too! Excellent actually. (Except for that tape recording thing) And it's LOUD! On volume 25 with treble set at 4, Bass at 4, and bass boost off from 10 feet away listening to Geddy Lee lament about FM radio on our local FM radio station (Rush-The Spirit of Radio) my free app sound meter on my phone measured 80db. 84db from 5 feet, and 90db right in front of the speaker. Same results from Bono singing In The Name of Love with more noticeable bass of course. That's loud enough for me. The volume knob goes all the way to 32 and still sounds good with no noticeable distortion. The sound is very good, and the bass has an impressive kick for a plastic boombox, a much better frequency response than any medium sized 80's or 90's equivalent that I can remember. The tuner is clear and consice. It tunes in stations very well and 'STEREO' appears on the display when tuned to a stereo station. It also plays in stereo. There is a distinct Left and Right separation and the VU meters coorespond to this as noted by playing Spaced Age Love Song by Flock of Seagulls. CDs sound great also, as does Bluetooth pairing, but the loudest volume I've experience comes from a well tuned in radio station. I have not messed with the SD card or memory stick functions yet. When I do I'll update this review. The microphone inputs work great. The echo effect will make anyone sound like a monster truck event announcer. SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY! A bit of advice if you're going to sing along. Use Bluetooth pairing and the volume from your paired device/phone to adjust music volume while the mic volumes and main volume (I turn the main volume all the way up) can be used for your voice. Otherwise the music will drown out, you. If you are looking for a 'real' boombox. One with a cassette player, CD player, and radio like in the olden days that actually works, and sounds good. Go ahead and buy it. It works pretty good and has the added benefit of Bluetooth plus the SD stuff. Yes its 250 bucks, and while I think its expensive for what it is, so are my groceries! Look at it this way. For the price of half a basket of food you get a rad boombox that will impress the chics, and it won't end up in the toilet in a week. I'll update this review for longevity from time to time.

I had an older combo cd and cassette unit crap out on me and I was looking on Amazon for a replacement unit that looked natural in a book case. There were a few but I got scared with some of the reviews. So I went with a traditional 80's boombox look. If you read no further - this product is legit. The speakers are better than I thought they would be. The unit is well constructed and actually a little on the heavier side. I feel the cost to value ratio is well worth it and I do recommend this unit. There are a few minor things just for a heads up. I bought the yellow color and, while I am fine with it, my wife thinks it is an ugly yellow color. This unit is noticably bigger than a traditional 80's boombox. Be aware of this as it does have weight and size to it. My biggest minor issue is the on/off switch which is located in the middle of the backside of the unit. I have the unit on a shelf and that is a challenge for me to turn it on and off. That said - this unit is really impressive and it really sounds great.

This reminds me allot of the Sharp Sharp GF-575Z from back in the days. I am not going to sit there and bash this boom box for not being exactly like an 80's boom box , because I feel that for a company to go through the trouble and manufacture a product like this with modern tech is awesome. There is no one making the old-school cassette mechanisms like those of yesterday year. But remembering how I used to record cassettes from the FM radio using cassettes that fit my budget, yeah those Maxwell UR series tapes or even cheaper no name tapes back then. Man this sounds great when playing tapes that I recorded using higher quality equipment then playing it back on this AIWA. Thankfully I have not had any of the issues others have mentioned in their reviews with my copy and I have been putting this boombox though its paces. CD plays with no issues and sounds pretty decent. The cassette player sound pretty decent depending on the quality of the recording and tape. There are sometimes I noticed the wow and flutter minute speed differences (If one pays really close attention.) But hey. Did we really pay attention to that as kids walking our boxes on the streets? Not this guy........ FM radio receives station very well in my area AM stations came in as well but in my area there is allot of interference on that band , this is not the fault of the radio but my are. USB and SD card recored lengthy audio mixes from my computer and had no issues. It does how ever only seem to record MP3s at 128Kbps so there is a noticeable difference from the original when paying close attention but again at a party or walking the streets who will really notice. Build Quality: To me I think they nailed it, styling and feel just like those budget friendly boom boxes of yesterday year. It is not an M90! lol but looks just like a modern take of a SHARP GF-575-Z and that was nice radio for its time. Volume: I compare it to some boomboxes of the 80's it gets loud but it will never compare to a modern BIG USB speaker with plenty of power. It depends on where you are actually , indoors it has nice volume, outdoors its like a typical boombox of the 80's. (AGAIN not comparing to those boat anchor class boom boxes) :-) Taking 8-D Cell 12V boxes of the past. Over all I love it. I would definitely recommend just keep in mind , it will never be the early 80's again.. :-)

This is the perfect mix of old and new. The tape deck, the CD player and then you have Bluetooth. It's the quality product we've always expected of AIWA. It's heavy duty. Its retro look is amazing too. It takes you right back to the 80s and 90s. I like the fact it can run on 8 D cell batteries but also has a cord. The sound quality is fantastic! You can play with the base and treble to get just the right sound. I've already dug out all my old tapes and CDs to try it out. One word of warning, just so you don't break it. The CD and tape deck have a slow open release. I thought at first they might be broken when they didn't just pop open, but that's just they way they work. Don't pull on them. You have to give them a good push to close them as well. Zero buyers remorse on this. I'm going to use this all the time. Update 3/23/26 After using this for a few months I wanted to give an update on some things I found. First, the sound is incredible. I the CDs and tapes have really impressive sound. When you listen to the quiet pars between the songs there is some background noise in the speakers. It doesn't detract from the music quality. The CD does not spin all the time. Just in case you see it, it doesn't mean. It's broken. I never get a skip in the music. Some CDs when they spin, it makes a loud rattle. It looks like it's because the actual component for the Lazer floats on springs as a shock absorber. Min sits on a shelf so there is no shock to absorb. I used a very low tech solution and put a small piece of packing tape on the gap and the rattle is gone. It may not be the same for everyone. It may just have been mine. Lastly the volume has to be way up for the Bluetooth than for CDs and tapes. Just be aware I almost gave myself a heart attack when I had put in a CD after a day of listing to music ove Bluetooth. Other than than those things, it's a quality system. I've been very happy with it and have zero buyers remorse. I did knock off a star for the CD rattle.