JVC RC-838JW ANTIQUE GHETTO BLASTER


This is not a true evaluation, plus the product was not intended to produce light, so my standard review format will not be used here.
This web page was opened on 04-02-08, and updated on 05-14-08.



Although this is not an LED product, I've published reviews & informational web pages for other non-LED, non-laser, and non-light products on this website. So adding a section to this website about vintage ghetto blasters was pretty much inevitable. However I did perform a spectrographic analysis of one of its "Biphonic System" LEDs, so this is at least slightly germane to the general theme of this website.

*** VERY IMPORTANT!!! ***
These web pages are about machines I actually *HAVE* at this very moment (early-April 2008), not machines I once had but no longer do (those which were broken, sold, or lost over the years; like my beloved Sharp GF-4545 - R.I.P. (Rest In Pieces), a large Lasonic, a Marantz Gold Series, a Sony or two, a GE or two, and several other JVC models).

Not only was it ONE of the largest machines (if not ***THE LARGEST*** machine) available at the time (~20" wide, ~5.8" deep, ~12" high), it had the "Biphonic System" (binaural or stereo wide function; quite an achievement in 1978).

Since it was made more than 25 years ago, I can call it "antique", not "vintage".
It has two 6.5" woofers and two 2.0" tweeters.

The JVC RC-838JW boasted some features rivalling expensive home stereos at the time...let's do a little recap from memory here: This unit has the "JW" suffix; this indicates the unit can be used at 110 volts or 220 volts AC; units without the "JW" suffix (usually with the "C" suffix or no suffix at all) can only be used on 110 volts AC power.
And before I forget..."JVC" stands for Japan Victor Corporation; generally regarded as makers of decent audio & video equipment.


I also own the following JVC (and one Aiwa, one Panasonic, and one Sears) ghetto blasters; they may or may not be added to this website in the future (linked ones have already been added): The RC-550 from 1982 is a large monaural machine boasting a 3-way speaker system with a 10" woofer.
The RC-656 from ~1983 is a rather plain, midsized ghetto blaster ("plain", as boomboxes from this time period go)
The RC-838 is a large machine from 1978; it boasts the "biphonic system" which has binaural ("stereo wide") sound.
The RC-M70 was the largest and most powerful machine sold in 1982.
The RC-M80 is a large machine from 1982; it's selling points are a soft-touch cassette transport and a digital tuner.
The Aiwa CS600 has a very nice sound; it has a bass boost circuit like many of the JVC units above.
The Sears SR-2100 is a mid-sized machine with rather nice sound and a bass boost circuit.



How this machine would often be carried.
This photograph was taken in the late-morning of 04-01-08.



The top of the machine.
Look at those buttons, rocker switches, knobs and slide pots!!!



The machine's left side, showing the rather extensive suite of I/O receptacles.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of one of this machine's "Biphonic" LEDs.




Here's a closing shot of this ghetto blaster. :-)


UPDATE: 05-14-08
I'll be moving again sometime in June 2008, and the new place will have no storage.
Rather than letting this wonderful pre-loved machine end up in the dustbin (garbage can), I made a post on the Stereo2Go fora, offering it free for pickup along with most other ghetto blasters on this website. Therefore, that dreadful "" icon will now appear next to its listings on this website.


An excellent place to go find out & learn about vintage ghetto blasters is the Boombox Museum.









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