RARE - Sony CFS-F40 Vintage Stereo Boombox 80s GhettoBlaster - RARE

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RARE - Sony CFS-F40 Vintage Stereo Boombox 80s GhettoBlaster - RARE:
$250.00

Thank you for looking at this sale!Up for sale is a rare collectible vintage boomboxe - SONY CFS-F40, SN: 14866
Click here to seeBoth boomboxes are part of original Stereo80s.com boombox collection and is sold as is.Majority of Stereo80s collection was professionally serviced at one time or another, which is why some units are more expensive than others.
This unit was not serviced.
Below is my report on this particular references to the perceived sound quality are strictly personal experience, and should be regarded as such.
Important! Please Read! Shown shipping cost is only an estimate. Actual shipping cost may vary from $25 for small boomboxes to $150 or even more for international shipments of large boomboxes. So the actual shipping cost will vary depending on your location.I am not in business of making money on shipping costs, and actually do not charge for the packing materials that I buy, or my time packing it.I use 6-8 custom cut U-Line cardboard corners, along with bubble wrap, air bags and various tapes to package it, so it makes to you in one piece. This adds to weight, sometimes significantly. Depending on the boombox, I also add insurance for the price that it was sold to protect your investment. Obviously, I can not guarantee that it will not be damaged in anyway internally from shaking and dropping when it gets to you, but I do my best to minimize the chances of it happening.It takes me anywhere from 40min to over an 1 hour to pack each boombox, as I have to measure and machine cut cardboard corners, then wrap it, surround it with air bags or something similar, and then make a custom box that fits it perfectly, so the boombox does not move inside the box. It may not look pretty, but it does the job of preserving it as much as possible.
At my discretion, I may choose to ship it to you in good faith for the minimum shipping cost that is shown, with the understanding that you will pay the balance once it is shipped, and I know exactly how much it was. If it turns out to be less and the difference is more than $5, I will refund you the difference. If you choose not to pay the balance, and you buy something else from me, I reserve the right to return your payment and relist the item. Thank you for the understanding.
If you have any questions regarding this sale please email and I\'ll do my best to get back to you before I begin to describe this particular unit, a few words needs to be said about the manufacturer.SONY has produced a number of quality boomboxes at the time, and was one of the leading technological forces on that market. Technology packed in their early models amaze collectors and fans even today. That along is what makes those boomboxes highly desirable in any collection, especially when everything works ).
Unlike other manufacturers, SONY had put a great emphasis on the tape/case/speaker design technology, and is undoubtedly succeeded in a number of venues. Most of their early models were one of the most expensive on the market, and this one is no exception.

CFS-F40 was manufactured in Japan only. It is a very impressive boombox in many ways: weight/size ratio, design, build quality, and sound quality.
\"F\" series Sony models were are the ultra premium line of boomboxes. It was sold for a whopping Y99,800, an equivalent of $451 in 1981, not a small change back then.
At 13.4kg it featured cast iron speaker casings, isolated speaker enclosures, designed to minimize, if not eliminate any sound distortions on high volume. Paired with Feather touch logic controlled tape mechanism, 2 Analog VUs + one Digital, smart hide-away antenna, this was suppose to awe the audience with its small dimensions and powerful sound produced by 4 woofers mounted one on top of another, handling a full audio range at ease.
With 30Hz-14,000Hz frequency response on Normal tape - it had no boombox rivals at the time, and could be compared to the best stand-along tape decks.

Add to this 14Wx14W RMS output and you will get quite a beast.
This was definitely a departure from a standard boombox design in search for perfection.
Overall, in my opinion, this boomboxes are unique, collectible, and hard to find items.
Here are the details about this units: Exterior:

Overall the boombox is in a very decent shape - there are 2 small cracks on back panel corners (see pictures). Other than that, it does not have major exterior issues, and shows just a very light wear.
Aluminum trim on the front is solid and attached, without any scratches or dents. It does have a couple of discoloration spots on what appears to be some sort of lacquer that was applied to the trim and now had deteriorated.
Radio glass is like new, with no issues.
Tape door is clear, and in great shape.
Metal speaker grills are straight, with no dents or scratches, in great shape.
Antenna is original, straight, with no corrosion. Antenna housing is in good shape.
Handle is in great shape.
All buttons and knobs are original and are in good shape.
All lettering on the metal trim under the buttons and switches, grills, and plastic, is preserved.
Tape controls buttons and lettering are in great shape.
All lights are in working condition.
Back panel show normal wear.
Battery compartment is in great shape, with no foam.
SONY plastic badge on the front is like new.

Controls and Etc:
On the Top:

Controls (right to left): FM Mode (Mono/Stereo); AFC/ISS On/Off 3 position switch;Rec Mode (Manual/Auto); Dolby NR (On/Off); Tape Select switch (Norm/CrO2/Metal); Rec Level sliders (L/R); Mix Mic Fader slider, Treble/Bass/Balance sliders;
Push Buttons: Light
Built In Mic

On the Front:

Radio Tuning knob (76Mhz-90Mhz)
Push Buttons for: FM/AM/Line In(Phono)/Tape
Power On/Off
Counter Reset Push button
Feather Touch Tape controls: REW/FF/PLAY/STOP/Pause/Rec Mute/Rec
Tape Eject

On the Left Side:

Remote (DIN)
Power Save (On/Off)
Mix Mic (Mini)
External Speakers 8 Om (L/R)
DC 12V
AC 100V

On the Back:

External Antenna
Ext Mics (L/R)
Phono/Line In Switch with composite inputs (L/R)
Composite Line Out connectors
Radio - Works fine
Line In - Works fine
PLAY - NOT working (stuck on Play, green LED is on continuously). Will not disengage. Motor can be seen spinning. Note says it was operational, but obviously not now.
Counter: Can\'t be tested
FF/REW - Can\'t be tested
AMS function - Can\'t be tested.
REC and REC Mute - Not tested
External Mics - Not tested
External Speakers - Not tested
Phono - Not tested
Line Out - Not tested
AC 110V - Works fine
DC (12V), and batteries - not tested
2+2 drivers, top mounted controls,
Half sunken in radio tuning knob with built-in vertical antenna housing,
Combination of 2 analog VUs and one digital VU,
Automatic Tape Select with Dolby NR and Automatic Music Search

It was definitely designed to be a shelf unit and not a carry on, unless you needed a good work out.
Overall - a very nice looking and great sounding boombox, that can certainly entertain many, just by simply asking them to try to lift it and bring it over to you, LOL.
Operation-wise, radio functions real well though only to 90Mhz (can be re-tuned). Tape as mentioned, is stuck in Play, with Pinch Roller not fully engaged. The motor is spinning as can be seen in the tape opening, so the belt should be good. No static noise when operating any controls. Both channels work great with Radio and Line In functionality.
To summarize, here is what I found:The nice things (not in any particular order):

Design. A very interestingly looking unit, that also sounds great.
Weight. I don\'t think there is another unit of the same dimension that weighs as much as this Sony. Kind of a tourist attraction of its own kind.
Has power with no case vibrations.Built in cast iron speaker housings are isolating sound very well.
Combination of analog VUs with Digital one. An interesting combo that looks nice and functional.
Soft Touch Feather Tape Controls- offer a popular and stable operation (when works)
Line In- allows connection of BlueTooth devices to stream audio from your phone.

No so nice:

Weight. This is not an easy carry on boombox, unless you are heavily into fitness.
The radio is 75-90Mhz
Tape stuck in play and not operational.
Couple small cracks in the corners which are not surprising given the weight of this beast.

Overall, this is a powerful, quality built boombox, that can be used with your modern phones, streaming music and creating a very enjoyable experience. A timeless piece of design and technology, representing one of the best electronic and visual designs that produce great sound even in today\'s world of sound. A definite MUST in any collection, that surely will always attract looks and questions.
Thank you!
Search Metacafe dot com for Sony CFS-F40 - for a video of this particular unit\'s operation.