5.0 out of 5 stars My thoughts on the aiwa backtrack

T. · May 6, 2025

This boombox is the best example of a true boombox from the good old days that is available. The cassette player is limited to the tanashin style decks that are available but, it gets the job done in the cassette department. Everything works the way you would expect. The speakers are mounted internally into their own enclosures which are ported to the rear. The sound is spot on with an old school blaster. The tweeters are silk domed and are very crisp. The weight is right where an old school radio would be and the handle is sturdy. The 8-D battery compartment is true to that old school radio. The Bluetooth range is acceptable. The radio has good reception on FM and fair AM. Stereo separation is very good on this radio. I'm hearing stuff in my old cassettes that I didn't know were there. It's advertised as 40 watts however, if you are interested in clean power, it's more at 10.6 watts X 2 RMS for a total of 21.2 watts clean stereo output. It's more than enough to make your ears ring if turned up loud for long periods of time. VU meters are back-lit. They bounce nicely to the output volume of the radio without the needed to crank it way up to enjoy them. They are mainly for esthetics as they do not contribute to tuner strength, battery level or recording levels. When recording, this radio records at 128kbps MP3 from any source to USB, microSD or cassette. This includes AM/FM, Aux, Bluetooth, CD and Mic inputs. The CD player has a 1 minute buffer. After reading ahead, the CD will stop and play off the buffer before spinning back up again. This saves on battery, helps prevent skipping and scratching the disc when carrying it. In addition to MP3, this unit will also play WAV and WMA files. It will not play Flac or other file formats. The cassette player is what you would expect from the available mechanisms. W/F is acceptable but do not expect to record onto cassettes. Like most of these aftermarket tanashin style players, they use a permanent erase magnet which add loads of hiss to your recordings. Recording from cassette, radio, aux, CD and Bluetooth to USB and microSD has a more satisfactory result. This boombox will work just fine on rechargeable NiMh D batteries except when recording. I recommend using a higher voltage Alkaline battery or have it plugged in when recording to USB or microSD. The radio does not rattle or buzz when the bass hits and feels very solid.Overall, I am happy with my purchase.

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern day boombox

A.C. · June 7, 2025

I was just browsing Bolo one day and came across this boombox. I definitely liked the looks of it and watches a few videos and read some reviews. Then it came to which one do I want so I tossed it around for awhile and thought the silver to me looks the part sp I ordered it first. Not saying the other two are not nice looking boomboxes. First off its heavy. With 8d batteries in it its almost 18lbs because I put it on the scale. The plastic is thick the knows are smooth and tight when using. Bluetooth or at least from my phone isn't the loudest but is clear. The tape deck to me sounded just fine and it was able to get pretty loud. The cd player works just fine and it will track forward and stop spinning the disc for a few then fire back up again that's just how it works. The tuner picks up plenty of channels with no issues. I ordered the black one second and let me say the black and gold looks killer. Those are the only options I have tried on it so far. I ordered 8 rechargeable batteries for it and they do just fine I haven't played it long enough to see how long they last. If I could change a couple things it would be i really wish the tuner was back lit because that would look so good with the vu meters back lighting. One more thing. If you want the most out of your sound place it near the back of a wall because the back is ported a it helps a ton on volume and overall bass. I have a few other modern day boomboxes that are ok and do what they suppose to do but they are not anything like this one. I know everything is made in China and this boombox is branded under many different names but it seem to be a good solid unit. I like to call it my fine China, lol.

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally! a Quality Modern Old School Boombox!

k. · March 9, 2025

Unlike most of the reviews for this i didnt receive this for free.. so my review is unbiased.. i also made a video on YouTube under my Bolo name.. Aiwa back in the early days of the 80's and 90's made some really high quality electronics.. eventually it was bought out by Sony in the early 2000's.. in 2008 Sony sold off the name.. years later Aiwa made a sweet comeback with the Exos 9 Bluetooth boombox.. which was a highly rated powerful portable speaker system.. now they released this modern take on a old school boombox.. and i say they did a great job! although this version of the Aiwa has been around under different names in other countries it finally released here.. even though the price is a bit steep.. it IS a quality modern take on the retro boomboxes of the 80's with some modern touches to bring it to todays standards.. it's not perfect.. it should use a rechargeable battery instead of outdated "D" cell batteries.. but it does have solid controls and is well built.. and it does sound great.. with punchy Bass and loudness.. so if you want a modern boombox with old school feel and ability to play cassettes and CD's you cant do much better than this beast.. a solid 8 out of 10..