Want One: JVC RD-R1 and RD-R2

It looks like a boombox, sounds like a boombox, but JVC's newly-announced RD-R1 and RD-R2 are actually street performance digital recorders.

By Emmet Purcell

Who else misses the boombox, aka the ghettoblaster? Whether you’re challenging ruffians to breakdance fights or strutting down the street with your prized possession blasting in your ear (fine, we’ve never done either in our lives), the boombox occupies a warm space in our hearts, typically reserved for faux-hipster nostalgia for 1980s electronic products.

Many giants of the electronics world have tried persistently to get the boombox back on track in age dominated by handheld device, whilst skangers have done their part by playing offensive trance ringtones full blast on commuter journeys.

JVC, however, are throwing their gaudy 80s Kangol hat into the ring with the upcoming Japanese release of their RD-R1 and RD-R2. You can read that back, we didn’t actually write R2-D2, but a musical version of the Star Wars droid would an incredible proposition nonetheless.

We prefer black, although fuchsia (whisper it) doesn't look bad either

Boomboxes died in popularity in the late 1980s as the Sony Walkman portable musical player effectively made need for the devices useless. As time went on, the retro-tinged right angle designs were replaced by 1990s curves, culminating in this ugly Transformers-shaped 2005 effort. JVC have wisely plumped for a retro design available in silver, black, fuchsia and gold.

Aside from its boombox aesthetic, JVC’s latest’ are actually powerful Voice/Audio recorders that feature a pair of mic and guitar input and an internal speaker, which are included for recording street artist performances.

Recording can be stored on a microSD or microSDHC cards, while audio can be recorded in MP3 or WAV files, while MP3, WAV and AAC can be accepted for playback. Mic and guitar input reserved for the RD-R2 model only. Both releases also incorporate ‘countdown’ features before playback, while you can even have a recording begin by making a hand clap three times.

Arriving in early February for Japan, the RD-R1 will retail for ¥23,000 (€205), while the more powerful RD-R2 is set to cost ¥30,000 (€267). While JVC’s efforts may not be the much-vaunted return of the boombox, it’s great to see that the company is looking to mix digital recorders with the growing arena of street performance.