Bumpboxx, purveyors of large retro speakers, has a Kickstarter campaign up for the BB-777, a full-featured modern boombox modeled closely on the legendary Sharp GF-777, a grail item for 1980s gadget hunters. The campaign has attracted considerable attention: it already raised more than $3 million from thousands of backers, with more than 50 days still remaining. (Sometimes, Kickstarter is just a store and that's fine.)
The BB-777 starts at $650, with a bundle including a spare battery at $721 and a limited Founder's Edition at $750. Retail pricing after the campaign is over will jump; it ships, hopefully, this summer.
The unit weighs 28 lb (12.7 kg) and measures roughly 30 x 6.5 x 15 inches (75 x 16.5 x 38 cm). A 270W amplifier drives a six-speaker array: two 6.25-inch subwoofers, two 6.25-inch mids, and two horn tweeters. Media: cassette decks, a slot-loading CD player (including MP3 discs), FM/AM/shortwave radio, Bluetooth, AUX and USB audio playback. You can record to USB from cassette, CD, or radio. Bumpboxx claims 15 hours of runtime from a swappable lithium-ion battery pack. It operates on 100–240V AC, worldwide, and comes in silver, black, and red. A wireless remote is included. There's even a bling chain necklace colored gold or silver, but that's a $29 upgrade.
The BB-777 also includes a built-in microphone and two wired mic inputs, with echo and volume controls, making it functional for recording and PA use.
A working real 777 now commands upward of $2,000 on the secondhand market [ebay], making the BB-777's Kickstarter price relatively sane, and not much more than those JBL PartyBoxes you see everywhere. But it's still more than more basic retro designs from Studebaker ($250) and Aiwa ($200). And if you want little analog meters you need to dial back your retro a few more years.
