Grundig Party Center 2000
There were many Grundig ghettoblasters named "Party Center", but the 2000 was the best. It's from 1984, and it acheived the DIN 45-500 hifi quality rating. It uses discrete power transistors instead of the more ordinary integrated component amplifiers found in most boomboxes. Power output is a claimed 2x15 watts RMS (or 2x25 watts "music power"). The digital tuner is very high quality, with very low background noise.
This model was offered in at least 3 different color choices (silver, chocolate, and 2-tone). There were also 2 different types of speakers. The ones with chrome rings and marked "Hi-Fi2 WEG Box" sound noticeably better. They contain small (approximately 4") high-excursion drivers mounted off-center. They produce very good bass and excellent treble. The other version has plain flat woofer grills and bulbous tweeter grills. These contain an oval woofer and what appears to be a piezo tweeter. They don't sound as good. They do not have the dynamic range of the first version. Both styles of speakers can be seen in the images displayed here. The Hi-Fi2 WEG Box version is seen in the silver color examples, and the other version is the one with black grills.
The tape deck is a very smooth, multi-motor logic design. This is important because multiple motors permits a simpler design and greater reliability. Unfortunately most of these decks don't work anymore, because there is are two orange gears inside made of a material that becomes brittle over time and cracks. It's likely that the manufacturer never envisioned that these sets would still be functional and operating after 3 or 4 decades. Up until recently, nobody offered a replacement for it but we are aware of a couple of these units that have been restored back to operating condition by having 3D printed gears fabricated. You can buy the replacement gears printed on demand here: Replacement Gears
Good Things:
- Very detailed sound quality..... excellent for jazz and classical, but also have extremely strong bass when equipped with the hi-fi version speakers.
- Smooth, multi-motor tape deck
- Excellent tuner with low noise levels
- Shiny knobs with a beautiful metal appearance
- Powerful amp
Bad Things:
- The tape deck malfunctions due to a gear that cracks with age, although if updated with modern replacements, appears to be a reliable design.
- The base material of the knobs are plastic and not metal as their appearance would suggest.
- The speakers are lightweight and plastic-walled so at high volumes, may vibrate at strong bass levels, a problem which probably isn't unique to this unit and probably common with portable audio which needs to strike a balance between material and weight.
- The display has an extremely narrow focus angle which is about 30* upwards meaning that if you have the unit set on a table top, you can see it fine but if you look at it straight on, will appear faint or faded. It is unclear if this is by design or how it gets with age.