Panasonic RX-5350

This was Panasonic's top of the line in the early 80's. It was probably the replacement for the RX-7000 and RX-7200. It's bigger (25.2 x 15.6 inches), and contains 8-inch woofers. Energized by ten D-cell batteries and a quoted 2 x 20 watts (or 2 x 12.5 on batteries), it definitely rocks the house. In fact, some collectors say it's a JVC M90 killer. The woofers have large magnets and frame baskets that resemble the ones used on car woofers rather than boombox speakers. A 5-band graphic equalizer allows wider sound shaping capability than the basic bass & treble controls found on most boomboxes. The tuner is fantastic with excellent reception. Although the upside-down styling (with the tuner below the speakers) does not jive with the traditional boombox design, it is nevertheless a very popular model that ranks highly on many collectors "to-acquire" list. It's definitely a "holy grail".

While it sounds excellent, with plenty of power and bass, I wouldn't call it one of Panasonic's best-built models. It's more empty inside, because it lacks an inner chassis. I feel like it was rushed to the market to capture some of the "Bigger is better" trend. The main circuit board is a double-sided design with traditional copper foil on the bottom, but the topside employs traces (and some components) made of a carbon type material. This type of design has been known to result in degraded traces and failed printed components if it was stored under certain environmental conditions. Another common problem with this model is a failed function selector, which renders the tuner and line input functions inoperative unless you press Play on the tape deck. And finally, another common problem with this model is the line input/phono selector on the rear panel (next to the RCA connectors). If this switch is dirty, it will cause one of the VU meters to stop working.