National Panasonic RF-5410

The National Panasonic RF-5410 is a strikingly beautiful boombox, almost like a piece of art. The RF-5410BA version shown here has a gold "hubcap" over the woofer. Other versions had a black grill instead.

What can I say, this boombox is amazing. It is monophonic and not stereophonic, but it sounds better than a lot of stereo sets. It also is tiny in comparison to the enormous JVC RC-550 but it sounds better and to this authors ears, more powerful too. Unlike the cavernous JVC cabinet, this one is much smaller but every available cubic inch of interior space is filled. A swivel microphone allows the ability to focus the recording. The best part of this model is it's fantastic tuner. It is amongst the best I've ever seen. If you can find one, get it while you can. People familiar with shortwave radios are aware of this model but among boombox collectors, this might be considered a "sleeper."