Sharp GF-9696

The GF-9696 was Sharp's top-of-the-line midsize boombox. I believe it was introduced in 1980. It was the international, multi-voltage version of the GF-508. It's very heavy and high quality. It has a total of 6 speakers, including 18cm woofers, 5cm tweeters in the upper corners, and small "super tweeters" suspended in front of the woofers. And not only does it have Bass and Treble controls, but it also has an "Attenuator" knob behind the grills that can adjust the treble even more. It also has APLD song search (with 11 buttons!), removable grills, adjustable tape speed, Echo, and SNRS (Super Noise Reduction System). The tape deck is good quality, its wow and flutter is only 0.06%, and its frequency range is 30 to 17,000 Hz when using Metal tape.

There were two different colors, the GF-9696Z which is all silver (first photo), and the GF-9696H which is black behind the speaker grills (second photo). Some have a badge below the tape deck saying "26 watts", while others say "40 watts". 26 watts is in fact the "Music Power" output. I don't know why the other version says 40 watts.. Maybe that version was sold in other countries that wanted to use a more liberal power claim. Don't worry about it. It is not "better" than the 26 watt version. They both produce the same output. 2x13 watts music power, and 2x11 watts RMS. They both have the same amplifier (a pair of Hitachi HA1392 chips configured in BTL format). That's what the GF-777 uses too!

If you need a battery door for this model, you can buy a 3D-printed one HERE. The service manual can be purchased HERE