Crown CSC-980
This Crown CSC-980 ghettoblaster was sold during the early 1980s (mostly in Germany). It's a highly modified version of the CSC-850. It has different styling, different speakers, more power, and some extra features. The bass is VERY nice....deeper and warmer than the CSC-850. It's one of the best boxes for indoor listening, because it's very warm at low volume levels. If you take it outdoors however, it won't be as loud as a JVC M70.
In this photo, the 980 is shown in front of the 850. You can see they share the same dimensions. Just different styling. The 850 is "street style" and the 980 is "executive style", LOL.
Neither of these radios has a traditional handle. Instead, they have chrome loops for using shoulder straps. These loops are thick and sturdy. They are bolted to a metal plate inside the case for support. But please be very careful when shipping this radio. If the chrome loops get hit, the plastic underneath will crack, like this:
Inside this boombox is a Panasonic AN7158N amplifier chip. It's better than the one in the Crown CSC-850, which is a Panasonic AN7145M. According to the technical literature for those amplifiers, the CSC-980 will produce approximately 2x6 watts (at 10% distortion), while the CSC-850 will produce approximately 2x5 watts. This is when using batteries (13.5V).
The 980 has several extra features that the 850 does not, including:
- Different woofers, labeled 6.5 watts instead of 5 watts:
- FM preset buttons:
- A third meter that measures tuning strength and helps you set the FM presets:
- Dolby switch, and a Rec Level knob (the 850 has a Mic Mix knob instead).
- Chrome toggle switches (the ones on the 850 are gray)
- Center detent positions for the bass, treble, and balance knobs.
- 30 detents on the volume knob.
- It weighs 7.1 kg, not including batteries. That is 0.6 kg more than the CSC-850.
The Good:
- Very nice bass....low, deep and warm!
- Nice "Stereo Wide" function (not fake-sounding, like some other boxes).
- Awesome metal knobs, with a brushed surface for grip, and center detent positions.
- 3 meters.
- FM station presets.
- Very good FM reception.
The Bad:
- There's no handle.
- It isn't as loud as a JVC M70.
- The tuner knob is slow, it's not weighted. And sometimes it makes squeaky noises.
- The dial light is only temporary.
- The power and stereo LED's are simple round dots that look low-tech.
- The tape deck does not have music search or autoreverse.
Note:
All the information and photos above are for the CSC-980L. There is another version called the CSC-980F, but I've never seen that version, so I do not know if it has all the same features.