Juliette PPM-5050 and PPM-5051

These are Taiwanese boomboxes from 1982. They were imported into North America by DAK Industries and Topp Electronics. They measure 713mm long and 294mm tall (with the handle down). They have detachable speakers, but you don't need to use speaker cables, because the speakers have electrical contacts where they attach to the center section.

At first glance, these two models look exactly the same. But there are a few differences. The photos below show the PPM-5050 followed by the PPM-5051. You can see that the 5050 has separate buttons for Phono and Aux, while the 5051 combines them into one button. The 5051 has separate FM mono and stereo buttons, the 5050 does not. Also, the LEDs in the VU meter are oriented differently. They are mounted horizontally in the 5051 and vertically in the 5050. And finally, the tape keys are different as well.

A similar model called the Nippon PSS-008 was sold in Europe. It has chrome rings around the knobs, unlike the blue rings on the Juliettes. The Nippon has a VERY powerful amplifier (Sanyo STK430-III), but the PPM-5051 has a much smaller and cheaper amplifier (I opened both to look). I have never owned a PPM-5050, so I don't know what kind of amplifier is in that model.