Boombox, ghettoblaster, whatever the bottle and the name as long as you get drunk! In this case, that of the 1970s and 1980s which, after vinyl turntables and the Walkman, is making a comeback comeback with the release of the M-380, from Muse. This opulent portable radio with its FM tuner, CD player and cassette recorder plays the analog card, but also the digital one. 20 minutes took out his bell bottoms, leather jacket and fluorescent top from the mothballs to test it.
Six kilos to awaken nostalgia for CDs and audio cassettes
That’s it! The Muse firm, accustomed to pulling all the stops to offer audio equipment that taps into nostalgia (like vinyl turntables or speakers old style) launches with its M-380 a device worthy of those which delighted teenagers between 30 and 40 years ago. A ghettoblaster!
The aesthetic codes of yesterday are perfectly respected today. Available in black or in a metallic gray version, this real sound playing machine also impresses with its size (271 x 171 x 670 mm) and its weight of 6 kg. Its large carrying handle is a plus. In the past, a massive ghettoblaster was also a projection of oneself, a sign of belonging, as the latest fashionable smartphones can be today.
Bluetooth in the 80s boom
Yesterday confined to FM radio and analog cassette, the ghettoblaster here embraces the spirit of the times and integrates, in addition to its necessary telescopic antenna, a CD player, microSD card slots and a USB port. Enough to play MP3s which are nothing analog. Not forgetting an AUX input and a 3.5mm mini-jack headphone jack. Digital radio (DAB +) is not permitted. Too bad, Muse knows how to do it. But Bluetooth arrived in the boom of the 1980s, with the possibility of transforming the ghettoblaster into a Bluetooth speaker.
Save to compile
Once turned on, you start wanting to try everything on this M-380, obviously turning the Tuning knob to find NRJ or Skyrock while ascending the FM band, graduated from 88 to 108 MHz. We adjust the sound with the two Treble and Bass “knobs” to modulate the treble and bass. Bass that can be boosted quite effectively by pressing the X-Bass button.
And we not only get into the game of listening to CDs and analog cassettes (if we still have any!), but we also have fun recording the radio or some music on the latter. tracks from our compact discs. It was a true national sport for ex-fans of eighties eager to create compilations. The sites of streaming with their millions of pieces and their playlists available at any time did not even exist in dreams.
It’s a shame that the two plastic selection levers with the list of their functions (AUX, USB, SD, CD, Tape, etc.) are of an unfortunate design with their blue and pink stickers…
Finally, a large monochrome LCD screen displays the name of each function once activated, the listening times and volume… But the real fun obviously comes from the two backlit VU meters whose needles swing to the rhythm of the decibels of what we are listening to . It has never been of much use on this type of machine, but we are happy to have them…
The sound of the CDs listened to is the best
Offering 80 watts of power with its two mid-bass drivers and two tweeters, the sound broadcast by the M-380 does not disappoint. But don’t surprise with any particular quality either. Quite flat when listening to FM and cassette, it turns out to be suitable for Bluetooth, even if you can generously increase the volume. CDs, with their uncompressed music, truly obtain better dynamics, more brilliance, even if the Treble and Bass buttons need to be pushed to their limits to achieve this result.
But bonus: Muse’s ghettoblaster has all the potential to liven up an evening. Incorporating two microphone jacks into its base, the device can be used for karaoke, a speech at a party… with a reverberation effect on the voices if desired!
As we will have understood, nostalgia is skillfully maintained here, even if Muse is far from being the first manufacturer to wave the red rag. From the 2010s, the first reissues of ghettoblasters appeared at Sony, Sharp, etc.
Sold for 269 euros, the M-380 perhaps focuses more on features than on audio quality, even if, in the past, we may not have asked for so much. No doubt our ears have also become accustomed to improved listening quality with more contemporary speakers.