Panasonic SG-J555

Panasonic made a few boomboxes that incorporated turntables in the design. This particular boombox is the Panasonic SG-J555. Panasonic called it the Ambience Stereo Music System which definitely sounds impressive though the word Ambience sounds a little passive for a boombox. In reality the Ambience feature was similar to a tone switch or Loudness boost (though it had a Loudness button as well) which would emphasize the mid range frequencies to give the music a fuller sound. This was accomplished by turning the Ambience switch on or off. The more common Panasonic SG-J500 looks very similar to the SG-J555 but does not have the Ambience switch.

The SG-J555 had a single auto-stop cassette deck player / recorder but was really known for its retractable, belt drive, two speed turntable. It could play both 33 rpm and 45 rpm records and was fully manual. It also has AM and FM.

The Panasonic SG-J555 was switchable between 22v and 110v and could also run on 8 D cell batteries. It also came in a gray version as opposed to the black version shown here and was made by the Matsushita Co. in Japan. It put out 15 watts per channel. While boomboxes that incorporate turntables are highly collectible this particular box doesn’t fetch much on the auction market. Possibly because of its dull design or lower quality construction. Nonetheless a Panasonic SG-J555 in very good working condition recently sold for $122.00 (10-8-2011). The SG-J500 is more common and sells from about $40.00 up to $100.00.