The boombox is back and we're off to rock the block

We Are Rewind follows up its Walkman-inspired tape deck with a blast(er) from the past

The We Are Rewind GB-001 boom box on a black background. It is black with silver detailing and two VU meters above and between the speaker grilles.
(Image credit: We Are Rewind)
Carrie Marshall's avatar
By
published
in News
Quick Summary

We Are Rewind has launched a 104-watt boombox that plays and records onto tapes, and supports Bluetooth for wireless streaming.

You can expect to pay £379 / €449 (about $500 / AU$780) for this modern day equivalent of an '80s classic.

Over the last few months We Are Rewind has carved quite a niche in the audio market by mixing old-school looks with modern music technology.

Following on from its Walkman homages, the EDITH WE-001 and a collaboration with electro-funk duo Chromeo, the firm has now turned its attention to the boombox.

The GB-001 looks like a 1980s portable tape deck of the type used to rock many a block more than 40 years ago. However, while the looks are retro and it does indeed play cassettes, it's also got up-to-date internals, including a big battery and the latest Bluetooth.

It's also very, very loud.

We Are Rewind GB-001 close-up

(Image credit: We Are Rewind)

We Are Rewind GB-001 boombox: key features and specifications

The GB-001 has four Hi-Fi class speakers – two woofers and a pair of soft dome tweeters – and it puts out a very impressive 104 watts. That's roughly ten times the output of the boombox that was permanently attached to me in the 1980s.

We Are Rewind claims that its sound "rivals home speaker systems".

Inside, there's dynamic power control, which the firm says reduces distortion, spatialisation to create a wider stereo image, and a user-adjustable motor with internal speed regulation.

It also emulates Dolby B noise reduction so you can play Dolby tapes and hear them as they're supposed to sound.

We Are Rewind GB-001 close-up

(Image credit: We Are Rewind)

It plays and can record to Type I and Type II (Chrome) cassettes and has an active AC-erasing head to minimise recording noise.

Bluetooth 5.4 os on board, and there's a 3.5mm jack input for wired connections. The mic input has adjustable levels for better recordings.

Where my boomboxes used to munch through AA batteries, the power here comes from a user-replaceable 3,000mAH lithium ion battery pack that's good for 10 hours in tape mode and 15 in aux. That's when you're listening on speakers – you can expect 15 hours in tape mode and up to 28 hours in aux when using headphones.

The GB-001 launches today, 15 May, with a recommended retail price of £379 / €449 (about $500 / AU$780).

Carrie Marshall
Carrie Marshall

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.