Lasonic TRC-931

In the boombox hierarchy of the mid-1980s, the Lasonic TRC-931 occupied a peculiar throne. It wasn't the best-sounding - the Sharp GF-777 and JVC M90 could blow it away. It wasn't the most expensive - at around $100 in 1986, it was firmly affordable. But for sheer visual swagger, nothing came close. The chrome speaker grilles. The twin telescoping antennas. The rainbow of LED VU meters dancing with the beat. The TRC-931 looked like what a boombox was supposed to look like.

Produced in Taiwan by Yung Fu Electrical Appliances from 1985, this was the ghetto blaster as street theatre. Twin cassette decks for seamless mixtape playback. A five-band equaliser. A "beat switch" for that extra punch. Phono inputs so you could connect a turntable. Every surface packed with knobs, sliders, and buttons - form following function following attitude. When breakdancers set up their cardboard on the sidewalk, this was the machine providing the soundtrack.

The TRC-931 became the definitive boombox silhouette in popular culture. It appears in Clerks II, in Korn's "Got the Life" video, in The Lonely Island's "Boombox", in Cher Lloyd's "Swagger Jagger". Mint examples now sell for $400-800 to collectors. Fashion designer Paul Smith redesigned a modern version in 2011. Among boombox enthusiasts, it's simply known as "The King of Bling" - proof that sometimes the most iconic design isn't the most sophisticated, just the most unapologetically itself.

Gizmo is a collection of design-led art prints built around the machines that shaped how we made music, wrote code, played and connected with the world. Synthesisers and drum machines. Cameras and home computers. Calculators and handheld devices that once felt like the future.

Each print is a carefully constructed illustration that isolates what made an object memorable - its proportions, controls, typography, surfaces, and small acts of engineering intelligence. Not retro sentimentality, but honest observation: what made these machines distinctive, how they looked when they were new, and why their forms still resonate.

Adapted from and inspired by Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 70 × 50 cm · 28 × 20 in

XLarge · 100 × 70 cm · 40 × 28 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

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Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

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