We remember the process of choosing which albums we wanted at the music store, bring our purchases back home before carefully opening up the packages and running our fingers over the edges before placing the disc into a player and just anticipating its magical sound. If you’re familiar with this feeling, I would assume that you have a vinyl or CD collection that has been gathering dust. Perhaps you’ve been pondering for some time on how to give it the appreciation it needs. Having a designated player could be the solution to your problems, but there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to how you’ll keep, track, and sort your collection in a way that makes listening easy.  Or at least, that’s what you might think. The solution to that? A modern jukebox! [caption id="attachment_10673" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Rock-Ola’s CD Bubbler Jukebox in Crystal Edition pays tribute to the classic Bubbler form made famous during its heydays and is a treat for both the eyes and the ears.[/caption] Exactly why is this the case, you might ask? Through modern-day jukeboxes, we can now go back to a time when music was both a tactile and sensory experience, rather than just a digital one. In an age where we can now do almost anything on our smartphones, jukeboxes make listening to music a shared experience, whether you're at home, in a nightclub, at a bar, in an office, or at a cafe. Also, you can just see from the picture how they’re a piece of art! Jukeboxes are bold statement pieces that can be a great conversation starter while also contributing to keeping a wonderful piece of music history alive. They bring your social media-driven lives back down to earth, giving you something that neither Spotify nor Apple Music can provide. For us especially, what makes listening to CD or vinyl so special is that it forces us to slow down and appreciate music differently; you can't just simply skip through tracks or make playlists at random on your phone. (There’s also a certain sense of satisfaction in being able to have enough space to see our vinyl and CD collections grow over time. Take that, space!) [caption id="attachment_10677" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Nostalgic for the click and spin of a vinyl-playing jukebox? Sound Leisure’s Vinyl Rocket Jukebox will remind you of the good old days as you jive to your favourite albums with just the press of a button.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10676" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] A glimpse within: Vinyl jukebox players make it so much easier to organise your vinyl collection systematically.[/caption] This is why investing in a jukebox makes both collecting and listening all the easier. It's so easy to curate the albums you want to listen to while storing them in a systematic manner, especially in apartments where you can also hoard so much - there’s a reason why everyone has tried to Marie Kondo their living space at some point in their lives. Plus, the modern-day jukebox can house both CDs and vinyl depending on your preference or collection! With more old-school record stores popping up in local scenes, the Singaporean interest in vinyl and CDs has never looked stronger. Now that vinyl and CDs are no longer a niche interest for collectors, we feel that it is high time the vinyl and CD community gives a shot to the tried-and-tested jukebox that is perfect for collectors and avid music listeners alike. If you’re looking for your very first jukebox, our recommendations are Rock-Ola’s Bubbler CD Jukebox, Sound Leisure’s Vinyl Rocket Jukebox, and if you’re looking for something that encompasses the best of both worlds, we’ve had great experiences with Rock-Ola’s Authentic Bubbler Vinyl 45 that is both vinyl and Bluetooth compatible! Test out some jukeboxes here today! Interested in reading more articles like this or finding out what we have in store for you? You can check out our blog or subscribe to our newsletters for all the latest updates on man cave inspiration, new product releases, and even exclusive launch events! 

Transport yourself back into the 80s, a fistful of dimes in your pocket as you walk up to your local diner’s jukebox and search for that perfect song to get your groove on. While jukeboxes have been around for decades with some as old as our grandparents, there still remains an appeal for both classic and postmodern jukeboxes even up to this day. Beyond being able to provide audiophiles with a more immersive music listening experience, there are plenty of other reasons why jukeboxes still hold an appeal and appreciating value for all kinds of collectors. In fact, I would argue that the resale price for most jukeboxes can range up to two to three times its original market price depending on its condition, the era it was made in, and many other factors like design, playing mechanisms, and more.  With this, the TMC editorial team has decided to get down to business and work out what is it that still makes jukeboxes so appealing even in the modern age of technology.    Historical Significance Going back to the dawn and rise of jazz that eventually gave birth to the rock n’ roll that we know and love, it would be hard for many of us to disassociate this monumental movement in music from these notorious sound machines.  Starting out in juke joints before finding their place in every diner and bar they could find, jukebox music influenced a generation’s worth of music tastes by deviating away from standard radio tracks. With the ability for customers to choose what they wanted to listen to and bar/diner owners catering towards this demand, sales in record industries eventually began to overperform all other competitors. Jukeboxes were thriving, and this demand also gave way to bigger, better, and flashier models as times progressed.  [caption id="attachment_10538" align="aligncenter" width="612"] A representation of the American Dream during the rise of industrialisation.[/caption] Jukeboxes were also a physical representation of their time. With their bright, flashy colours, and chrome-coloured linings that mimicked automobiles, they practically transport you back to a time in history many of us have only been able to read about in textbooks. Designs did become more streamlined as we neared the early 90s, but jukeboxes had already become a distinct feature of the era, giving birth to the current design model of most postmodern jukeboxes that are now available. Online searches and pixelated images themselves do no justice towards the splendour of a jukebox in real life, and I would argue that despite the years of modernisation and rapid advancements in technology, jukeboxes still manage to create wonderful moments with music that are unreplicable by any other modern music machine.     Brand Representation Nowadays, many avid collectors will usually gravitate towards what are considered the ‘Golden’ brands: Wurlitzer, Rock-Ola, Seeburg, and AMi. Whether it’s due to their historical significance or their unique designs that remain unreplicated in our current era, it’s certainly hard to deny the significance these brands brought to jukebox history. Especially for collectors, out-of-production brands—Wurlitzer, Seeburg, and AMi—have an increased value on the market due to their scarcity and the difficulties you’d face to find either parts or someone with the expertise to make it work the same as the day it was produced. However, even the ‘newer’ Sound Leisure—which still has its own history as the first and only British jukebox crafters—has been steadily seeing a rise of demand and love from casual customers and collectors alike due to their controlled quality of keeping everything handcrafted amongst their small team and factory based in Reeds, England.  Even if you might dispute that brand loyalty or competition is hardly a thing in an industry where there are only two major jukebox manufacturers left, collectors like Ed Liss give us a glimpse into the impact that these brands had during both their heydays and even now. An item’s value is what the collector purchasing it deems it to be, rather than a market listing, so such personal items like jukeboxes are usually big-ticket items for most collectors and enthusiasts.  Close To The Heart: Ed Liss shares the effort and value behind restoring his purchase of the 1647 Wurlitzer 1015.   Recent Popularity Of Analogue In The Modern World In a world of modernisation and accessibility, people are now craving the nostalgic. Whether it’s analogue equipment, TV shows set in the 80s or 90s,  fountain pens over digital notes, and even vinyl records instead of MP3 files, there has been a rising interest in all things vintage or analogue over the last decade amongst both young and old.  But what does this mean, exactly? The rise in technology has certainly made things convenient, but increasing digitalisation has made us as human beings crave the tactile experience of analogue, a unique experience to each individual. Especially with a younger generation that has grown up surrounded by instant but monotonous accessibility of the internet, digitalisation cannot truly mimic the ways in which we experience analogue technology. It’s like an individualised experience that’s catered just for you, bespoke even if you might be in the same room listening to it with someone else.  While it can be argued that this nostalgia phenomenon is definitely not considered something new, it has still given people a newfound appreciation of jukeboxes and all things vinyl. This is especially true for vinyl and jukeboxes in general as they combine what is considered the best of both worlds to create what I label a ‘tactile music experience’—the best description I can give to the rich sound and personality that jukeboxes breathe into the music it plays to give it its own sort of life.  As such, many youngsters all around the world are now investing in jukeboxes for personal listening, even willing to go the extra mile to get them restored to bring us back to that era of nostalgia and simpler times. To me, this is the best indicator of why the price range for collectors in the jukebox market still remains as strong as ever. Demand VS Supply I would call this the most straightforward point of all in why jukeboxes are so favoured amongst collectors. Marketing and Economics 101 would tell you that when the demand for something is greater than its supply, prices will increase to reflect that. This is also true for retro jukeboxes, where production lines have been stopped for decades. If a collector is also looking for jukeboxes within a specific era, model, or design, this can make the demand even higher.  Furthermore, newer jukeboxes are usually made to order or only produced a limited number of models to ensure each jukebox retains its value. This is another reason why collectors will prize retro jukeboxes that have been maintained and are in working, playable condition, easily fetching a price that is worth a few ten thousand dollars! All in all, this is the tip of the iceberg of why jukeboxes still remain so highly sought after by collectors even now and there are plenty other reasons why jukeboxes are and will most probably remain valuable collector items in the future. While its price may be subjective to each individual, the significance and tenacity that jukeboxes have held throughout these decades will only make their value grow more in the years to come.   At The Men’s Cave, we review, curate, and strive to provide quality content and inspiration on the coolest games from all around the world. If you enjoyed this article, why not show your support by signing up for our newsletters (at the bottom of the article) and we will keep you updated on the latest insider articles from all around the world!

Music snob or not, let’s face it: there’s something about jukeboxes that inherently make music sound so much better, even with better and better advancements in sound technology over the decades.  So why is it so?  Throughout its heydays till now, jukeboxes have managed to keep their retro features both inside and out, with advancements in sound technology only making them sound better over time. According to Sound Leisure founder, Alan Black, there’s a reason why jukeboxes still retain that signature ‘bass and boom’ that is unable to be replicated by most conventional speakers. One of Black’s answers during an interview with CNN sheds some light on this question: "Often teenagers are taken by the sound of a jukebox when they hear it. It's a distinctive sound, unlike the very crisp one of modern hi-fi equipment. It's more bass-y (...) We could make a jukebox that sounds crisp, but that would be out of character. We put a lot of effort into keeping that bass and boom."—Alan Black, founder of Sound Leisure However, it’s definitely something that’s easier said and done. Which begs the question: how exactly does one incorporate new technology while retaining what was considered a feature ‘flaw’ of jukeboxes that eventually became its most well-loved attribute?   To start, we need to look at the inside and see how they’re made. Since we aren’t the jukebox crafters ourselves, our first step towards getting down to the answer is by looking toward the guidance of experts themselves. For this, we take a look at Sound Leisure’s own jukebox crafting process in their factory in Leeds. Besides the care and attention to detail that is given to each individual jukebox, the jukebox’s iconic design that most of us are familiar with also plays an integral role in providing you with that immersive, signature audiophile experience.  In this short video by the Science Channel, they take a look at the modern jukebox’s inner workings and how iconic brands like Sound Leisure and even Rock-Ola use classic methods and designs to retain and even enhance the jukebox’s signature traits when combined with modern technology to create today’s postmodern jukebox. However, research has shown that it isn’t always about retaining what’s old and beloved. Technology has also allowed jukebox crafters to further refine jukeboxes for the modern-day consumer. Besides retaining its basic form to keep its trademark acoustics, there are also many other components in the modern jukebox that have been polished to create a more encapsulating experience for modern listeners. A great example of this can be seen with the recent patent approval of Black’s LP changer mechanism, featured and introduced in the Long Player Vinyl Jukebox: You can spot the LP changer mechanism as the claw-like arms that ‘grab’ onto the edges of the vinyl record to place it onto the record player. This straightforward and simple design helps you pick out the vinyl record of your choosing and place it on the spin table to be played and enjoyed. However, it is also considered an important design feature for the classic jukebox because many jukeboxes back then were required to store at least 50 records at one time. This wide selection range was a popular feature compared to normal vinyl record players as the musical variety gave diners and juke joints customers plenty of different options to choose from while simultaneously promoting up and coming artists during the era. Instead of having to listen to whatever was playing on the radio, people were now being given the power to choose what they wanted to hear. This was essentially the era of jukebox music!  As many vinyl records back in the 80s and 90s only contained very few tracks, most changer mechanisms were streamlined. However, as vinyl records began undergoing their own changes to create better vinyl records from more inexpensive material, this also changed the capacity and size of vinyl records themselves. To date, there are at least eight major types of vinyl records, each with its own size and specifications that make standardising both personal and jukebox vinyl players difficult.   But before I digress... All these details only touch the surface of what makes a jukebox so unique compared to any regular music player., In fact, jukeboxes are intricate machines that require skills and expertise to make. Did you know that both classic and postmodern jukeboxes are made up of at least 700 to 800 individual components, sometimes even more? Its complexity is why most jukebox crafters prefer to streamline the process in-house and do it by hand. All this, coupled with rigid quality inspections and vigorous testing prior to shipment, is why today’s jukeboxes can be considered a work of art right beside their classic counterpart.    At The Men’s Cave, we review, curate, and strive to provide quality content and inspiration on the coolest games from all around the world. If you enjoyed this article, why not show your support by signing up for our newsletters (at the bottom of the article) and we will keep you updated on the latest insider articles from all around the world!

Did you know that the jukeboxes can be traced back to Thomas Edison, the inventor of cameras and light bulbs? How about the fact that people had to listen to jukebox music using one of the four sharing tubes? These are just some interesting facts about the history of jukeboxes. If you're keen to find out more about the jukebox history, do scroll down for an adventure through time, space and music! [caption id="attachment_8150" align="aligncenter" width="813"] Thomas Edison's Invention of the Phonograph[/caption] Edison's Phonograph 1877 - Firstly, let's talk about the phonograph. Thomas Edison's early phonograph recorded onto a thin sheet of cylindrical metal. While the cylinder was rotated and slowly progressed along its axis, the airborne sound vibrated a diaphragm connected to a stylus that indented the foil into the cylinder's groove. It thus records the vibrations as "hill-and-dale" variations of the depth of the indentation. [caption id="attachment_8157" align="aligncenter" width="906"] An Edison Standard Cylinder Phonograph[/caption] You might be thinking: cylinder? But what about CD or vinyl? Of course, it would be much more convenient to use a flat recording surface instead of a cylindrical one. Charles Cros proposed that in 1877 but never implemented it.   Vinyl Phonograph (Gramophone) [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Vinyl Phonograph (Gramophone)[/caption] 1887 - Emile Berliner patented a variant of the phonograph, named the gramophone. Having an approach similar to Cros', the diaphragm linked to the recording stylus vibrates side to side. It traces a spiral onto a zinc disc very thinly coated with beeswax. But how do you make sure that the indentions stay? Well, the zinc disc was then immersed in a bath of chromic acid, which etched a groove into the disc where the stylus had removed the coating. After which, the recording could be played. The vinyl (or phonograph record) co-existed with the phonograph cylinder from the late 1880s.   Coin Operated Phonograph (Nickel-In-The-Slot Phonograph) [caption id="attachment_8158" align="aligncenter" width="995"] Drawing of the Coin-Op Edison Phonograph[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8159" align="aligncenter" width="995"] 'Regina Hexaphone' Coin-Op Phonograph[/caption] 1889 - Louis Glass and William Arnold invented a nickel-in-the-slot (coin-operated) phonograph with four ‘listening’ tubes. How exactly does it work? Well, slot the nickel into the machine. The phonograph then allowed the listener to turn a crank that simultaneously wound the spring motor and placed the reproducer's stylus in the starting groove. However, at that time, a machine only played one song, and you would need to listen to the recording through tubes. Talk about hygiene.   Phonograph Parlors [caption id="attachment_8151" align="aligncenter" width="995"] A Phonograph Parlor[/caption] 1889 - In May 1889, the first 'phonograph parlor' opened. It featured a row of coin-operated machines, each supplied with a different wax cylinder record. You should be wondering by now: Did musicians have to self-record every single cylinder? Yes, you're right -- each record had to be custom-made. 1890 - By 1890, thankfully, record manufacturers had begun using a rudimentary duplication process to mass-produce their product. An advanced pantograph-based process made it possible to simultaneously produce 90-150 copies of each record. Yet, popular artists still needed to re-record their songs as demand for certain records grew. For instance, George Washington Johnson had to perform his 'The Laughing Song' thousands of times in a studio during his recording career. Mid-1890s - By then, most American cities had at least one phonograph parlor. The phenomenon of phonograph parlors peaked in Paris around 1900: in Pathé's luxurious salon, patrons sat in plush upholstered chairs and chose from among many hundreds of available cylinders by using speaking tubes to communicate with attendants on the floor below. Sounds like a legitimate parlor, doesn't it? 1912 - The phonograph disc record had effectively superseded the phonograph cylinder.   Multi-Select Phonograph & Amplified Phonograph 1927 - Without amplification, it was impossible for a large group of listeners to enjoy the music. Automated Musical Instrument Company (AMI) developed an amplifier, surging the popularity of jukeboxes. It reduced the need to listen through tubes, the main form of listening to music in jukebox history. It was especially popular in the illegal speakeasies of the Prohibition Era because it provided a cheap form of entertainment. AMI sold 50,000 of its amplified machines in one year, bringing to life the age of the jukebox.   Multi-select Jukebox (Audiophone) [caption id="attachment_8165" align="aligncenter" width="995"] Seeburg Audiophone[/caption] 1928 - Justus P. Seeburg, who was manufacturing player pianos, was one of the first manufacturers of a multi-select jukebox. Termed audiophone, this machine was bulky as it had 8 separate turntables mounted on a rotating Ferris-like device. It allowed patrons to select from eight different records.   The Depression 1930s - Record sales plummeted from $75 million in 1929 to $5 million in 1933 as people lost the ability to spend on entertainment. 1938 - The growing popularity of the jukebox and the purchases by store owners that went along with it resurrected the waning music business. That year, the industry had resurfaced at $25 million in sales.   The First 'Jukebox' in History Though we're talking about the history of jukebox here, the word 'jukebox' only came into use in the US beginning in 1940. Jukeboxes were most popular from the 1940s through the mid-1960s, particularly during the 1950s. By the middle of the 1940s, three-quarters of the records produced in America went into jukeboxes. 1940 - That year, there were already 400,000 jukeboxes in use in the US. These jukeboxes primarily played jazz swing (from the 1930s) and early rock and roll music (from the mid-1940s) but also offered classical music and opera choices. WW2 - The production of jukeboxes was halted in the USA in order to pour resources and labour into the war effort. Afterwards, the jukebox industry came back in full swing.   Classic Jukebox (Wurlitzer 1015) [caption id="attachment_8164" align="aligncenter" width="683"] Wurlitzer 1015 Jukebox[/caption] 1940s - Three names remain synonymous with the jukebox history and industry: Seeburg, Rock-Ola and Wurlitzer. Though each company began creating jukeboxes, jukebox design came into its own with the help of a few great designers employed by the companies. 1946 - Wurlitzer 1015 was introduced and became the biggest selling jukebox in history. Along with other spectacular models, it was designed by Paul Fuller and it pushed Wurlitzer to the top of the industry. Wurlitzer models were works of art, featuring rotating lights and art deco styled cabinets. Considered an iconic style, it had tubes of flowing bubbles that moved along the machine's arched top. In Wurlitzer 1015's original run, it sold a total of 56, 246 boxes.   Multi-select Jukebox (Select-O-Matic 100) [caption id="attachment_8162" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Seeburg Select-O-Matic Jukebox, which handles up to 50 records[/caption] In the early days of the jukebox, the 78rpm record was standard and until 1949, only 10 to 24 selections could be played on one machine. 1949 - Seeburg changed the face of jukebox history when it engineered a mechanism that could play both sides of 50 records, a true 100-select jukebox. This mechanism was so reliable that it nearly put all other manufacturers out of business. 1950s - In 1950, Seeburg introduced the first commercial jukebox designed to play the then-new 45 rpm records. They increased the number of records from 50 to 100, eventually settling on 50 or 80 per machine. [caption id="attachment_8166" align="aligncenter" width="995"] Vintage 78rpm Records[/caption] What are 78rpm and 45rpm records though? RPM refers to revolutions per minute. Thus, the speed of 78rpm records was much faster than that of 45rpm. The major advantage that 45rpm records brought to the table was certainly one of size. They were physically smaller than 78s, which meant that the records themselves could be produced less expensively. In terms of audio quality, the two were about the same, so that size quickly became a large part of the reason why 45s quickly surpassed 78s in terms of mass audience appeal.   The Decline of the Jukebox in History Traditional jukeboxes once were an important source of income for record publishers. Jukeboxes were always the first to receive the newest recordings. With advances in technology though, the portable radio (1950s) and the portable cassette tape deck (1960s) were key factors in the decline of the jukebox. 1970s - Jukeboxes became a dying industry, as people sought more convenient alternatives to listen to music. Many companies exited the market at that time, even the ones that contributed greatly to the jukebox history. 1980s - The jukebox industry was revived somewhat by compact disc jukeboxes and digital jukeboxes using the MP3 format. While jukeboxes maintain popularity in bars, they have fallen out of favour with what were once their more lucrative locations -- restaurants, diners, military barracks, video arcades, and laundromats. A growing antique market promoted refurbished classic models. However, these collectibles that were once sold for $750 are now approximately $12,000.   Present Day Jukeboxes [caption id="attachment_8155" align="aligncenter" width="995"] Sound Leisure Vinyl SL45 Jukebox that pays homage to the traditional Wurlitzer 1015 Jukebox. Each jukebox is specially handcrafted for the buyers.[/caption] Now - Only two companies manufacture classically styled retro jukeboxes:Rock-Ola: based in CaliforniaSound Leisure: based in Leeds in the UK [caption id="attachment_8153" align="aligncenter" width="995"] Sound Leisure Vinyl Rocket Jukebox introduced in 2016[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8170" align="aligncenter" width="995"] Mechanics of the Vinyl Rocket Jukebox[/caption] Both companies manufacture jukeboxes based on a CD playing mechanism, but Sound Leisure recently introduced the traditional vinyl jukebox back into the market. It truly pays a tribute to the rich jukebox history.   Interested in owning a jukebox machine in your house? Do check out our range of jukebox machines and our blog for more articles!

Pioneers of lifestyle products within Singapore, we test and source our products worldwide to provide you with the best there is to offer. This means making sure that all product quality is upheld before being passed to consumers and that the things we bring in are truly what we believe will help bring your lifestyle to the next level. Therefore, we have decided that it is important for us to shed some light to both present and future customers on some of the brands we represent and advocate for within The Men’s Cave   RS Barcelona A brand that truly encapsulates what it means to live in the moment. We believe that Spanish-brand RS Barcelona has never stopped short of producing products that are fun and practical regardless of your environment. In fact, founder Rafael Rodriguez Castillo encourages customers to think outside the box, providing a range of fully customisable options and sourcing locally-made materials of the highest quality to guarantee customer satisfaction every single time.  With a motto like ‘intense living’, RS Barcelona certainly hits the nail on the head when it comes to those who want both design and practicality, whether it’s at home or in the office. When each of their game tables comes with a multifunctional purpose that allows you to turn a conference table into a makeshift ping pong game, it’s hard to say no to living in the moment.  [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="750"] The You & Me Ping Pong Table is the perfect example of working hard and playing even harder. Simple and elegant in design, it becomes a practical conference or dining table within any living space in the blink of an eye.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5868" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Who says that you have to put away your games at the dining table? Meet the RS#2 Dining Football Table, breaking boundaries and social etiquette to bring your next dinner party to the next level. With this, you won't ever have to worry about entertaining guests.[/caption] Stern Pinball  Are you a kid of the 80s? Did you ever hang out in strip mall arcades during the weekends with your friends while saving all the spare change from the pocket money your parents used to give you every week? If you are then the Stern household name is probably familiar to you.  A love of pinball passed down from father to son, Stern Pinball is one of the largest pinball manufacturers in America that have done well to keep mechanical pinball machines alive and still sought-after. Whether you’re looking for a home statement piece or are just a collector, Stern provides all of that and more.  [caption id="attachment_7350" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Our team's personal favourite—the Iron Maiden. Reminiscent of their hit tour: Legacy Of The Beast, top pinball designer Keith Elwin makes a mark within the pinhead community with this particular pinball machine and with good reason. With deep-set rules and gameplay that's coupled with an addictive album track, it is truly an immersive experience.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_7362" align="aligncenter" width="1875"] Love him or hate him, Deadpool is everyone's favourite, fourth-wall-breaking, pottymouth antihero that Stern has translated so lovingly into their pinball machine. With custom voice lines by Nolan North and an original soundtrack made specifically for this game, you won't realise how much time you've sunk into this game once you start playing.[/caption]   Sound Leisure There’s something personal in owning and listening to vinyl, which is why we believe the way you experience them should matter as well. Considered one of the last two vinyl jukebox makers in the world (the British counterpart to the iconic Rock-Ola), Sound Leisure remain a prominent figure in the creation of original mechanical jukeboxes by combining their expertise in jukebox making with the latest sound technology to create an unforgettable audiophile experience. Whether you’re looking for a more classic look with bubblers or a hybrid player that will allow both vinyl and Bluetooth tracks, Sound Leisure has got your back. In fact, most of their products are made to order and handmade from start to finish, so you can accommodate the jukebox to your tastes rather than the other way around.  [caption id="attachment_8155" align="aligncenter" width="600"] If it's not broken, don't fix it: Sound Leisure's CD series takes inspiration from classic jukeboxes to give you that retro feel with the latest sound technology for the best music-listening experience.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_7626" align="aligncenter" width="1365"] Who says a jukebox is a waste of space? With Sound Leisure, as long as you can think of it, the customisation choices are endless![/caption]   Retrocade What is better than having your own arcade game in your home? Being able to personalise it into a bespoke experience to make it a one-of-a-kind item you will cherish for the years to come. The Retrocade series is considered our own in-house brand, a collaboration between the designers and creative minds of The Men’s Cave to create the retro arcade game of your dreams. Our R&D team constantly sources out premium and authentic arcade parts in their constant efforts to improve and build better arcade machines by the day.   In fact, we’re always available if you want to pop us a message to discuss your own dream build or any other ideas you might have.

Inspired by the original Cosley 42 racecar, Sound Leisure collaborates with Bo Lemastus and the Crosley Sports Group to design a classic CD-playing jukebox that sports its iconic red and white colour scheme and Crosley logo. Check out the care and detail put behind each design feature, with each Sound Leisure jukebox being made by hand in its only factory in Leeds to ensure the brand's signature quality.

With more than 40 years of manufacturing jukeboxes and dabbling in sound technology, Sound Leisure is one of the two last mechanical jukebox manufacturers in the entire world. Built from a dream to create the first British jukebox close to the end of America's Golden Era of Jukeboxes, each jukebox from Sound Leisure is a handcrafted experience that passes through the many talented hands that represent Sound Leisure's team and brand. Come along on a journey with us to understand Sound Leisure's history, passion, and crafting process in their one and only factory based in Leeds, England.

When you were younger, were you ever fascinated by vinyl or just 80s and 90s pop culture? Did you ever watch your grandparents put down their favourite record on their trusty old turntable so that they could tell you stories about the prime days of their youth? I’m sure that all of us have had—or still have—an interest in 20th-century pop culture. The economy still had its ups and downs, much like today, but the culture and arts scene was booming with opportunities everywhere. Today, everybody is obsessed with throwbacks to that iconic culture—polaroid cameras, music culture, fashion, and even a blast to the past with both classic TV show remakes and new ones set in the 80s and 90s. The signs are endless, even amongst Gen Z and Millennials, that newer isn’t necessarily better. In fact, even ‘outdated’ music media like vinyl have started to come back over the past few years, worming into the lives of our younger generations with surprising tenacity and hold.   So, what's vinyl? Vinyl records, which were more accurately known as gramophone records in the past, were created in 1867 by Emile Berliner from Edouard-Leon Scott’s invention of the Phonautograph—a vibrating pen that would represent sound waves through a graph onto small paper discs. Despite that, vinyl records were not actually “heard” by people until 1878 when Thomas Edison created what was considered the first version of the vinyl record player, which was the phonograph—the first version and inspiration for all the turntables and jukeboxes that exist today.    OK, but what's so cool about it? Recently, there has been a growing interest towards vinyl records in Europe and Asia, signalling the revival of vinyl culture across the globe. What’s fascinating to see is that even our local Asian artists have also managed to reap the benefits of this phenomenon, receiving sudden recognition within the vinyl music scene. For example, Indonesian artist Fariz FM—short for Fariz Rustam Munaf—has been basking in newfound fame from contemporary remixes of his songs in clubbing scenes all around the world through recent vinyl reissues (think of it as a vinyl version for repackaged albums) of his iconic songs.  Reissues have also breathed new life into the vinyl scene, giving both collectors and listeners a wider range of genre options to choose from that span from the classic Beatles to pop artists like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.  As such, it’s not far-fetched to say that vinyl’s growing popularity has been important in giving back fame to classic local icons and forgotten artists considered niche during their heydays that goes beyond encouraging plenty of more international and popular contemporary artists to release LP (long playing) vinyl records of their newest albums. Perhaps this is a sign that there might even come a time when local Southeast Asian artists become big on the international market? It’s something that one can hope for.  Still… You might be wondering whether all this is true and I don’t blame you. The question is warranted. CDs and digital albums still hold the largest number in music sales per year and are far more accessible than vinyl that has been around for more than a century. However, the stats don’t lie. Vinyl sales have had a sharp increase over recent years, with almost a 50% increase in sales year-on-year since everybody went into lockdown during last year's pandemic. Seriously, the vinyl revival has already actually outlasted the boom and bust of the Apple iPod in the early 2000s! But why the sudden interest? Everyone has their own reasons for going back to vinyl. Most believe that it is because vinyl records hold intangible significance beyond being a ‘collector’s item’. Avid music listeners are interested in vinyl due to its nostalgic factor and the tactile experience you can obtain from listening to vinyl records on either a jukebox or gramophone. A lot of us are also not fully satisfied with digitalised music despite the instant accessibility of online music streaming apps like Spotify and YouTube Music. We’re all victims to the desire of physical comforts that engage with our five senses, especially in a time where many of us are stuck in self-isolation and unable to visit our friends and family. There is also the current obsession amongst the millennial generation when it comes to nostalgia. With many TV series and movies like WandaVision, Stranger Things, and Wonder Woman 1984 that highlight and reference popular culture in the mid to late 90s, the effects of nostalgia have been studied and said to provide people with the concept of making them feel more human, and I can’t help but agree. It is these nostalgic reminders that allow one to decompress and just find a moment for themselves away from the digitalised world, removing us from the distraction of electronic gadgets and social media that is both a blessing and a curse in our current society.  [caption id="attachment_9574" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] Listening bars are every audiophile's dream.[/caption] The novelty of vinyl in modern society comes from its ability to provide you with a tactile experience compared to listening to a song on your phone or blasting it through your Bluetooth speakers. According to Dominik Bartmanski, a sociologist at the Technical University of Berlin and the author of Vinyl: The Analogue Record in the Digital Age, vinyl records are considered a “better ‘ritualistic’ medium” because “certain experiences are neither downloadable nor possible to save on a hard drive."  It's true that the act of listening and playing vinyl records is an experience that requires you to engage in the act itself: touching the records and placing them on the turntable before putting down the tonearm to play the music, fiddling with the different RPMs that follow the record’s size. It makes the moment something personal for the individual and even amongst those who might be listening as a group. This is why many young adults still choose to invest the extra bucks into vinyl for albums that are considered personal favourites, providing an added warmth to the sensory medium.  Vinyl records are popular because they have a function beyond being just like any other music format. They’re a medium that’s designed to encapsulate the experience of actually engaging with the music you’re listening to. That's important because music is a form of art, an accessible commodity that has inadvertently become an intangible part of people’s life by further enriching our quality of life. The very act of listening to vinyl is a physical experience that allows you to understand the artist, giving you a deeper appreciation of their music. I’m pretty sure that many of us can’t imagine living in a universe where music and its many forms—digital and those in nature—don't exist. It’s these combinations of factors that make vinyl’s revival more than just some random fluke or a passing phase. This classic and iconic item of pop culture has finally risen from the dead and is back to stay. 

Curious about how much effort goes into creating even a single custom jukebox by hand? In this 2014 factory tour of Sound Leisure's one and only factory in Leeds, England, follow our narrator as he shows us around and tells us exactly how each jukebox is made, assembled, and tested within the Sound Leisure factory to create the ultimate audiophile experience.