Bush PSR358

The PSR358 was an AM/FM stereo radio cassette player manufactured by the Bush Corporation. This was a budget end player to compete in the Walkman market, and due to its plastic construction and low cost, it was almost a disposable stereo player. Bush made a number of similar looking stereo players such as the CP-45B, PS-6015, PS111, PS-500, PSR502, and PSR354. They were all very much to the same quality for the budget-end of the market. This is obviously the extreme end of the budget market for stereo players, and its low cost made it almost the first disposable stereo cassette player, consequently, people usually threw them away after little use. I love the fact that it is an affordable item built to a reasonable standard, and therefore a bargain. A brand new one in its box must have looked nice.

Radio

The sound quality was average through the original headphones; however, if used with a good pair of Sony headphones, the sound quality dramatically improves. The FM radio reception is very good thanks to Toshiba’s single chip radio solution. The FM radio IC is the same as that found in a Sony Walkman of a similar period.

Features

This Bush stereo cassette player has some interesting design features. The PCB was hand assembled using conventional components. The transport mechanism and chassis are plastic. The pushbutton assembly is also plastic and well built. This was a mass produced product so there should be plenty of these around. These often turn up on eBay and can sell for as little as a few pounds depending upon the day.

Controls

There is a tape / radio selector switch, rotary tuning control, headphone socket for a standard 3.5 mm stereo jack plug, and an AM/FM band select switch. You can also see the inside design features of this unit in the following sections of this multi-page article, so take your time and enjoy.

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