Technics Monitor 2 (1982) - Honeycomb Disc Speaker System

The Technics Monitor 2 (SB-M2) was introduced in 1982 as a slightly simplified version of the first Honeycomb Disc Speaker System from Technics, the Monitor 1 introduced in 1981. The Technics SB-M2 was specially developed to provide the performance required for accurate and undistorted reproduction of digital material. Specifically, this means high power handling capacity, high linearity at high input levels, and flat frequency and phase response throughout the audio spectrum and beyond. Honeycomb disc drivers are used for the woofer, midrange and tweeter in this 3-way, bass reflex system. The traditional cone shaped driver suffers from an inherent problem called the cavity effect. As a result, there is uneven frequency response as well as sound quality degradation. In contrast, th Technics Honeycomb Disc Driver is flat, so it eliminates these delays or phase irregularities. Smooth and extended low range response is a major feature of the SB-M2. 

Mounted on a sturdy diecast aluminum frame, the honeycomb disc woofer is a full 38 cm in diameter to assure efficient bass reproduction. The magnet weighs 3.1 kg and is 200 mm in diameter with high flux density of 14,800 gauss. The 75 mm wide voice coil employs a glass fiber reinforced polyamide bobbin and polyamide self-adhesive coil which allow the woofer to withstand temperatures of up to 250*C. This contributes to the high power handling and great efficiency of 92 dB/W/m. The 8 cm Honeycomb Disc Midrange is using a direct-coupled voice coil 50 mm in diameter capable of maintaining pistonic motion up to 10 khz. The unit is mounted in a diecast aluminum frame for extra stability. For high frequencies there is a 2.8 cm Honeycomb Disc Tweeter. Crossing over at 4 kHz, this remarkable tweeter extends response up to 38 kHz (-16 dB). It's unusual diaphragm is made of laminated mica, 20 microns thin. To bring out the best in individual driver performance, careful attention was paid to waveform linearity in the crossover network. Technical specifications: 3-way, 3-speaker, bass-reflex | Impedance 6 ohms | Input power: 130W (DIN), 300W (Music) | Frequency range: 27Hz-38kHz (-16dB), 35Hz-35kHz (-10dB) | Crossover frequency: 750/4000 Hz | Dimensions: 540x820x415 mm | Weight: 50 kg. | Available in grey (S version) or walnut veneer enclosure (M version). | Price in 1983: 5400 DM/pair (Germany).

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PIONEER CT-F1000 (1977) - Creative High Fidelity

The CT-F1000 was launched with an aggressive advert campaign that would not be possible today. Here's what it said: "For years, Nakamichi has enjoyed a reputation for building the world's finest cassette deck. Now Pioneer is introducing something Nakamichi won't enjoy at all: the Pioneer CT-F1000. A cassette deck that offers all the features and performance of Nakamichi's best cassette deck, at less than half the price" (1,650 USD vs. 600 USD in 1978). The advert continues with a step-by-step comparison of the two decks but we will limit ourself to simply present the technical data of this iconic Pioneer cassette recorder. The presented data are identical for the Japanese market CT-1000 and the international market CT-F1000. The CT-F1000 features a 3-head design with Uni-Crystal record and playback head with a pair of stereo Dolby noise reduction circuitry (one for recording and one for playback) that makes possible to monitor Dolby-decorded recording, a feature not possible with decks equipped with only one Dolby circuit. The tape transport is a two-motor drive system in dual-capstan configuration. One motor for fast-forward/rewind and one for dual-capstan drive. The playback only pitch control allows you to play perfectly tapes made on inaccurate decks. The deck can handle normal/chrome and ferrichrome tapes and it features Dolby noise reduction calibration on the front panel with test tone, memory stop/memory play, logarithmic amp for large VU meters, direct logical controls, mpx filter for FM radio recordings, mic. /Line mixing and recording, timer recording, tape-end warning and full auto-stop and a front panel width and height machined to EIA (Electronic Industries Association) standards for professional-type rack mounting. The Pioneer JA-R102 handle adaptors are available option. Finally, the advert concludes: "You can buy a Nakamichi 1000II and get an incredibly expensive cassette deck. Or you can buy a CT-F1000. And get one that's simply incredible". Technical data: Wow and Flutter: 0.05% (WRMS) | Frequency Response: Normal 20 to 17,000 Hz, Chrome 20 to 19,000 Hz, Ferrichromium 20 to 19,000 Hz | Dimensions: 420x187x362 mm | Weight: 11.8 kg. | Wooden case is optional.

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Lo-D PCM-V100 (1981) - Rare and Unique VHS PCM Recorder

Developed in the late 1970s, PCM (Pulse code Modulation) Digital Audio harnessed the larger bandwidth of video tape technology to digitally encode an audio signal to magnetic tape. PCM digital audio was widely used for studio mastering until the introduction of Digital Audio Tape (DAT) in 1987. Initially these systems comprised a PCM adapter connected to a VCR as shown in our previous article here. The Technics SV-P100 and the HITACHI PCM-V300 were two "compact" models that have used VHS tape to record Digital Audio only, but the rarest of them all must be this Japanese market Lo-D (Hitachi) PCM-V100. Here are some detailed pictures of this rare and unique model, the Lo-D PCM Digital Audio/Video Recorder PCM-V100.