7 Beautiful Mini Audio System from the 90's

DENON D-F10 (1996)

DENON UPA-F10 55W/ch amplifier, DENON UTU-F10 RDS tuner, DENON UCD-F10 LAMBDA-Super-Linear-Converter CD player, DENON UDR-F10 Dolby HX-Pro cassette deck, DENON SC-F10S 2 way loudspeaker.

JVC (Victor in Japan) HMV 1993

JVC AX-V1 dual mono amplifier, JVC X-V1 20bitK2 CD player, JVC TD-V1 3 head cassette deck, JVC SX-V1 2 way loudspeaker. The front and top cover for all components is a one piece aluminium (like the PHILIPS mini 109) while the loudspeaker also has a metal front.

ONKYO Liverpool (1993)

ONKYO T-411RDS tuner, ONKYO A-911 70W/ch amplifier, ONKYO K-611 3 Head 3 Motor Dual Capstan cassette deck (it features a conventional door not a tray), ONKYO T-409 tuner, 

ONKYO C-711 singe-bit CD player, ONKYO K-R609 auto-reverse cassette deck.

PIONEER Impresso 5 (1995)

PIONEER F-C3 tuner, PIONEER A-C5 45W/ch amplifier, PIONEER T-C3 Auto BLE cassette deck, PIONEER PD-C5 Legato Link / Stable platter CD payer, PIONEER S-C5 2 way loudspeaker.

SONY 5000 Series (ES on some markets) (1998)

SONY TA-F5000ES 45W/ch MOS-FET amplifier, SONY CDP-X5000ES Fixed pick-up mechanism CD payer, SONY SS-AL5 2 way loudspeaker.

TEAC H-Series (1997)

TEAC A-H500 50W/ch amplifier, TEAC T-H500 RDS tuner, TEAC PD-H500 1 bit CD payer, TEAC R-H500 auto-reverse cassette deck.

YAMAHA Classic Line (1995)

YAMAHA AX-10 100W/ch (DIN 4 ohm) amplifier, YAMAHA TX-10 RDS tuner, YAMAHA CDX-10 22 bit Pro-bit CD player, YAMAHA KX-10 3 Head 3 Motor cassette deck, YAMAHA NS-2 2 way loudspeaker.

Even More Here.

ONKYO - 70th Anniversary

Master and the Clones (1987)

This was not the first time in the history of High-Fidelity when a component was rebadged under several other brand names. This pre-amplifier / power amplifier combo from 1989 is perhaps the one that saw the most versions, most notably in Germany. The original was made by LOTTE of Korea and you can see below the "clones". Most of them had the same lettering and some even kept the model number as well. There were two versions made, one was 200 W/ch while the other one was 150 W/ch.

LOTTE LA-1200 (150 W/ch) and the clones

LOTTE LA-1200

LIFE LA-1200

LENCO AF 3302

PALLADIUM LA-1200

PHILIPS PA-1200B

UHER Reference 1

LOTTE LA-2500 (200 W/ch) and the clones

LOTTE LA-2500

LENCO set

UHER Royal UMA-400

HANTOR LA-1500M

TENSAI PTM 3000

3 HEAD cassette deck rarities

In this article we take a closer look to some of the rarest 3 head cassette recorders. They were either market specific models or were only made in low numbers so they hardly ever show up for sale on the second hand market.

First in this line-up is the OPTONICA RT-9100H. Optonica was a brand name used by SHARP for their high-end audio gear. This model is not necessarily rare but is definitely one of the less known 3 head recorders....with 4 head. Yes it is a genuine 3 head recorder with monitor function however there was a 4th head that recorded signals to the tape for a sophisticated music search system. It was available as OPTONICA RT-9 in Japan, OPTONICA RT-9100 the rest of the world, while the black version was OPTONICA RT-6905 that came with an additional programable timer unit.

OPTONICA RT-9100H

OPTONICA RT-6905

OPTONICA RT-9

The next model is from Austria and it was made by eumig (Elektrizitats Und Metallwaren Industrie Gesellschaft mbH. in Wien). Before eumig became known with their version of a rebadged Alpine, the eumig FL-900 or the famous eumig FL-1000 they made this 3 head model called the eumig Metropolitan CCD. Released in 1977 this cassette deck uses heads from WOELKE (Germany) mounted on a full die-cast chasis. Instead of the usual rec/playback sandwich head this model uses an independent playback head while the recording head is sandwitched together with the erase head and there is azimuth control for the recording head.

eumig METROPOLITAN CCD

Moving to the next model there's a 3 head cassette deck from a turntable specialist. This is the Lenco C 2003 Direct Drive dual capstan 3 independent head cassette deck from Switzerland. (699 USD 1977)

Lenco C 2003

Talking about turntable specialist, here's the one and only Thorens PC-650 3 head cassette recorder from 1979.

Thorens PC 650

Part of the slimline 777 system from SIEMENS this is the SIEMENS RC 777, a 3 head cassette deck with Sendust heads. This deck could be sourced from SANYO as the smaller SIEMENS 666 system uses rebadged SANYO units. 

SIEMENS RC 777

Another 3 head cassette deck is the ITT HiFi 8025 from 1979 (more detail here)

ITT HiFi 8025

Last but not least here's a 3 head cassette deck from the former communist block. This is the UNITRA MDS 625 from Poland, a deck with dual capstan mechanism, 3 ferrite heads and dual speed (4,75 and 9,5 cm/s)

UNITRA MDS 625

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SAMSUNG High End Audio...1996

Did you know that the world leader in electronic industry Samsung began their operations by producing noodles first? Then how about some High End audio products made in 1996?

Samsung made two sets of High End audio components in 1996. Each set included a preamplifier, power amplifier and loudspeakers. The Samsung C-01 preamplifier and the 300W/ch Samsung M-30S power amplifier were the bigger set and they were partnered by the Samsung SP-01 loudspeaker. There is no official reference but it seems that the amplifiers were designed by Mark Levinson and built by Samsung in Korea. They were intended to be sold as SAMSUNG products worldwide while on their domestic market they were branded as Emperor. There were two versions of the Samsung SP-01 loudspeaker. One model had the tweeter on the top and two midrange cones below, while the other one (final version ?) had the tweeter between two dome midranges. Unlike the electronics the loudspeakers were built in the U.S.A. by HALES (a now defunct loudspeaker manufacturer). 

The second, smaller system, consisted of the Samsung C-03 preamplifier, Samsung M-15S power amplifier and the Samsung SP-03 loudspeaker. 

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50 Years Technics

Introducing 50 years of Technics history and legendary products.

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Making of the New Technics SL-1200 (2016)

Making the New Technics SL-1200GAE/G turntable - key elements and assembly. 

Made in Japan

Details of the New Direct Drive motor.

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The Power of LUXMAN

LUXMAN (ラックスマン株式会社) was founded in 1925 by the time radio broadcasting started in Japan. It's a company that manufactures luxury audio components. Below you can see some of their emblematic products acompanied by Bowers&Wilkins loudspeakers that were distributed in Japan by LUXMAN. 

LUXMAN models pictured: SQ38FD, CL35II, CL350, tube power amplifiers MQ36, MQ60 and MQ60 Custom

Pictured loudspeakers: LUX-LX77, B&W 70 Continental

For more vintage audio visit www.1001hifi.com The Stereo Museum

High Fidelity Men - Part 3

Peter J. Walker - QUAD

Saül B. Marantz - marantz

Sidney Harman - harman kardon - Bernard Kardon

Willi Studer - REVOX / STUDER

Stefan Kudelski - NAGRA

Sidney N. SHURE

Continue reading: High Fidelity Men part 1, High Fidelity Men part 2, 1001 HiFi The Stereo museum

Unique 2-in-1 audio components

The most succesfull 2-in-1 separate audio component was probably the dual well cassette deck. The World's First High-Speed Dual recoding cassette deck was the ONKYO TA-W800 from 1981. Let's take a look at some audio components that used a different approach for the 2-in-1 concept.

A unique portable radio-cassette recorder with a "slide-in tape 2"

Music Air by SONY.

How about a combination between a reel to reel and a compact cassette machine. This is the unique BRG M 11 from Hungary (1970).

There was of course a 3-in-1 approach too. Reel to reel, compact cassette and 8 track recorder from AKAI X2000D

But what if you build a Dual Reel to Reel? 

This is the KORTING MT 3624 from...1964.

You can make vertical standing one too. Dokorder 8010A

Then there was the Bell RT-367

Before the compact cassette - CD combination unit there was also a compact cassette - microcassette combination - Technics M212

Talking about the CD. What if you make a CD player - turntable combination unit. FISHER DAC-9025

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