17 April 2021

Technics SB-AFP1000 (1988) - Superlative Audio Flat Panel Speaker System

 

Loudspeaker

The SB-AFP1000 was an audio flat-panel speaker developed by examining as many as 80 types of test models and thoroughly performing computer simulations. The speaker used a unique twin-cabinet system with both sealed sections and open sections present at the same time in one cabinet. The speaker included eight 30-cm x 80-cm flat units for the low frequencies and four 13-cm x 32-cm flat units for the lower midrange frequencies. In particular, the diaphragm area for the low frequencies was equivalent to a cone woofer with a diameter of 152 cm, and at 124 dB the speaker attained amplitude of 1.27 mm (at 50 Hz). This enabled bass reproduction with low distortion. Characteristic of the AFP was that the bass was emitted in flat waves, and so the system was resistant to adverse effects such as due to indoor refection, and attenuation due to distance was extremely low. As a result, powerful, deep bass extended to the far corners of the space, and the listener was able to feel the subtle air fluctuations with his entire body. The cabinet was given a black-coating mirror finish. The first Audio Flat Panel AFP1000 was delivered to the world renowned Vienna State Opera House for use in playing the performances of singers and orchestras during rehearsals. The modular construction of the AFP System allowed creation of various combinations from "wall to wall" systems to downsized models such as the SB-AFP100 and SB-AFP10.

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker



10 April 2021

ONKYO Grand Scepter GS-1 (1984) - Super High Fidelity Horn Speaker

 

Loudspeaker

Takeshi Godai (former manager of the Panasonic speaker manufacturing factory) established Onkyo in april 1946 with the intention of addressing what he felt was a lack of satisfactory Japanese-made dynamic speakers. The word “onkyo” means “sound acoustics” in Japanese, and is the origin of a bold, simple, and concise brand image - Osaka Denki Onkyo K.K.

Onkyo unveiled the Grand Scepter GS-1 in 1984, an all-horn-scheme speaker system designed by Hiroyuki Yoshii that was emblematic of the company’s ongoing pursuit of ultimate sound. The speaker was based on completely new theories of audio design and measurement and was evaluated highly in both domestic and overseas markets. An equally impressive power amplifier, the Grand Integra M510 was also introduced in 1984 as a partnering component. In 1991, a few years after its initial release, Hi-Fi professionals in France selected the GS-1 as recipient of the Joseph Leon Award. The Grand Scepter GS-1 has an all-horn configuration. The horn-loaded speaker has the characteristic of having good transient characteristics in principle, but it also has the disadvantage of having distortion in many time domains (multipath ghost distortion, reverb distortion, etc.). At Onkyo, theoretical analysis revealed that the horn-loaded horn type has very little high-order harmonic distortion in principle compared to other methods, and the ideal speaker system is realized by complete control of the horn-loaded horn speaker over a long period of time. Research and development was carried out. Multipath ghost distortion and reverb distortion are not necessarily unpleasant distortions, so they were sometimes used to create sounds, but Gran Scepter eliminates these distortions for the correct expression of music. Technical data: 2-way, 3-speaker, all-horn system | Power 300W (EIAJ) | Peak power 2000W | Frequency range 20Hz-20kHz | Impedance 8ohm | Dimensions: 630*1060*615 mm | Weight: 117kg.


Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker


03 April 2021

YAMAHA GF-1 (1991) - Pure Beryllium and Active

 

active loudspeaker

The GF-1 from 1991 came to be known as an active speaker encapsulating an active crossover and a drive amplifier directly connected one-to-one with all speaker units. It was the culmination of the Yamaha HiFi speaker technology. It was designed with a two-part configuration (140 cm tall and 150 kg total) with the upper half housing a three-way speaker element and the lower half a YST superwoofer element. Its four drive amplifiers and active crossover units per channel were attached as four independent modules to the back of the superwoofer, and with a massive external power supply that itself weighed 25kg supplying each of the four amplifier modules with independent power it was a truly heavy piece of equipment. The crossover slope and cutoff frequency were completely fixed and could not be adjusted from the outside in any way, with only fine adjustments of up to ±2.5dB to each module’s input level available to the user. From this it can be seen that the developers intended the system to be perfectly tuned and did not intend the balance to be changed easily.

The 3 cm tweeter and 8 cm midrange were of course made of pure beryllium, but rather than using the vacuum deposition process of the past it went as far as using a forged beryllium dome developed for and used in only this model. Its pair of large and small woofers (27 cm bass and 30 cm YST sub-bass) likewise used a Kevlar cone and forged beryllium cap specific to this model, and the magnet utilized a voice coil with reduced diameter and dendritic crystal aluminum-nickel to lighten the motion of the diaphragm system. The tweeter and midrange magnets were also composed of dendritic crystal aluminum-nickel. The gold deposition method was performed on each unit’s diaphragm in an effort to damp the slight squeal of beryllium and produce uniform tone across all units. Overall it was built like it was meant to be the crowning glory, and if there was just one thing left undone it would probably be that it was not possible to use a forged beryllium woofer cone. As Yamaha’s speaker development changed course for a new era of focus on the home theater, the GF-1 put a period at the end of the pure beryllium development story that had played out since the NS-1000M.

In 1992 a dedicated 100W/ch Class A power amplifier, the GFD-1, with external power supply was introduced to complement the GF-1 loudspeaker. It featured a 6-position source selector and a 23-position rotary attenuator. It's construction made possible to be used with any passive loudspeaker not just the Active GF-1.


active loudspeaker

active loudspeaker

active loudspeaker

active loudspeaker


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01 April 2021

The NEW PIONEER Classic Series 2021

 

cassette deck

Main Features of the New 2021 Pioneer CT-F1250-50 "Fifty-Fifty"
- Smart Head. All the "Fifty-Fifty" series model feature simultaneous GPS controlled Azimuth correction.
- 3-Head B.L.E. calibration system recorder.
- E.W.R.W. (Everybody Want's To Rule The World) You own your music, now and forever, on Philips Compact Cassette.
- D.T.R. (Don't Touch Me I'm Recording) Your last chance to keep contact with reality. Recording Music is an important job, do not disturb.
- R.T.A.R. (Real Time Audio Recording) Sit back, relax and Enjoy your music in real time while recording.
- S.S.D. (Slow Speed Dubbing) Relax, take your time, no need to hurry. Now you're High on Emotion.
- N.M.T.S. (No More Touch Screen) Remember the old days of touch screen menu controlled functions? Your nightmare is over, all your pushbuttons are now right in front of you. Reach Out and Touch Faith.
- HD Wi-Fi (Home Disco Without Fiction) No internet? No problem. Your Music is now Free of any subscription.  
- Synchronicity. With just one push of a button your copy starts, like it's 1983. (Only on playback cassette)
- N.T.C. (No Time Counter) Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day. Who needs time anyway?
- T.P.O. (Twin Power Operation). Now you can save the Planet by reducing power consumption. For endless music listening only power on the playback deck.
- Timeless Design. You see? We've just doubled-it.
- Fluroscan metering. Blue is the colour of the red sky. Blue is the colour that she feels inside. 
- Old is Gold. We have just reverted to the original, old timeless PIONEER logo. Isn't that fantastic?