Lo-D Jewel Jr. (1979) - Aka. Hitachi ACT-M2

In 1979 Lo-D (brand name used by Hitachi on Japanese market) introduced a series of mini Hi-Fi components named Jewel. The model presented here was sold on the Japanese market as Lo-D Jewel Jr. while the same component was sold worldwide (slightly upgraded) as Hitachi ACT-M2. The basic system consisted of the HSR-M1 (15W/ch tuner-amplifier), D-M1 cassette deck (30-15000 Hz FeCr tape) and HS-M1 (2-way speaker system, 12cm woofer, 5cm tweeter). These components can be operated from mains or a 12V car battery. Various placement of the components was possible, either as standalone components or on dedicated racks such as the LA-M1 or the LA-M1P. For transportation, the LA-M1C(B) suitcase was available in both sillver and black finish, with or without storage compartiment. For a complete mini home Hi-Fi system, a series of additional components were available. These were the HT-10FM (FM "wireless"!!! turntable), HT-6M (turntable for the Hitachi version), C13-300 TV set, TTM-M1 TV tuner, ET-250 timer unit and various microphones and headphones.

More Classic Mini

harman/kardon 700 Series (1980) - High Technology Components

These midi-sized slim-line Hi-Fi components were built around the Ultrawideband, negative feedback design amplifier technology (U.S. Patent#4,176,323) promoted by harman/kardon. With amplifiers designed by Dr. Matti Otala this system had the following components:

BASIC SET:

hk710 - analog tuner, phase locked

hk750 - integrated amplifier, 45W/ch

hk740 - stereo receiver, 30W/ch, analog tuner

HIGH TECHNOLOGY:

hk715 - digital tuner, 8 presets

hk725 - preamplifier, push-button tone control for cleanest sound

hk770 - stereo power amplifier, twin power supply, 65W/ch

hk775 - mono power amplifier, toroidal power transformer, 130W 

EXTRA COMPONENTS:

hk705 - cassette deck, 20-19,000Hz (Metal), Dolby HX headroom extension

hk720 - turntable, 2-speed, semi-automatic, belt drive

EQ700P - graphic equalizer, 2x10 band

These beautifully designed components all have the same size: 385x72.5x320mm.

Components from this system were also featured in the movie American Psycho.

These components were actually built by Shin-Shirasuna Electric Corporation of Japan who also sold these components under their brand name SILVER as the Series 5000 components.

FISHER MT-6360 (1980) - Micro Processor Controlled

The MT-6360 "programmable, full automatic, infrared remote control" turntable was introduced by Fisher in 1980. It is actually a rebranded Sanyo TP 880, Fisher being a Sanyo brand by this time. It is not really programmable, but it does have an infrared sensor next to the cartridge which can "read tracks" on the vinyl allowing you to select a track you want to listen. This can also be achieved with the use of the supplied remote control. Technically the turntable features a DC Servo Direct Drive motor, strobe light for speed adjustment and the tonearm came factory equipped with a Audio Technica MG-S100 cartridge. (Wow and Flutter is 0.035% and rumble is -70dB). The was sold both as a separate unit but also as part of various Hi-Fi system. When sold separately it was named MT-6360 and it came with it's own remote. When it was sold as part of the Fisher 9000 System it was called the MT-9000 and it was intended to be remote controlled through the CB-9000 control center of the system and its M-9000 full system remote control. Size of the unit is 440x135x385 mm, weight is 8.2 kg and it was originally sold for 798 DM in Germany.  

DIATONE DS-5000 (1984) - Grandage Speaker System

Diatone is a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Electric Japan, used for audio-visual equipment and it's one of Japan's leading speaker brands. In 2016 the brand celebrated its 70th Anniversary. The Diatone trade name was used for the first time in 1946 while the Diatone DS-5000 was introduced as a flagship loudspeaker model in 1982. This mirror image construction, bass reflex system loudspeaker is made of lauan plywood and it houses a 40cm aramid fiber honeycomb cone bass, 25cm aramid fibre honeycomb bass-mid, 6.5cm boron coated titanium dome D.U.D. diaphragm for mid-high and a 2.3cm boron coated titanium dome D.U.D. diaphragm for tweeter. (D.U.D. - Diatone Unified Diaphragm). The frequency range of this loudspeaker is 20Hz to 60 kHz while the 635x1050x460 mm enclosure weighs a whopping 87 kg. A special accessory, the DK 5000 acoustic cube made of Canadian maple was sold separately (8 pcs. 1 set) as speaker vibration block. Maximum input power of the loudspeaker is 250W, impedance 6 ohm and the crossover frequencies are at 300Hz, 1.25kHz and 4kHz. The loudspeaker is equipped with adjustment for room acoustic in the form of L-pads for mid and high frequencies.

In 1987 Diatone merged with Akai Electric (AKAI) which joined Mitsubishi Group due to a financial crisis, and established the joint brand A&D (Akai&Diatone). After the disappearance of the A&D brand in 1991 Diatone adopted the form of made-to-order manufacturing.

DENON D-F10 Series (1996) - The Way You Live

Introduced in 1995 under the slogan "To Fit the Way You Live" the D-F10 from Denon was one of those high-quality mini hi-fi components that can be operated individually if needed. (eg using the CD, cassette with a different system). The following components could be used to build a system of your preference: UPA-F10 stereo amplifier (R-core transformer, Discrete amp construction, Auto source select, 40W/ch 8ohm, 20-20000 Hz) | UTU-F10 FM Stereo tuner with RDS, 30-station random preset and timer | UDRA-F10 stereo receiver (RDS, R-core transformer, 30W/ch 8ohm, 20-2000 Hz) | UCD-F10 CD player featuring Denon's original LAMBDA Super Linear Converter, optical output | UDCM-F10 3-disc CD changer with LAMBDA converter | UDR-F10 cassette deck (horizontal loading auto-reverse 2-motor mechanism, HX-Pro, Dolby B,C. Manual recording level, 4-digit linear counter with remaining time mode) | DMD-F10 mini disc-recorder with LAMBDA converter | SC-F10S or SC-E313 loudspeakers. The whole system could be remote controlled with the remote delivered with the amplifier. All component have a 270x96 mm and 4 mm thick front panel. They were offered in both silver and black version. These components were Made in Korea by inkel and they were also available as Sherwood and inkel.

Bang & Olufsen Beogram 8000 (1981) - Danish State-of-the-Art

In 1973, Bang & Olufsen launched the world's first record player with an electronically controlled tangential arm, the 4000 series. Beogram 8000 was the third generation of tangential arm decks. Although it shares some basic concepts with the 4000 Series, the Beogram 8000 is a completely new product. There are two parallel arms on a single carriage, one carries a light source and detector to sense the presence or absence of a record on the turntable. The other arm holds the top-ranking MMC 20CL cartridge from Bang & Olufsen. This cartridge has a sapphire cantilever and a line-contact diamond stylus that tracks at a 1-gram force. A stylus brush, mounted inside the tangential arm compartment, keeps the diamond free from dust and microparticles, and thereby enhances the gentle treatment of your records. To secure constantly accurate rotary speed the Beogram 8000 utilizes a Tangential Drive system. It incorporates a quartz-controlled flywheel, similar to the system used in electricity meters. Like the electricity meter, the system is highly reliable and extremely accurate and there are no motor vibrations to distort the sound. A digital display keeps you informed of speed during play. Computerized control system allows one-touch automatic operation with pause and repeat functions. There is possibility for fast and slow arm scan for inner track play and there is a manual over-ride for non-standard disc speed/size and record cleaning. Technical data: Rumble>70dB DIN weighted | Wow & flutter <0.02% WRMS | Speed deviation 0.02%. Pitch control gives +/-3% speed variability | Frequency response 20-20,000Hz +/-1dB | Dimensions: 49x9x37 cm | Finishes teak/rosewood/oak/white | Weight 9kg | Original sale price 1798 DM in Germany.