Aiwa HS-PX505
Portable cassette player with BBE, Dolby C, and full metal construction from Aiwa's G-Metal X collection.
Overview
The Aiwa HS-PX505 is a portable cassette player from Aiwa's G-Metal X collection. It has a full metal body and a detachable full remote control. It packs in Variable slide BBE, two-stage DSL (Dynamic Super Loudness), Dolby C noise reduction, Super Bass, and a hearing protection function called Ear Guard. The mechanism is an Alpha type with a fixed playback head and a cassette lid lock. People praise its detailed sound, calling it "sublime." The BBE control is precise and works well with Dolby C recordings. It also reveals fine audio detail, enough to tell high-bitrate MP3s recorded to tape.
Specifications
| Features | Variable slide BBE, two-stage DSL, Dolby C noise reduction, Super Bass, Ear Guard hearing protection |
| Mechanism | Alpha tape mechanism, fixed playback head, cassette lid lock |
| Capacitor Values | Two 470uF 2.5V, three 100uF 4V |
| Battery | PB S5 (2V 280mAh) |
Design
The HS-PX505 has a full metal body and a detachable full remote control. The PCB has a hole to help with head alignment. The logic control beeps to tell you what it's doing: one beep for play, two for reverse, one for stop. After a full rewind it starts playback on its own. The 470uF capacitors are DC coupling capacitors, and they set the bass roll-off. The 100uF capacitors filter noise from the playback head. One user repair replaced the non-audio path capacitors with tantalums. The tape head from an Aiwa PX303 is compatible. The common failure is electrolyte leaking from capacitors, which damages pads and traces on the board.
Context
The HS-PX505 is part of Aiwa’s G-Metal X collection. Aiwa pioneered personal audio with the CassetteBoy (TP-S30) in 1980, the world’s first personal stereo recorder, which predates Sony’s Walkman.
Market
The HS-PX505 is considered rare. The cause may be high quality, low sales volume, or high failure rates. A common problem is capacitor failure. The leaked electrolyte causes logic malfunctions and audio crackle or static, and the fix often means cleaning the board, neutralizing the acid, and repairing traces. There is no easy way to cannibalize parts from other alpha-based models with bi-azimuth mechanisms for use in the PX505.
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