Akai 1710W

Not much is documented about the Akai 1710W. It was a quarter-track stereo tape recorder with built-in power amplifiers and side-facing loudspeakers. Akai sold it as a portable all-in-one machine under the name "Mignon." Studio Sound (October 1968, p.47) published a review, and that review is still the main source on this model.

Akai claimed a "music power" output of 4 watts per channel. The same review tested that claim and measured a calculated peak output of only 1.1 watts. The reviewer noted the gap. The speakers were reportedly efficient enough to give adequate volume despite the lower measured output, but the distance between spec and reality was wide.

Beyond that review, almost nothing else is recorded. No production years, no original price, no dimensions, no frequency response figures. Those details haven't survived.

Type: Quarter-track stereo tape recorder with built-in amplifiers and side-facing speakers
Manufacturer-rated output: 4 W per channel ("music power")
Measured peak output (review): 1.1 W per channel
Track format: 4-track stereo/monaural recording and playback
Period review source: Studio Sound, October 1968, p.47