Akai 565U (1987)
Surviving information on the Akai 565U is thin. Even the model designation has a wrinkle: period magazine coverage calls it the VS-565U, while catalogs and listings simply say 565U. What the record shows is a VHS Hi-Fi videocassette recorder. It is not a pure audio component, but it is a VCR built with real attention to sound quality.
HiFI-Stereo (April 1987, p.29) published a full test report by Julian Hirsch of Hirsch-Houck Laboratories. The review noted that the VS-565U included circuitry to enhance picture quality, but the lab focused on the audio performance in hi-fi mode. Frequency response measured wide and flat. The reviewer remarked that the VS-565U came "remarkably close to matching the qualities of digital media," with wide, flat response, low noise, and negligible flutter. A-weighted noise measured -53.3 dB at the SP speed and -45.2 dB at SLP, referenced to the 3% distortion signal level. Flutter measured ±0.17% at SP and ±0.25% at SLP.
The deck recorded and played back at both SP and SLP speeds, plus LP playback. It also had a standard longitudinal mono soundtrack for compatibility with non-hi-fi VCRs. Audio features included an MTS decoder for stereo TV broadcasts, a volume control on the remote, and an FM simulcast mode. The front panel had a 1/8-inch stereo phone jack and two horizontal slider controls for setting hi-fi recording levels. The normal (longitudinal) recording level was set automatically. Recording and timer programming could be done through an on-screen display, and the front panel also held small slide switches for input source selection.
No production years beyond 1987, no original price, and no dimensions have been traced. The review is the only detailed source known.
- Type: VHS Hi-Fi videocassette recorder (stereo hi-fi audio)
- Audio tracks: Hi-fi stereo (rotary heads) + longitudinal mono
- Speeds: SP, LP, EP (play and record)
- A-weighted noise (hi-fi): –53.3 dB (SP), –45.2 dB (SLP)
- Flutter (hi-fi): ±0.17% (SP), ±0.25% (SLP)
- Features: MTS decoder, on-screen programming, FM simulcast, remote volume control
- Period source: HiFi/Stereo Review, April 1987, pp.29–34
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