Akai VS-603U (1985)

Surviving information on the Akai 603U is thin, and even its identity is a bit ambiguous. The model number in period sources is VS-603U, a VHS Hi-Fi videocassette recorder reviewed in High Fidelity (December 1985, p.59). That review is about the only documentation that has turned up. The recorder had a microprocessor-based design, a remote control that duplicated most front-panel functions, and Dolby noise reduction. A sharpness switch let the user boost high-frequency response for better picture detail. The output level and impedance were noted as well suited to driving an external audio amplifier. The review published measured performance data, including indicator calibration at 315 Hz and distortion figures at a -10 dB input level, but those numbers have not survived in the fragmentary record. No production years beyond the 1985 review date, original price, dimensions, weight, or detailed circuit information are documented. The VS-603U appears to have been Akai's mid-1980s entry in the VHS Hi-Fi market, a format then competing with Beta Hi-Fi for home video recording.

Type: VHS Hi-Fi videocassette recorder
Key features: Microprocessor-based design, remote control, Dolby noise reduction, sharpness control
Period review: High Fidelity, December 1985, pp.58–60
Identified as: VS-603U in period sources