Akai CS 705D (1978)
The Akai CS 705D is one of the rarer cassette decks from the late 1970s. It was a European-market-only model, and according to the one collector source that has documented it in any depth, only 1,400 units were built, in 1978. It sold for $650 US at the time. Documentation is just as scarce as the deck. There's no service manual circulating online, no user manual, and very little period press coverage. What the record does show is a serious, heavyweight piece of engineering.
The key feature is the crossfield head system. Akai put a dedicated bias head opposite the record/playback head, so the bias signal could be applied separately. The most detailed source on this deck says the benefit was less stress on the audio head during record and playback, which allowed higher recording levels without losing high frequencies. This is the "1.5-head" configuration - one erase head, one combined record/play head, plus the separate crossfield bias head. The deck also has three motors, an AC bias circuit, automatic chrome tape detection, and a pair of 5-LED peak indicators.
The construction was unusual for a cassette deck of this era. The transport sits inside a massive die-cast metal frame painted dark gray, with solid aluminum side panels. The vintagesilver.nl write-up claims the complete mechanism is "perhaps the hardest mechanism ever made," with mass and inertia controlling resonance. In plain terms, it was built like a tank. The same source notes the deck weighed around nine kilos, though the spec sheets disagree on the exact figure (6.2 kg per Hifi Engine, 6.9 kg per vintagesilver.nl). The build quality is repeatedly described as extremely high, and the mechanics as among the best in the world for the period.
The specification conflicts are worth flagging honestly. Hifi Engine lists wow and flutter at 0.06% and frequency response of 30Hz–16kHz, while vintagesilver.nl gives 0.09% (WRMS) and 30Hz–14kHz on normal tape. S/N ratio is variously quoted at 64, 65, or 67 dB depending on whether Dolby is engaged and which source you trust. These are typical discrepancies between different measurement methods and marketing-era optimism; I've listed them as found rather than picking a winner. Line input is 100mV, line output 0.45V. Dimensions similarly vary between sources — roughly 426–430mm wide, 117–130mm tall, 309–340mm deep. It runs on 110/220/240V and draws 26W.
The collector who documented this deck gives one practical warning. The flat cable connecting the meters is a paper/plastic film type that becomes fragile with age and is difficult to repair. It shouldn't be soldered, only replaced with a new flat cable. The crossfield head itself is a wear item, and replacements are essentially unobtainable now, so check that head carefully on any CS 705D. Audio-Collection listed the CS 705D, CS 707D, GXC 39D, GXC 310D, and GXC 325D among its manufacturers and distributors index (Audio-Collection, p.41).
- Type: 1.5-head stereo cassette deck (crossfield bias)
- Motors: 3
- Tape speed: 4.75 cm/s
- Heads: 1 erase, 1 record/play combi, 1 crossfield bias
- Frequency response: 30Hz – 14/16kHz (source-dependent)
- S/N ratio: 64–67 dB with Dolby (source-dependent)
- THD: 0.7%
- Inputs: Line in 100mV; Outputs: Line out 0.45V
- Voltage: 110/220/240V, 26W
- Price (1978): $650 US
- Production: ~1,400 units, Europe only
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