Akai X-355 (1965–1969)

The Akai X-355 is a quarter-track stereo transistor tape recorder from the mid-1960s. It uses the company's cross-field bias system. Studio Sound (September 1966, p.33) listed its tape speeds as 7½ and 3¾ ips. A later advertisement in the same magazine (March 1969, p.36) claimed three speeds, adding 15 ips, which possibly points to a running change or a model variant. The same ad describes a four-head configuration: erase, record, playback, and a fourth almost certainly for playback in the opposite direction or the cross-field bias head.

The X-355 appears to have been Akai's upper-tier domestic recorder before the X-360 arrived. In August 1969, Studio Sound (p.27) noted that the X-360 was a £359 development of the X-355, which had cost £250 before purchase tax. That makes the X-355 a substantial machine in its day, the predecessor to one of Akai's most elaborate consumer decks. Specific design details beyond what appears in period advertisements are not well preserved. No service manual or dedicated contemporary review has been located. Today the X-355 is known mostly through passing references in coverage of its successor and a handful of classified ads.

Type: Quarter-track stereo transistor tape recorder with cross-field bias
Speeds: 7½ and 3¾ ips (one source adds 15 ips)
Heads: 4 (erase, record, playback, and a fourth — likely second playback or bias)
Approximate new price (UK): £250 before purchase tax