Denon DR-M10HX (c. 1989)
A high-fidelity 3-motor cassette deck with Dolby HX Pro and computer-controlled transport, made in Japan.
Overview
The Denon DR-M10HX is a stereo cassette deck manufactured in Japan, part of Denon's late-1980s lineup of high-quality audio equipment. It features a 2-head, 3-motor design with a computer-controlled silent mechanism for precise tape handling. The deck supports Normal, CrO2, and Metal tapes via a 3-level auto tape selector and includes Dolby B and C noise reduction alongside Dolby HX Pro for improved high-frequency response during recording. It was priced at ¥46,200 around 1989.
Specifications
| Track system | 4-track 2-channel stereo |
| Tape selector | 3-Level Auto Tape Selector (Normal, High (CrO2), Metal) |
| Heads | Recording: SF Hyperbolic / Hard Permalloy Combination Head; Erasing: double-gap ferrite heads |
| Motors | For Capstan: Electronically Controlled DC Motor; For Reel: DC Motor; For mechanical control: DC motor |
| Wow and flutter | 0.05% WRMS (JIS) |
| Early winding time | Approximately 100 Seconds (C-60) |
| Overall frequency response (input -20VU) | Metal tape: 20 Hz to 20 kHz (25 Hz to 19 kHz ± 3 dB) |
| Overall signal-to-noise ratio | 73 dB or more (3% THD, CCIR/ARM, Dolby C NR on) |
| Input terminal | Line: 80mV/50k Ω unbalanced |
| Output Terminal (Vol. max) | Line: at 620mV/47k Ω load; Headphone: 1.5mW/8 Ω load (suitable for 8 Ω ~ 1.2k Ω headphones) |
| Power | 100 VAC, 50Hz/60Hz |
| Power consumption | 16W |
| External dimensions | Width 434 x Height 115 x Depth 286 mm |
| Weight | 4.6kg |
Design
This cassette deck uses a computer-controlled silent mechanism and Dolby HX Pro. The mechanism employs a rotary encoder method for high reliability and includes a non-slip reel drive system. It features an SF (Super Frikency) hyperbolic head for recording and playback, a 4-digit digital counter with memory stop, an LED bar graph peak meter, and a music search function. The unit is equipped with Dolby B and C NR, a bias fine adjuster, and a 2-head configuration in a single-well design.
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