Denon SC-880 (c. 1988–1989)
The Denon SC-880 is a big bookshelf-type, 3-way, 3-speaker bass reflex system from the late 1980s. A 32 cm cone woofer handles the low end, a 12 cm cone covers the midrange, and a 2.5 cm hard dome tweeter with an α-boron diaphragm takes the highs. Rated frequency response is 28 Hz to 45 kHz, impedance is 6 Ω, maximum input (EIAJ) is 200W, and mean output sound pressure is 91 dB/W/m. Each speaker weighs 33 kg and measures 380 × 673 × 340 mm. The original price was ¥54,800 per unit around 1989.
Denon packed a lot into this cabinet. The woofer is mounted with a "NEW Super Bath Mount" - thick bolts fixing the magnet to eight aluminum die-cast stays that extend from the frame. The tweeter is embedded directly into a 30 mm thick baffle to prevent frame resonance. An oval round baffle improves diffraction behavior, and the three drivers sit in a vertical line at the center for better sound image localization.
The crossover network is unusually elaborate for the era. A direct-drive circuit uses a Big Laminated Orient Core (BLOC) coil instead of a conventional choke coil in series between the woofer and amplifier. Denon claims this reduces low-frequency energy loss and improves damping factor. The network is completely separated for the woofer versus the midrange/tweeter, with two input terminals allowing bi-wire connection. This prevents back electromotive force from the woofer affecting the upper drivers. Audio-grade electrolytic capacitors and oxygen-free copper (OFC) wire are used throughout. Connections use crimp terminals rather than solder, which Denon says avoids even slight distortion.
Surviving documentation on the SC-880 is thin beyond the spec sheet. It's occasionally mentioned alongside the similar SC-R88 in Russian-language classified listings, and one seller described the Lo-D (Hitachi) HS-9100D as an analog of the Denon SC-880 and SC-R88. A pair of SC-R88 and SC-880 was listed at 135,000 ₽ on Avito, though that's a single asking price rather than a market indicator. No contemporary reviews from period publications have surfaced in the archive, and the model's exact position in Denon's late-1980s speaker lineup remains undocumented.
Known specifications:
- Type: 3-way, 3-speaker, bass reflex, bookshelf
- Woofer: 32 cm cone
- Midrange: 12 cm cone
- Tweeter: 2.5 cm dome (α-boron diaphragm)
- Frequency response: 28 Hz – 45 kHz
- Impedance: 6 Ω
- Maximum input (EIAJ): 200W
- Output sound pressure: 91 dB/W/m
- Crossover frequencies: 500 Hz, 4 kHz
- Dimensions: 380 × 673 × 340 mm
- Weight: 33 kg
- Original price: ¥54,800 (1 unit, c. 1989)
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