Denon SC-C5s (1983)
The Denon SC-C5s is a compact two-way bookshelf speaker from 1983. Denon positioned it as a condensed version of the larger SC-C7 and said it carried that model's quality into a smaller enclosure. The woofer is a 16 cm cone with a newly developed polypropylene polymer cone. The tweeter is a 2.5 cm hard dome with an alpha boron diaphragm for extended high-frequency response. The enclosure is hard particle board, sized through measurement and listening tests, and finished in metallic silver that fits the early-80s Denon look.
Specs are solid for a compact design of the era. Frequency response is rated at 45 Hz to 40 kHz. Maximum allowable input is 100W (program source), average output sound pressure level is 91 dB/W/m, and impedance is 6 Ω with a 4 kHz crossover. Each unit measures 220 × 370 × 220 mm and weighs 5.7 kg. The original price was ¥22,000 per unit.
Documentation of the SC-C5s is otherwise thin. One Japanese source calls it, along with the ONKYO D-1R, a model that symbolizes its era, and notes a striking resemblance to the AIWA SC-E80 - the protective grilles look nearly identical. A Vietnamese YouTube listing describes them as "đẹp keng -Zin," roughly "beautiful, very mint/original." There is no record of period reviews, production run length, or common issues. Collectors today occasionally list them alongside other early-80s Denon bookshelf models, but market pricing data is essentially absent.
Known Specifications
- Type: 2-way, 2-speaker, bass reflex, bookshelf
- Woofer: 16 cm cone (polypropylene polymer diaphragm)
- Tweeter: 2.5 cm hard dome (alpha boron diaphragm)
- Frequency response: 45 Hz – 40 kHz
- Maximum input: 100W (program source)
- Sensitivity: 91 dB/W/m
- Impedance: 6 Ω
- Crossover: 4 kHz
- Dimensions: 220 × 370 × 220 mm (W×H×D)
- Weight: 5.7 kg
- Original price: ¥22,000 (per unit, 1983)
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