Harman Kardon HK-1000
The Harman Kardon HK-1000 was a three-head stereo cassette deck with a closed-loop dual capstan transport driven by three separate motors. That tells you most of what you need to know about where it sat in the lineup. Three heads meant you could monitor off the tape while recording. The closed-loop dual capstan arrangement kept the tape moving with rock-steady precision. It was a professional-grade approach to a consumer format.
The spec sheet backs it up. Wow and flutter was rated at ±0.12%, frequency response on CrO₂ tape ran from 40 to 14,000 Hz, and signal-to-noise came in at 62 dB with Dolby engaged, 56 dB without. Total harmonic distortion was listed at 1.0%. The deck had bias adjustment, record EQ, and calibration controls, the kind of tweakability serious recordists wanted. Inputs included both mic (0.7 mV) and line (50 mV), with line output at 580 mV. It weighed 6.3 kg and measured 440 × 145 × 258 mm.
The HK-1000 got good press in its day. High Fidelity (March 1973, p.37) ran a test report headlined "The Best So Far," calling it Harman-Kardon's latest and most accomplished cassette deck to that point. Harman Kardon's own advertising leaned hard on the low noise floor. A campaign in High Fidelity (July 1973, p.7) and elsewhere claimed "never before has this little noise accompanied this much music," with noise distribution and frequency response curves for CrO₂ tape.
The record leaves out a lot. There are no production years, no original price, and nothing on how long it stayed in the catalog or what it was positioned against. The HK-1000 shows up in period advertising alongside the HK 930 receiver and HK 430, so Harman Kardon was clearly pushing a full component line in the early 1970s. Beyond the technical specifications and those contemporary reviews, the deck has left a thin paper trail.
- Type: 3-head stereo cassette deck
- Transport: Closed-loop dual capstan, 3 motors
- Wow & flutter: ±0.12%
- Frequency response (CrO₂): 40–14,000 Hz
- S/N ratio: 62 dB (Dolby on), 56 dB (off)
- THD: 1.0%
- Inputs: Mic 0.7 mV, Line 50 mV
- Output: Line 580 mV
- Adjustments: Bias, record EQ, calibration
- Dimensions: 440 × 145 × 258 mm
- Weight: 6.3 kg
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