Kenwood 99R (c. 1988)

Surviving information on the Kenwood 99R is thin, but the one solid source is a good one. The full designation appears to have been KDT-99R, an AM/FM car stereo with a built-in DAT player. Audio gave it a full equipment profile in September 1988 (p.86). The magazine noted that DAT recorders had stirred controversy in the U.S., but a player like the KDT-99R attracted little opposition. Its DAT section used most R-DAT subcode features - program number, start, and time codes. The front-panel controls doubled up between tuner and DAT functions to keep the panel uncluttered.

Beyond that profile, details are scarce. The FM tuner was rated at 12.0 dBf usable sensitivity, with 15.2 dBf needed for 50-dB quieting in mono. The review's spec table also listed a frequency response of 10 Hz - 20 kHz ±1 dB, THD of 0.005% at 1 kHz, and 92 dB S/N and dynamic range for the digital side. Five station-preset buttons sat on the panel, with a secondary switch selecting among three FM or one AM band settings. By March 1989, High Fidelity (March 1989, p.73) was covering "Legal DAT Today," since DAT was just becoming a legitimate consumer format in the U.S. when this Kenwood appeared.

No service manual, original price, or production-run figures for the 99R have surfaced in the Archive's sources so far.