Kenwood DS-20
The Kenwood DS-20 is a stereo cassette deck from Kenwood's 1982-83 catalog, where it was the top model in the line. Owners remember it as a serious, well-built machine. One Tapeheads.net user calls it "built like a tank" and another rates it among the best Kenwood decks ever made. A contemporary review in High-Fidelity (November 1981, p.55) discusses turntable accessories, so it does not address the DS-20 directly.
The catalog lists a two-motor transport with dual capstan, Dolby B and C noise reduction, and Dolby HX Pro. Frequency response is 30-18,000 Hz ±3dB. Signal-to-noise is ≥65dB, or ≥76dB with Dolby C engaged. Wow & flutter is ±0.06%. The deck weighs 11.5 lbs.
The record conflicts on the head configuration. The Kenwood catalog specifies "3 heads (record/playback, erase)", a three-head layout. CassetteDeck.org describes the DS-20 as a 2-head model introduced in 1981. A Tapeheads.net owner also asserts three heads. The manufacturer's own catalog and an owner both point to three heads, so that is the more credible claim, but anyone researching this deck should know the sources disagree.
Beyond the catalog listing, documentation is thin. No original price, no production run dates and no service manual have surfaced.
Known specs from the Kenwood catalog:
- Two-motor transport, dual capstan
- Three heads (per Kenwood catalog)
- Dolby B, Dolby C, Dolby HX Pro
- Frequency response: 30–18,000 Hz ±3dB
- Signal-to-noise: ≥65dB (≥76dB with Dolby C)
- Wow & flutter: ±0.06%
- THD: 0.5%
- Line input, line output, headphone jack
- Weight: 11.5 lbs
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