Kenwood KX-5010 (1988–1990)
The Kenwood KX-5010 is a 2-head stereo cassette deck from the late 1980s, sold in Japan for ¥64,800. It was positioned as a successor to the 880HX. Kenwood added automatic tape calibration to an already well-regarded deck - as one owner put it, Kenwood took a strong performer and layered on convenience features. The deck is frequently described as one of the better two-head designs of its era. Its wow and flutter figure of 0.025% (WRMS) is impressive even by today's standards.
The KX-5010 is a serious piece of engineering. The headline feature is ATCS (Automatic Tape Calibration System). A microcomputer sets recording sensitivity and bias for whatever tape you load, which prevents Dolby mistracking with off-spec cassettes. The transport uses a direct-drive FG servo capstan motor. The mechanism also has a "tape bus stabilizer" - a clamper with a compression coil spring and special elastic rubber that presses the cassette half down from both sides, absorbing vibration and reducing modulation noise. The record level control is a high-quality mini-detent volume mounted on an extension shaft near the input terminals, with rubber couplings to isolate panel vibration. The power supply has a 4-winding transformer and eight regulated supplies, which keep the record/playback amplifier electrically separate from the mechanism drive.
The deck has DPSS (Direct Program Search System) for track skipping and repeat functions, Dolby B and C noise reduction, and Dolby HX Pro. The head is a new amorphous combination type wound with oxygen-free copper, paired with a double-gap ferrite erase head. The front panel carries a large fluorescent VU display spanning −40 to +12 dB, over twice the usual range. The headphone jack is gold-plated. A wireless remote control (RC-X5010) was included and can operate DPSS and ATCS from across the room. Inside, playback, record and Dolby sections each get their own circuit board, laid out in a logical flow to keep signal paths short.
The specs are strong for a two-head deck. Frequency response runs 20 Hz - 18 kHz ±3 dB on normal tape, extending to 21 kHz on metal. Signal-to-noise is 74 dB with Dolby C engaged on metal tape. Line input sensitivity is 77.5 mV/50 kΩ. The deck measures 440 × 127 × 321 mm and weighs 6.4 kg. Power consumption is 19W.
The record on the KX-5010 is thin beyond the specs. No period reviews from the major audio magazines have surfaced in the archive, and there is no detailed owner commentary beyond the occasional enthusiast note. A service manual and belt/pinch roller kits are available, and a used example was listed at €250 in late 2024. It appears to have been sold primarily in Japan. It clearly sits near the top of Kenwood's late-80s two-head lineup, but its exact position relative to the 880HX and other siblings is not documented.
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