Kenwood KX-W8020

Name: Kenwood KX-W8020
Brand: Kenwood

Documentation on the Kenwood KX-W8020 is thin. The model shows up in period equipment directories and little else survives. What the record shows is a mid-range double cassette deck from the early 1990s, built around dual full-logic transports with autoreverse on at least one deck. A listing in HiFI-Stereo (March 1991, p.72) describes it as a 2-head design with Dolby B and C noise reduction, Dolby HX Pro headroom extension, and a hard-permalloy record/play head paired with a double-gap ferrite erase head. Frequency response was rated at 30-14,000 Hz ±3 dB on normal tape and 30-15,000 Hz ±3 dB on high-bias tape.

The deck had high-speed dubbing with synchro-editing, an auto tape selector, a fluorescent peak meter, and a 16-program music search system that included index scan and blank skip. It was rack-mountable and came with a remote control. The original list price was $499. Another HiFI-Stereo directory entry (1991, p.115) simply lists it as a 2-head autoreverse double cassette deck, which matches the fuller listing.

A few known specs gathered from period sources:

Type: 2-head double cassette deck with autoreverse
Transports: Full-logic, dual
Noise reduction: Dolby B, C; Dolby HX Pro
Head: Hard-permalloy rec/play; double-gap ferrite erase
Frequency response: 30–14,000 Hz ±3 dB (normal); 30–15,000 Hz ±3 dB (high-bias)
Features: High-speed synchro-dubbing, auto tape selector, FL peak meter, 16-program music search, rack-mountable, remote control
List price (1991): $499