Sanyo MR-990
Documentation on the Sanyo MR-990 is thin. Almost all of it is period advertising and directory listings in Studio-Sound. What the record shows is a late-1960s solid-state, mains-powered stereo/mono tape recorder with 14-transistor circuitry and a built-in amplifier rated at 10 watts maximum music power per channel. A directory-style entry in Studio-Sound (November 1969, p.18) carried those specifications.
The deck ran at three speeds - 7½, 3¾ and 1⅞ ips. Frequency response was quoted to 16,000 c/s at 7½ ips (−3 dB). The ads disagree on the low end, giving either 30 or 80 c/s depending on the printing. Wow and flutter was rated at 0.15% RMS at 7½ ips, and the unit weighed 35.2 lbs (17 kg). The same listing noted a recording time of 96 minutes at 7½ ips. Sanyo introduced the MR-990, and ads ran in Studio-Sound from at least June 1968 (p.24) through October 1968 (p.42). The November 1969 listing suggests it stayed in the catalogue into 1970.
Beyond those appearances, almost nothing is recorded. There is no service literature, no independent reviews, no confirmed production quantities and no original UK pricing. If you have a manual or a period price list mentioning the MR-990, the Archive would like to hear from you.
- Type: solid-state, mains-powered stereo/mono tape recorder
- Circuitry: 14 transistors; 10 W maximum music power per channel
- Tape speeds: 7½ / 3¾ / 1⅞ ips
- Frequency response: to 16,000 c/s at 7½ ips (−3 dB)
- Wow & flutter: 0.15% RMS at 7½ ips
- Weight: 35.2 lbs (17 kg)
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