Sony TC-560D (Late 1960s)
The Sony TC-560D is an auto-reverse reel-to-reel tape deck from the late 1960s. It is the deck-only version of Sony's TC-560 compact stereo system. Its selling point was uninterrupted playback. At the end of the tape the deck reversed the head rather than stopping, and Sony's E.S.P. (Electronic Sensory Perceptor) switched tracks automatically, so a 4-track stereo/mono reel could play through edge to edge without a break.
Sony's ad copy for the line pushed the ServoControl motor, which automatically corrected speed variations. It also pushed the optional RM-6 variable-speed control, which let you shift motor speed up or down to match musical pitch (High Fidelity, July 1969, p.35). The larger TC-560 system also carried a built-in "Stereo Control Center", a stereo preamp plus 20-watt music-power amplifier, with front-panel pushbuttons to select among a tuner, turntable, TV, or extra tape deck. When HiFi-Stereo (September 1968, p.38) tried the 560, they didn't measure the speakers but found them well balanced, with impressive low-frequency output under a little bass boost. They called them comparable to $40 - $50 bookshelf systems and far better than the speakers bundled with most portables.
Prices moved during the run. A December 1967 Sony ad in HiFi/Stereo Review (p.145) listed the 560 "Custom Stereo Sound System" at under $499.50, with the 560D deck shown alongside. By September 1968 the complete TC-560 was under $419.50. The 560-D, with no amplifiers, no speakers, and a walnut base, went for under $349.50.
Beyond these contemporary mentions the record is thin. There are no solid production dates, no detailed spec sheet, and no measured review of the deck by itself in this archive.
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