Sony TC K500R
A stereo cassette deck from Sony with advanced tape automation and high-fidelity recording.
Overview
The Sony TC K500R is a stereo cassette deck built for high-quality analog recording and playback. It sold for ¥54,800 around 1989. It packs in a lot of automatic functions that set recording levels and save the user some work. It takes Metal-S cassettes and has full signal processing to keep the audio clean.
Specifications
| Power consumption | 15W |
| External dimensions | Width 430x Height 125x Depth 350 mm |
| Weight | 5.5kg |
| Heads | Recording / Re-head : 1 Erase Head : 1 |
| Motor | DC servo motor : 1 DC Motor : 1 |
| Signal-to-noise ratio | 56 dB (EIAJ, Dolby off, peak level, Metal-S cassette) 72 dB (Dolby NRC, peak level, Metal-S cassette) |
| Frequency characteristic | 30 Hz ~ 20 kHz ± 3 dB (EIAJ, Metal-S Cassette) |
| Frequency range | 20 Hz ~ 21 kHz (EIAJ, Metal-S Cassette) |
| Wow and flutter (EIAJ) | ± 0.07% Wpeak 0.05%WRMS |
| Distortion factor | 0.5% (EIAJ, Metal-S Cassette) |
| Input / output terminals | gold-plated input / output terminals |
| Power cable | φ 7.5 cap-tire OFC power cord with polarity indication |
| Attachment | Wireless Remote Control RM-J500 |
Design
The TC K500R uses an LC-OFC wound laser amorphous head. That means amorphous magnetic alloys with linear crystalline oxygen-free copper windings, which reduce capacitive distortion and signal loss in the mid and high frequencies. Noise reduction is Dolby HX-PRO plus Dolby NR B-C type, and recording gets Super-bias and bias fine tuning. The sound auto-focus function analyzes tape type, source level and frequency content, then sets the recording levels on its own. Vibration control material goes on the chassis and joints to suppress unwanted resonance. The terminals are gold-plated for low contact resistance. The counter is an FL tube linear electronic type with minute/second subtraction. The wide-range peak program meter reads -40dB to +8dB and has peak hold. The display ON/OFF switch has three modes. The rest of the feature list: pre-end winker, auto-fader, quick reverse with minimal sound cut (quick Oatley birth), AMS (Automatic Music Sensor), auto tape selector for Type I/II/IV tapes, autoplay after rewind, memory play from counter 0, timer recording and alarm playback with a separate timer, and a Rec Mute function with 4-second auto-space. The included wireless remote control RM-J500 handles sync recording without a physical sync cord.
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