A high-end stereo cassette deck from Sony's late-1970s lineup. It had a pioneering LCD peak program meter and precision tape handling.
Overview
Sony marketed it as the first newly developed cassette deck in its lineup at the time. It was built for high fidelity and advanced user control. It handles Normal, Chrome, and Ferro tapes, and the 3-stage tape selector works independently of the bias and equalizer settings. There is a front line-in jack, line and microphone mixing, and separate volume controls for the lineout and headphone outputs.
Specifications
| Track system | 4-track 2-channel stereo |
| Bias frequency | 105kHz |
| Fast-forward and rewind time | Approximately 70 seconds (at C-60) |
| Total S/N | 60 dB (Fe-Cr, peak level, Dolby NR off) |
| Total S/N | 56 dB (CrO2, peak level, Dolby NR off) |
| Dolby NR on improvement | 5 dB improvement (at 1 kHz), 10 dB improvement (5 kHz or more) |
| Overall strain rate | 1.3% |
| Frequency characteristic (Dolby NR off) | 20 Hz ~ 18kHz/30Hz ~ 16 kHz ± 3 dB (Fe-Cr) |
| Frequency characteristic (Dolby NR off) | 20 Hz ~ 17.7kHz/30Hz ~ 15 kHz ± 3 dB (CrO2) |
| Frequency characteristic (Dolby NR off) | 20 Hz to 15 kHz (Normal) |
| Wow and flutter | 0.045%(WRMS) |
| Input terminal Mic | 0.2 mV (-72dB) / for Low Impedance Microphone |
| Input terminal Line | 0.06 V (-22dB) / 100k Ω |
| Output terminal Line | 0.775 V (at 0 dB, 100k Ω load) |
| Output terminal Headphone | 8 Ω ~ 32 Ω |
| Meter indication range | -40dB to + 5 dB |
| Attack time | Indication when a sine wave of 0 dB is applied for 10 msec : -1dB ± 0.5 dB |
| Attack time | Indication when a sine wave of 0 dB is applied for 3 msec : -4dB + / - 1 dB |
| Recovery time | Time to return from 0 dB to -20dB : 750 msec. |
| Visible Elements | L/R channel, each 64 elements |
| Remote control jack | 11-pin connector |
| Semiconductor used | Transistor : 93 Diode : 94 units FET : 1 IC : 22 |
| Power outlet | Unswitched : 1 system, 300W |
| Power | 100 VAC, 50Hz/60Hz |
| Power consumption | 26W |
| External dimensions | Width 430x Height 170x Depth 310 mm |
| Weight | 10.8kg |
Design
The TC-K8B has a multi-functional double-indication LCD peak program meter. It checks level and holds peaks at the same time, with manual and auto reset modes. Auto reset fires every ~1.7 seconds. One F & F head does both recording and playback. The reproducing amplifier is direct coupled, which gets rid of the sound degradation caused by capacitors. A green FG servo motor drives the capstan, and a high-torque motor handles fast winding. The deck also has a Sony Limiter, Rec Mute for one-touch silent recording, and a memory stop/play function for repeated playback. It has an auto shut-off and an MPX filter to remove FM pilot signals. The speed control circuit is built around a specialized Sony IC. Remote operation works through the separately sold RM-30 wired remote. A program timer handles unattended recording and alarm playback.
Market
The Sony TC-K8B was originally priced at ¥128,000 around 1976. It came with a connection code and a head cleaning rod. The RM-30 wired remote controller was sold separately. Forum discussions note that the deck can develop play issues, often tied to the specialized Sony IC in the speed control circuit.
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