Tandberg 20ASE (circa 1982–1986)

The Tandberg 20ASE is an open-reel tape deck from Tandberg's professional-leaning Series 20 family. Period sources call it the TD 20ASE or TD20A-SE. It is one of the few decks of its era built around a genuinely distinctive technical idea. A switchable "SE" playback equalization reduced the amount of treble boost in the playback circuitry. The argument was that modern tape formulations no longer needed the heavy treble emphasis older tapes required, and that trimming it bought a real improvement in noise. Audio (1986, p.231) still listed the TD 20ASE among current open-reel decks alongside the Revox B77 MKII and Uher 6000, so it stayed in the lineup several years after its introduction.

The surviving 1982 tests back up the SE claim. One technical review reported that at 15 ips with Maxell UD-XL tape and the EQ switch set to "normal," signal-to-noise measured 70 dB. Switching to "SE" lifted that to 76.5 dB. The same review measured frequency response with SE engaged and defeated, and noted Tandberg had deliberately voiced the playback EQ for modern tape. Another contemporary test put wow and flutter at 0.08% at the higher speed and 0.12% at the lower. It also timed a full fast-wind of a 3,600-foot (10½-inch) reel at 115 seconds in each direction.

Beyond that, the record thins out. The deck clearly handled 10½-inch reels and 15 ips, but original pricing, production years, and the model's exact place in Tandberg's lineup are not documented in the sources at hand.

Known specs from period reviews: