Yamaha R-50 (1977)
Not much information survives on the Yamaha R-50. The archive's catalog lists it with a 1977 date. The best record of the model is a single equipment test report in HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers (December 1983, p.45), which identifies the R-50 as an AM/FM receiver.
That report measured the tuner and found solid performance. The 50-dB quieting sensitivity was 14.1 dBf (2.8 µV) in mono and 37 dBf (39 µV) in stereo. The stereo threshold sat around 17 dBf (4 µV), though the reviewer noted it was hard to pin down because it fell in the range where the tuner shifted between two tuning systems. Image rejection was 52 dB, and ultimate quieting at 65 dBf (1,000 µV) reached 77 dB. The same report praised the amplifier section's bass extender and Yamaha's loudness compensator. It said the bass extender added a welcome bottom-end punch with no muddiness or mid-bass thickness.
Beyond that test, little else is documented. The archive has no confirmed original price, no brochure specs and no service literature.
Known specs (from the HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers test report)
- Type: AM/FM receiver
- 50-dB quieting sensitivity: 14.1 dBf mono / 37 dBf stereo
- Stereo threshold: ~17 dBf (4 µV)
- Image rejection: 52 dB
- Ultimate quieting (at 65 dBf / 1,000 µV): 77 dB
- Amplifier section: bass extender and Yamaha loudness compensator
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