Yamaha YCT-800 (c. 1984)
The Yamaha YCT-800 is a car stereo with an AM/FM tuner and a cassette deck. It is a single-DIN front-end unit from the mid-1980s. High Fidelity (March 1984, p.39) recorded a list price of $600, which put it near the upper end of the aftermarket autosound market of the period.
The cassette section had automatic reverse, Dolby B noise reduction, and tape equalization switching. It also had a quirk. When the ignition was turned off, the pinch-roller disengaged and the cassette was automatically ejected. Disconnect the battery altogether and the station-preset memories were erased. The tuner section, according to HiFI-Stereo (January 1984, p.26), delivered a measured 62 dB of image rejection. The same review noted tone controls with about ±12 dB of range at 100 Hz and 10 kHz. It also noted a loudness compensation circuit that High Fidelity (March 1984, p.41) described as relatively gentle - it shelved toward the extremes without the heavy bass boost common in many car units of the era.
The chassis measured 7 by 2 inches at the front, with a depth of 5¼ inches behind the dash. The escutcheon was slightly larger at 7¾ by 2¼ inches, and the protruding "nose" section was 4¼ by 1¾ inches. Connections were bared wires for ignition, battery, power antenna, and ground, plus a pin-jack for line outputs and a standard coaxial antenna input. Fuses were a 3-amp in the ignition line and a 1-amp in the battery line. Yamaha backed it with a one-year limited warranty on parts and labor.
Little else is documented about the YCT-800's market life or collectibility today. It was Yamaha's entry into what High Fidelity called a "fresh, competent approach" to autosound. Surviving examples are uncommon and period advertising is sparse.
- Type: AM/FM tuner / cassette deck (car stereo front-end)
- Price (new): $600
- Cassette features: Auto-reverse, Dolby B, tape EQ switching, auto-eject on power-off
- Tuner: AM/FM, 62 dB image rejection (measured)
- Tone controls: ±12 dB at 100 Hz / 10 kHz
- Dimensions (chassis): 7 × 2 × 5.25 in (W×H×D)
- Warranty: 1 year limited parts & labor
- Manufacturer: Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd., Japan / U.S. distributor: Yamaha
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