SONY TC-KA3ES

Commentary

This cassette deck is the basic model of the New ES series, which was developed by putting in the technology of the advanced machine.

Equipped with Dolby S NR as a noise reduction system. With the introduction of Dolby SR technology used in professional equipment and precise signal processing, tape noise is reduced to approximately 1/16.
In addition, the breathing phenomenon characteristic of NR is suppressed by finely controlling the pitch and pitch of sound.

The layout of the audio circuit follows the signal flow as much as possible.

It uses a midship mechanical system with a heavy mechanical deck placed in the center of the front panel to reduce the adverse effect of chassis distortion on sound.

A rigid half-hold mechanism is adopted to prevent vibration and sound pressure directly applied to the cassette half.
In addition to the cassette holder made of fine ceramic composite material with high vibration resistance and the cassette stabilizer made of sorbocein with excellent vibration resistance, the cassette holder has been changed to a dual lock that locks the cassette holder from one side to both sides. In addition, to ensure the effectiveness of the cassette stabilizer, the tape is fixed more securely by the delayed-action stabilizer mechanism, in which the stabilizer is pressed against the half after the cassette lid is closed.

By separating the frequency of the bias signal from the audio signal band, a super bias is used to reduce interference caused by the bias signal. TC-KA3ES reduces beat noise and intermodulation distortion by shifting up the bias frequency to 160 kHz.

It is equipped with a 3-point REC calibration function to realize recording that takes advantage of the capabilities of the tape.
The adjustment by the internal oscillator, which used to be 2 points, has been expanded to 3 points of 400Hz/3kHz/15kHz, making it possible to more precisely match the characteristics of the tape.

The capstan motor adopts a direct drive system using a 3-phase BSL motor with less uneven rotation.
In addition, we have reduced wow and flutter by adopting a closed-loop dual capstan system in which the tape is sandwiched between two sets of capstan and pinch rollers to suppress modulation noise.

The Lapis (sapphire capstan base) system, which uses sapphire with high hardness and low friction coefficient for the bearing of the capstan motor, maintains stable running accuracy over a long period of time.

High quality and pure transmission are achieved by using single-crystal oxygen-free copper ESC-OCC wire with a purity of 99.997% or more throughout the circuit.

By mounting a buffer amplifier to lower the output impedance just before the output terminal, it is difficult to be affected by the superiority of the pin cord used for connection with the amplifier.

It uses an eccentric insulator with the mounting hole to the chassis offset from the center. External signals are mutually cancelled, making it difficult for them to be transmitted to the chassis. The position and diameter of the hole are also examined through trial production and trial listening. The hole is tuned so as to be effective in attenuating mid - and high-frequency vibration components that affect audibility.

We have adopted a PC-OCC wound laser amorphous head that uses high-purity oxygen-free copper PC-OCC for the winding of the laser amorphous head.

The cassette half is equipped with pads for pressing the tape against the head, but the closed-loop dual capstan system has a problem that this extra pressure increases modulation noise.
In order to solve this problem, we have adopted a pad pressure reduction mechanism that releases the pressure of the pad by providing a slight convex projection above and below the head gap.

Equipped with Dolby HX-PRO.
By controlling the bias current in units of one thousandth of a second according to the frequency and level of the signal, linearity in the high-frequency range is maintained.

Equipped with FL linear counter with subtraction function.

It has an auto monitor function that automatically switches the monitor sound from source to tape when you press the play button.

It is equipped with a multi-AMS function that can start up 30 tracks before and after the track being played.

There are 2 color variations, gold and black.

Wireless remote control is included.

Model Rating

Type	Cassette deck
Format	4-track 2-channel
Heads	Erase : 1 Recording : 1 Play : 1
Motor	Linear Torque BSL D. D. Motor : 1 DC Motor : 2
Signal-to-noise ratio	57 dB (EIAJ, Dolby NR off, Metal Tape) 80 dB (Dolby NRS, Peak Level, Metal Tape, Acoustic Compensation)
Frequency characteristic	15 Hz ~ 22 kHz ± 3 db (EIAJ, -20dB recording, metal tape) 15 Hz ~ 16 kHz ± 3 db (-4dB recording, metal tape)
Wow and flutter (EIAJ)	± 0.04% Wpeak 0.022%WRMS
Distortion Factor (EIAJ)	1.3% (3rd harmonic distortion rate, reference recording level of 250nWb/m, 315 Hz sine wave, metal tape)
Power supply voltage	100 VAC, 50Hz/60Hz
Power consumption	23W
External dimensions	Width 430x Height 135x Depth 360 mm
Weight	Approx. 7.6 kg
Attachment	Wireless Remote Control RM-J701