TRIO KX-500
¥ 47,000 (released in 1979)
Commentary
Stereo cassette deck for metal tape.
A mechanical logic control mechanism has been adopted in which a gear is installed on the center spindle of the flywheel and the rotational force of the flywheel is used as the driving force for each mode selection switch by means of a mechanism of a cam and a mechanism of a gear which engages with the gear.
As a result, the button operating force is very light at 200g or less, and the mechanism responds quickly just by lightly pressing the operation button.
In addition, LED indicators are attached to the Record and Pause buttons to prevent operation errors.
Starting with the METAL position where metal tape can be used freely, there is a 4-step switching tape selector with normal, chrome and ferrichrome positions. When combined with the fine bias tuning mechanism, various tapes can be used with superior characteristics.
It uses a two belt drive mechanism that uses a flat belt for driving the capstan and a square belt for driving the take-up reel. This prevents vibration from being transmitted to the capstan when the take-up reel is driven, thus improving wow flutter characteristics.
The capstan (tape feed shaft) uses a large flywheel with a diameter of 65 mm, weight of 210g, and inertial energy of 800g ・ cm to achieve smooth rotation. The accuracy of the capstan is also improved, and the circularity error is less than 0.1 μ.
In addition, the flat belt that drives the capstan uses neoprene rubber that is less than 50 μ m thick and highly wear-resistant, with little stretching change. This greatly reduces load fluctuations and vibration that occur during tape winding.
Equipped with full auto shut-off mechanism with further improved reliability by all-IC non-contact sensor.
The full auto shut-off function protects the tape and head even when the power switch of the amplifier is turned off or when the switch is turned off by the timer.
The recording and reproducing heads use a hard permalloy core, which is convenient for magnetic performance and sound quality.
This head protects the non-core part with Sendust alloy to prevent uneven wear of the head.
It uses a pure electronic fluorescent tube display peak level meter with a fast response of approximately 10 ms for each segment.
Since the response speed is fast, it can follow even instantaneous input (pulse signal).
It's equipped with Rec Muting for silent recording, and you press and hold the button for 5 seconds, then pause and wait for the music to start.
By repeating this operation, you can make an original music tape with cut commercials and announcements by FM Aircheck, etc.
By simply pressing the Record button, the recording mode is set to the recording running mode, which prevents operation errors during recording.
Uses a Dolby noise reduction system that reduces tape noise.
The MPX filter operates in conjunction with the Dolby NR to prevent the Dolby NR from malfunctioning due to pilot signals.
It uses a direct Lordi ONG system so that the cassette half can be securely mounted and at the same time the head maintenance can be done easily.
The built-in timer standby mechanism starts the tape at the desired time by connecting a timer (sold separately) and setting the recording or playback switch to the standby state.
Model Rating
| Type | Stereo cassette deck |
| Track format | 4-track 2-channel stereo |
| Motor | Electronically controlled DC servo motor |
| Heads | Recording and Playback : Hard Permalloy with Sendust Guard Erasing : ferrites |
| Tape speed | 4.76cm/s |
| Wow and flutter | 0.05% (WRMS) or less |
| Fast forward and rewind speed | 85 seconds or less (C-60 tape) |
| Frequency characteristic | Normal Tape : 30 Hz ~ 15000 Hz (40 Hz ~ 14000 Hz ± 3 dB) Ferrichrome Tape : 30 Hz ~ 16000 Hz (40 Hz ~ 15000 Hz ± 3 dB) Chrome Tape : 30 Hz ~ 16000 Hz (40 Hz ~ 15000 Hz ± 3 dB) Metal Tape : 30 Hz ~ 16000 Hz (40 Hz ~ 15000 Hz ± 3 dB) |
| Signal-to-noise ratio (Dolby NR OFF/ON) |
Normal Tape : 52dB/62dB Ferrichrome Tape : 54dB/64dB Chrome Tape : 54dB/64dB Metal Tape : 54dB/64dB |
| Overall strain rate | 1.3% or less (1 kHz, 0 VU, normal tape) |
| Recording bias | AC system, 105 kHz |
| Erasing method | AC erase |
| Input Sensitivity / Impedance | MIC : 0.19mV/10k Ω For Low Impedance (600 Ω) Microphone Line : 77.5mV/50k Ω |
| Output Level / Impedance | Line : 390mV/100k Ω load Head Phone : 8 ~ 16 Ω headphone |
| Pwer | 100 VAC, 50Hz/60Hz |
| Power consumption | 10W (Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law) |
| External dimensions | Width 400x Height 139x Depth 281 mm |
| Weight | 4.3kg |