AKAI UC-5 (1980)
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The AKAI UC-5 mini Hi-Fi system was introduced in 1980 and it was the top of the line model of the Mr. COMPO (Japan market name) series. This was followed by the smaller UC-4, UC-3 and UC-2 systems. The heart of the system is the UC-W5 pre-amplifier and UC-A5 power amplifier with a power rating of 56 W/ch (Sinus DIN 4 ohm). The two source components of the system are the UC-S5 Quartz Synthesizer tuner with digital display and 6 memory presets and the UC-F5 cassette deck with 2-motor mechanism, Twinfield Super GX heads, fluorescent level meters and digital counter. The whole system can be remote controlled with the additional RC-5R remote receiver unit and the matching handheld RC 5T infrared remote control unit. The matching loudspeakers are the Akai SW-N5 two way speakers. A rare matching component was the AS-5 acoustic controller.
GRUNDIG mini 100 (1980)
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Grundig was the largest and one of the most respected audio electronics company from Germany. Their products were kept in high regard throughout Europe but not only. This means that in 1980 they were still able to release a competitive product such as the Grundig mini 100 HiFi on a market segment dominated by japanese audio products. It was proudly advertised as Designed and Built in Germany. In this Grundig mini-series we will find receivers, tuner, amplifier and various cassette decks. This article we focuses on the top of the line components of this series which are:
GRUNDIG MT 100 - analog FM Stereo tuner with 7 presets
GRUNDIG MXV 100 - stereo pre-amplifier that can be used either with the MA 100 power amplifier or directly with one of the XM series active loudspeakers.
GRUNDIG MA 100 - 50 W/ch stereo power amplifier with auto power on-off when used in combination with the MXV 100 pre-amplifier. To counter balance the aesthetic appereance of this slightly larger box a funny / funky little LED power meter was installed.
GRUNDIG MCF 600 - stereo cassette deck featuring a two motor Quartz locked and logic controlled mechanism. The deck can be used with Normal, Fe-Cr, Chrome and Metal tapes as well with optimal results with the help of to the front panel BIAS control. The deck features High Com noise reduction circuit that is said to be 13-times more efficient then Dolby but there was also a Dolby playback-only compatible circuit installed as well.
GRUNDIG XM series - HiFi Active loudspeaker range to be used directly with the pre-amplifier for a more compact system
All components were available with silver or metallic-brown finish.
GRUNDIG MT 100 - analog FM Stereo tuner with 7 presets
GRUNDIG MXV 100 - stereo pre-amplifier that can be used either with the MA 100 power amplifier or directly with one of the XM series active loudspeakers.
GRUNDIG MA 100 - 50 W/ch stereo power amplifier with auto power on-off when used in combination with the MXV 100 pre-amplifier. To counter balance the aesthetic appereance of this slightly larger box a funny / funky little LED power meter was installed.
GRUNDIG MCF 600 - stereo cassette deck featuring a two motor Quartz locked and logic controlled mechanism. The deck can be used with Normal, Fe-Cr, Chrome and Metal tapes as well with optimal results with the help of to the front panel BIAS control. The deck features High Com noise reduction circuit that is said to be 13-times more efficient then Dolby but there was also a Dolby playback-only compatible circuit installed as well.
GRUNDIG XM series - HiFi Active loudspeaker range to be used directly with the pre-amplifier for a more compact system
All components were available with silver or metallic-brown finish.
MITSUBISHI micro 01 (1979)
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Mitsubishi (Diatone in Japan) has put big audio performance into a series of precise little audio components - microcomponents. Stereo components that are compact, but can hardly be called compacts. They have the same high-performance characteristics as full size components. The Micro FM tuner is using a quartz-PLL synthesizer tuning system that has absolutely no drift. The Micro Cassette Deck has a Dual Capstan Drive mechanism mounted in a precise die-cast chassis, 2 head configuration, separate Bias and EQ settings, Feather Touch Logic Control and Dolby noise reduction system. For power, the Micro power-amplifier was unbeatable at this size. The little "direct coupled" powerhouse puts out 70 watts per channel. Total harmonic distortion is only 0.01% for 30 watts per channel. The Micro Preamp is made to complement the power amplifier and faithfully conduct any signal source that goes through it. It has a built-in moving-coil head amplifier and a signal-to-noise ratio of 77dB and 0.005% THD. The final touch was to finish them with Champagne Gold faceplates. The MITSUBISHI micro 01 (DIATONE µ in Japan) cosnsists of M-F01 tuner, M-P01 pre-amp, M-A01 power-amp and M-T01 cassette deck.
PHILIPS F 009 (1980)
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This mini HiFi system was introduced by Philips in 1980. It was advertised as a "HiFi Jewel" or "Super HiFi-minisystem" while officially it had an ever changing name: 109, F 109, F 009. The components of this Super HiFi-minisystem are the N 5581 cassette deck featuring an open cassette compartiment, fluorescent VU meters, digital counter and Metal tape capability. The tuner was the AH 109 T, a Quartz Synthesizer AM/FM tuner with 14 presets. The amplifier section consisted of the AH 209 pre-amplifier and AH 309 power amplifier capable of delivering 55 W/ch at 8 ohm. Alternatively the power amplifier could be replaced with Philips MFB loudspeakers directly connected to the pre-amplifier. Dimensions of the components are 26 x 5(10) x 18.3 cm (WxHxD). All components have a one piece aluminium front - top cover.
TELEFUNKEN M1 (1980)
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The Telefunken Mini-HiFi M1 system was introduced in 1980 and the same year it received the "Deutschen HiFi-Preis 1980" for design excellence. The heart of this system is the MA1 stereo integrated ampliffier that can deliver 50 W/ch (4 ohm) with a THD of less than 0,1% at 1 kHz (45W/4 ohm). The all DIN plug systems allows connections of a tuner, two tape, auxiliary and phono source. The amplifier can be used with two pairs of loudspeakers, one set is for DIN speaker plugs while the other is of a push terminal type. All switches have red LED feedback while for power output there are two 12 segment LED power meters with meter range switch. The MT1 tuner is a Quartz Synthesizer model with digital display and 10 memory presets. This is a FM stereo - AM - LW tuner with manual tuning or direct frequency input model. Again, each button has red LED feed back. Next there is the MC1 cassette deck recorder. This is a two motor - two Sendust head, logic controlled model. It can handle all cassette types: normal, chrome, Fe-Cr and Metal (30-18000 Hz) The primary noise reduction system of this model is the High-Com system (74 dB chrome tape) invented by Telefunken. For further compatibility the deck features also a playback only Dolby system (hence the half Dolby logo) For manual tape recording there is a 12 segment/ch LED peak level indicator, and again all controls have red LED feedback. A detailed description of the similar HC 750 M model (introduced in 1982 as replacement for the MC1) can be seen in the 1001 Hi-Fi Collection. The recomended loudspeaker for this system was the Telefunken TLX 11 Professional.
TOSHIBA / Aurex Micro System 15 (1978)
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Toshiba's System 15 microcomponents were introduced in 1978. Aurex was Toshiba's brand name for the japanese market but these micro components were sold with both Toshiba or Aurex logo worldwide. With less than half the size of ususal components they set new performance level in the meantime being elegant in appearance. The components of the Micro System 15 are:
SC-M15 - power amplifier (DC) insorporating a large toroidal power transformer, 40 W/ch (20 to 20,000Hz, 8 ohms), THD: less than 0.02%, Frequency response: 0Hc (DC) to 70,000Hz, BTL use is possible
SY-C15 - preamplifier: Dual FET DC equalizer amp and DC tone amp, THD: less than 0.01%, Frequency response: 10Hz to 100,000Hz
ST-F15 - FM tuner: Digital frequency synthesizer with auto/manual tuning and 10 station presets, Synthesizer accuracy: 0.0025%
PC-D15 - two motor cassette deck with IC logic control, two heads, direct loading and Dual Capstan Drive, Wow & Flutter: less than 0.04%, Frequency response: 20Hz to 18,000Hz
All components are 257 mm wide with a one piece diecast aluminium chassis for the power amplifier while the other components feature one piece front and top panel with additional aluminum panel at the back (instead of steel) and sides. All components were available in silver or in a more rare black version. This basic setup could be expanded with the following components:
ST-S20 - FM, AM, LW and SW Digital Quartz Synthesizer tuner
AD-15 - adres adapter. Toshiba's own noise reduction system in a separate box as an alternative to the Dolby circuit of the cassette deck
AT-12 - programmable Digital Timer
RM-15 - wired remote (5 m) for the cassette deck
AR-15HU - mini rack
AR-15VU - large rack on casters that could accomodate a SR-F45 turntable
SS-S12 - mini loudspeakers
SS-930S - large loudspeakers
SC-M15 - power amplifier (DC) insorporating a large toroidal power transformer, 40 W/ch (20 to 20,000Hz, 8 ohms), THD: less than 0.02%, Frequency response: 0Hc (DC) to 70,000Hz, BTL use is possible
SY-C15 - preamplifier: Dual FET DC equalizer amp and DC tone amp, THD: less than 0.01%, Frequency response: 10Hz to 100,000Hz
ST-F15 - FM tuner: Digital frequency synthesizer with auto/manual tuning and 10 station presets, Synthesizer accuracy: 0.0025%
PC-D15 - two motor cassette deck with IC logic control, two heads, direct loading and Dual Capstan Drive, Wow & Flutter: less than 0.04%, Frequency response: 20Hz to 18,000Hz
All components are 257 mm wide with a one piece diecast aluminium chassis for the power amplifier while the other components feature one piece front and top panel with additional aluminum panel at the back (instead of steel) and sides. All components were available in silver or in a more rare black version. This basic setup could be expanded with the following components:
ST-S20 - FM, AM, LW and SW Digital Quartz Synthesizer tuner
AD-15 - adres adapter. Toshiba's own noise reduction system in a separate box as an alternative to the Dolby circuit of the cassette deck
AT-12 - programmable Digital Timer
RM-15 - wired remote (5 m) for the cassette deck
AR-15HU - mini rack
AR-15VU - large rack on casters that could accomodate a SR-F45 turntable
SS-S12 - mini loudspeakers
SS-930S - large loudspeakers
WEGA Modul 42 (1978)
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The history of WEGA starts in Germany in the year 1923 with the manufacturing of radio receivers. In 1975 the company is aquired by SONY Japan. Initially under Sony ownership WEGA had designed his own components for a while (using Sony parts) but later all components had turned into SONY rebadged products such as the WEGA C120 cassette deck from the 1001 Hi-Fi Collection. A particullarly successful series of mini Hi-Fi components were introduced in 1976 that culminated in 1978 with this WEGA Modul 42 Series. This industrial design masterpiece is the work of famed designer Hartmut Esslinger (founder of FROG Design) Components of this system are: Modul 42V stereo amplifier (90 w/ch DIN 4 ohm) is using LEC (Low Emitter Concentration) transistors from Hitachi and a large toroidal transformer, Modul 42T Stereo tuner with "Digital Graphic Display", Modul 42C cassette deck with Sony Ferrite & Ferrite heads and a frequency response of 30-15,5 kHz (FeCr), Modul 42E grafic equalizer, Modul 42P Direct Drive turntable (Sony BSL-Motor). For even more immersive sound there was available the ADC-2 Acoustic Dimension Complier, a 30 W/ch amplifier that could add (to the existing stereo amplifier) adjustable space and reflection characteristics. For visuals the Wega color 3050 TV could be added while for the components there was one dedicated rack for the components and a separate one for the turntable. All components have the same size, 35 x 15 x 26 cm and they were available in black, dark grey and white. I believe that the red amplifier in the picture was only an Esslinger prototype.
