AKAI GXC-709D

Sometimes we have gear that got sold in no time. We have acquired the AKAI cassette deck in a quite poor condition, but after a week of research, cleaning and soldering we have made this beauty work.

A few words about the deck. It was manufactured in 1977-79 and considered as “AKAI hi-end deck” at those times. It was also reflected in price – 350 US dollars was the price for new.  Built like a tank and had what many vintage cassette people love is their glass and ferrite heads. This is not a Nakamichi but one very solid deck with great features and superb appearance. Thick front panel, nostalgic VU meters, wooden veneer cabinet – all these nice features makes this device highly desirable. More than that – some diehard hi-fi enthusiasts believe those are the best decks ever made. And by the way – it sounds very good too! No wonder this deck was sold within hours!

Demo Video

Main Features:

GX Heads

This deck has glass and ferrite heads, not just ferrite, these heads known as ”unwearable”. You can tell that the deck has this kind of heads by prefix “GX” in model name.

MPX Filter

MPX Filter is only needed when recording FM-Stereo. You can also choose to use Dolby when recording FM-stereo as well but MPX filter is a guarantee to make sure the 19Khz pilot signal used for FM-stereo is stripped. Typically you only find an MPX filter any cassette decks that have the ability to record above 18khz. Although AKAI claims ordinary 16kHz for this deck – the MPX filter presence gives you some hope for wide frequency range.

ADR System

The Akai’s superior ADR (automatic distortion reduction) is carried, and according to the frequency band and level of an incoming signal, changes the recording equalizer characteristics to achieve low distortion over an extended frequency range by the demagnetization action in a high region.

Convenience

What I especially like about this deck – it has adjustable headphones output. Separate recording level control for Line-In and Mic-In.

Specifications

• Type: 2-head, single compact cassette deck
• Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo
• Tape Speed: 4.76 cm/s
• Heads: 1 x record/playback, 1 x erase
• Motor: electronically speed controlled DC
• Tape Type: type I, Cr02, FeCr
• Noise Reduction: B
• Frequency Response: 35Hz to 16kHz  (FeCr tape)
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 61dB  (dolby B)
• Wow and Flutter: 0.06%
• Total Harmonic Distortion: 2%
• Input: 70mV (line), 0.3mV (mic)
• Output: 0.41V (line)
• Semiconductors: 28 x transistors, 36 x diodes, 2 x FET, 2 x IC
• Dimensions: 440 x 165 x 285mm
• Weight: 6.5kg