Akai 4000DB Reel to Reel

This Arrived some time ago and I hadn't had the chance to run it through its paces.
 I have some excellent Columbia recordings of Leonard Bernstein originals. If your testing these old reel to reels I find piano and Symphony ensembles are an excellent, discriminating source for any fluctuation or unwanted noise.

This 4000DB is an attractively designed compact tape deck offering multiple connections and controls and quality features among which are Akai's one micron gap heads for high density recording and the well known the incorporation of Dolby Noise Reduction System.
As you can see the Akai's one-micron gap head is responsible for an amazingly important difference in tape recording. It's the difference between ordinary performance and high density quality recording and playback. Ordinary head gaps are from 2 to 4 microns, but the gap of this outstanding head is only one micron. This high density recording system provides excellent frequency response and clear, high pitched sound is generated as a frequency tone and recorded smoothly without distortion.

With the Dolby Noise Reduction System, hissing noise heretofore thought impossible to eliminate, is reduced to a completely inaudible level. Basically, this circuit boosts the low level signals prior to recording and lowers them by precisely that same amount at playback time. During this revolutionary process, the extraneous noise is eliminated, thus also eliminating tape hiss.

Internally illuminated and quite cool are the  VU Meters

In keeping with Akai's top quality parts utilization policy, the 4000DB also features robust construction and sturdy mechanism. Further, a highly efficient induction type motor assures stable tape travel and ideal starting torque. The characteristics of this motor coupled with a boldly designed flywheel reduces wow and flutter significantly.

Head Transfer

Specs on this little baby

Track system: 4 track 2-channel stereo / monaural system
Reel capacity: up to 7" reel
Tape speed: 7-1/2 and 3-3/4ips (±2%)
Wow & flutter: less than 0.15% at 7-1/2ips, Less than 0.2% at 3-3/4ips
Frequency Response: 30Hz to 23,000Hz (±3dB)
7-1/2ips, 30Hz to 16,000Hz (±3dB) at 3-3/4ips
Distortion: less than 1.0%
Signal to noise ratio: better than 55dB (with Dolby process 60dB at 5kHz)

Vintage Sound's Audio Favorites

Lloyd's Seventies Stereo

Here are the top three sites I visit to view stunning vintage audio equipment.
Add them to your list of sites to enjoy!


SEVENTIES STEREO

THE VINTAGE KNOB

HIGH FIDELITY CLASSICS

All great collections with lots of knowledge shared.

Yamaha CA600 Amplifier

This new arrival is my first Yamaha unit. The build quality is signature 1975 Japan(Nippon Gakki). I love how balanced this integrated amp is. From it's grilled wood cabinet to the ever omnipresent controls, you can see that design was an equally important factor. There is a beautiful warmth to this amp section and at 35watts it's level of performance is quite pleasing. MRSP was $330.00

I know that the Yamaha home theatre equipment of today is well regarded amongst reviewers and there was a real lull in the market for their products through the 80's and 90's but the gear they produced out of Japan in the 70's is true Vintage Sound gear worthy of restoring.

Monday Night Album

Playing Sniff'n' the Tears - Fickle Heart LP














 

Sansui AU-4400

A mid 70's Integrated gem from Sansui. Rated at a conservative 20 watts per channel this solid amp has the beautiful clean image that made Sansui so great back then. Interesting thing about the 4400 in this series is that they didn't offer the popular black faceplate as in the others available at that time. Ah but silver faces rocked! No bells or whistles...just simple elegance.

Here is the link to some history if your interested.
http://www.sansui.us/PG_AU7700_Series.htm

The Archive

    Here is a true vinyl collectors story. Just think of the endurance of this man's passion. 

Here's the math...

• Ok so he is 69 years old
• Let's guess he started collecting vinyl records at 16
• So 53 years...
• 1 million LP records(not even including his 1.5 million singles) Jazz records, Rock Records, all records
• 364 days (hoping he took Christmas off)

That is 19,292 days by 1 million LP's = 51.835 vinyl records a day!
 Ok some days he got boxes of 100's other days none so it's a good average!

Nearing his last days you can see he simply wants recognition and the vinyl to live forever! Bittersweet ending to a lifelong pursuit. Amazing record collection!