are aiwa decks good? need info

[fabchef]

Hi everyone how are you? well still looking around at decks and came across an aiwa one, but don't know if they make good decks...
this one is model number AD-R505C
it says it has:
AMTS (Anti Modulation Tape Stabilizer)
dolbyN/R
and hx pro headroom
is this good? price is good too and not too far from me..
thanks
fab

 

[NEMOaudio]

That's a basic autoreverse model, nothing special like some older models like this

 

[fabchef]

So maybe i'm still better off with that naka cassette
Deck 2????
Fabs

 

[BrocLuno]

Aiwa made some of the finest cassette decks ever - period. OK, the one you're looking at is not one of them, but don't stop looking

Features to be on the lookout for; dual capstans, direct drive, 3 heads (I don't think Aiwa ever made premium 2 head deck?).

You can buy a Nak if you want too, but I sold both of mine. I like my Denon high end decks better and both my Sony direct drive dual capstan decks are still here. So is my BIC T3 which is not direct drive, but was always so sweet that it ain't going anywhere

 

[1tumbleweed]

Here's my take on Aiwa...

At some point, they were an independent company, making some pretty interesting stuff. Then, they got bought out by Sony, who - for a time - used them as their "skunk works" - i.e. trying out concepts before introducing them to the greater Sony universe. Decks produced during that era were exceptional.

Then, little by little, Aiwa was marginalized, until they became little more than an alternative brand. producing inexpensive decks that bore little relation to the decks of their heyday.

And then...they were gone.

 

[Daunia 70]

Features to be on the lookout for; dual capstans, direct drive, 3 heads (I don't think Aiwa ever made premium 2 head deck?).

The AIWA AD-6700 was a premium 2 head cassette deck.It's an awesome sounding deck.The MRRP was a huge $750 back in 1979,only $100 less than the 3 headed AD-6900.Both of these are my fave Aiwa's,especially in terms of their build quality and stunning looks.

 

[FONSguy]

Mine was wonderful and only got 'retired' about 6 years ago. I think it was an AD M700 3 head deck. I used TDK SA tape and on some recordings it was 99% as good as the source.

 

[Treker]

I bought an Aiwa AD-F330 new back in about 1982 or so, and used it for many years. It was a great deck, but certainly not towards the high end of the line at the time. I still have it, but it needs a set of belts. I'll get around to installing a set sometime.

About a year ago I happened into an Aiwa AD-F990, which was definitely Top Of The Line at the time. It is in the same family as my AD-F330 looks wise, but is a top performer with 3 heads, dual capstan drive, and Dolby B/C, & HX PRO. It is now my primary deck for making new recordings. If you can find one of these, grab it!

Here's a pic of mine.

 

[fabchef]

Treker...nice looking machine :thmbsp: looks interesting, and does it have controls on the flat bottom part too???
was searching around for fun again and also come across an AIWA AD-R707..
was this unit any better? looks a little bit like the original one i posted but i guess a little higher up? is it worth looking into? don't know how much they are asking or are willing to sell separately.
I should also be able to check out the naka tomorrow, what do you suggest?
thanks
fabs

 

[oldvinyldude]

I have two Aiwa decks.

AD-F800 and F810.

Both make outstanding recordings-neither are direct drive, but both 3 head with dual pinch roller/single capstan drive.

To the OP-I would not pay a lot for a modest deck like what you posted. If you can wait, something nicer will come along. Both of mine only needed a new belt, and it was not difficult to replace.

The 990 sure is a looker and has the hardware to match-one of the few that would make me buy another deck (I already have 7, I think.....)

1tumbleweed-just curious-were my decks made during the skunkworks period? According to VintageCassette-they were sold from 1989-1992

 

[BlazeES]

Beautiful deck! :thmbsp:

I bought an Aiwa AD-F330 new back in about 1982 or so, and used it for many years. It was a great deck, but certainly not towards the high end of the line at the time. I still have it, but it needs a set of belts. I'll get around to installing a set sometime.

About a year ago I happened into an Aiwa AD-F990, which was definitely Top Of The Line at the time. It is in the same family as my AD-F330 looks wise, but is a top performer with 3 heads, dual capstan drive, and Dolby B/C, & HX PRO. It is now my primary deck for making new recordings. If you can find one of these, grab it!

Here's a pic of mine.

 

[Treker]

Treker...nice looking machine :thmbsp: looks interesting, and does it have controls on the flat bottom part too???
was searching around for fun again and also come across an AIWA AD-R707..
was this unit any better? looks a little bit like the original one i posted but i guess a little higher up? is it worth looking into? don't know how much they are asking or are willing to sell separately.
I should also be able to check out the naka tomorrow, what do you suggest?
thanks
fabs

Yes, all the controls are on the flat part that sticks out at the bottom. They just don't show up all that well in a head on photo like the one I posted.

As far as what I would suggest, I am not an expert by any means, but I would personally keep my eyes open for 3 head decks from the better manufacturers. Many of them made great decks back in the day, especially at the top of their respective lines. Akai, Aiwa, Denon, Sony (ES series mostly), and of course Nakamichi to name just a few of the main players.

 

[thomo57]

The AIWA AD-6700 was a premium 2 head cassette deck.It's an awesome sounding deck.The MRRP was a huge $750 back in 1979,only $100 less than the 3 headed AD-6900.Both of these are my fave Aiwa's,especially in terms of their build quality and stunning looks.

I can vouch for the AD 6700 deck:thmbsp:
One beautiful tape deck, studio like.
Has all the bells and whistles plus some

I picked mine up on a hard rubbish day with an Aiwa AX 7600 stereo reciever which is also another beautiful thing.
Both in superb working condition.

Amazing what people will throw out

 

[dr*audio]

Any Aiwa deck (and most others) that have "R" in the model number are auto reverse machines. Stay away from them, they all have rotating heads and because of this it is impossible to get a true alignment between the head and tape, due to the moveable head. The performance of an auto reverse machine is never as good as on a single direction machine, except for the Nakamichi auto reverse deck, because it automatically aligns the head.

 

[Duke58]

Aiwa AD-6550 was my first cassette deck. Mostly used to record LPs to cassette tape, then listen to the tapes in the car. It was a nice, smooth functioning cassette deck.

I don't listen to cassettes anymore, but I would try to find another one of this make/model if I wanted to listen to and record cassettes again.

 

[juanjavier]

Aiwa AD-6400 used to be a really impressive model. Beautiful looking and a really fair quality at the time. I recorded lots of tapes on that deck (a friend of mine owned one) and the performance was awesome...

 

[RanDibble]

Where does the AIWA R550 fall in the line up ?

 

[SaSi]

Not in a favorable spot, at least not for the people here.
If you like it, it's cheap, it works and can afford at least another decent cassette deck, by all means make it yours. But it's not one of the decks that will make you go "wow".

My daily workhorse is an aiwa excelia XK-009, a much better implementation of my previous deck, the AD-F880 that I purchased new in 1988 and made me realize cassette can sound good. The R550 is well below those specs.

And realize that any two well cassette deck will not be a top performer as it actually is two decks in one housing for almost the price of a decent deck. Equally, a typical auto reverse deck with rotating head will - over time - lose azimuth alignment deteriorating the playback (and recording).

 

[sixthday]

Aiwa was owned by Sony. Some Aiwa cassette deck are not just good but super. For example, Aiwa XK-S9000

 

[Shakedown]

Over the next month I am going to be comparing the sound between an Aiwa AD-M700 and Kenwood KX-1030.

For reference the Kenwoods from that era are said to outperform Marantz and Nak (DR-3) decks. Also a closer comparison would probably be an Aiwa 6600 but this will still be interesting.

The Kenwood KX-1030 was a $450 deck sold for three years from 1978-1980. It was considered their TOTL. It's a single capstan belt driven 3 ferrite head design. It has a max frequency response @ 25Hz to 20kHz (Cr02 tape), with a SNR @ 67dB (dolby B). Almost as quiet as a Tanberg 910/911 in that department. Wow and Flutter: 0.06%.

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/kenwood/kx-1030.shtml

The Aiwa AD-M700 was a $490 deck and sold from 1979-1980. Obviously a TOTL model. like the Kenwood it's also a single capstan belt driven 3 ferrite head design. It has a frequency response @ 20Hz to 19kHz (Metal tape), with a SNR @ 46dB (dolby B) so a little nosier. Wow and Flutter: 0.04% (same as Nak Dragon)


https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/aiwa/ad-m700.shtml

For this test both decks have had all belts replaced, new REW/FF and idler tires. All the switches have been cleaned with Deoxit. The pinch rollers were in like new condition but has been treated with rubber rejuvenator anyway. Heads have been cleaned and aligned as well as demagnetized. Play speed has been calibrated and adjusted accordingly on both decks. I am going to use chrome tape on the Kenwood and metal on the Aiwa as they are calibrated best for different formulas. However I can also make tests both using the same tape. They will make recordings of a CD source I will use as my reference, and I will switch back between source and tape and decide which deck I like better and report back. I may even be able to upload to YouTube.