The variety of hi-fi market in the 70's was amazing. We all know about the creation of the major Japanese brands, but emerged and European brands, recognized alongside British manufacturers such as Leak and Garrard. For example, Bang & Olufsen has experienced its golden age was at that time. There were other companies that sell beautifully designed device through their visionary designers - for example, the West German Dieter Rams Braun or Clas-Göran in Swedish Sonabia Wanning.
Sonaba, like automotive SAAB products produced radically different than most manufacturers. Sonaba began a series of multi-directional speaker series with a wide range of OA speakers mounted from the top. Then came an attractive offer amplifiers and receivers, which focused on ease of use and minimalist design, avoiding the tacky splendor of Japanese rivals. And probably that is why Clas-Göran Wanning gave Nakamichi C 500 of its strange appearance memorable.
In the early seventies Compact Cassette was just beginning to take off; This format has existed for a decade, but has not reached mass acceptance until improved product quality. In 1974. Many manufacturers have realized that they need a stereo cassette format hi-fi .
The company Nakamichi had the widest knowledge and experience in this field, and what brought Sonaba from each other, the aesthetic and ergonomic design (later adapted by Nakamichi in many other embodiments). Created a device designed in such a way "to make it as simple as possible to use, playing, recording, and above all". It was not an empty rhetoric, because even by today's standards it is a "pure" and elegant-looking machine.
What then has been achieved in terms of technical performance, today is perhaps not unusual, but then woke respect. We speak of uniformity of feed of 0.13% and a frequency of 30-16,000 Hz (+/- 3 dB). The signal-to-noise ratio was 51 dB at Ferric off and Dolby, 60 dB in the case of Chrome and Dolby. For this device was small and compact in construction (380x250x105mm), weighing 4.5 kg.
Established nice machine; everything in it was simple, and with heart Nakamichi, allowed the recordings for calibration tapes and Ferric Chrome, so you can set the recording was exactly as you wanted. Unusual, recessed gauges are easy to read when setting recording levels, but largely invisible during playback when they are not needed.
Sonaba cassette gives a powerful, musical sound that is quite shiny up, if we use the Chrome tape. It sounds remarkably stable and detail. Not surprisingly, we used the best possible components Nakamichi. And that's why Sonaba C 500 was very expensive when introduced to the market. And not without reason, because it is one of the most unique products in the family Nakamichi in history!
Specification:
Tape Transport: Servo controlled DC motor Single Capstan
Tape speed: 4.76 cm / sec ± 1%
Wow and Flutter: ± 0.13% WTD peak
Fast Winding Time: 100 sec. For C60 cassette
Instruments: two quasi-peak reading meters recording
Noise reduction system: Dolby B
Tape Counter: 3 figures with memory rewind
Heads: Two hard Permalloy (High Metal μ) heads
Tape Selector: for standard or Chomium dioxide with separate bias tape and correction characteristics
Bias frequency: 105 kHz
Frequency Response:
Standard tape 30 - 15,000 Hz ± 3 dB
Chrome tape 30 - 16,000 Hz ± 3 dB
Bias Settings:
Standard Maxwell UD =
Chrome = TDK Kr0₂
Signal-to-Noise Ratio:
Standard tape without Dolby: 51 dB
Standard tape with Dolby: 58 dB
Chrome tape without Dolby: 63 dB
Chrome tape with Dolby: 60 dB
Erasing Suppression: 60 dB
Channel Separation: 35 dB
Suppression of cross-talk : 60 dB
Inputs Sensitivity / Impedance:
Microphone L, R & center: 0.2 mV / 1 k Ω
Line: 70 mV / 180k Ω
DIN 12 mV / 30 k Ω
Outputs Level / Impedance:
Headphone: minimum / 8 Ω
Line: 1.2 V / 600 Ω
DIN: 1.2 V / 600 Ω
Power Requirements: 100, 117, 220, 240 Volts, 50/60 Hz AC
Power Consumption: 25 W
Dimensions (H x W x D): 380 x 105 x 250 mm (15 "x 4" x 10 ")
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