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The Akai GX-F80 is an audiophile vintage 3-head stereo cassette deck released around 1980. It features Super GX glass-and-ferrite heads built for high-end metal tape compatibility, offering a wide 25Hz–21kHz frequency response, real-time tape monitoring, low wow and flutter (0.035%), and classic dual-color fluorescent meters
The GX-F80 cassette deck features Akai\'s GX special glass heads. As per their advertisements at the time, you could run an Akai GX series deck 24/7 for 17.5 years before they wore out. That\'s 150,000 hours, as compared to a more typical 3000-4000 hour life span of steel reel to reel heads of the 70-80\'s.
Be sure to check out an actual video demonstration of this unit included in this listing. You’ll want to pay particular attention when I toggle between the digital music source and the re-recorded tape using the Tape/Source button. Initially, you might not notice much of a difference in sound quality, but with a little more listening, you’ll catch how the bass really comes to life, while the treble subtly supports it. This creates a unique and sweet sonic character during playback on re-mastered cassette tape.Service Notes
We acquitted this unit from original owner and bring to our shop for full service and re-calibration to factory specifications as recommended in service manual. Our technicians painstakingly check every capacitors for sign of leaking or degrading. We also usedspectrum analyzerto measure noise floor of the unit - to ensure no noisy and/or pin corrosion transistors on both pre-amplifier and recording board. All suspected faulty or degraded electronics components were searched and replaced as needed.
After playback calibration and bias setup, we apply signal generator to measure and calibrate the record level as factory specs. All tape play and record from line-in and microphone are also bench tested for sound and reproduction quality.
All switches, pods, tires, tension wheels, belts, reel brakes and tape transport mechanism are thoroughly checked, serviced and/or replaced when necessary.Play heads and metal parts on the tape track are demagnetized and cleaned. The deck also tested for tape tracking, speed (wow and flutter using Meguro MK 668) record balance and reading from both microphone and line-in.
Finally, we produced a demo video to showcase the quality of this unit as it records and replays one minute of digital music directly from CD to tape. You can hear the demo for yourself—or, better yet, plug in a pair of headphones to experience the unit’s superior music reproduction quality.
Vintage SoundPreservationNotes
“Vintage Wine Sommeliers”: At our private shop, our technicians are not only skilled in electronics but also dedicated vintage audiophiles who also take on the role as Sommeliers. We are committed to preserving the distinct sound qualities of the vintage equipment we service, steering clear of unnecessary component replacements or upgrades. In the other words, we ensure that vintage Bordeaux wine would never be replaced or watered-down with contemporary California wine.
“Old-Time Sweet, Softness and Mellow Tones” Preserving: When modern transistors replace the aged ones in these classic machines, the sound can sometimes come across as \"too clean\" or “overly sterile” for those who love the sonic characters of traditional components. To honor this vintage essence, we focus on carefully preserving or replacing those specific Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) and/or MOSFETs that are integral to the signal path, ensuring that we maintain those beloved audio signal response curves - that define vintage sound.\"Vintage Warmth\" Preservation: Degraded capacitors naturally roll off high frequencies and create signal harmonic smearing. This artifact is often misidentified as \"analog warmth.\" New replacement caps would bring back sharp treble and fast transients, which can sound surprisingly harsh or bright. We never simply replace capacitors with the same maker’s value in critical audio paths. Instead, we meticulously measure the remaining value of each working capacitor on the board and replace them with exact matches in pairs for stereo channels—or in sets of four for quadraphonic machines.
Technical Notes
The cassette deck is in very good cosmetic condition but might show sign of preowned item such as hairline scratches, small stain spots, small dings, worn-out corners and edges, hand-writing note in bottom... Photos are part of item descriptions. See photos for details.
The internal electronics circuit is in original condition. No signs of previous repair or modification. The unit also has been fully inspected and tested by a technician before anti-tamper stickers were placed. Serial number also has been recorded.
The listing is for tape deck unit, spec sheet and owner manual only. NO remote, No cassette, No cable, or other accessories included.No return if due to buyer mishandling or damage because of lack of proper operational knowledge - and above all we are watching out for the part swappers if anti-tamper stickers on the unit removed or broke off.
Operate at 120V/60Hz U.S. Domestic Only. No international voltage.
Shipping Notes
If you happen to be a local buyer, you are more than welcome to contact us by message to stop by and audition the item prior to buying. 10% discount and no shipping charge will be applied toward the purchase price to local buyer.$40 flat-rated shipping to anywhere in the U.S to residential address only. No P.O Box.International and U.S territories buyers please contact Seller first.
We will ship the 20 lbs unit with fully insured carrier, packed in dual walled heavy duty carton (up to 40 lbs totally) with double 1\" thick styrofoam insulation and all corners reinforced.Buyer direct signature is required by both and Carriers due to Buyer protection policy. No meeting in person - No delivery.
Shipping carrier (unless requested by Buyer) will be selected by Seller to ensure the best logistically and timely delivery.
Please allow two business days for packing and shipping.
Specifications
Type: 3-head, single compact cassette deck
Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo
Tape Speed: 4.76 cm/s
Heads: 1 x record, 1 x playback, 1 x erase
Motor: 1 x reel, 1 x capstan
Tape Type: type I, CrO2, Metal
Noise Reduction: B
Frequency Response: 25Hz to 21kHz(Metal tape)
Signal to Noise Ratio: 72dB(dolby B)
Wow and Flutter: 0.035%
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.8%
Input: 70mV (line), 0.3mV (mic)
Output: 0.41V (line)
Dimensions: 440mm x 135mm x 340mm (17-5/16\" x 5-5/16\" x 13-3/8\")
Weight: 8.9kg (20lbs)
