Aiwa - AD-6800 Cassette recorder-player

This model is an evolution of the AIWA AD-6500 (which is not in the same line as the AD-6700 and AD-6900).

It is truly the most unique deck, with features I haven't seen in any other deck. In many mid-range decks, the third head is for bias adjustment, not for recording/monitoring as in this case; this third head has a slider for azimuth adjustment. But there's much more:

It has an inclined transport mechanism with motorized loading, undoubtedly a very sophisticated automation.
Both VU meters have dual pointers.
Mobile light points (almost mysterious) to demonstrate the movement of the tape.
Small colored LEDs inside the manual bias adjustment buttons (which are also somewhat uncommon), selected by the tape type switch in recording mode.
Mechanically, it was built like a tank; it is heavy and large.
The front panel is made of solid aluminum.
The top cover has the printed electronic schematic of operation.
No plastic in the transport mechanism (except pulleys and cassette tray).
Two motors, but only one for rewinding tapes.
Many transport mechanisms use ball bearings for the read head bridge, but this one uses ceramic rollers to reduce wear on the metal plates.
I've never seen 5 belts and 3 pulleys in a cassette player.
The main motor is easy to maintain (the housing has screws instead of stamped metal – a pleasant surprise).


A highly recommended collectible cassette player.

The sound is very good! It's warm, melodic, with good spaciousness and detail, so you can listen for hours.


Technical specifications


Type of deck: 3 heads (erase, record, read)
Tracks: 4 tracks, 2 channels - stereo
Cassette speed: 4.8 cm/s
Motor: DC servo
Type of cassette: Ferro, CrO2, and FeCr.
Noise reduction: Dolby B
Frequency response: 20Hz to 19kHz (FeCr)
Signal-to-noise ratio: 65dB (Dolby B)
Wow and Flutter: 0.05%
Total harmonic distortion: 0.9%
Inputs: 50mV (line), 0.25mV (micro)
Output: 0.775V (line)
Dimensions: 480 x 162 x 335mm (width x height x depth)
Weight: 10kg
Release year: 1978