The Personal Hi-Fi Blog: June 2023

About this Blog

Hello everyone,
My name is TheLion. I am an Audiophile and a 'Walkman' collector. I have started this blog for all those who share the same interest. On this blog, I will share my love with the world of Personal Stereos. This is limited only to Personal Stereos and Minidisc Players and maybe some other unique gadgets. The common rule with all those Personal Stereos is their State-of-the-Art; High-Quality Sound, Excellent build and Unique design - in other words, Personal Hi-Fidelity Analog music players for the soulful man. The main interest (but not limited to) in Walkmans is AIWA Personal Stereos from their early years' product line from 1984 to 1991. The main interest in Minidiscs (but not limited to) is Sharp Minidiscs. I will post pictures of rare Walkmans and Minidiscs with information. Thank God for making all this possible, I hope you all will enjoy my blog. Note: I started this blog in 2011 to offer a unique perspective for educational purposes in the world of personal Stereo. I will gladly share most of the info regarding the gadgets displayed on this blog. However, Since this blog consumes a lot of time and great efforts to assemble and maintain as current as possible, I do not get paid or gain (thru advertisement) any money to do so. Hence, I do it in my free time. Therefore, If you enjoy this one of a kind comprehensive blog Please consider a nice donation according to your enjoyment of this blog. your kind support will surely make this blog alive & Kick for years to come, it will also entitle you to a free technical support ie; questions, inquiries, and requests. please drop me a line and I'll be happy to assist ThePersonalHiFi@Gmail.com. Thank you TheLion, September 2017.

Flash news

Friday, June 9, 2023

National Jump RX-SA15

Radio Cassette Player with Graphic Equalizer

JUMP RX-SA15 Highlights:

● Equipped with a 5-band sensitive graphic equalizer.

You can enjoy free sound creation according to the music genre.

● TV (1~12 ch) sound and FM/AM tuner.

The TV band supports audio multiplexing, so it can be used outdoors in stereo. broadcast and bilingual can be easily enjoyed.

● 3-Way Auto-Reverse.

You can enjoy continuous play from side A to side B without turning over the tape.

● Direct port type stereo Headphones are included.

By adopting a new method that separates the bass from the mid-high range and leads to a free sound field, it reproduces everything from low to high tones without difficulty.

In addition, the color is also available in a variety of colors that match the main body.

● Dolby NR built-in

● Metal/Chrome tape playback

● Anti-rolling mechanism adopted.

Headphone Stereo Cassette player RX-SA15 Standard price: 33,000 yen

National General Catalogue January 1986

National General Catalogue October 1986

A few words about the JUMP RX-SA15

The RX-SA15 is one of National's top-of-the-line players for 1986, along with the RX-SA2 (only EQ) and RX-SA14 (radio, no EQ). It comes in three colors: black, red, and green. Its weight is about 286 g because its insides are mostly built from metal without sparing or cutting corners—quality first. It has most of the features that were available at the time of the issue, like TV reception, 3-Way Auto-Reverse, and a 5-Band Graphic Equalizer. It even has a nice style with a matching set of earphones available in a variety of colors that match the main body.

About Sound

Whether it be by color or by sound, according to National, the earphones were designed with a unique method specifically for these top-of-the-line players: "By adopting a new method that separates the bass from the mid-to-high range and leads to a free sound field, it reproduces everything from low to high tones without difficulty." (from National's original catalog). The RX-SA15 has a few other points that make it sound way better than other players in its class; for example, for a stereo headphone, it has a wide frequency response between 40 Hz and 15,000 Hz (for normal/CrO₂/metal), a high-output amplifier with 10mW per channel, and also a sensitive EQ so you can precisely adjust the tone of every frequency band as you like; the results put out a quite warm sound with an excellent music presence whether the Dolby NR is on or off.

Built and design

Although the RX-SA has some design flaws, for instance, the volume wheel is too close to the headphone socket, which can cause a very common malfunction (like with all brands and makes) where the socket breaks from within due to accidental pressure, and it also can break the earphone plug at the same time. Also, it is not easy to exchange a cassette; it does not always fit right into the door. Although the buttons are kind of small, they feel just right to operate the unit; on the other hand, the EQ sliders are big and comfortable to use.

The inside build is excellent; it looks like they built it to last further into the future with fine parts. It even has accessible fine-tuning options like speed adjustment, gain adjustment, azimuth adjustment, etc. If you look on the PCB board, you'll notice that everything is marked down so you'll know your way around in case no technician is around to fix it!! The RX-SA15 was built with details in mind, and there are many other small things included in it; however, I will not mention them all here. I'm leaving them to you to explore...

So, do we have a winner here?

I like the RX-SA15; it has everything to like about it in such a player. It feels good in your palm, it has a good relation between plastic and metal build, and on top of all, it does sound very good to my ears. Therefore, I highly recommend this player for everyday listening, and it's a must for collectors to have a reference and also to know what a winner does sound like! Cheers, TheLion.

Specifications:

Tuner receiving frequency:

TV 4~12ch 175~222 MHz

FM/TV 1~3ch 76~108MHz,

AM 525~1,605 KHz

Track system: Stereo

Frequency range:

Normal/CrO₂/Metal: 40 ~ 15,000 Hz (EIAJ)

Practical maximum output: 10mW +10mW (EIAJ/DC)

Battery duration: about 3 hours (EIAJ music playback, output 1 mW)

When using UM-4, about 6.5 hours (same) When using AM4

Power supply: DC 3V (AAA batteries x 2)

AC adapter: (RP-AC3 sold separately),

car battery (using RP-993 sold separately and plug adapter RP-PA99)

Maximum dimensions: 80.9 (width) x 113.8 (height) x 30 (depth) (EIAJ) mm

Dimensions: 78.5 (width) x 112 (height) x 27.1 (depth) mm

Weight: Approx. 268g (including batteries)

Accessories: Batteries, stereo earphones, carrying case

Color: -R red, -K black, -G green

Packaging

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Sanyo JJ-P101

Sanyo Quarter JJ

Headphone Cassette Player JJ-P101

Player Highlights:

- Touch Panel controls.

- Full Remote Control.

- 10 Min. Charge for 2-hour playback.

- B.R.S.S. System.

- Dolby NR.

- Electronic Auto-Reverse.

- Compatibility with Metal tapes.

Sanyo Quarter JJ-P101 is a one of a kind Cassette player to have a sensitive Touch Function that uses a sensitive thin film technology instead of the regular touch buttons operation, it was first introduced in Japan in early 1989 but just two years later to the rest of the world, although it uses this top innovative feature, the JJ-P101 player is a very simple player, without any hi-end sound qualities as expected, although it sounds good, it has a very narrow frequency response, limited to 63Hz~10,000Hz, it is quite similar to players of that period (like the 1989 Aiwa HS-PX30), however, compare to other players in its range to have a Frequency Response of at least 40~12,000Hz (like the 1985s Aiwa HS-G8). There is also another downside to the JJ-P101, his amplifier is quite low, just 5mW per channel, compared to other brands which have between 15mW or 20mW per channel (like the aiwa 1989s HS-PX30 or the HS-G8, etc.). Quite surprisingly, considering its low Amp level the B.R.S.S. does a very good job and delivers a very smooth low bass with a nice presence, just right not too boomy like other brands offer. Also, it has very simple logic control functions, for example; it only remembers functions, and it wasn't programmed to think, for example; if you accidentally press the wrong button, or if you press fast-forward while playing a tape, for any function you need to engage you will need to press stop beforehand, otherwise, you'll damage the tape or the player. Just like the Aiwa HS-PX30, the JJ-P101 has pleasing electronic tones to confirm your tape operations.

B.R.S.S. system (Bass Raised Sound System)*

Until now the most serious problem that portable players had was the poor response of the bass frequencies. This little response was mainly due to the small dimensions of the speakers or headphones. To solve this problem, Sanyo incorporates the B.R.S.S. (Bass Raised Sound System*) that emphasizes these frequencies. With this, the resulting sound is more dynamic and deep.

* For the world version, the bass system is called E.B.S.S. (Extended Bass Sound System).

Full Logic Control Auto-Reverse.

The JJ-P101 is a full-logic portable player that remembers his current state, meaning, the "Logic" system ensures that when you press Fast Forward, the player will always move forward, regardless of which side of the tape is currently playing. Sanyo Full Logic prevents the activation of the "wrong button" therefore any faulty operation is prevented. The logic control circuit remembers which buttons have been pushed but permits only the correct sequence of machine operations to occur, thus eliminating any chance of operator-control error (damage to the unit itself). With this important feature of Logic Control, the FastForward or Rewind button can't be pressed at any time without going first to the STOP mode therefore without damaging the tape or the machine.

Rechargeable batteries.

One of the most common drawbacks of portable players is the high energy consumption that forces you to constantly change batteries. In the models of the JJ and ES series, it can be used together with the normal battery, a rechargeable battery that is supplied with the appliance and that allows continuous operation for up to 15 hours depending on the model. In the vast majority of portable players, you have to remove the battery when you have to charge it. Sanyo, on the other hand, has designed a direct charging system that allows the rechargeable battery to be recharged in approximately one hour, without having to remove it from its compartment. The supplied AC adapter makes this operation extremely easy. Rechargeable battery in 1h Charge provides 13 hours of continuous playback.

Sanyo Japanese Portable Catalog 1989

* * *

Maxell XLII-S The Height of Precision and Performance

- Superior results with moderate-intensity music, especially when quiet backgrounds are vital.

- Recommended for recording CDs, direct-cut and digitally mastered LPs

- Use with highest quality stereo systems and components.

- Heavier SS-PA (Super Silent-Phase Accuracy) cassette shell for smoother tape handling, and improved sound quality.

* * *

Controls on Touch Panel display.

The JJ-P101 has the operating controls located on the cassette front and in the form of a Touch Panel which replaces the conventional keys, allowing more precise operation.

Double Azimuth Head.

Thanks to Sanyo's JJ-P101 unique Double Azimuth head you can now enjoy a clearer and more dynamic sound, no matter which side the tape plays the head will always keep aligned to the tape feed providing a crisp and precise Hi-fidelity sound reproduction.