AIWA AF-3060 Music Center
The AIW AF-3060 is a multi-band stereo cassette recorder. The AIWA AF-3060 marketing material is highlighted by the earthy colors typical of the 1970s. I think that this machine looks wonderful and will sit nicely in some Parker or Norman Cherner furniture.
This unit appears to have the same FET powered amplifier integrated within the unit that boasts 30 musical Watts of power output. The cassette recorder unit appears to be of a high quality and I can imagine that the soft eject system exudes quality. As is typical of the time, there is a useful microphone mixing function that can be used to record your singing sessions. Can you Karaoke on the Commodore C64 and record your session on the AIWA AF-3060?
The overall layout of the AIWA AF-3060 receiver is very modern. The left side on the unit has the integrated cassette player and six protruding plastic toggle buttons. This is fairly standard for a mechanical cassette operation. I would keep an eye out in the aftermarket for buttons that show signs of cracking as plastic can often become brittle over time. The tuner function is standard fair for the period as well. The exact bands and tuning frequencies will depend on the region the unit was intended for. There was a manufacturer's recommended modification to improve radio tuner performance in 1977.
The rest of the panel is glorious with plenty of lights, meters, knobs and switches to keep any child entertained for hours. This portion of the panel sets the standard for the next decade of integrated hifi equipment.
Performance
Tuner amplifier with integrated Dolby cassette deck. (Device can only be operated from the front.)
Features
Stereo Receiver • Power amplifier with 2x55 watts music power at 4Ω • Loudness switch • AFC can be switched off • Frequency tuning display • Pushbutton program selector switch
Cassette Deck with Dolby noise reduction system and triple band type selector switch LH, CrO2, FeCr • auto-stop function • damped cassette ejection system • counter mechanism • repeat and forward search button • pause button • mixing options with microphone
Amplifier
Music performance: 2x55W@4Ω; 2x30W@8Ω
Sinusoidal power (both channels controlled according to DIN45500 1kHz): 2x28W@4Ω; 2x24W@8Ω
Power range: at 0.3% distortion factor: 30Hz to 20kHz
THD: at nominal power: 0.1%
Physical
Semiconductors: 7 IC, 50 transistors, 23 diodes, 1 FET, 2 LED
Power supply: 170 Watt
Dimensions: 147(H) x 480(B) x 321(I)mm
Weight: 10kg
