Aiwa AD-3300 Stereo Cassette Deck

This Aiwa AD-3300 is a stereo cassette deck with Dolby B and C noise reduction, it was first sold by Aiwa in 1981 with a manufacturer suggested retail price of USD $370 and discontinued 5 years later in 1986.

The main features of the Aiwa AD-3300 cassette deck are: 2 heads, mechanical 3 digit tape counter, tape type selection and capable of handling normal, chrome and metal tapes, belt driven single-capstan transport.

Typical front loading cassette deck with the cassette compartiment located on the left side of the deck. Tape loading/unloading is operated motorized and the cassette needs to be placed horizontally in the drawer.

Level meters used on the Aiwa AD-3300 cassette deck are generic digital peak reading meters. Full-logic transport controls used on the Aiwa AD-3300 let it respond to the slightest finger contact for fast and effortless transport function selection.

Dolby C-type used in the Aiwa AD-3300 provides 20 dB of noise reduction above about 1,000 Hz, fully doubling the amount given by B-type.

To make live recordings this deck has 2 microphone inputs to connect microphones with a jack connector. For undisturbed listening a jack connector for a pair of stereo headphones is supplied. Connection to other audio components for plaback can be achieved by a RCA cable and recording from a source by a RCA cable.

Historic events

1981 Dave Smith proposes the Universal Synthesizer Interface that would become the MIDI standard in 1983.

1982 Seiko introduced the world’s first TV watch.

1983 The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is introduced at the first North American Music Manufacturers (NAMM) show in Los Angeles.

1984 The first episode of the Miami Vice television crime drama series, premiered on NBC.

1985 Sony and Philips produced the standard for Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) computer discs that would use the same laser technology as the audio CD.

1986 IBM unveils the PC Convertible, the first laptop computer.