Yamaha K-850 Natural Sound Stereo Cassette Deck

This Yamaha K-850 is a stereo cassette deck with Dolby B noise reduction, it was first sold by Yamaha in 1980 with a list price of USD $380 and discontinued 2 years later in 1982.

The main features of the Yamaha K-850 cassette deck are: 2 heads, mechanical 3 digit tape counter, manual 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 eject is operated mechanically and the cassette needs to be placed directly over the head block. Additionally the heads can be easilly accessed for cleaning.

Level meters used on the Yamaha K-850 cassette deck are analog needle VU reading meters. Full-logic transport controls used on the Yamaha K-850 let it respond to the slightest finger contact for fast and effortless transport function selection.

The Dolby-B system reduces tape hiss on tapes recorded on the Yamaha K-850 by as much as 10 dB at the highest frequencies. The 19kHz multiplex pilot slgnal present in FM stereo broadcasts can cause false triggering of the noise reduction system. The switchable MPX filter of the K-850 filters out the pilot signal, and assuring proper Dolby processing of FM stereo programs.

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.