Kenwood Decks

Features: Can interface with the Kenwood VH600 audio system, horizontal or vertical use (ReadRight display automatically reorients itself when unit is rotated on its side), "Edit Cancel" function, all standard MD editing functions, 32-track programmable memory.

Links: Kenwood's German page for this unit.

Specs: 20-bit A/D and D/A converter.

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User Manual: DM-VH7

Features: MD deck for Kenwood HM series. OTE (One Touch Edit).

Links: Kenwood Europe page for the unit.

Specs: 20-bit A/D and D/A converter.

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User Manual: DM-SG7

Features: Sony ATRAC version 4.5, 10 second digital anti-skip, Auto and Manual Recording Modes, Auto Pause, Disc Naming, Mono Record Mode, 32-track programmable memory, all standard MD play/editing modes.

Specs: Analog-to-Digital Converter: 20-Bit Resolution, 8-Times Oversampling Digital Filter, D/A converter 20-Bit Resolution, Dynamic Range: 90dB (Playback Mode), Frequency Response: 8Hz - 20kHz (+/-1dB, Playback Mode), Input Impedance: 22kOhms, Input Sensitivity: 500mV, Output Impedance: 400 ohms, Output Level: 2V, Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 100dB (Playback Mode), Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.01% (1kHz, Playback Mode).

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User Manuals: MD-203, MD-203

Features: ATRAC 4.5, 24-bit DRIVE II system. Sound synchro recording

Links:

• Kenwood Europe page for the unit.

Reviews:

• HiFi Choice (UK) review of the Kenwood DMF-5020.

User Manual: DMF-5020

Features: ATRAC 4.5, 20-bit DAC. Sound synchro recording. Mono recording

Links:

• Kenwood Europe page for the unit.

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User Manual: DMF-3020

Features: Sony ATRAC-System 4.5, 24 Bit REC D.R.I.V.E. II, 24 bit DAC (AD 1855), 24 bit ADC (Crystal CS5360). Can be coupled to PC keyboard for titling. Gold plated connectors. Sound synchro-start recording. Autocut on silence during digital or analog recording. 6 second time machine. 10 second shock memory. 32-track program play/random play/disc repeat/track repeat functions. Can title from CD-TEXT information when coupled to suitable Kenwood CD player. "Title copy" function simplifies oft repeated word entry. Digital recording level control and settable fade in/fade out times. "Quick move" function allows new track program to be set in one step. "Quick erase" function allows multiple tracks to be deleted at once. Mono recording capability. Can be used with an external AC timer for timer recording/play functions.

Variants: European model is DMF-9020, US model is MD-2070.

Links:

• Kenwood Europe page for the unit.
• Unit is available from Crutchfield.

Specifications: SNR: > 112dB, Freq. Resp. 8-20kHz

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User Manual: DMF-9020

Features: ATRAC 4.5. 24bit precision recording and playback (24bit D.R.I.V.E) (20bit ADC, 24bit DAC). Digital REC volume control. CD-Text recording possible with Kenwood SL-16 CD player. "Quick-move" allows new track order to be set in one step. Seperately available "Cyber Titler" CT-G90 (¥32,000) for title input and label printing. Track divide rehearsal mode. Auto-pause mode (play one track and pause). "Preset title" function for reusing same title on multiple tracks. Mono recording. Remote with "direct title input".

Links: Kenwood page for unit.

Specs: SNR: > 110dB, Dynamic Range: 95dB, Freq. Resp. 8-20,000Hz

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Features: Sony ATRAC 4.5, Kenwood D.R.I.V.E. (interpolation). Mono recording. 24 bit DAC and ADC. Digital record level control and auto fade. CD-Text transfer via Direct Digital Connection. Programmable 32 track playback. 14 segment record level meter. Sampling rate converter.

Improvements compared with Kenwood 1050MD: 24 bit vs 20 bit DAC/ADC. 1090MD D.R.I.V.E. adds "High bit (wide bit stream?), record and play (vs. just record?)". CD-Text transfer.

Links: Kenwood's page for the unit.

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User Manual: 1090MD

Features: Sony ATRAC 4.5, D.R.I.V.E., 20bit A/D and D/A. Sampling rate converter. Quick move, quick erase functions. Titling possible via optional cyber titler keyboard (¥32,000).

Manuals: Peter Ravn's scan of the Danish Kenwood DM-5090 user manual.

Links: Kenwood's Japanese page for the unit. Another Kenwood Japanese page for the unit.

Specs: D/A: 1bit + D.R.I.V.E. 8fs oversampling. A/D: 4 stage sigma delta. Freq resp.: 8hz-20kHz, S/N > 100dB.

Notes: No date/time stamp recording.

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User Manual: DM-5090

Features: This is the same machine as the Sharp MD-R2. Sharp ATRAC 5.0, 20bit D/A. Sampling rate converter. Sound synchro recording. Quick move, quick erase functions.

Links: Kenwood's Japanese page for the unit. A user's review of the unit and explanation about its relation to the Sharp MD-R2.

Specs: D/A: 1bit + D.R.I.V.E. 8fs oversampling. A/D: 3 stage sigma delta. Freq resp.: 8hz-20kHz, S/N > 100dB.

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Features: Sony ATRAC 4.5 20bit A/D and D/A. Captures CD text from text encoded CDs. Incorporates Kenwood's D.R.I.V.E. data interpolation circuit. Optical block made by Sharp.

Links: Kenwood's official page for this unit. Robert B's page for this unit. Derek Fong's comments on the purchase of a Kenwood 1050MD deck.

Notes: This appears to be the US version of the DM-5090 (above).

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User Manual: 1050MD

Features: Sony ATRAC 4.5, 24 bit D/A, 20 bit A/D. Recording gain knob for digital (-inf to +12dB) as well as analog input. Auto fade-in/fade-out on digital recording with adjustable fade times. Will automatically title tracks when digitally recording new ``CD-text'' labelled CDs (the CD player must be equipped to output CD-text information). 20 bit REC D.R.I.V.E (interpolation from 16 to 20 bits). Sampling rate converter. In addition to normal MD editing functions, provides "quick erase", and "quick move" functions which allow multiple tracks to be selected and then deleted or moved. Editing preview (rehearse) function. Undo function. Mono recording. Adjustable threshold for auto track marking function. Program mode playback available from remote only. Can be used with optional CT-G90 ``cybertitler'' keyboard/label maker (¥32,000).

Links: Kenwood's Japanese page page for this unit. Christopher Lloyd has made a good review of the Kenwood DM9090 deck. A brief Kenwood brochure (pdf) from Comdex gives preliminary info for their IEEE 1394 fitted DM-9090 MD deck. MiniDiscussion has collected user reviews for this unit.

Specs: (all EIAJ, at playback time) Freq. resp: 8-20kHz, S/N: >110dB, Dynamic range: > 98dB, THD: <.004% (@1kHz), Channel separation: >105dB (@1kHz), Wow, +/-.001% peak. Input impedence: line: 500mv/22kOhm, Output level, impedence: 2v/0.3kOhm, headphones: 20mw/32 Ohm, digital input: coax: 0.5vp-p/75 Ohm, optical -15dBm~-21dBm (660nm). Digital output: caox: 0.5vp-p/75Ohm, optical: -15dBm~-21dBm (660nm)

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User Manual: DM-9090

Features: Sony ATRAC 3.5. 18 bit A/D (1 bit 5th order delta-sigma), 20 bit D/A (one bit 8fs oversampling dual DAC). 20 bit REC D.R.I.V.E (interpolation from 16 to 20 bits). Sampling rate converter. Undo function. Powers up automatically on disc insertion. 3 mode level meter. 12 character display. Mono recording. Title search function (allows one to look at titles and select a song while playing another selection). Editing preview (rehearse) function. Katakana titling input.

Links: Kenwood's English page for this unit. A What HiFi article dicusses the relative merits of the Kenwood DM-7090 and Sony MDS-JE500.

Specs: (all EIAJ, at playback time) Freq. resp: 8-20kHz, S/N: >105dB, Dynamic range: > 92dB, THD: <.007% (@1kHz), Channel separation: >105dB (@1kHz), Wow, +/-.001% peak. Input impedence: line: 500mv/22kOhm, Output level, impedence: 2v/600 Ohm, headphones: 20mw/32 Ohm, digital input: coax: 0.5vp-p/75 Ohm, optical -15dBm~-21dBm (660nm). Digital output: caox: 0.5vp-p/75 Ohm, optical: -15dBm~-21dBm (660nm)

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Features: Sony ATRAC 4.5, 20 Bit A/D and D/A. CD-Text name recording. Kenwood MD mechanism (like DM-9090). Sampling rate converter. Edit cancel (undo) function. Edit functions include quick move and quick erase. Mono recording. Can be used with LCD remote control GRC-151.

Links: Kenwood Germany's page for the unit.

Notes: Possibly same unit internally as Kenwood's DM-SE7?

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User Manual: DM-S500

Features: Sony ATRAC 3.5. 20 bit analog and digital input. Sampling rate converter. D.R.I.V.E. system (1 bit?) D/A converter. A-B erase.

Links: Kenwood Japan's page.

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Features: Sampling rate converter. Synchro recording (start recording when audio appears at input). Title search. Built in wall clock based timer for recording and playback.

Variants: Smaller (93mm wide) Sharp MD-R1MKII supercedes original unit. Upgrade apparently includes 24-bit ATRAC (and 20-bit wide processing LSI?)

Criticism: Sampling rate conversion is a very convenient feature. It will be a must for MD decks before long. But be careful to check the performance. I found the specs of Sharp's sampling rate converter in IEEE trans. on consumer electronics. They are .. S/N 90dB, Distortion 0.005% (1kHz) That's about 14-bit accuracy. I've not yet checked the sound quality myself, but I'm afraid that it will affect the sound quality of low level music [when sampling rate conversion is used]. -Takeshi SASAKI

Links:

• Sharp English product page for this unit.
• Sharp English page for the MD-R1MKII

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Features: Sony ATRAC 3. One bit D/A and A/D. 18 bit resolution A/D. Powers up automatically on disc insertion.

Links: Kenwood English page for this unit, Japanese page, and the new 20 bit version .

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Features: Kenwood's first MD deck. Tray loading MD mechanism (apparently Kenwood's own). Succeeded by DMF-7002S.

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User Manual: DM-SE9

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User Manual: DM-SE7