Sony TCD-D3
(1990 - 1992)

Sony's first palm-sized portable DAT recorder, weighing a mere 430g. Ok - 630g with the batteries but still quite light when compared to the fully professional TCD-D10 !
The "D" in D3 stands for "Densuke" : a 1950s successful japanese newspaper cartoon which featured an early Sony portable recorder. The name of the character stuck and Sony used it until 2005.

Costing the same price as the contemporary DTC-55ES, portable digital wasn't exactly cheap but it was so much better : many concerts -bootlegs or not- were taped with this little engine.

Being miniaturized as it were, the D3 sported a special 7-pin interface which served as digital ports and 2,5mm minijacks for analog connections.
Therefore, one accessory became much sought after when the D3 was replaced by the TCD-D7 : RM-D3K. It allowed convenient home use with wireless RM, timer functions and regular TOS and coaxial ports. However, being miniaturized as it were, the D3 was based on 4-layer surface-mount boards and half-size drum-heads and that meant... a pain to repair.

At any rate, Sony sold thousands and thousands and thousands of D3s and the later D7 and D8 would carry on that trusting market share. Deservedly so.