Technics RS-1030US
Technics RS-1030U
(1973 - 1975)

Big, tall, semi-pro three-motor reel-to-reel recorder named RS-1030U in its home country and RS-1030US elsewhere and from a time when, depending on market, Technics still was "by Panasonic".

Semi-pro because the 1030 can run tape at 38 or 19cm/s, can reach 26kHz in frequency response (another catalog states 27kHz :-), will remain below 0,08% of speed flutter, has direct-coupled three-stage rec/play amplifiers, has 10-years guaranteed HPF heads, has feather-touch "self-illuminated, computer style" transport controls, has tape tension control, large flywheel and pressure roller, has Fe2O3 Ferric Oxide tape compatibility, can have an RP-9103 wired remote-control, and is a 2-track master recorder (38cm/s oblige) which can however read 4-track tapes with its one 4/8-pole hysteresis synchronous capstan motor and two 6-pole induction reel drive motors.

No masterpiece like the later RS-1500 series, Sony's TC-880-2 or TC-766-2 but a sturdy and solid recorder from high fidelity's high&mighty period. Just above was the RS-1060US : almost identical visually but with better mechanical specs.

However, Technics started very late and didn't make many reel recorders so -apart from the veryy successful RS-1500 series- Technics' reel decks didn't make much of a dent in the market... Sony since 1949, Akai since 1954 and Teac still later truly ruled throughout the 1970s.