Alpine AL-85

Although ALPS is still around, the AL-85 is very much forgotten today - it was however the original for the well-remembered Luxman K-05 !

The increased presence of Alpine in Luxman's manufacturing processes had as side results the shortened life of several Luxman separates such as the C-5000a or the C-300 & M-300 combo and the gradual disappearance of Luxman record players and, ultimately, of the LUXKIT sub-brand.
It also had Alpine making Luxman's cassette recorders (unlike before) and, if differences did stand between models, the Luxman recorders were all at 90% Alpine, just like Luxman turntables always had been partly engineered but fully built by Micro Seiki...

Throughout the 1980s, Luxman was a sort of four-headed brand (Luxman, Alpine/Luxman, Alpine, Luxkit) which made for crowded and overlapping lineups, complicated product-planning, complex distribution and advertising schemes, and a lot of unnecessary and completely avoidable losses - sic transit gloria mundi.

The Alpine AL-85 is the smaller Alpine AL-90 : same but without the B.L.E.S. analyzing system, aka C.T.S. by Luxman. In other words, it was to become the Luxman K-04, while the AL-90 was to become the Luxman K-05.
Same decks, same mechanisms, almost the same electronics - and both very far from the Luxman-planned X-3K 1982 prototype which Alpine didn't see any future in.

The X-3K is btw what Luxman refers to in its historical rewinds as D-05 Omega-Load - whatever the name, it remained unproduced just the same, just as Luxman's ultimate Micro Seiki OEM : the contemporary X-5P high-end turntable which Kyocera did carry under the PL-901 and PL-910 versions.

... japanese hifi in all its (complex) splendor :).


(and, yes, this was a slightly off-topic page :)

Real AL-85s here and here.