Sony EL-7

Sony's flagship for the big new format.

We all know what became to ELCASET as a standard (and to its UNISETTE professional cousin) but the EL-7 is a very impressive beast : just like the EL tapes themselves, it is HUGE.

The RM-30 wired remote-control itself looks and feels like a bar of solid gold. It ain't gold for sure but it could have been - if the EL format had been launched only a couple of years earlier.

Available (sort of) in Germany as a Wega E4950 (black face of the shiny kind) and in Japan under the Lo-D (aka Hitachi) D-9000 moniker with looks being a sort of mix'n'match.

Sony did produce a Japan-only version as well : EL-7B.
The B stands for black but only EL-7 is written on the front plate like a regular silver EL-7.
It is quite unfortunate Sony didn't export this B version for it is quite better looking - and looks also do matter if a product is to succeed, market-wise.
The EL-5 only saw the original silver fashion.

If specs do reach easily those of a good upper end reel-to-reel, they don't catch those of either a TC-880-2 - but EL recordings do sound largely superior to any Compact Cassette recorder for sure and that was the EL goal.

I am the proud owner of a new-old-stock EL-7 with its RM-30 wired remote.
I must admit I don't use it but I am not willing to part with it as it is too impressive and beautiful to be entirely true - ELCASET is the most successful failed format I have ever encountered.

Programming (through the "rec mute" function) was to be ELCASET's other main feature.
Technics put it into its two prototypes but not into the production RS-7500 ; Teac did the same but (supposedly) offered an add-on box for its AL-700. Sony, however, rather stangely, never mentioned it.


I have many more japanese catalogs for all of the EL decks - probably all that were published in Japan....