Released in 1980, the Alpine AL-300 was badged and sold as the Alpage AL-300, placing it as the top of the line model in the Alpage stereo cassette deck range. Built as a serious 3-head cassette deck for demanding home recording, it combined metal tape capability, independent recording and playback monitoring, IC logic control and unusually comprehensive calibration facilities. The result was a cassette deck aimed at hi-fi enthusiasts who wanted far greater control over recording accuracy than was available from more conventional 2-head machines.
The Alpine AL-300 used a 3-head configuration with separate recording and playback heads, allowing the recording and replay functions to be optimised independently. The recording head used a wider gap, while the playback head used a narrower gap, improving the deck’s ability to record and reproduce tape with greater precision. This also allowed immediate off-tape monitoring, so the user could switch between the source signal and the recorded tape signal during recording to compare the two directly.
The erase head of the Alpine AL-300 used a highly magnetic Sendust chip mounted on a ferrite core, a design intended to provide effective erasure even with metal tape. The deck was designed for use with Normal, CrO2, FeCr and Metal formulations, with the tape selector setting the appropriate bias and equalisation for each tape type. This made the Alpine AL-300 suitable for the wider range of cassette formulations available at the time, including the higher-performance metal tapes that were becoming increasingly important in premium cassette recording.
The transport was built around a closed-loop dual capstan system, designed to provide stable tape tension and consistent tape-to-head contact. The front panel also included pitch control, IC logic transport operation, soft-touch push-button controls and a tape counter with memory functions. Automatic playback and rewind functions were included, while the removable function panel could be used as a remote control with the supplied five-metre cable.
Recording adjustment was a major part of the Alpine AL-300’s design. It included independent Dolby calibration controls for the left and right channels, separate bias fine adjustment for each channel, line and microphone level controls, and a built-in test oscillator with 10kHz and 400Hz test tones. These features allowed the user to set bias and Dolby levels more accurately for the tape being used, helping the deck achieve its optimum recording performance.
The visual design was equally distinctive, with large illuminated left and right peak/VU meters, a substantial brushed metal front panel and a wide cassette window. Its control layout gave direct access to recording, monitoring and calibration functions, reinforcing the Alpine AL-300’s position as a high-grade cassette deck rather than a simple playback machine.
Features
- Top of the line Alpage stereo cassette deck
- 3-head design with separate recording and playback heads
- Instant tape/source monitoring during recording
- Sendust and ferrite erase head designed for effective metal tape erasure
- Closed-loop dual capstan transport for stable tape handling
- IC logic controlled transport operation
- Supports Normal, CrO2, FeCr and Metal cassette tapes
- Dolby B noise reduction
- Independent left and right Dolby calibration controls
- Independent left and right bias fine adjustment controls
- Built-in 10kHz and 400Hz test oscillator
- Large left and right peak/VU meters
- Removable function panel with five-metre cable for remote control operation
- Optional time switch for automatic recording or playback