Introduced in 1979 as part of the Technics Professional Series, the Technics RS-M95 was a three-head stereo cassette deck developed around the arrival of metal-particle tape. It combined a quartz phase-locked direct-drive capstan motor, microprocessor-controlled tape-tension regulation, separate record and playback heads, four-position tape selection, independent fine-bias adjustments and professional Peak/VU fluorescent meters. The Technics RS-M95 was designed to exploit the wider dynamic range, extended high-frequency response and greater recording levels made possible by metal tape while maintaining compatibility with normal, chromium dioxide and ferrichrome formulations.
The three-head system used separate heads for recording, playback and erasure. This configuration allowed the recording and playback heads to be optimised independently while also permitting direct monitoring of the recorded signal from the tape. A front-panel monitor control selected between the incoming source and the signal reproduced by the playback head during recording.
Technics developed specialised HPF record and playback heads for the Technics RS-M95. The record head used a 5µm gap intended to support low-distortion recording, while the playback head employed a 1µm gap for extended high-frequency reproduction. Both heads used Technics HPF material in the gap and core areas to provide the saturation flux density required for recording metal tape at high input levels.
The record and playback heads were manufactured as an integral combination assembly. This construction reduced the possibility of azimuth error between the two heads and contributed to consistent phase alignment. Precision processing of the HPF material was also intended to improve low-frequency response and reduce contour-effect irregularities. A newly developed Sendust and ferrite erase head accommodated the much greater erasure requirements of metal tape. Sendust alloy was used around the gap because of its high maximum flux density and abrasion resistance, while the ferrite core was designed to operate without a significant temperature rise despite the approximately 50 per cent greater erase current required. Its double-gap construction provided effective erasure throughout the frequency range.
The Technics RS-M95 offered four tape-selector positions for normal, ferrichrome, chromium dioxide and metal formulations. Metal tape required approximately twice the recording-bias current of normal tape together with specialised recording equalisation, so a separate metal position was added alongside the three established tape settings. Independent fine-bias controls were provided for each tape type. These controls allowed the bias current for each formulation to be adjusted over a range reaching 120 per cent of its centre-position value, enabling the deck to be matched to different brands and formulations. Because the controls were independent, preferred settings could remain stored mechanically for each tape class.
At the centre detent positions, the nominal bias settings were 100 per cent for normal tape, 115 per cent for ferrichrome, 135 per cent for chromium dioxide and 200 per cent for metal tape. An internal oscillator supplied 400Hz and 8kHz test signals for use when setting the recording level and bias response. Tape transport was based around a two-motor system. A quartz phase-locked, direct-drive DC brushless motor powered the capstan, while a separate coreless DC motor controlled the reel tables. The capstan motor was a planar-opposed, coreless and slotless design directly coupled to the capstan mechanism.
The capstan servo used a quartz oscillator as its frequency reference. By comparing the motor’s operation with the stable quartz reference and maintaining phase lock, the system held the tape speed within a specified deviation of ±0.1 per cent. The direct-drive arrangement also eliminated intermediate drive belts from the capstan system. The separate reel motor worked with a microprocessor-controlled tape-tension circuit. Rather than operating the reel tables at a fixed torque, the system detected take-up reel rotation and calculated the changing diameter of the tape pack. The microprocessor then regulated reel-motor torque to maintain consistent tension as the cassette progressed.
Reel rotation was measured by counting reel-table pulses within a reference period determined by the quartz oscillator. A tension arm on the supply side provided the required back tension. This combination was intended to maintain stable tape-to-head contact and allow the direct-drive capstan system to achieve its specified performance. The reel-pulse system also formed part of the automatic tape-end detection. When the take-up reel stopped generating pulses, the microprocessor stopped the transport. This removed the need to place continued mechanical strain on the tape or drive system after the end of the cassette had been reached.
Wow and flutter was specified at 0.03 per cent weighted RMS, the lowest figure Technics had specified for one of its cassette decks at the time. The combination of quartz direct drive and controlled tape tension addressed both capstan-speed stability and tension changes introduced by the reel system. A fluorescent digital tape counter replaced the conventional mechanical counter. Two Hall integrated circuits detected take-up reel rotation and distinguished between forward and reverse movement. The microprocessor calculated the relative amount of tape transported and displayed the result numerically.
Two memory systems provided three operating modes. Memory 1 could be set for either memory stop or memory play at the 000 position. The counter could be reset to 000, after which the transport would either stop or enter playback when the reference point was reached. Memory 2 allowed any displayed tape-counter position to be stored as a stop point. The microprocessor retained that position and stopped the tape when it was reached, even when the recall command had been selected after transport operation began.
Memory 1 and Memory 2 could also be used together to repeat a selected section. Memory 1 established the playback position while Memory 2 established the stopping point. Pressing rewind then allowed the selected section to be replayed between the two stored locations. The memory functions operated during rewind, fast forward and playback. Recording and playback levels were displayed by two 30-segment fluorescent bar-graph meters. Their range extended from -42dB to +8dB, with the segments between -6dB and +4dB arranged in 1dB increments. The remaining sections used 2dB increments, while indications from 0dB upwards were displayed in brighter red for clearer identification of high recording levels.
The meters could operate in Peak or VU modes. The Peak mode used attack characteristics matched to DIN requirements, while the VU mode followed ASA attack and recovery characteristics. A Peak Hold function memorised and displayed the highest transient encountered during a programme, regardless of its duration. The meter circuitry used a high-slew-rate operational amplifier for absolute-value wave detection and peak detection. A dedicated integrated circuit performed analogue-to-digital conversion and digital memory functions. Separate indicators beside the meter display showed recording, Dolby noise reduction and Peak mode status.
The Technics RS-M95 used high-linearity amplifier circuits constructed from selected low-noise components. The playback equaliser amplifier employed a balanced power supply and a two-stage direct-coupled configuration without input coupling capacitors, placing it within the direct-current amplifier class. The recording equaliser amplifier was designed for extended linearity and provided headroom reaching +19dB. Separate regulated power supplies served the transport motors, amplifier circuits and integrated-circuit logic sections.
Dolby noise reduction used separate encoding circuits for the left and right recording channels and separate decoding circuits for the left and right playback channels. Individual recording-level calibration controls were provided for the two channels, with the internal 400Hz oscillator supplying the reference signal needed to establish correct Dolby recording levels. The tape-monitor switch used electronic click-noise attenuation and included separate status indicators. A red lamp identified source monitoring, while a green lamp indicated that the signal reproduced from tape was being monitored.
A three-position timer selector supported playback, off and recording modes. When the Technics RS-M95 was connected to a suitable external timer, the logic-controlled transport could begin recording or playback automatically when mains power was applied. The Record Muting control allowed unwanted sections of a programme to be omitted or a silent interval to be inserted between selections. The deck’s 1.06-second quartz strobe lamp provided a timing reference when applying record muting.
Feather-touch controls were used throughout the Technics RS-M95, including the transport and operating switches. Logic control allowed the transport functions to be selected without directly transferring the operator’s force to the mechanical system. Separate microphone and line inputs could be selected from the front panel. The internal test-tone oscillator was incorporated into the same input-selection section. Separate left and right input-level controls established the recording level, while an output-level control adjusted the playback output.
Front-panel connections included separate left and right microphone inputs and a headphone socket. A remote-control connection supported the optional Technics RP-9690 wired controller or RP-070 wireless controller, both of which provided feather-touch operation. The cassette compartment was illuminated to make the loaded cassette and tape movement easier to observe. An oil-damped door provided controlled opening and closing, while the deck’s substantial black front panel separated the cassette compartment, transport system, digital counter, metering and secondary recording adjustments into clearly defined sections.
A brightness control was provided for the fluorescent meter display. Technics also supplied mounting adaptors that allowed the Technics RS-M95 to be installed in a standard 483mm EIA equipment rack. The Technics RS-M95 supported four-track, two-channel stereo recording and playback at 4.8cm/s. Frequency response with metal tape was specified from 20Hz to 20kHz within ±3dB. Chromium dioxide and ferrichrome tape reached 20kHz, while normal tape extended to 18kHz, with the more closely toleranced ±3dB limits specified separately for each formulation.
Signal-to-noise ratio was specified at 60dB with Dolby noise reduction switched off and 70dB with Dolby operating, measured above 5kHz using chromium dioxide or ferrichrome tape at maximum recording level. Fast-forward and rewind time was approximately 80 seconds with a C-60 cassette. The Technics RS-M95 measured 142mm high, 450mm wide and 348mm deep and weighed 12kg. Its metal-tape recording system, quartz direct-drive transport, microprocessor tape-tension control, three-head monitoring and extensive calibration facilities positioned it as one of Technics’ most advanced cassette decks of the late 1970s.
Features
- Three-head stereo recording and playback system
- Separate HPF record and playback heads
- Integral combination record and playback head assembly
- Sendust and ferrite double-gap erase head
- Full metal-particle tape recording and playback capability
- Four-position tape selector for normal, ferrichrome, chromium dioxide and metal tape
- Independent fine-bias adjustment for each tape formulation
- Built-in 400Hz and 8kHz calibration oscillator
- Quartz phase-locked direct-drive capstan motor
- Separate coreless reel motor
- Microprocessor-controlled tape-tension regulation
- Reel-pulse tape-end detection
- Fluorescent digital tape counter
- Memory stop and memory play at the 000 position
- Programmable secondary memory-stop position
- Repeat playback between two stored tape positions
- Thirty-segment fluorescent stereo level meters
- Switchable Peak and VU meter operation
- Peak Hold function
- Recording, Dolby and Peak status indicators
- Separate Dolby encoding and decoding circuits
- Independent left and right Dolby recording-level calibration
- High-linearity recording and playback amplifiers
- Direct-coupled playback equaliser amplifier
- Tape and source monitoring during recording
- Electronic monitor-switch noise attenuation
- Timer-controlled recording and playback
- Record-muting function
- Quartz strobe timing indicator
- Feather-touch logic controls
- Separate left and right recording-level controls
- Separate left and right microphone inputs
- Oil-damped cassette-compartment door
- Standard EIA rack-mount adaptors included