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Sony PCM-F1
Portable Digital Audio Recorder (1981-)
Sony PCM-F1 (16 or 14-bit EIAJ at 44.056 ksps, NTSC or PAL output, 2-channels simultaneous encode and decode, $1,900 new in 1982, about $100 used in 2016). I got serial number 10 in April 1981 direct from Sony, and I've gotten two used later at this link directly to them at eBay (see How to Win at eBay). bigger.
April 2016 All Reviews > Audio Reviews > Sony Reviews
Measurements top
Intro Specs Performance Measurements Usage Recommendations More
Sound
Zipper noise is audible at 4 Hz.
It's premphasized. For play-in from a CD player, set 0 dBFS from a 0 dBFS 8 kHz sinewave.
1 kHz too low, and a 1002.7 Hz square is too much.
Once you've done this, the CD-1 fade-to-noise has some distortion at 0:06 at 14 bits, AOK to 0:15 at 16 bits
Meters
Dual 24-segment meters read the premphasized digital signal.
Infinite peak hold.
Output
Line
Line output @ 0 dBFS: 0.725 V.
Phones
Phones output @ 0 dBFS:
192 mV @ - 24 dB
379 mV @ - 18 dB
0.74 @ -12 dB
1.445 V @ -6 dB
2.755 V @ 0 db
Power
AC-700: 5.2 W off, 6.65 W on but unconnected, 8.0 W connected but off, 34.6W operating cold, 32.6 W warm. No change with signal.
+ is towards heat sink, - is towards audio connectors
Review from 1982
See the March, 1982 issue of Audio Magazine.
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