Description

Yamaha KX-500 Cassette Deck – Excellent Condition | Audiophile Vintage Tape Deck

For sale is my Yamaha KX-500 cassette deck — a beautifully designed and genuinely great-sounding machine from the golden era of hi-fi audio. This is one of those components that reminds you why cassette never truly disappeared among audio enthusiasts. Personally my favorite line of Yamaha tape decks.

The KX-500 is highly regarded for its clean, detailed and surprisingly refined sound character. Yamaha managed to combine musicality with excellent clarity, offering a presentation that feels dynamic, natural and engaging without sounding overly harsh or artificial. Playback is smooth, open and well-balanced, with very good stereo separation and impressive detail retrieval for a cassette deck in this class.

This unit performs exactly as it should. Transport operation is stable and smooth, playback quality is excellent, and the machine feels solid and confidence-inspiring in everyday use. The mechanism runs quietly, buttons respond properly, and the display is bright and clear.

Cosmetically, the deck is in very good condition and presents beautifully in a vintage hi-fi setup. The classic Yamaha styling, clean layout and amber display give it that timeless late-80s / early-90s aesthetic that fits perfectly into any serious audio system.

Features include:

Dolby B & C noise reduction
HX Pro headroom extension
Auto tape calibration
High quality 3-head-inspired sound tuning philosophy typical of Yamaha decks from this era
Excellent recording and playback performance
Precise transport and stable tape handling

The KX-500 is often appreciated by cassette enthusiasts because it offers performance far above what many expect from a mid-range deck. It delivers a very “musical” sound with excellent tonal balance and enough resolution to genuinely enjoy high-quality recordings and well-recorded tapes.

This is not a cheap lightweight plastic deck — it comes from a period when Yamaha still built hi-fi equipment with real attention to sound quality and engineering.

I’m only selling it because I’m moving further up the Yamaha cassette deck lineup, otherwise I would happily keep it in my collection.

Perfect for:

vintage hi-fi enthusiasts
cassette collectors
anyone building a proper retro audio system
listeners who appreciate warm analogue sound without sacrificing detail

The deck can be demonstrated before purchase.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Specs:
Type: 2-head, single compact cassette deck

Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo

Tape Speed: 4.76 cm/s

Heads: 1 x record/playback, 1 x erase

Motor: 1 x reel, 1 x capstan, 1 x assist

Tape Type: type I, CrO2, Metal

Noise Reduction: B, C

Headroom Extension: HX Pro

Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz (Metal tape)

Signal to Noise Ratio: 76dB (dolby C)

Wow and Flutter: 0.05%

Total Harmonic Distortion: 1.0%

Input: 50mV (line)

Output: 0.36V (line)

Dimensions: 435 x 117 x 273mm

Weight: 4.5kg

Accessories: RS-K5 remote control (not provided)

Year: 1988

Only reasonable offers, please. Demo video will be available for the right bidder.
Shipping from €13.