Yamaha KX-500 RS -Silver- Single Compact Tape Deck

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
High quality 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.