Nakamichi Rival, Sony TC-K 555 ESX Cassette Deck

The Sony TC-K 555 ESX is a very smart looking unit with excellent ergonomics. On the right section are the function control buttons & tape counter display, and on the left are recording settings and peak signal display. The cassette well in in the middle, but in this case, it's not motorized. Later units from the ESL model onwards are motorized. 

Sony was in top form during the 80's and the Sony ES series hifi components represented their state of the art in audio philosophy, technology and execution maturity. The Sony TC-K 555 ES series had a long production run which started since 1982 - 1994 in various guises from the early ES, to the, ESG, ESX, ESR & the ESA plus ESJ are being the last 2 versions released in the early 1990's. The Sony TC-K 555ESX as seen here is made for 1987-1988 year, before being replaced by the ESR version in 1989. The last version, ESJ was released in 1992 and continued to be made well in to 1994.

The Sony TC-K 555 series is the state of the art of the Sony ES series cassette deck of the era, being on top of  TC-K 333 series in various guises over the span of 8 years in production. Both models share common design themes such as centrally mounted 3 head, dual capstan, 2 motor transport, made in house by Sony. A two display system is also used in the styling of the deck, the left window being a dedicated tape counter and a right window being peak level meters. The TC-K 555 builds on from there with remote control capability and a higher dynamic range(120db) audio circuitry design. Like the European range topper TC-K 700 from the same year, the tape door is dampened when ejected. Later models from ESL onwards in 1990 have motorized tape door. I must say the styling of the Sony ES series at that point has a serious business like look to it.    

The back panel is as per usual with line in and line out RCA jacks 

This is the original remote supplied by Sony at the time, as optional. So not many owners bought them with remotes back then. Hence the original remotes are super expensive these days. However if you get a unit from Oh, he has a compatible programmed remote supplied. Not very nice looking, but functional nevertheless!  

My own experience with Sony cassette players have been mixed over the years, as I loved my Sony Walkmans, car cassette stereos but with their hifi decks, not so great experience until now. My previous entry level Sony cassette deck, can't remember the model no. came with very high wow & flutter straight out of the box new! I rmembered sending it to the Sony service center & other repair shops many times It could never be fixed.

My buddy Oh told me that I had not experienced the best of Sony cassette decks, I should try an ES series unit. He offered me a TC-K 333 ES unit to play with, but I wanted something a little better, with remote! And so 2 weeks later I picked up this restored TC-K 555 ESX from Oh.

I plugged this unit in to my system, replacing the Kenwood KX-880G unit and from first music played, I heard a similar clarity in sound, slightly wider band width, more refined highs, with a neutral tonal quality, all hallmarks of a great hifi cassette deck. The Sony also had other less positive traits, the scale of music imaging was smaller, less big boned, or probably gave a presentation of mid hall perspective, compared to the rather forward sounding Kenwood, which gives a first row seat impression. The Kenwood also struck me as being more musical of the two, despite having slightly higher wow & flutter audible.

Both the Sony & Kenwood players are highly dynamic tape decks and both have tight bass lines which I like a lot. The Sony TC-K 555 ESX spent about 2 weeks in my audio cave and I never had a dull moment with it. Not sure why, but the Sony tape heads tend to require cleaning more often then my other tape decks. 

All Sony TC-K 333/555 ES models shared the same well spec Sony TCM 110 mechanism, which is a 3 head, dual capstan, 2 motor design unit. 

The Sony TC-K 555 ESX playing in my system, if only for 2 weeks!

Overall, the Sony TC-K 555ESX provides a very positive experience for cassette deck ownership, and has managed to redeemed it's past failings. If anything, it reinforces Oh's comment that if playing with Sony cassette decks, it must be ES series, not anything less. And so far, my experiences with Sony ES series components have not disappointed yet, be it CD player(my CDP-X7 ESD) or cassette deck, and now that makes me itching to try out their ES series amplifiers!

Currently in Malaysia, there are only 2 brands of cassette decks in which people would pay top dollar, (or should I say Ringgit?) without second thoughts. Hence in the context of today's used market place, the Sony ES decks do rival the Nakamichi units on offer. First the Nakamichi cassette decks in which the brand had built such a strong image & sound quality that it's almost bullet proof in resale value for a good working condition unit. 

Next up are the Sony ES series units. I know many who personally import these decks from Japan, despite being rated 100V for Japan domestic market voltage, instead of 240V for local Malaysia spec. This is due to the Sony ES deck's scarcity in the local market. In Malaysia, they were priced out of affordability back then in the 1980's. And if anyone had the money, they would've certainly gone for the well renowned Nakamichi then.  

My buddy Oh also brings them in from Japan, converts them to 240 V and restores them to original spec. At point of writing, he has already sold a couple of units, and he still has limited units left. So please contact him pronto at 012-206 0888 if you're keen to get your hands on a Sony ES cassette deck.

After being with me for 2 weeks, Oh tempted me with another top spec cassette deck, this time a Yamaha K-1X. Stay tuned for that one!