Studio Sound
Studio Sound, May 1968
Studio Sound's report on the 1968 London Audio Fair covers Akai's room on the fifth floor of the Hotel Russell, where the restyled M9 stood alongside the new X-150D and the cheaper 3000D. The magazine calls the X-150D a successor to the X-100D and prices it against the M9 — the passage is transcribed below.
The same issue's photo pages, two leaves earlier in the scan run, put the X-150D on camera in a caption from the Audio Fair coverage — not mirrored here, but readable at the source.
Read the Audio Fair excerpt
Studio Sound, May 1968 (scan p.25, printed p.221)
FIFTH FLOOR
Akai, in Room 563, are replacing the M8 with a restyled and improved M9. A particularly interesting aspect of the new model is the solenoid-controlled pinch-wheel. This is retracted from the capstan whenever automatic stop or automatic mains shut-off are actuated by a tension arm. Model X-150D supersedes the X-100D as a stereo tape unit designed for use with external amplifiers.
Both the M9 and X-150D feature an entirely unique Cross-Field bias system, the former retailing at £159 and the latter at £106. Another comparatively new Akai model to be shown is the £86 3000D stereo tape unit. This employs conventional bias and operates at 19 and 9.5 cm/s. A 30-minute recorded demonstration will show the capabilities of each model and will include live recordings made for the occasion.