To be released soon
To be released soon
To be released soon
To be released soon
To be released soon
 
 

PX Series: 's best players ever

 

I wanted to make a tribute to those fine, stylish, well made and better sounding players that AIWA left us all: the PX series. This serie is about top-line players without radio or recording capabilities, but focused on sound quality. In this serie there are some of the best sounding players ever made: PX101, PX303, PX1000...

AIWA PX line AIWA PX line (without PX505) Close-up of the PX players
 

I know that there are a few models that are also PX and should be there like PX310 and PX510 (but there are almost identical to PX410, and I don't have them), PX610 (a modern model with new logo). There are also PX70, PX50, PX10 and PX20 but they were released on oriental markets. But I think what you'll see here are the main models released worldwide. I intentionally omitted all budget PX players, with low quality and released when AIWA was a SONY division.

All the PX legendary players have:

- feather-touch buttons with full auto-reverse
- high quality head (amorphous, HX, etc...)
- Dolby B & C
- powerful bass amplificacion with DSL system (Dynamic Super Linear Bass or Dynamic Super Loudness, I'm not sure which one is)
- BBE System (except PX101)
- Remote controller (except PX410)
- Metal body

Among that, some of them have extraordinary features, like:

- Titanium body (PX1000)
- LCD with 5-band grafic sound meter
- BBE system, which makes sound clearer without adding treble
- parametric sound controls for bass and treble

 

AIWA HS-PX101

It's considered by some the best sounding machine AIWA ever made. It's a very high quality player with an unique parametric DSL-EX to control lows and highs. IT sounds pretty well and it was released with a big, high quality headphones (though not as big as SONY's DR-S100, released with the legendary Boodo Khan at the same year).
You can see the PX101 page here.

  AIWA PX101 with HP-MR1 headphones  
 
 
  Inside view. This player did not include a HX head, as AIWA didn't released them at the time.  
 

 

AIWA HS-PX303

Personally it's one of my favorite AIWA players, (together with the HS-G08), both for its design and their sound. Over PX101, it has an HX Amorphous head and a new bi-azimuth mechanism. DSL system is similar, although PX303 one has much deeper bass and no control over the highs. In fact, I believe it has the deeper bass amplification ever on a cassette player (and sounds like heaven). At least, the deeper in my whole collection of players.

It has also a very stylish design which I like so much.

     
 
 
  Inside view. This player was the first to have a HX head.  
 

 

AIWA HS-PX410

It has the new logo, after AIWA was acquired by SONY and was released after PX505, even considering that its number is lower.
This player is has a different buttons configuration and a more curved design (that I like less). Also, back is made of plastic.

One of the things that makes this player so special is the quality of its Dolby C circuit: it has a very high quality sound that doesn't cut highs as often occur in most top-players. I believe it is similar to PC202 and SONY's DC2 and D6C.
Combined with DSL makes one of the best player with Dolby C and bass amplification to listen to.

  The PX410 has the new AIWA logo.  
 
  Downside view. Curiosly, AIWA started to add the reverse switch in this side, which can't be used while the external battery compartment is attached. The back side, with some marks caused by the low quality of the plastic case.
 
   
     
 

 

AIWA HS-PX505

Released about 1990, it came with BBE system for the first time (remember that the PX410 is newer that this one), that replaces a simple treble control. The BBe makes the sound sharp, clearer without adding highs... it's difficult to explain without hearing it, but it's worth, for sure.
All other features remain the same, which places this player as one of the best of all PX line, with Dolby C, DSL, BBE, remote, feather-touch buttons, etc...

Mine is in decent condition but with some scratches.

Both PX101, 303 and 505 often become a bit crazy: if you press stop, it does reverse play, or FF, REW, whatever he like... it seems it has some inteligence... :-)

     
 
 
     
 

 

AIWA HS-PX1000

One of the most famous players ever. It's considered the most extraordinary walkman AIWA ever made and it's often called "the Bodoo Khan killer". It's, for sure, one of the very few players that live in the Olympus of walkmans, together with the Boodo Khan, the WM-10 or the WM-F5.

     
 
     
 

The most famous features of the PX1000 are the Titanium body and the sound analyzer LCD screen. But it also sounds very good, with an amorphous head, Dolby C, DSL, EQ and BBE.
It feels VERY solid in hands and looks even better. It's probably the most rare of them to find these days, having seen a boxed one go as high as 1000$.
I took mine to the official service and they sucessfully took back to life and now it sounds very very good.

 

BBE Barcus Berry Electronics, the name of the actual BBE Sound, Inc.
DSL Dynamic Sound Loudness
DSL-EX Dynamic Sound Loudness EXtreme
HX Headroom Extended
MS Music Search
PLSS Private Listening Sound System