At the end of the 70s, the production of horizontal cassette decks ceased, and hundreds of models of vertical cassette decks from different manufacturers appeared on the market. Their production heyday will be in the early to mid-80s, but almost all cassette decks are similar for now. The TC-320A from Yamaha represents the lowest line of cassette decks the Japanese company produced. It was difficult to surprise the buyer with anything unusual here: the deck is simple, and basic, without any technical frills. But it has everything to provide the consumer with high-quality cassette sound. The installed Super-hard Permalloy recording/playback head provides a frequency response (on CrO2) of 40-15,000 Hz ±3 dB. Large dial indicators provide exact adjustment of recording levels, and convenient keys make it very easy to control all operating modes. And the bright backlit power button makes this deck very attractive. Even though the deck was low-budgeted, it cost 750 DM in Germany in 1979 (240 USD in the USA), an equivalent value of approximately €800 today.
