Sony Pro TC-D5

CHF 800.00

Brand / maker
Sony
Year / period
1978
Item number
00011
Watches Working Order
Working
Watches Physical Condition
Good
The Field Recorder Standard**

Produced between 1978 and 1980, the Sony TC-D5 Pro is the professional variant of one of the most iconic portable cassette recorders ever built. Well-known as THE field recorder throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, it played Attila the Hun versus the competition.

The "Pro" designation means XLR microphone inputs — a key feature for professional use — alongside backlit VU meters, a limiter, and Dolby NR. Its diecast aluminium case houses an exceptional and unconventional mechanism: the Disc Drive, a low-mass capstan system that kept tape speed absolutely stable and unaffected by movement, vibration, temperature, or battery voltage.

Despite its high price, the TC-D5 was a very successful model and remained in production in various forms for over 20 years — a testament to just how right Sony got it the first time.

A highly sought-after piece of broadcast and field recording history — robust, elegant, and still entirely functional.