O nce upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away – well, Japan actually – there was a consumer electronics manufacturer that indelibly stamped itself on the collective consciousness of the hi-fi world. Aiwa was an archetypal Japanese audio company; innovative, prolific and a producer of high-quality products at affordable prices. Like so many of its contemporaries, Aiwa’s ascent happened in the early part of the seventies, its harvest years being five years later and then by the early eighties, things were going downhill. Now, the brand is but a faded memory while some of its fine products, like the AD-2000 cassette deck, live on.
Apart from Nakamichi, few other Japanese names were so closely associated with cassette. Aiwa made a full range of equipment – including some interesting and…
