Hi Guys,
I've been on the look out for a while for a particular mid eighties Akai, you know the ones with the funny outside speakers that turn!!
Well recently, I spotted a nice example on Gumtree.com.au and it was exactly the model I was after: the early Akai PJ-W30 in metallic black with the smaller sized outside speakers. I had no idea what the thing would sound like but it was cheap so I decided to buy it purely for interests sake! 
Well, the seller told me on 3 separate occasions that he had definately shipped it, only to discover later that he hadn't!
Finally, he shipped the box and said he packed it really well to make up for the delays:
It arrived wrapped in 2 layers of small bubble wrap - no box, no other padding!!!
I still can't believe it but it arrived undamaged!! 
I work for Australia Post and I know what can happen to packages and find it amazing nobody dropped this thing during shipment - even a heavy box on top would have caused damage. After spending about 10 seconds unwrapping the thing, I found that it had a thin layer of what looked and smelt like cooking fat covering every surface - it must have been the kitchen box!! Underneath the filth, I could tell it would clean up well though. I always dread turning a new box on for the first time - I turn it on and guess what, no FM!! AM worked but because I always use FM, I pulled the back off and found the wire from the antenna to the tuner board had come loose and needed resoldering. After that quick fix, we now have FM loud and clear. The original Akai aerial is in good condition.
The tape decks both need belts but both motors are running and the controls are nice and smooth. The belts are easily accessed so I will do those soon. Both detachable outer speaker boxes had a few minor grill dents and marks. After pulling them down, I discovered the internal sound deadening had perished so after a quick bath, I used a paint can lid to straighten out the grills from the inside. One of the internal speaker grills still has a minor dent which will rectified when I gut the thing in the future. After replacing the sound deadening, I noticed one exterior speaker box was loose and flopped around a bit. After I pulled apart the rotating speaker mechanism and found the retaining screw was loose. After a quick tighten, both boxes now rotate smoothly with no slop.
The front mounted controls, which I love because they are so nice to use, were scratchy and all needed cleaning. The strip panel that surrounds the controls can be lifted away making access to the pots etc very easy. Its got an 'opposites' handle - plastic ends and a chrome handle! - that's different!
On line in, there is a strange crackle sound in the background which is completely random and doesn't present whilst using the tuner. Line In works well otherwise but this random crackle noise is slightly annoying and will have to be rectified.
Overall, the sound is all mids and highs and is very clear. It's does it's best with the 5 band equaliser but excessive bass is never going to be problem!!
It needs 8 D cells to be portable and is plenty loud with no distortion present right up to full volume.
You can select between 2 speaker and 4 speaker modes and it also has a wide mode.
Akai was still building quality in '85 and PJ-W30 IMHO was no exception - loving the balance, volume and mic volume 'rollers'
It's growing on me and after a couple of days, I'm starting to appreciate it's weirdo looks. It certainly is a unique addition to my little collection.
Of all my radios, the Akai is the one my kids instantly loved!!!
After around 2 hours of cleaning, I took a few photos for those who are interested.
The search continues,
James....
Size comparision with a Panasonic RX-DT680
I've been on the look out for a while for a particular mid eighties Akai, you know the ones with the funny outside speakers that turn!!
Well recently, I spotted a nice example on Gumtree.com.au and it was exactly the model I was after: the early Akai PJ-W30 in metallic black with the smaller sized outside speakers. I had no idea what the thing would sound like but it was cheap so I decided to buy it purely for interests sake! Well, the seller told me on 3 separate occasions that he had definately shipped it, only to discover later that he hadn't!
Finally, he shipped the box and said he packed it really well to make up for the delays:It arrived wrapped in 2 layers of small bubble wrap - no box, no other padding!!!
I still can't believe it but it arrived undamaged!! I work for Australia Post and I know what can happen to packages and find it amazing nobody dropped this thing during shipment - even a heavy box on top would have caused damage. After spending about 10 seconds unwrapping the thing, I found that it had a thin layer of what looked and smelt like cooking fat covering every surface - it must have been the kitchen box!! Underneath the filth, I could tell it would clean up well though. I always dread turning a new box on for the first time - I turn it on and guess what, no FM!! AM worked but because I always use FM, I pulled the back off and found the wire from the antenna to the tuner board had come loose and needed resoldering. After that quick fix, we now have FM loud and clear. The original Akai aerial is in good condition.The tape decks both need belts but both motors are running and the controls are nice and smooth. The belts are easily accessed so I will do those soon. Both detachable outer speaker boxes had a few minor grill dents and marks. After pulling them down, I discovered the internal sound deadening had perished so after a quick bath, I used a paint can lid to straighten out the grills from the inside. One of the internal speaker grills still has a minor dent which will rectified when I gut the thing in the future. After replacing the sound deadening, I noticed one exterior speaker box was loose and flopped around a bit. After I pulled apart the rotating speaker mechanism and found the retaining screw was loose. After a quick tighten, both boxes now rotate smoothly with no slop.
The front mounted controls, which I love because they are so nice to use, were scratchy and all needed cleaning. The strip panel that surrounds the controls can be lifted away making access to the pots etc very easy. Its got an 'opposites' handle - plastic ends and a chrome handle! - that's different!
On line in, there is a strange crackle sound in the background which is completely random and doesn't present whilst using the tuner. Line In works well otherwise but this random crackle noise is slightly annoying and will have to be rectified.
Overall, the sound is all mids and highs and is very clear. It's does it's best with the 5 band equaliser but excessive bass is never going to be problem!!
It needs 8 D cells to be portable and is plenty loud with no distortion present right up to full volume.
You can select between 2 speaker and 4 speaker modes and it also has a wide mode.
Akai was still building quality in '85 and PJ-W30 IMHO was no exception - loving the balance, volume and mic volume 'rollers'
It's growing on me and after a couple of days, I'm starting to appreciate it's weirdo looks. It certainly is a unique addition to my little collection.
Of all my radios, the Akai is the one my kids instantly loved!!!
After around 2 hours of cleaning, I took a few photos for those who are interested.
The search continues,
James....
Size comparision with a Panasonic RX-DT680
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