JVC AFI 90 • 1991 Compact Cassette
Once a major Japanese name from Yokohama, JVC is barely visible in today’s consumer electronics market, although the brand itself survives under the JVCKENWOOD umbrella.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, however, the Victor Company of Japan played a very different role. The company’s engineering and technical capabilities were outstanding, the VHS home video format developed by JVC went on to conquer the world, and among enthusiasts of good sound and audio equipment, both the JVC and Victor names were well regarded — from heavy and expensive hi-fi components to the simplest consumer products. Matsushita’s engineering and financial resources only strengthened the JVC brand.
JVC produced a great deal of solid cassette equipment: decks, boomboxes and cassette players. Many featured interesting engineering solutions, and virtually all JVC equipment of the 1970s and 1980s sounded quite good. The styling was not always its strongest point, however, and a good inexpensive amplifier or cassette deck could look rather plain and unremarkable beside competing products.
JVC also sold compact cassettes, although in later years many were sourced from other manufacturers or produced in cooperation with them.
In 1991, JVC was sourcing its cassettes from several different manufacturers. Some were made in Korea, like this AFI 90, while others came from Switzerland. They were perfectly decent tapes and quite good for the money, but they were never especially popular among audio enthusiasts. The competition was simply too strong.