‘Muddy’ sound using cassette tapes/deck/through quality hi fi components

[Anthony L]

Dear Whathifiers

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on why music cassettes (new and 2nd hand) sound ‘muddy’ and lack volume, despite the deck (Akai GXC-709D - fully functional) going through B&W 805D3 speakers and a Primaluna Evo 400
amp. Could it be a ‘simple’ fix like a full service of the deck or is this a common problem? I know the kind of clarity I hear with vinyl is not possible, still, the sound is well below what I expected.
Many thanks in advance

Anthony

 

[Shrek]

Dear Whathifiers

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on why music cassettes (new and 2nd hand) sound ‘muddy’ and lack volume, despite the deck (Akai GXC-709D - fully functional) going through B&W 805D3 speakers and a Primaluna Evo 400
amp. Could it be a ‘simple’ fix like a full service of the deck or is this a common problem? I know the kind of clarity I hear with vinyl is not possible, still, the sound is well below what I expected.
Many thanks in advance

Anthony

Try cleaning the cassette head and rollers with a cotton bud and alcohol .

 

[Revolutions]

I had a similar problem on one cassette. Never did work out why.

 

[Al ears]

Get the deck serviced I would suggest as it could be a number of age related things.
Tape heads can wear and go out of alignment etc.
Volume could be down to the output voltage of the deck.
Frequency response of old tapes can degrade but, that said, a well recorded one should not sound "muddy"

 

[Stuart83]

Dear Whathifiers

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on why music cassettes (new and 2nd hand) sound ‘muddy’ and lack volume, despite the deck (Akai GXC-709D - fully functional) going through B&W 805D3 speakers and a Primaluna Evo 400
amp. Could it be a ‘simple’ fix like a full service of the deck or is this a common problem? I know the kind of clarity I hear with vinyl is not possible, still, the sound is well below what I expected.
Many thanks in advance

Anthony

It sounds like pardon the pun "dirty/worn heads"l

Going back to the mid 90s to early 00s when djaying I would always record with a few tape decks to sell afterwards amassing a lot of hrs causing the symptoms you describe Via a worn tape deck head that would cause a slow loss of high frequencies, manifesting in a muffled, dull, or "muddy" sound, then the latter stages of wear resulting in complete complete dropouts.

Look for a groove in the head's surface or simply run a fingernail along the head if you feel a ridge it's worn.

How do you tell when heads are worn out?

When I am shopping for used decks, how do I tell if the heads are badly worn? Will there be obvious wear marks? Missing material? I have seen a few very dirty heads but even cleaning them did not remove all the junk. I have passed on many in the last month and I think I need some tips.

audiokarma.org

Preferably though of course these symptoms are also presented when the heads are just dirty which is a free fix

https://www.reddit.com/r/cassetteculture/comments/67p3sf/comment/dgt2bq3

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/cassetteculture/comments/67p3sf/comment/dgt2bq3/


Forgive the obvious and negating the wear of an over played album etc
(Sure I have tapes older than me that play fine but some half the age that have indeed aged that badly they sound plain dull)
But totally ruling out the source is quick and easy enough to do by recording something maybe a CD and playing it back to see if it too sounds duller than expected like the tapes you have.
After all stranger things have happend than getting hold of a few bad tapes at the same time.

Try cleaning the heads first as it's quick and free.
After that if it's a worn head etc then it's off to the parts or repair shop.
I'm unsure if you can/want to tackle it yourself but the "tapeheads" website have most things to get you sorted.

 

[Jasonovich]

As per above comments, some medical alcohol and cotton buds required to clean the heads.
If the problem persists, the magnetic heads may be worn.
Also try copying the music to ferrite plus or metal coated tapes, hopefully you're still able to find it.
Good luck 🤞

 

[Geoff P.]

Hi Anthony - sorry in advance if I'm teaching my Granny to suck eggs.
Are you aware of the Dolby system ( designed to reduce tape hiss ) and it's means if operation ? By boosting the HF during recording, then bringing it back down during playback the tape hiss was reduced ( with varying degrees of success ).
Should you end up playing a non-Dolby cassette with Dolby switched on, the HF cut will still happen but because it wasn't boosted in the first place will end up sounding muddy.
As well as the usual cleaning processes mentioned by others, you could also consider demagnetisation of the recording/playback heads ( an accessory regularly sold by hifi shops back in the day ).
I think that generally, unless you have metal tapes and a Nakamichi deck, the frequency response of cassettes will never match vinyl.

 

[Gray]

...I know the kind of clarity I hear with vinyl is not possible

Then you might be surprised how close the best cassette decks got / get Anthony.

If I remember rightly Akai's 'GX' prefix stood for glass crystal - which was supposed to mean a more durable head.
But all heads wear, especially after exposure to certain tape types.

Take the good advice from all so far, to ensure clean heads and check for wear.

Azimuth alignment is critical to high frequency performance.
You might well find (as is often the case) that your playback head is secured by two screws, one on either side of it.
Probably the lefthand screw will be fixed - but on the righthand side there's a spring under the head mount - which allows for azimuth adjustment via the screw.

You might find there's a small hole specifically for the purpose of adjustment without even opening up the deck*
When playing a pre-recorded tape, use a small Phillips screwdriver to make small adjustments.
As you 'seesaw' the screw clock/anti clockwise you will clearly hear the HF go in and out.
Hopefully yours is out and you can improve it to 'perfection'.

*EDIT:
I've just seen a photo of your Akai.
Looks like you would need to (at least) remove the cassette door to get adjustment access.
But you can be sure that azimuth adjustment will be possible.

 

[davidf]

Any format will aim for a lower general level in order to maintain dynamic range.