Cassette Decks

[ianrjones]

I had a car that had a cassette player. I have a TEAC 1050. With which I made many mix-tapes. And now and then, enjoy them today. I only used tdk SA90, and I will not part with it for love nor money.

 

[Edbostan]

Dolby stopped issuing licences for their noise reduction system around 2014, so its no longer available for any manufacture to include on new decks. (Perhaps if the cassette comeback is real they may think again)
While Dolby B is the most common, if you want to record your own for personal use, then Dolby C in combination HX Pro is the best, just not compatible with most normal players.

Had an Aiwa tape deck but found Dolby killed the treble on playback. The tape speed was too slow for music good production. R-DAT was better but was short lasted.

 

[abacus]

Had an Aiwa tape deck but found Dolby killed the treble on playback. The tape speed was too slow for music good production. R-DAT was better but was short lasted.

Was the tape you played recorded with Dolby? as if not then this is why you lost treble. (Dolby is a 2-way system)
If you ever get the chance have a listen to a Nakamichi cassette deck.

Bill

 

[Dicky-Art]

I use an older Yamaha one I bought second hand about 10 years ago and it still sounds good if I keep the heads demagnetised and clean. I also have an unused TEAC V-377 deck going free if anyone wants it (unfortunately it was cheap and the speed fluctuated so I never used it, may be belts??)

 

[Rodolfo]

I had a car that had a cassette player. I have a TEAC 1050. With which I made many mix-tapes. And now and then, enjoy them today. I only used tdk SA90, and I will not part with it for love nor money.

My car has a working cassette player, along with an in-dash 6-CD deck. The cassette player is my only one. I also only used tdk SA90 Type II tapes, though I mostly made copies of full albums -typically, 1 per side.

 

[ianrjones]

I use an older Yamaha one I bought second hand about 10 years ago and it still sounds good if I keep the heads demagnetised and clean. I also have an unused TEAC V-377 deck going free if anyone wants it (unfortunately it was cheap and the speed fluctuated so I never used it, may be belts??)

My in-car tape player, often played up. It would wow . But bringing the said tape home and fed it to my TEAC, I had to FF and rewind two or three times and hey presto! Stopped wowing.

 

[iMark]

If you can find an Aiwa AD3800 in decent condition I would certainly recommend one. Had one years ago and it was a very good machine, especially with metal (type IV) tapes.
Unfortunately it got lost in a house fire.
One of the features of the deck is that it will measure the bias of the tape you're going to use.

 

[Des911]

I'm thinking of buying a Beocord 2000, not the best cassette player but one I had many years ago. Going to get my old cassettes out of the box I had after moving house many years ago as well as buying some I missed out on over the years.

 

[Rodolfo]

I had not had one for a while (silver Toshiba early, then a modest silver Nakamichi BX1 through the 90s) though I do occasionally play some tapes on my 2004 car's nice deck.

Last week, coincidentally, I saw a very nicely maintained, still-modest 2-head Technics DBX-equipped deck advertised, and mostly on a whim, contacted the owner, went for an audition, and bought it from what turned out to be the original owner. Fortunately. I dug up a short, nice and clean set of long-ago RCA cords in a box. It looks very nice and sounds nice enough for me. It goes well under my Technics turntable, and it's fun., which is Plenty, so I encourage you to go for it.. I have about 20-30 factory and recorded tapes (mostly TDK SA90 Type II also) and haven't thought of shopping for more yet. I haven't even explored whether I could use it to record through my integrated yet. I had a (modest) B&O turntable in the same days, but never even knew of the Beocord.

 

[speedthing]

I totally hate cassettes got rid of mine about 10 years ago which was a Yamaha that said it was actually one of the best sounding decks ive ever owned kind of miss it.

 

[SteveH72]

Well, after a lot of research and digging around, I managed to source a 1990 Yamaha KX-330. It’s a very well-regarded 2 head deck with an amorphous play head. I cleaned and lubricated the mechanism and heads, and it sounds great. I’ve enjoyed re-listening to a handful of cassettes I had lying around. I’m really enjoying the sound and, thankfully, no unthreaded cassette tape or other not very fondly remembered mishaps.

 

[podknocker]

My JVC still gets used occasionally. Bought in new in the 80s as does the Technics tuner.

I had your NAD T585 and matching amp (in silver), but I've not owned a cassette deck for DECADES. I have no tapes, but do respect people who have kept theirs and still persevere with the format. I always found tapes to give better sound quality than vinyl and many on here hate me for saying it, but I don't care. This beast on RS looks like the DBs. I can't imagine it would be inferior to anything made 40 years ago:

Teac W1200 (Black)

Shop for Teac W1200 Black Twin Cassette Deck with Richer Sounds for expert advice and lowest prices guaranteed

www.richersounds.com

 

[nads]

I had your NAD T585 and matching amp (in silver), but I've not owned a cassette deck for DECADES. I have no tapes, but do respect people who have kept theirs and still persevere with the format. I always found tapes to give better sound quality than vinyl and many on here hate me for saying it, but I don't care. This beast on RS looks like the DBs. I can't imagine it would be inferior to anything made 40 years ago:

Teac W1200 (Black)

Shop for Teac W1200 Black Twin Cassette Deck with Richer Sounds for expert advice and lowest prices guaranteed

www.richersounds.com

My T585 has just decided to stop doing anything. I think too many micro power cuts have fried something. Need to find someone to look at it now.

 

[Gray]

Need to find someone to look at it now.

Not before you open it up and check for a possible blown fuse 👍

 

[nads]

Not before you open it up and check for a possible blown fuse 👍

No fuses in there that I can see.

 

[podknocker]

Not before you open it up and check for a possible blown fuse 👍

My T585 transport failed twice. Once under warranty and then just outside. The paperwork also advised me the damn thing wasn't earthed. I did hear a strange noise when I inserted or ejected a CD. It's a shame, because it was the best sounding CD player I've ever owned. The blue PCB has some very nice Sony chippery and the sound was amazing. It gave a holographic soundstage, with an 'etched in air' quality, something I've not experienced with any other device. If the same device could be released as a streamer, I'm sure they would sell loads. It's always the bloody transport to give up the ghost.

 

[Gray]

The paperwork also advised me the damn thing wasn't earthed.

Yes, I remember you saying that a previous repairer had left it unearthed 🤨

 

[podknocker]

My car has a working cassette player, along with an in-dash 6-CD deck. The cassette player is my only one. I also only used tdk SA90 Type II tapes, though I mostly made copies of full albums -typically, 1 per side.

I used these back in the day and got superb results:

https://www.retrostylemedia.co.uk/product/basf-60-chrome-extra-ii-1988-89-blank-audio-cassette-tapes

I do remember the sound quality of tapes being better than vinyl and the only real downside was the fast forwarding, or rewinding to get to the track I wanted to listen to. Very time consuming, but worth it. I despair at the current fad for vinyl, when tapes sounded better. I don't expect, or want a cassette tape revival, but they were decent quality and could fit into small spaces.

 

[podknocker]

Yes, I remember you saying that a previous repairer had left it unearthed 🤨

I got the T585 for £200 and the matching C355BEE for the same amount. I got a pair of KEF Q35.2 also for £200 in the Superfi sale and with the QED 79 strand cables, it came to £621 and THE BEST SOUNDING SYSTEM I've ever owned. Synergy does exist and sometimes you find a sweet spot with the components you put together. My other source was a recently purchased Cambridge Audio FM/DAB tuner and I can still hear Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 2 talking about something I had no interest in, but felt like she was sat 6 feet in front of me, with no sign of distortion. Memorable sounding system and I couldn't build the same with all the money in the world. One of those magical combinations that's nearly impossible to replicate.

 

[Des911]

I'm thinking of buying a Beocord 2000, not the best cassette player but one I had many years ago. Going to get my old cassettes out of the box I had after moving house many years ago as well as buying some I missed out on over the years.

Well I've ordered it and will go searching for my cassette box. I don't really care if no one likes them, I do.

 

[SteveH72]

Well I've ordered it and will go searching for my cassette box. I don't really care if no one likes them, I do.

Quite right, too. Too many people telling others what they think is superior and what they should be listening to. Self-enjoyment is all that matters. It’s your music. Enjoy.