Show off your cassette deck!

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Laservampire, Feb 13, 2013.

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  1. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I always thought the CT S800 had the same copper plating, I guess it's only the bottom on that model.
     
  2. LA2019

    LA2019 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USofA
    I work at a Yamaha motorcycle dealership and when the owner passed a few years ago we found a bunch of older Yamaha gear buried away in his house. He had a Yamaha K-200 brand new in the box. I used it for a while before selling it on craigslist....

    [​IMG]

    I also had Sony TC-K850ES. Very nice deck until it stopped working. I tried getting rid of it to anyone with no luck so I "recycled" it in the BFI container at work! Sayonara!

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  3. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    I have a very nice Nakamichi CR-7A...I just did a little A/B comparison. I simultaneously dubbed a copy of The Doors Morrison Hotel...one of the recent 2 45rpm lps reissues on both the Nak (using a type IV metal blank cassette) and a Tascam CD-RW900 using a Maxell MQ blank. I know it's counter-intuitive for most people, but on nearly every audiophile sound quality impression, on my system the cassette has more air and presence, deeper bass and more extended highs. The CD was "good", but the cassette dub was very significatly better sounding to my ears.

    Once I figure out how to upload a jpg I'll post a pic.
     
  4. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Love your post.
    I'm a firm believer that a top of the line cassette deck properly calibrated with metal tape and Dolby S can kick digital's **** on all but the most critical aspects of playback listening while not adding the sometimes harsh reality of digital playback. It's sins of omission are more acceptable than digitals sins of commission.

    Sadly most folks never got to hear the cassette medium in it's final swansong glory. IMO the last few years when CD was first coming out cassette had made huge progress, top line decks were amazing, tape formulations vastly better, and Dolby S was the icing on the cake. But all they remember is cheap tapes poorly recorded on cheap decks with no calibration.
     
  5. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    I never was a fan of pre-recorded cassettes, but dubbing to nice type II chromes and type IVs on good decks could really give other formats a run for the money. It still does IMHO.
     
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  6. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I've got some prerecorded CRO2 cassettes that sound very nice, but yes, many prerecorded were put on crap tape with poor transfers, what a tragic waste, if only more quality was put into the prerecorded folks might have not dismissed it as easily when CD hit.

    I have a stash of Maxell Metal Vertex blanks which yield outstanding jaw dropping results.

    [​IMG]
     
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  7. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    Oooh...nice. Wonder what those would fetch on eBay? When you decide you don't want those anymore, you know who to contact.
     
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  8. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I paid $25 a piece, which I thought was nuts a long time ago. The last time I looked they were going for $80+. Sad. Out of all the tapes I've used those have aged the best, they run the quietest, and give incredible results. Bottom end is amazing as well as top end, and they can take a lot of volume while still remaining clean and clear. Too bad most tapes can't hold a candle to those.
     
  9. macster

    macster Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Diego, Ca. USA
    You can get new cassettes here, for very reasonable prices and the company is great to deal with.

    M~
     
    RonW likes this.
  10. RonW

    RonW Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Fantastic products - I agree and the service is great.
     
  11. seacliffe301

    seacliffe301 Forum Resident

    Me too!
     
  12. RonW

    RonW Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    In fact most of the high quality Chrome and Pseudo Chrome formulas of that period can sound as good or better when biased correctly on a properly aligned deck. Maxell XLII, Fuji ZX and BASF Chrome Maxima come to mind and there are others in the Super Ferric formulas. These tapes do output higher fidelity and increasingly less distortion than the metals ever did.
     
  13. perryinva

    perryinva Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, VA, USA
    I'm sure I have a deck or 2 around here somewhere that I can take a pic of...

    Wonder why it lists me as a new member when I joined back in 2011....I guess because I've not posted?
     
  14. JeffR714

    JeffR714 Well-Known Member

    [​IMG] Technics RS-TR575 Stereo Cassette Deck
    Just picked it up from my audio repair guy it's in mint condition
     
  15. JeffR714

    JeffR714 Well-Known Member

    Either did I just picked up a Technics RS-TR575 and can't stop playing tape
     
  16. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Between the Maxell Metal Vertex and TDK MA-XG which both had the best shell transport I've seen, I've never heard a better sounding cassette tape back in the day for my decks. the Sony ceramic shell metal master were my third choice.

    [​IMG]

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    But now that decades have passed, those 2 tapes have weathered the ages well and still play extremely smooth and sound better than any other tapes I have in my archives.
     
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  17. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Scored another for the stable for more cassette listening pleasure.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/AIWA-AD-S95...e-/251769568110?ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:1653
    $239, free shipping.

    AIWA AD-S950 cassette deck 3 head, dual capstan, dolby B.C.S.HX-Pro, tape calibration, remote. Like new, new belts, completely serviced, all manuals, remote, original box.

    Came out in 1996, MSRP was $600. At the time this was their best deck.

    I had one, new years back. Played the hell out of it until something went that was not a simple fix. So now I have a parts unit for this new one. A very good deck, certainly not up to the standard of my mighty Aiwa XK-S9000, but this is a very good sounding deck and easy to use. It's Dolby works very well, especially the S.

    Frequency response:
    +\- 1db 20-20,000 @-20db with metal tape.
    +\- 3db
    Metal: 15 - 21,000
    CrO : 15 - 19,000
    Normal : 15 -18,000
    Signal to Noise Ratio: 84dB (dolby S)
    Wow and Flutter: 0.035%
    • PC-OCC Coil
    • AMTS (Anti Modulation Tape Stabilizer)
    [​IMG]
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  18. 2xUeL

    2xUeL Forum Philosopher

    Location:
    Albany, NY
    Perfect combination of cassette and open-face transport. :righton:
     
  19. 2xUeL

    2xUeL Forum Philosopher

    Location:
    Albany, NY
    So unjust! Do you have that thing hooked up yet??
     
  20. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Expecting arrival of the AD-S950 in a few days!!!! Just got confirmation.
     
  21. Shak Cohen

    Shak Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I second that, I have a couple of each of these, and Sony Metal Master (in a tin box), all are fantastic.
     
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  22. Shak Cohen

    Shak Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I've got the model below, ADS-750, very sweet and detailed sound. Matter of fact, I am listening to it now, playing a PRC of Famous Last Words by Al Stewart.:righton:
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  23. Rocat

    Rocat Do you realise, this world is totally fugazi.

    Location:
    Italy
    Haw many beautiful machines! I love this thread :love:

    Here is my faithful Technics deck:

    [​IMG]

    Bye.
     
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  24. Shak Cohen

    Shak Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    This and the RSAZ7 are amazing playback decks, especially for pre-recorded tapes. Sure to give a hater a heart attack!
     
    Rocat likes this.
  25. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Not mine, but an online photo of what I've got, a Yamaha K-1020. Have owned too many cassette decks, they all suck.

    [​IMG]
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
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