What Type Of Cassette Deck do you own?

I wish... different model Sansui. I’ll look when I get home.

 

Hey, lately I've been looking into getting an Aiwa AD-F800. Can anyone attest to the quality of the machine, or perhaps otherwise point me to better decks in the same price point?

 

I had a Sony615s. Very nice deck. With Dolby S and HX it made good tapes. Later I bought a Sony 320 minidisc deck. It blew the Sony tape deck away in every department. Sadly, both died.

 

I think I inherited a gene that allows me to fix or build many things.

 

Had a look, it’s a QRX-6500.

 

None.

 

check it out:

Naks.com, the [unofficial] Nakamichi cassette deck resource.

 

Thank you for your wonderful contribution to the thread that was completely nessecary

 

Nakamichi 700ZXE (Willy Herman restored), CR7A, and 2 Dragons.

 

Commercial mass-produced cassettes did get pretty good and reached a pinnacle from the mid-80s through the mid-90s, when Dolby pulled their licensing for analog products. So that was basically a 10-year window of the best the technology would produce. The mass-produced tapes made now are barely middling and more novelty than serious contender.

Some BMG and WEA tapes even used Dolby S, and the handful that I have can sound shockingly close to a CD. WEA tapes in particular hit the bullseye IMHO with their combination of tape stock and engineering. I recently found a copy of Tori Amos' "Under the Pink" with Dolby S and it's kind of amazing.

That said, I don't think they ever equaled the best CDs or LPs. But back when we all had tape decks in our cars they did the job better than they ever should've.

dan c

 

I also have a TEAC 8030S that I had updated and calibrated by Partsconnexion. Don't know how it compares but puts on tape what comes off my LPs. Can't afford to get into the RTR game.

 

I have some of the Led Zeppelin cassettes with Dolby S, specifically III, IV, and In Through the Out Door that my dad had. Unfortunately don’t have a deck capable of S to fully experience them with.

 

Three Nakamichi CR series (1A, 2A), a Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2 and a Yamaha KX-800U (has dBX noise reduction). My interest with cassettes is playing back MANY pre-recorded cassettes accumulated over the years. I use American Recorder S-721H cleaner for the heads & capstan rollers and have an old plug in style head demagnetizer (and also a TDK cassette shell style head demagnetizer)

 

Sony

 

Nakamichi CR-3A. Manufactured in '87, and I got it 10 years later. Depends on the tape (of course), but sometimes I can't believe how good it sounds.

 

Technics M 205 is my best present cassette deck. And very excellent sounding.

 

nakamichi cr-1a. Its a basic nak model from the 90's (I think) but it is the best tape deck I have ever heard. It's safe to say Nakamichi's reputation is well deserved. This is only a 2 head deck, but it suits my needs just fine. Pre-recorded cassettes are pretty listenable. I think I paid less than 200 dollars CAD for it, and everything is working fine. I do worry for the the future, as the another nak I had before seized from inactivity. I try and play a cassette at least once a week.

Too bad tapes are a little hard to come by at reasonable prices.... there is just something in the experience that makes it worthwhile.

 

Yeah I have one of those, and it plays pre-recorded tapes pretty well.

 

My father and my brother had matching RS-M218s in the late 70s/early 80s. RS-M218 is an upgraded 205 with better features but the exact same heads and same sound quality. I fondly remember them. The analog meters on the 205 were IMO much more aesthetically pleasing. There was also an MCS version of this model that looked best of all.

 

Nakamichi CR-7A. Don't really ever use it anymore though.

 

I use two Technics RS-TR474 MkII and I love these units !!!
Left side is for playback only, so I am able to fix the azimuth for every cassette (if necessary) by using a skrewdriver. Great sound !!!

 

I use an Akai GX-75 MKII cassettedeck. Still works fine and sounds great!

 

News :: TASCAM Unveils 202mkVII Dual Cassette Deck with USB | TASCAM

2018-05-22 - TASCAM Unveils 202mkVII Dual Cassette Deck with USB

Montebello, CA-May 2018... TASCAM's new 202mkVII dual cassette deck is the latest generation of the company's professional cassette recorders. Coveted for their reliable performance, comprehensive feature set, and audio quality, the 202 series has long been the leading choice for recording studios, houses of worship, audio/music enthusiasts, and other professional applications.

The 202mkVII's most noteworthy new feature is a rear-panel USB output that enables recording and archiving cassettes to digital media. A front-panel ¼-inch, high-impedance (200 kΩ) microphone input with dedicated level control enables live input to be mixed with Tape 1 audio and recorded, in real time, to Tape 2 for karaoke and voiceover applications. The mic input also can accept line-level signals. In addition to the USB output, the rear panel provides stereo analog line-level input and output on unbalanced RCA connectors. A ¼-inch stereo headphone output with dedicated level knob is conveniently located on the front of the unit.

The dual twin-head cassette decks can record and play back independently, including recording simultaneously to create two tapes with the same source. Among other applications, this enables simultaneous creation of a master tape and a copy for distribution, skipping the need to duplicate the master tape. The two decks also provide real-time dubbing at the touch of one button. Tape 1 offers pitch control (±12%) and Tape 2 has a Return to Zero function.

The TASCAM 202mkVII offers two playback modes. Normal playback, as expected, routes sound to the line outputs and headphone output. In Special playback mode, you can monitor the sound from one tape using headphones, while the other tape plays through the line outputs, making it easy to cue another tape. A noise-reduction feature (the equivalent of Dolby B) reduces hiss during playback.

The 3U rack-mountable, professional tape deck supports recording and playback of Type I (normal) and Type II (chrome) cassette tapes, as well as playback with Type IV (metal) tapes. A dedicated wireless remote control is included.

The TASCAM 202mkVII is available at TASCAM dealers at a MAP/street price of $499.99. For more information, please visit www.tascam.com.

 

Recently picked up a Nak BX-300 after my Nak 480 started developing issues. Excellent deck on the super cheap. Now I just need to figure out how to get the 480 healthy again so I can use it as a backup.

 

Pioneer CT-F1250.