Recommendations on a 3-head Cassette Deck recorder

hi everyone. I want to buy a 3-head cassette deck recorder, but I don't want to spend more than $100. I want something reliable with Metal bias and bias tuning. Any recommendations on makes and model numbers? Thanks.

 

It'll be hard to find a good 3-head deck in working condition for under $100, won't it? They're getting pretty rare at this point I'd imagine.

Are you planning on making a lot of tapes? Because that's really the big advantage of the three-head decks. Unless you already have a bunch of high-quality tapes made on a 3-head deck, a three head deck might not be worth the extra cash.

 

http://www.tonepublications.com/old-school/nakamichi-dragon/

I agree with Sunspot, for $100 it'll be next to impossible, but save up and go for a Dragon if your serious.
I've seen them for less than $500 on Craigslist (gone in a flash of course).

 

Thanks for the replies. It doesn't have to be Nakamichi, it could be Sony, Denon or other brands. I did find this on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321550545374?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Any thoughts?

 

Try to find an Akai GX-series. Very good machines, I have one, and the capstan is direct-drive, so no belt to rot and replace. I have a Marantz but I did have to do the belts on that one. PITA doing cassette belts.

 

It's going to be real hit and miss on if it works well. I'd take your time and see if one pops up on e-bay that has been recently serviced with belts and such.

I got 2 NOS Teacs for like 70% off a few years back, but it seems that web site is gone now, the seller had a lot of Teac stuff still new in the boxes. A bit suspicious site actually, but both decks were new in sealed boxes. Got a V2020S & V8030S.

 

A basic question needs to be answered by the OP. Are you going to be making new recordings, or just playing tapes you already have? If you're just playing tapes already recorded, having a three head deck won't make much difference.

Happy trails,
Larry B.

 

Teac sold a lot of 3-head decks for professional use - TV stations, radio stations, schools, industries and the like. I used one at college in the late '80s - early '90s. It was a great deck. I'd imagine a few of those have filtered into the used market. Seemed like a well-built unit at the time - wouldn't surprise me if a bunch of those saw light use (since CD was taking over) and have now hit places like eBay.

Teac kit doesn't attract the folks who obsess over a Nakamichi, or even a Sony for that matter.

 

One of the best, if you could find one: Akai GXF-95, 3 heads, direct drive, bias adjust ... and more. For my money, as good as any Nakamichi. A heavy deck - about 25-30 lbs as i recall. Wish I still had one - had two, back in the 80s...fabulous deck for making tapes. I still have many of the tapes I made in those days - they still sound great - what hiss? Just record with good saturation and no Dolby B ...

 

I will be using the cassette deck to erase cassettes, make new recordings and playback those new recordings.

 

Read this thread:

http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=14921

 

Another brand you might consider is Onkyo. They're a bit under the radar, so you might find one a bit cheaper than a Denon or Sony. A high-end Onkyo 3 head deck should be at least equal to that Kenwood. Just a thought.

 

The 3-head Sony decks are very good and available fairly cheap. Maybe within $100 with a little patience. I had a TC-K909ES that was a very nice deck. Before that, I had another of their 3-head models and it was very nice, too.

 

Onkyo made some outstanding decks. The TA2090 comes to mind.

 

Harman/Kardon made some good decks as well, back in the day.

 

I had their top of the line deck, the highly praised CD491, but it was a POS. After several trips for repairs when it was still under warranty it finally went up in smoke, only deck I had ever do that or give me that much trouble.

When it worked it sounded good, IIRC the CD491 was on stereo Review's short list of the 5 best--Dragon, cd491, Onkyo TA-2090, B215, and the Tandberg 3014A.

 

You would be better advised to get a bulk eraser.

 

I had a really nice JVC TD-V541 3-head cassette deck that, sadly, died from lack of use, believe it or not. Like many of their better decks, it didn't have belts, but direct drive motors for the capstan and reel, and it was the logic control for the motors that failed, so it couldn't be repaired due to the unavailability of repair parts. In terms of recording quality, with metal tape, you would swear your were listening to the source. I understand why the OP wants three heads, as it allows you to monitor off the tape. So, since I still have a couple hundred (maybe) cassettes, I opted to buy a used 2-head deck. I got a nice JVC KD-A55 cassette deck, that like my old 3-head model has individual motors for the capstan and reel, so the speed is very stable (according to the specs, 0.04% wow & flutter) and it sounds great. Decks of this vintage from JVC don't have Dolby B, but rather their proprietary Super ANRS (Automatic Noise Reduction System), which works very well and is compatible (sort 0f). I've found that their system removes tape hiss well, without seeming to heavily effect the music. Since I don't record with it very much, monitoring off the tape is a minor consideration. It does sound really good, though. Surprisingly so for something I bought off eBay for around $60.

 

I had their TOL KD 85 in the late 70's, great deck. But in all honesty their ANRS/SANRS is not compatible in any way with anything else like Dolby.

 

I did say in parenthesis "sort of" and only because they say so in their manuals. Personally, I like it better. They actually developed it for their CD-4 quadradisc format for Lps, or so I've read.

 

I have one of these:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/audio/sony/tc-ka3es.htm

(sorry for no picture, just can't figure out how to post pictures anymore ).

It is a great deck especially with metal tapes but, as you can see from the report, goes for about $500 used. You can look around in the thrift shops but finding a good deck with three heads for $100 in good condition is going to take some luck.

 

Bought a Onkyo TA-2090 that had been serviced a few years ago. The tapes I recorded with it really sounded sweet! Unfortunately the pop out calibration knobs broke and are unattainable, so now I have a expensive door stop. I also bought a Yamaha K-1000 cheap from a guy at work a few years back. While not as nice as the Onkyo it does sound pretty good. I had it serviced a few years back but it's developing problems again.

 

So did you buy this deck or not?

 

I'm having a bit of trouble reading the parts diagram for the TA-2090, but it looks like those knobs are diagram number A97 and are part number 28321638A, which appear to be available here:

http://www.partsimple.com/28321638a-onk-n-13.html

 

Nakamichi 480 - it's a 2 head, but will easily beat most 3 head decks

Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1 - 3 head fantastic recorder with adjustable azimuth

Denon DRM-800 sounds fat and warm, amorphous head

Aiwa XK series

Technics RSAZ7 - auto tape tuning, wide frequency response, and excellent sound from pre-recorded tapes (should you have any)