I know this is an old post but these machines come up for sale quite often and this info might be of value to someone. I have a 52-NB with RCA and XLR and knobs on the front to adjust input level and a headphone jack with volome control. It has a preamp section and mics can be plugged right into it. Here is a foto. The other 52 in the other foto is just a 52 and has XLR and RCA but does not have a preamp section for headphones and you must use a mixing board or external preamp. You must also use mic preamps or a mixing board. Be advised that no parts are available for these and Terrys rubber rollers and wheels will replace the rubber on the tack wheel and pinch roller for $95.00. All the rubber on my 2 Tascam ATR 60-2 , 48 , 52 and 32 became sticky and need retiring. Make sure the heads are good and everything works or you could spend a lot of money or have a deck that needs a part that cant be found. My 52 needs a pinch roller rod assembly and i will probably have to make one since i cant find one anywhere. Also the mother boards on the 30-50 series were wave soldered and they develope loose connections. If you can solder thats shouldnt be a problem. If the deck has ben stored a long time it will probably need a major cap and lube job. I prefer to buy decks that have ben in regular use but are not wore out. A friend bought a deck that was stored in a basement and it was rusted and corroded in the inside and was worthless junk. Never store electronic or musical instruments in a basement, they will become scrap heap material. Even a damp unheated garage is bad.
