Help a digihead out..cassette playback deck

[RFsoundguy]

I've got boxes and boxes of cassette tapes I need to transfer to digital but I have NO CLUE about cassette decks. Can someone please make a recommendation? I need it for playback only. Record might be nice but not necessary. I've got approx 500 cassettes to turn.

My online research is pointing towards a Tascam unit, my friends are recommending a Denon or Marantz.

Help?!

[A Reel Person]

I'm partial to Technics higher-end cassette decks. The vintage ones have Dolby B/C and dbx NR, and the more modern ones have Dolby B/C and HX-Pro.

Some Technics decks I'm familiar with are:
RS-B50 (w/dbx)
RS-B57 (w/dbx)
RS-955 (w/dbx)
RS-B555 (w/HX-Pro)
RS-B465 (w/HX-Pro)

Also, there are some fine TEAC decks,... most of the model numbers I can't remember.

There's nothing wrong with a more modern Tascam cassette deck, such as the 102/202, etc.

Sony also made some decent decks, and the one that's still available as new/retail is the TC-WE475. Forgive me if I'm mistaken on the model number, but a quick search of Best Buy or Circuit City online should show this one up.

...

[Track Rat]

If you can find a Nakamichi, grab it.

[Dr ZEE]

i've dn-770R. bought it used from local pro studio 8 years ago (or so... ) for 300 bucks . I actually used it allot at some point in the past... and it still running great. it's preatty much two decks in one... if one is dead or problems ... you still have another one. HX-Pro is on one deck though... if that's important. it has B and C, 12% pitch on both, can play/record both deck independently, or record two tapes at the same time. plays back great (honestly I have not done any audiophile analysis of it ... just can tell that it sounds great in general).
found on e-bay (you never know what you get from e-bay, but this one is 70 bucks with shipping ..nobody wants it ... few hours left): http://cgi.ebay.com/DENON-DN-770R-DU...mZ110013413420
....
the other auction here: http://cgi.ebay.com/Denon-DN-770R-2U...mZ150016353189
*******
as far as new decks, I don't know... have not bought a new cassette deck in years.

[hungovermorning]

I have a Teac A-650 and like it very much except the bottom end is a little syrupy. Pretty much any older nicer tape deck will do you good, I had a nice Sansui that I picked up for like $10 and it sounded very nice. Look into a Dual as well, German made nice stuff. In my own humble opinion, I would favor Dolby noise reduction over DBX, I've just never liked DBX that much.

[RFsoundguy]

Thanks guys, I never would have looked at those models on my own.

Not sure if it matters, but one I get the audio into my PC I'll be running it through the Waves Restoration software for noise/hiss/crackle reduction. Not sure how this plays with the B,C or other noise reduction schemes. It would be nice to be able to turn off all the noise reduction stuff if I needed to. Can you do that on any deck or do I need to make sure I can do it?

[A Reel Person]

.............

[krhall]

Hmm...
For noise removal when streaming audio to my computer i use Goldwave.

Now with this utillity you get loads of filters that you can use to remove background humming and also hiss noise. Of course hiss and crackle removal is vital when streaming records to computer.
I had to do this on my setup because if i were to record directly from record player to tape i would get a HUGE ammount of accoustic feedback. So i had to do this in several steps.

1. Stream audio from record to Computer - 44100Khz 320KBPS OGG Vorbis format.

2. Open files with goldwave and set noise reduction filters and add que points (1 sec silence before track begins)

3. Record from Computer to tape

This process worked beautifully and the results were very impressive.

P.S Music was recorded at 15IPS - Stereo Track (On my fostex Machine tracks 5 and 6) (Cant use tracks 1 and 2 because output not working on these tracks)

Hope this info is usefull

Keith

[RFsoundguy]

Goldwave looks pretty interesting. I downloaded the trial and will give it a try. For this project, I was given the Waves Restoration bundle which I will use with Sound Forge to edit the audio files.

http://www.waves.com/content.asp?id=59

[Cosmic]

RF,

For what it is worth, I second Tascam decks, simply because they are better built and better sounding...and with 500 cassettes, you need good motors and a reliable transport to do it all.
I used to have a Teac 410 which was a Tascam in consumer disguise, and that thing lasted 18 years with me, including an all-night editing session of audio tape for a friend's 50th birthday slide show.
I just got a Tascam 112 on Ebay, and it is a solid great deck with Dolby B and C and pitch control, just right for your purposes.

Best,
C.

[krhall]

iam pretty fond of Tascam machines. Isnt tascam the same as teac ??
been wondering this for a while now.

Keith

[A Reel Person]

TEAC = (mostly) consumer
TASCAM = (mostly) professional

... although there was only a fuzzy line between the two.

[krhall]

ok thanks

I am trying to track down some replacement parts for my teac machine

1. Reel turntable with locking spindle assembly

2. automatic stop control unit for right reel tension arm

so far i have had little luck if any in tracking these items down or findiang any retailers in the Uk.

Keith

[RFsoundguy]

FWIW, the label on my Tascam FW-1884 says "TASCAM, the professional division of TEAC, Inc." or something to that effect.

I'm seriously considering the Tascam 112mkII or the Sony deck that's available at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.

Is there going to be a noticable difference in the playback between these 2?

Tascam 112mkII
http://www.tascam.com/Products/112mkII.html

Sony
TC-WE475

The Sony deck is $150 everywhere. The TASCAM unit is significantly more expensive. is the cost difference worth it?

[krhall]

I would think so as several ppl have told me that most tascam machines are designed to a very high standard.

The teac machine i have is extremely heavy but robust and well built.
It will be even better once i track down the parts i need.

Keith

[RFsoundguy]

OK, the Sony unit feels cheap - almost all plastic. Looks like a 112mkII it is then.....

[A Reel Person]

The Sony is modern and light, and the Tascam is built like a tank!!

I'm still partial to 80's vintage Technics,... which also have that heavy build quality that's indicative of 80's technology.

[RFsoundguy]

OK, 112mkII is on the way.

Now, what kind of maintenance is required for these things?

Also, some of these cassettes are pretty old and dirty. Is there a cassette cleaning machine I should be looking for?

[Track Rat]

I can't believe nobody likes the Nak's. In my humble opinion, absolutely the finest cassette deck I've ever used.

[A Reel Person]

Ok, not having shopped Nak's myself,... aren't they a bit more rare and harder to find?? (Ok,... maybe a stupid question).

[krhall]

cassettes are ok but not even close to the pure quality you get from a tape reel.

Several reasons.

1. Wider tape = easier to edit / join / splice

2. no cross talk between tracks (bleadthrough / quiet background noise )

3. up to 70% more recording time (running speed dependant)

These are the key factors i looked at before choosing my primary recording medium.

Although the cost may be substancially higher, i like to think of it as paying for quality.

I have never seen any cassette able to record more than 4 tracks

Tape reels can manage anything from 1 single track to 24 tracks (tape width and machine dependant)

So whats the better medium ?

In my opinion it is reel to reel tape - The Best, The finest, and above all the easiest

Keith

[Cosmic]

TR,

Don't feel bad; I can assure you I love the Nakas too, the 700 and the Dragon, in praticular of course...major bloodletting to own one back in the day though. These days I go for 'safe' recommendations, because on the whole, I think industrial machines simply survive better, even though I know the top Nakamichis boasted probably the widest frequency response ever achieved by a cassette deck.

Ultimately, even my beloved Teac 410 was brought down not by the heads, but by the capstan motor; it simply had given everything it could over 18 years of great-sounding work.

RF,
Find a de-magging casette if these are still available. They used to be sold by Radio Shack, you might still find one. They have a little hearing-aid-style battery and you basically turn off all amplification, put the cassette in and hit play, the meters slam into red once, and thus your heads are de-magged.
If not, you'll have to get a small demagging wand to do the job. Also 99% alcohol and q-tips for frequent cleaning of the tape path and heads, due to the age of the tapes.

Keith,
I know you are overseas, but this might help:
The guy I bought my Tascam 112 from on EBay told me he has motors and spare parts available, so it might be worth a shot to see if he can help you. PM me if you want his info.

Best,
C.

[krhall]

sure that would be great.

Any info on getting parts for this machine would be great

This machine is ok mechanically but the auto stop switch has been bypassed and i got 6 wires that have been blanked off and i dont think any of the motors will run without it. The way they were previosly wired it was discharging 60V AC through the metal frame and i got one HELL of a belt from it. When i took a meter reading from the chassis and the AC input terminals i nearly had a heart attack. 60V AC at 2.75 Amps was discharging into the metal frame as soon as i plugged in the power cord. And i took another reading that told me that a 60V outlet from the main transformer was leading directly to the metal frame. As soon as i seperated these wires the circuit was clean. I had a look at some schematic diagrams but i am still none the wiser on where to get a automatic stop control unit for this machine or how these wires are supposed to be conected.

I took apart the right reel turntable and the shaft is slightly buckled the turn screw and pin on the tip of the shaft is gone, and the reel guides on the turntable itself have all been sheared off. as for the motor clamps i had to reallign both so the tape runs between the reel plates instead of making contact resulting in friction damage from the reels so this is ok.

I have found a reel table on ebay Uk but the table diamater is only 90Cm (mine are 110cm) so the table may not be useable but the center shaft and locking clamp might be. This may not be a problem during playback but on fast wind i have a feeling that the reel may start to lose traction due to the missing reel guides. I have emailed a couple of retailers and they seem very limited on any if any parts that would be useful to me, at best i only found Nab reel adapters and replacement pinch roller but no major parts like the automatic stop switch or the reel turntable.

Any info much apreciated

Keith

[Beck]

The lowest cost TASCAM Pro cassette deck is the 102 MKII. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the 122/112, but specs out as well, and sounds just as good. For playback only you can't go wrong. I have one and it does a great job for record and reproduce.

Dolby B/C & HX Pro (though HX Pro only comes into play during recording, it's nice to have)

The link below has more info and a pdf manual.

http://www.tascam.com/Products/102mkII.html

[RFsoundguy]

Supposedly the 112mkII I'm getting has been completely cleaned and demagnitized, but I will try and find a demag tape. I do like Nak stuff, I've got a Nak head unit in my Porsche which I'm crazy about. It only plays CDs and AM/FM, but it sounds amazing and the subdued styling fits nicely with the interior. I hate the new chrome/blue/flashing neon style that most manufacturers are going with.

I really appreciate everyone's help with this so far....