Akai X-150D - interesting issue I've never encountered before

famous beagle

Well-known member
So I've been restoring an Akai X-150D stereo reel to reel, and I'm having a strange issue.

When I record and listen back through the headphone jack, it sounds great. But when I listen through the line outputs with speakers, the pitch sounds wobbly --- as if it's an out-of-round pinch roller or something. I know that the pinch roller could stand to be replaced, because it's showing its age, but that wouldn't explain why the playback sounds fine through the headphones.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? Some type of electrical issue (I assume) that sounds like wobbly playback?
 
Hey Beagle can you put up a sound clip of the phenomenon?

I actually have one of those machines! Pretty neat lookin’.
 
Hey Beagle can you put up a sound clip of the phenomenon?

I actually have one of those machines! Pretty neat lookin’.

No way! That's awesome. Yeah, they are very sweet looking.

I'll try to get one together tonight. It's in our music room (with the turntable and stereo), which is a good distance from my studio, so I'll need to get a little creative with how I transfer it. Either need to use some long cables or I can record it to my iPad with my iRig Duo --- that is, if I can find the iPad in my daughter's room! :)
 
Have you got an oscilloscope? It might be interesting to see if a recorded sinewave is playing back reasonably steady, or if the wavelength is actually changing. Bonus points if you can put the line out on top and the headphones out below it.
 
Have you got an oscilloscope? It might be interesting to see if a recorded sinewave is playing back reasonably steady, or if the wavelength is actually changing. Bonus points if you can put the line out on top and the headphones out below it.

I don't have a hardware one. Could I do the same thing with Winscope or a similar program?
 
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