Porta Studio Two vrs Porta 07?

[Railway Surfer]

Hi Guys
As posted earlier I've picked up a Porta 07, primarily because it came with an RC 30-P. I decided to plug it in and see if it worked, it seems to work fine, in fact it seems to have had very little use. The only issue with it is that the plastic casing of the whole machine seems to have broken down somehow and become sticky??? Any advice on how to fix that would be great! But my main reason for posting is to ask, of the the two machines both seemingly in good working order which will offer the best results? The 07 is a faster recording speed does that make it better, quieter? I'm working on the theory that Tascam developed their products over time and the later ones are supposed to be better than earlier models or like alot of companies did production costs get cut affecting quality? Any ideas and comments would be welcome, either way I'm happy I've got two machines that only set me back $30NZ each (approx $24 US)!!! Cheers

 

[A Reel Person]

With all other things being equal,... and they never are,...

the quick answer is the Porta 07 will offer better frequency response than the Porta Two, being that the Porta 07 runs at double speed. The Porta Two may give you a slightly better spectrum of features, but all in all they are pretty similar. Some features would break down to personal preference. Whether newer gear is always better would bear out no definitive answer with lengthy discussion and controversy.

 

[Railway Surfer]

Yeah that was what I thought too, I've noticed that on a pre recorded tape I've been mucking around with that on the 07 I can hear a ghost track of the old music. On the porta two I can't, so I quessing that if nothing else the playback quality is better on the 07. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about the finish on the 07. Is it plastic with a thin grey rubberised layer on it? It seems that the grey layer has become sticky on my machine. I've cleaned an area on the back with various products and found that acetone will obviously clean that layer off back to plastic but it will also take all the writing off as well. Any ideas on fixing that???

 

[The Ghost of FM]

Can you post a picture of the rubberish layer?

I've never heard of such a finish on any portastudio product. Maybe its just a film of grease/palm oil, dust and tobacco smoke residue? And if so, any household dish detergent should help to break up the grease but it might require introducing liquids into the guts of the machine and that would kill it. The only safe way to do it is to take the machine apart and soak the casing in hot soapy water for a good long while and then do some gentle scrubbing with a soft cloth.

Luck.

Cheers!

 

[Railway Surfer]

Ok Here's a picture, the darker area is cleaned back to plastic the light grey is the sticky area. Is the the original colour?

 

[A Reel Person]

I'll venture a guess.

It is a painted surface, and the finish has failed.
It may be related to cigarette smoke or a corrosive atmosphere, such as city smog.

 

[The Ghost of FM]

It's hard to tell from the picture but it also looks like sun/heat damage to the finish. And if so, I don't think you can clean that off. Cigarette smoke would leave a yellowish tint to the surface and that would yellow the white lettering which still looks white. So it was probably sitting by an unshaded window for a good while and got discolored from the sunlight. That's not fixable, in my opinion.

Also, I don't believe the surface is painted though. That color is mixed into the plastic at the manufacturing level when it was still in a liquid state.

Cheers!

 

[Railway Surfer]

Yeah I thought that might be the case. According to the seller it has lived in it's box for years. It came from up North which is quite humid in our country, so that might be it. I may try and seal it with clear coat so it doesn't keep rubbing off on things and leaving grey smears on my fingers!!! Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated, I'll start having a play.