I think low record/playback response would be a calibration issue, but to me would seem normal for this age of analog gear. You'd need at minimum a calibration reference tape for a double-speed cassette deck. I can't remember if you can switch off dbx on the 246, but if you can, switch off the dbx for calibration. You also need to remove the bottom cover and have a service manual reference for which pots to adjust. The very first thing you do is play the calibration reference tape, and adjust the playback level for "0" on the meter. Now you know you're reading "0" at a reference level. Then, you have a tedious cycle of recording to "0", rewinding and seeing how close to "0" it plays back, then adjusting the Record-level pots to bring up the signal. Your goal is to have a standard reference for "0" (Vu) playback, and adjust the record amps to that. It involves a lot of recording short segments of a test tone, rewinding, looking at your response, adjusting, and repeating until you get Record and Play to match exactly or as closely as possible. If you don't start with a calibration reference tape, you're really shooting in the dark. Without a legit calibration reference tape to start the process, you may somehow get the meters to hit "0" and still be wildly out of wack. Home calibration is a tech's thing or DIY'er's thing, but either way you should have some technical expertise and proceed methodically. I'm sorry if some of that is redundant.
