Tascam 122MKIII

[theblackBay]

looking for some info RE; has anyone used it.

is this machine very noisy?

should i buy one .... for any purpose really?

 

[theblackBay]

Also

AS i just went back to the Tascam Site and they don't list this any longer

any other alternative products that have similar aspects?

 

[Cosmic]

BB,

I have the Tascam 112 Mk2 which is the little brother to the 122. I have used the 122 in a broadcast environment. I can wholeheartedly recommend both of them. They are both built on the same frame and the key differences is the 122 has 3 heads, and 3 motors. Good solid machinery, and good sound. Look at the info below that I lifted from an EBay ad.

It depends, I suppose, on what you want to do with it.
Do you need a machine just to play your old cassettes on or for test dubs of your mixes? The 112 is excellent for that. For more critical applications, the 122 will then be the better choice.

In the "how well things were built" department:
My first 'real' cassette deck was the Teac 410, and it was in fact a civilian version of the 112/122, built on the same frame. It lasted me 20 years. Flawless performance.



From EBay ad:
(Quote)
Description
The 122MKIII is the industry standard for production and broadcast facilities. Tascam\'s best cassette deck features smooth faultless tape handling mechanisms, a 3-head transport with high-performance Cobalt Amorphous record and playback heads, and precision servo direct-drive capstan motors. The 122MKIII also has convenience built in, with bias controls right on the front panel, as well as oscillators on board. The 122MKIII is the very best available. Very high standards of reproduction quality are possible from cobalt amorphous record / play heads in Tascam’s top-of-the range pro rack-mountable cassette recorder. The industry standard professional studio cassette deck.

Balanced XLR analogue I/O
Independent head azimuth adjustment
Level and bias trim
On-board oscillator
Dolby B/C & HX Pro
3-point auto locate function
±12% pitch control
Parallel port for remote control
3U rack-mountable
The 122 MKIII is the de-facto industry standard professional mastering and broadcast cassette deck, and with good reason. Few products receive this much attention to detail during every aspect of the production. The tape handling on the 122 MKIII was designed from the ground up for optimum performance. The FG Servo Direct Drive Capstan is used exclusively on this unit, providing the smoothest tape handling of any deck on the market. This results the best wow and flutter characteristics available. Cobalt amorphous record and play heads were designed specifically for this deck, offering the excellent sound quality and longer life.

Plus, more convenience features were added to this deck. The LA-112 balancing kit, optional on other Professional Series decks, is standard equipment on the 122 MKIII. Gear/clutch coupled input controls allow easier setting of input levels. Built-in oscillators and front panel bias controls allow you to easily adjust your 122 MKIII for optimal performance with various tape brands and types.

Like the other Professional Series decks, the 122 MKIII also has a parallel remote port with fader start function and status tallies, making it a perfect fit for broadcast and recording studios. It also has the input monitor selectors, MPX filters, Dolby NR and HX Pro, and the rest of the pro functions desired by professionals.

Main Features:
3 head design (cobalt amorphous record and play heads)
Advanced FG servo direct drive capstan motor
Hysteresis tension servo control for optimum tape handling
Precision L/R channel VU meter w/peak LEDs
Dolby B/C and HX Pro noise reduction
MPX filter
Built-in tone oscillators
±12% pitch control with clear on/off switch
Gear/clutch coupled input level controls
Headphone output with level control
Front panel line inputs (L/R)
Convenient front panel BIAS calibration controls
Auto-Input monitor selector
Cue and review function
Fader start function
Zero return stop/play and cue point stop/rewind loop functions
Parallel control port
XLR +4dBm and RCA -10dBm input/outputs
19" rack-mountable chassis


Specifications:
Heads - 3 (1 Erase, 1 Record, 1 Playback)
Tape speed - 4.75 cm/s
Pitch control - ±12%
Wow and flutter - ±0.04%
Overall frequency response (-20 dB, ±3 dB)
Metal - 25 Hz - 20 kHz
CrO2 - 25 Hz - 19 kHz
Normal - 25 Hz - 17 kHz

Signal-to-noise ratio
without noise reduction - >60 dB
Dolby B enabled, above 5 kHz - >70 dB
Dolby C enabled, above 1 kHz - >80 dB

Line inputs
XLR, +6 dBm, 10 kOhm, balanced
RCA, -10 dBV, 20 kOhm, unbalanced
6.3-mm jacks, -10 dBV, 20 kOhm, unbalanced

Line outputs
XLR, +6 dBm, 600 Ohm, balanced
RCA, -10 dBV, 100 Ohm, unbalanced

Headphones output
6.3 mm stereo jack, 100 mW, 8 Ohm

Power consumption - 23 W
(End Quote)


Best,
C.

 

[theblackBay]

Thanks for the info Cosmic

yes i think the MarkIII would be the way to go..

excellent to hear about you having good performance from the machine.

i think i will get myself one just as soon as i can.

only Problem is in Australia here we are a long way from anything and it weighs in at 8.9 KGs pheew at least not 30kg i suppose (the Teac 3340).

i can only guess at what shipping from the States or the Uk would be?

I’m thinking about $250.00
probably more even.

 

[Cosmic]

BB,

Since you mentioned worries about shipping to Aus. I did a calculation at the USPS site, based on a 20-lbs package from the US (that should be about the 9 kilos of the machine with packing):



International Services


Rate charts and complete information for Australia
Mailing Services (Show Dimensions) Estimated Delivery Time * Post Office Price Online Price
Global Express Guaranteed®
See Service Guide Before Mailing 1 - 3 Days Calculate Calculate
Express Mail® International
(Calculate Guaranteed Date) 5 Days $101.75 $93.61
Priority Mail® International 6 - 10 Days $92.00 $87.40
Priority Mail® Flat Rate Box 6 - 10 Days $37.00 $35.15
*Designed to be delivered in the number of business days specified for each service depending on origin and destination.

Not cheap, but, unless I have made a mistake, not as terrible as you thought.

http://ircalc.usps.gov/default.aspx?Mode=Intl_Single&CID=10013

Good Luck,
C.

 

[theblackBay]

wow thanks for doing that!

that helps me out a lot.

yeah I’d really like to have a look at this, can i ask you one last question?

When it is next convenient can you look at the back of your device and tell me if they have one of those 120-240 voltage selector switches i saw one in the states but noticed the back states only 120v?

being that is the right voltage for the US.

thanks again I’m really keen to get one of these machines i can't believe Tascam stopped making them.. since i looked i see they seem to be the mainstay of production and commercial studio's.

 

[Cosmic]

BB,

I don't believe they offered the 122 with selectable voltage in the US models (my 112 doesn't have it either.)
BTW, I saw that the exact official shipping weight is 23.2 pounds (assuming that is in its original box) so use the link I gave you to calculate exact shipping.

A bit of a stretch, but you might get lucky with a 122 from Europe or the Middle East; I know that often they come with a choice of voltages. I bought a cassette deck (consumer model) in Cairo and it had both 110 and 220 available. Not to suggest you go there to get one , just letting you know they may be out there.

Good Luck,
C.

 

[theblackBay]

Thanks again Cosmic.

i'll look into that, strange about the voltage oh well.

thanks.