Do you have a favourite cassette deck?

[dauphine]

Here's one of mine. It was a dusty flea market item - literally laying flat in the dust, face down. It took a while to get it going again. When the first part of cleaning was done, I played it for a few months and then gave it a complete stripdown and fitted new belts and new illumination and it hasn't missed a beat since then.

Almost zero hiss as I seldomly use its Dolby facilities.

andre

[dauphine]

Here's another. IMO a tour de force in 70's micro-electronics. I bought it from a place nearby called Just Junk. Its belts had turned to sticky goo and took many hours to clean the mess. Some kind soul had also left some leaky AAA cells inside

I'm happy to report it is in good health once more and sounds amazing. I sometimes play it through my big Kenwood KA-701 to bamboozle visitors They can't believe it's this tiny thing playing.

andre[img width=800

[richard]

That Aiwa portable looks nice with its flywheels.

My own favorite cassette deck is from Dual. Very expensive bi-directional machine with excellent LED meters. But a bit cantankerous. I have no idea where to buy a replacement head for it...the wear is catching up. My late technician bent the auto-stop revolving aluminum optical control plate. Ouch!

[Rotsch]

I have a Kenwood KX-880D ......worx a treat !!  

Just like this....



Bought for 50€ from a friend......

I'd never, ever expected my old tapes to sound in THAT way !!!  Quiet GREAT !!  

[dauphine]

That Aiwa portable looks nice with its flywheels.

My own favorite cassette deck is from Dual. Very expensive bi-directional machine with excellent LED meters. But a bit cantankerous. I have no idea where to buy a replacement head for it...the wear is catching up. My late technician bent the auto-stop revolving aluminum optical control plate. Ouch!

Lovely machines. Kenwood ist gut!

@ Richard

Maybe Rotsch has a solution for you? Tapeheads are fairly easy to replace. I learned a trick from the Tandberg's owners manual on how to set bias with a partially cut open cassette.

andre

[floppybootstomp]

I'd love to get my hands on a Pioneer 2020 silver front loader again but I suspect that's a nostalgia thing, I used one of those for many years before it bit the dust for good.

Currently using a NAD 613 (love it) and a Yamaha 393 (s'ok, does the job).

Neither are used for recording, the NAD is purely for playback on main system, the Yamaha is for converting old cassettes to Digital.

In a previous employment I've fitted dozens of heads to cassette decks, as these were used by schools and colleges the only criteria for a new head was that it physically fitted and that it worked, no consideration was given to bias matching or seriously technical considerations.

Having said that, every replacement head sounded ok to me and we never had a complaint.

I wonder also, had I known then what I know now, whether or not I could have saved my old Pioneer 2020. Probably could have

[zwarte-romantiek]

Here's another. IMO a tour de force in 70's micro-electronics. I bought it from a place nearby called Just Junk. Its belts had turned to sticky goo and took many hours to clean the mess. Some kind soul had also left some leaky AAA cells inside

I'm happy to report it is in good health once more and sounds amazing. I sometimes play it through my big Kenwood KA-701 to bamboozle visitors They can't believe it's this tiny thing playing.

andre[img width=800

What is the AIWA type? Is it all metal?
Looking great

I have two cassette decks. One is a PIONEER CT-3000 - with the round glass scales. And the other a GRUNDIG CF-5500 belonging to my GRUNDIG set.

Niels

[dauphine]

Hello Niels

It's an HS -G600 and mostly all metal. I believe there's a higher-specced and more sought-after Aiwa model as well. I'm not sure but I think that one is an HS-G800.

Here's the front and back.

Regds

andre

[fetteler]

These are really great machines - I've always wanted one, you've made me think that maybe I should start to keep my eyes open

The cassette machine which I have had and used very happily for around thirty years now is a now is a Sony Walkman WM-D6C. Absolutely superb and capable of first rate performance, better than most full size machines.




Steve.

[williamsunique]

I can remember reading rave reviews about the Tandberg TCD 310 when it first hit the market.  I wanted one back then, but I didn't have the finances.

Paul

[fetteler]

I can remember reading rave reviews about the Tandberg TCD 310 when it first hit the market.  I wanted one back then, but I didn't have the finances.

Paul

You and me both Paul, I wonder if we are of a similar vintage?

Steve.

[dauphine]

Hi Fetteler

Your Sony is c'est magnifique.

Thanks for showing it.

andre

[autobayer]

Great thread.
I had such a Tandberg, loved it, did have such a Kenwood for a long time and used it max and now have, what I always wanted 

[fetteler]

Hi Fetteler

Your Sony is c'est magnifique.

Thanks for showing it.

andre

Andre, confession time the picture is not mine - I'm away from home at the moment so I just copied a pic from the web. However, I'll take a photo of the real thing when I get home. I have taken very good care of it even though it has done a lot of work over the years.

Sorry if I have mislead you.

Steve.

PS What about the Studers? The A/B710??

[dauphine]

No problem at all, Steve

I do have some RtoR's as well - 2 Nagras. A 4.2 and a model E. Both mono but for convenience, the cassette players are tops.

Regds

andre