advertisement


Who still uses a cassette deck

The first machine I spent money on was a £20 mono Grundig CR355 piano key machine, which was in fact much better than most of its type. I attached this to my Grundig Satellit radio to record John Peel shows in the 1980s.

I made a fair few "romantic" mixtapes with my dad's Dual C814 as well as more Peel tapes.

Next up was a Denon DR-M07 which got pounded through the late 80s and early 90s, recording the best bits from time-shifted VHS Hifi Peel shows.
It was eventually replaced by a DRM-555 by which time I was starting to concentrate on music recorded on CDR.

Then for some years I barely used the Denon to record the last time being 2006/2007 for a pause button mixtape from some radio shows.

Then I had my epiphany, discovered the John Peel show digitisation scene, and I was on my way! I decided to buy a used Nak BX300, the best deck I've ever owned. All the old tapes came back out. and got converted to flac and high bit rate mp3, and even the ones recorded on the £20 Grundig sounded very good compared to most of the stuff on Youtube! And I've had over 100 Peel tapes sent to me to digitise for the greater good.

So things have turned full circle for me, and just listening to all of those old Peel shows has got me buying Vinyl records once again.

Some of the stuff out there on the humble C90 is absolute irreplaceable golddust so there is a place for the technology. So please don't throw out those old radio shows!

Stuart
 
weatherman22 said:
...I've had over 100 Peel tapes sent to me to digitise for the greater good.
Stuart
Click to expand...

Yes, I have some Peel cassettes, but I just don't seem to have much time these days. Is it possible to get hold of some of these digitised programmes?

I did join the Yahoo user group, but to be honest I've not participated as yet.

I myself have a Nakamichi 600 and I was playing Zappa's Roxy & Elsewhere on it yesterday; really excellent sound quality. Trouble is, that the play tripping problem out is getting worse, I guess it needs a new set of belts, but there is no one to service them these days. I have a manual, so I'll get around to it sometime.
 
wylton said:
Yes, I have some Peel cassettes, but I just don't seem to have much time these days. Is it possible to get hold of some of these digitised programmes?

I did join the Yahoo user group, but to be honest I've not participated as yet.

I myself have a Nakamichi 600 and I was playing Zappa's Roxy & Elsewhere on it yesterday; really excellent sound quality. Trouble is, that the play tripping problem out is getting worse, I guess it needs a new set of belts, but there is no one to service them these days. I have a manual, so I'll get around to it sometime.
Click to expand...

The John Peel Wikia is where the old shows are documented and there are links to the shows themselves where available. The Yahoo group is for the general chat, discussion about projects, new discoveries etc. Good luck with the deck, there's plenty of stuff over at Tapeheads forum if you haven't found it already, and hopefully see you over there Yahoo group some time!
Stuart
 
TDK SA 100's up for grabs in the classifieds citizens.:) Nowt to do with me but may be worthwhile.
 
I saw those is it.

A bit sceptical for lengths > 45 mins a side, a bit towards 120, which are thin and stretchy.

Lots of SA90s on EBay, and metal ones from J. Hutch Esq.

DS
 
Mignun said:
Ah, the LX-3 is a lovely machine. So very under-rated too. I'm always pleasantly surprised at just how close mine comes in sound quality to my ZX-9. Uses the classic Nak dual capstan transport too. I doubt there has ever been a better 2 head deck.
Click to expand...

I just picked up an LX-3 yesterday....there's a lot going on inside is'nt there ?
Loads of crap around the head area, looks like a hamster got in and hibernated there. Will it make my existing tapes sound better or is that reserved to tapes made on said machine ?
 
Mike,

whether it will make your existing tapes sound better will depend on a whole variety of variables; for one, how well set-up was the recorder (eq, azimuth etc..) and how well set-up is the LX3? If it hasn't been fiddled with then you'll most likely be Ok as Nak set up their decks very well. Give the heads, capstan, pinch roller and running surfaces a very thorough clean. Then demagnetise the metal parts that contact the tape. When were the belts last changed? There are a few of them in there but the one that most often goes is for the cam that engages the head block. The grease can harden up making the job more difficult and the result is that the head block won't engage fully any more (you'll still hear the cam motor whirring away in vain).

If somebody has fiddled around with the azimuth, head height, or any of the internal pots then all bets are off. You will need a Nak tech to realign the deck properly, and they may as well change all the belts at the same time - not cheap! Just pray your deck doesn't have orange cap disease either... I have two ZX-9s that have recently succumbed and now await an expensive trip to B&W - at least £500.

Anyway, getting back to the original question, assuming your previous deck used a similar EQ then the biggest difference will probably be down to azimuth differences - as I say Naks were usually very well set up here from the factory and it's one reason (among a number) as to why Naks always seem to get the best from pre-recorded tapes. The pressure pad lifter on the LX-3 head is a big help here too.
 
Mignun said:
(you'll still hear the cam motor whirring away in vain).
Click to expand...

Thanks for your interest.

Absolutely right...that was the first problem I encountered. I nudged the large plastic toothed wheel and that set it off. I think it just needed using a bit to free it up. Internally it looks lovely. There is a small wheel that does not have a belt on it. Its low down, for right of the transport. Don't what it does.

How does the orange cap problem manifest ?
 
Yes, useage helps but ultimately it will need a new set of belts and a re-lube. Not difficult if you're patient and methodical, but takes time and can be a bit fiddly. Just make sure you don't undo anything that will change head height, tensions or azimuth (assuming all these haven't been messed up by a previous owner). Vintage Electronics can supply the belts you need along with a SM for a reasonable price and they ship fast to the UK from the US. Otherwise there's Marrs who provide great belts but are invariably more expensive.

Orange cap disease can strike anywhere there's an orange cap. As an example I have three Naks currently so afflicated; a 480Z that plays fine but won't record a signal to tape or erase. A ZX-9 with noise like rustling on one channel during playback - intermittent, so doubly annoying. And a ZX-9 with a bad cap on the motor control board so starts off playing fine then gradually slows down.

The two ZX-9s are well worth spending the money for a full B&W service - top examples are still highly prized and sought after. Demand for the very best never wanes. The 480Z though makes less sense, so I may do a DIY job on this. It's very similar in many ways to the LX3 and a fine deck - 2 heads, but with dual capstan, pressure pad lifter etc..
 
Nakamichi 700 II & TEAC V-1050, both 3 Head Cassette Decks.
However, since the arrival of MP3, I can't really say that I use either of them any longer.
 
I still happily flit between LP, CD or tape listening on my Nak BX-300 with no loss of enjoyment. Played some Ole Hojer Hansen t'other day - sounded superb from tape
 
I have always used cassettes. Recently, I treated myself to a Nak 1000ZXL
It's a beast but needs a service.

B&W won't service this model, any ideas who can?
 
If Bowers and Wilkins can't help then your best bet here is ES Labs in Connecticut USA, who are reputedly the best anywhere and one of your only options for something like a 1000ZXL. A big job though. Would be wise to replace all of the orange caps - there are loads of them! Prepare to spend a good four figure sum, but it'll be worth that once restored.

If that's a bridge too far, then you might want to check out ANT Audio in London (a real cassette head) and see what he has to say.
 
I haven't for a while may be be doing so soon. A retrograde step in many peoples opinion but it's horses for courses and it may be the right solution for what I need.

Many years ago I had various cassette decks, my favourite being a Denon which was able to make awsome recordings on TDK SA90 tapes. I even had some people disbelieve I could have been palying music on cassette until I demonstrated it was indeed cassette they were listening to.

Ah, happy memories.
 
Listened to more of my old tapes today. Mostly Maxell UD C90. Thye are like a snapshot of my stereo at that time and I must say that the sounds isn't bad at all. Esepcially the recordings of concerts (many live) from the radio are excellent. Good dynamics and crisp sound and the tapes are 35 years old! I might even transfer them to FLACs.
I also found a batch of unopened TDK SA and AR-X...
And later today I started looking for a Revox R2R ;-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top