[milford3]

Remember the 8 track?

[SET Man]

Hey!

    Yes, I still have some old tapes with musics from my childhood. Here is my story back in 2008 when I opened a box full of old tapes that have been sitting in closet for many years...

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=51721.0
   
    I still have the Nakamichi 1000 in my system...



    Still works but can use a some tune up. I rarely use it but once in a while I would put in some of the old tapes I have. It is a wonderful experience to hear those old tunes I grew up with sometime. But I do get a bit worry every time I play those tape thinking that the tape might get eaten or break and etc.

    My plan was to digitize them but haven't got around to do so. But recently last year I picked up a '90s vintage 3-heads JVC TD-V662 from Salvation Army store... sorry no picture yet. It works fine and in great condition, except one scratch on the display. So, I might make tape-to-tape copy and use the copy, still figuring out what tape and bias setting to use. It sound fine but it can't hold a candle to the much older Nakamichi 1000 deck. Actually I have no idea how good cassette play back can sound until I heard them through the Nakamichi 1000. 

   I don't think cassette will ever come back but there will be some people like myself with old tapes and like to listen to them once in a while. Still surprisingly you can still buy a brand spanking new tape deck...   

http://www.jr.com/teac/pe/TEA_W890R/

   Thanks Teac 

Take care,
Buddy

[medium jim]

Thanks Buddy, but try to find decent High Bias Tape for it...

Jim

[PRELUDE]

Hey!

    Yes, I still have some old tapes with musics from my childhood. Here is my story back in 2008 when I opened a box full of old tapes that have been sitting in closet for many years...

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=51721.0
   
    I still have the Nakamichi 1000 in my system...



    Still works but can use a some tune up. I rarely use it but once in a while I would put in some of the old tapes I have. It is a wonderful experience to hear those old tunes I grew up with sometime. But I do get a bit worry every time I play those tape thinking that the tape might get eaten or break and etc.

    My plan was to digitize them but haven't got around to do so. But recently last year I picked up a '90s vintage 3-heads JVC TD-V662 from Salvation Army store... sorry no picture yet. It works fine and in great condition, except one scratch on the display. So, I might make tape-to-tape copy and use the copy, still figuring out what tape and bias setting to use. It sound fine but it can't hold a candle to the much older Nakamichi 1000 deck. Actually I have no idea how good cassette play back can sound until I heard them through the Nakamichi 1000. 

   I don't think cassette will ever come back but there will be some people like myself with old tapes and like to listen to them once in a while. Still surprisingly you can still buy a brand spanking new tape deck...   

http://www.jr.com/teac/pe/TEA_W890R/

   Thanks Teac 

Take care,
Buddy

Nothing will ever come close to NAKAMICHI 1000. I had most of them including the goldZXL limited.Not even DRAGON was my favorite one but after 1000,the second best one was my NAKAMICHI 582Z which I sold it 3 years ago in mint condition with original box and demagneteiser .The only best cassette players beside the NAKAMICHI was LENCO C2003 and REVOX B215.Both had a very nice playback but could not record as good as NAKAMICHI.
http://www.naks.com/

[martyo]

I used a JVC DD-7. I would record the Grateful Dead Hour every week. Then when I got moved to the night shift I needed an auto-reverse deck to record the whole hour. At the time I was listening through the Platinums with a TFM-75 so I bought the Carver TDR-1500.



Mostly used Maxell MX-S 60's, but for a time was using FUJI FR-60's. I still use the DD7 (always sounded better than the Carver) for the Dead show tapes in the shed with KLH-17's and TFM-25 and C-16.

[SteveFord]

That TDR-1500 is the one I used to have and was what I was looking for when I got the 1700.  I couldn't remember the model number.
I really liked the auto reverse and headphone jack features on that one and mine worked flawlessly for years.
It had some sort of an auto track finding feature which I never could get to work, though. 
I had a cheapie Nakamichi right before that and that thing was in the shop like clockwork.  I finally had enough and chucked it into a dumpster!
I remember it made a rather satisfying noise!
Then CDs came out, I bought a gazillion of them and stopped listening to music for the fun of it for many years.

[Bemopti123]

I still have two tape decks, a NAD 6300 that had Dynec circuitry like the Tangbergs of the late 1980s...three head, but now, it has the mania of eating tapes.

http://www.vintagecassette.com/nad/6300

The other is a somewhat rare Pioneer Elite CT-43, 3 head, Dolby B, C and S, as well as a trim feature.  This one is a true computerized device that was bias automatically to the most optimal setting for recording. 

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/171074-pioneer_elite_ct43_cassette_deck/images/215256/

The quality of the tapes produced by the CT is astonishing.  It still plays but I think it needs a tune up.

Talking about this, does ANYONE know of a reasonable and reliable shop where I can take these decks for repair and tune ups around here in Queens or LI? 

Thanks.


PS: Tape decks and recording setups, I remember were an art...the biasing of tape and the gain to be recorded.  Guessing how much gain would be acceptable and making sure that it would not pass a certain range, to prevent distortion.  If too being too careful with gain, the recording would be too low and thus prone to excessive hiss, recording noise.  I fondly remember doing all the measurements in order to prepare recordings.  Moreover, spending a good 1-2 hours minimum selecting the CDs or LPs with all the tracks to be recorded in the tape.  Oh, the calculation of how many tracks would fit in each side. 

BTW, I was never into AutoReverse tapedecks especially due to the likely hood of misalignment of the heads when it turned.  I could hear a tape that was recorded in a misaligned tapedeck. 

Paul
 

[SteveFord]

If you're willing to ship and can talk them into shipping them back, you could try
http://www.harrisburgradiolab.com/

You could also PM Avnerdguy to see if he could help you out.

I can't help with a local Queen,  NY place.

[won ton on]

PRELUDE.......Weren't the Tanderg's good decks back in the day.I remember looking at them,the revox and wound up getting a Nak zx-9

[rollo]

If you're willing to ship and can talk them into shipping them back, you could try
http://www.harrisburgradiolab.com/

You could also PM Avnerdguy to see if he could help you out.

I can't help with a local Queen,  NY place.

   I hope you meant Queens. A local Queen ???   


charles

[SteveFord]

Oops.
Yeah, I can't help you with either Queens or a Queen.
I did hear an old Freddie Mercury cut on the headphones before I conked out for a power nap, speaking of Queens.

[mix4fix]

[SteveFord]

That is classic, thanks!

[PRELUDE]

PRELUDE.......Weren't the Tanderg's good decks back in the day.I remember looking at them,the revox and wound up getting a Nak zx-9

Yes it was.
But you got the ZX-9 which is much better and I think the revox was a bit over priced.

[PRELUDE]

[bummrush]

Coming from a small town with no music stores . At 16 I still remember  riding my bike 10 to 15 miles each way to buy 8 tracks.Even better is i think two tapes I remember buying we're best of James Gang and a Cream 8 track.

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

Thanks Buddy, but try to find decent High Bias Tape for it...

Jim

Sorry, I'd not go for any high bias cassette tapes (chromium dioxide coated) as I've found the music recorded sounds like chrome plated - metally bright.

Since day one decades back, I've been taping music from radio broadcasts using ferrous oxide coated low bias tapes, not because they sell cheaper, the music so recorded sounds more musical & more balanced.

Not all ferrous tapes sound very good, my only choice was Maxell ML1S, nothig else.

c-J

[FullRangeMan]

Not to mention the temperamental DAT tapes and the stillbirth DCC tape, another trap for audiophiles from Philips.
In the 90s I used Maxwell & Sony DDS 90M DAT(model DG90MA) tapes to backup files daily in a W-NT server, and these tapes lasts only two weeks without datacheck, and if one had a drop on floor or table it dont work anymore, the driver server dont recongnize the tape.

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

Audio electronics advances with time. Our grandpa's old tube tabletop radios (I collected a couple), now evolved to digital home theatre receivers & HD tube amps. The then well known 'walkman' now transformed to MP3 type video/audio players.

So I've joined this meainstream fun. I am now ripping my favourite music from vinly records, cassette tapes, CD-A, CD-R & DVD to MP3 format in a thumb USB charger using a DVD burner + a special PC software.

So I can bring hundreds of classical & pop music soundtracks in a small 8Gb USB stick with me & listen via a
USB reader wherever I go. An excellent companion on trip.

c-J

 

[medium jim]

Hi.
Audio electronics advances with time. Our grandpa's old tube tabletop radios (I collected a couple), now evolved to digital home theatre receivers & HD tube amps. The then well known 'walkman' now transformed to MP3 type video/audio players.

So I've joined this meainstream fun. I am now ripping my favourite music from vinly records, cassette tapes, CD-A, CD-R & DVD to MP3 format in a thumb USB charger using a DVD burner + a special PC software.

So I can bring hundreds of classical & pop music soundtracks in a small 8Gb USB stick with me & listen via a
USB reader wherever I go. An excellent companion on trip.

c-J

The Western Electric Company got it right as far as tube amplification back in the 40's and really hasn't been approved upon.  I'm sure many will disagree, that's fine, we all are entitled to our opinions. The McIntosh 275, Marantz model's 8&9, HK Citation and several others from the late 50's and early 60's are still viable and desirable today.

I also embrace many of the technological marvels, but still derive much love for vintage.  You will not find better tuners than the old tube analog ones. 

Jim