Dual C-844: A fabulous tape deck with double speed!

[@anadialog]

ERRATA CORRIGE: The two motors of the C844 are dedicated to the cassette transport operations. The double speed is obtained simply increasing the velocity of the same two motors.

[@jeremytravis360]

Thank you. I was a Dual dealer when this tape deck came out. I was going to point that fact out. Thanks for the correction. Jeremy Travis Formerly Teletape London.

[@AlexMGM]

@Sannesthesia Do you know if both capstans/flywheels are the same of there should be some dimentional difference?

[@pnnielsen]

Correct! This is the case with so many other decks out there too. A whole slew of Technics brand cassette decks have 2 motors. One precise speed motor dedicated to drive the capastan only and another motor for other tasks like winding the tape forward/backward. ALSO, the tape speed is changed by changing the speed of the capastan motor. The other motor does not change.

[@normandomarcolongo7438]

I took the plunge and bought a cassette deck almost one year ago. Now I have vinyl and cassettes both spinning happily making me happy.

[@anadialog]

Good job man!!

[@iscmiscm]

I have wanted Dual cassette deck for ages ever since a friend showed me one. Now I want this model. I always found it super cool that you could grab a tape while it was playing.

[@nickbitten6037]

Nice to see cassette decks on your programme. Tape is most certainly not dead.

[@anadialog]

More coming!

[@SHG-LA97]

Hello ANA[DIA]OG, thank you for a great introduction. I bought the C844 sometime around 1981/82... 1200DM / 600Euro was a lot of money. I bought the C844 for my choir recordings. In an AB test (C844 against HIFI video recorder (3000DM)), the C844 was equal. (C844: double speed, Dolby C and pure iron cassette)... Of course the video tape / with helical track was unbeatably cheaper... The whole thing was topped off with my ASC6002S and the Super-D noise reduction system from Sanyo. However, that was a different league and an 1100m tape for 60DM was quickly sold at 38 / half track. I still have the C844 today. LG Manny

[@anadialog]

Nice!👍🏻

[@DrNoahBoddy004]

You are most fortunate my friend, that 844 is a fabulous unit that can well hold its own among the giants. Thank you very much for reminding us how truly special it is!

[@JohnRussellHodge_progtwit]

I had a C-844 in the 80s but lost it in a house fire. Could tape UK Radio 3 broadcasts and from my Linn, Ittok, Asak without any appreciable loss from the original source. Beautifully engineered and a joy to use.

[@HamtaroEL]

RIP C-844.

[@ju6452]

It is one of the best decks ever made. Looking for one, too😊.

[@jamesslick4790]

Even given losses from hearing this on KZbin, I'm impressed that Type 1 can sound THAT good at either speed! I actually think that the double speed DID sound better. I (being an old open reel guy..) never understood why more cassette decks did not have speed options.

[@anadialog]

Exactly! Try this test: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqWslXp6oJmaZq8

[@nuznikas]

More speed means more bandwith and hi frequancies

[@jamesslick4790]

Yes, And that's why I always wondered why there was not an option for at least 3.75 ips for Cassette as a standard "thing" like it was for Open reel. @@nuznikas

[@hermanmunster3358]

Try recording at both speeds WITHOUT Dolby C. The higher speed should capture all the dynamics, with naturally lower tape noise, but without the slightly compressed character that Dolby C usually creates in a recording.

[@precinct1baltimorecountyre588]

I have 1 of those. I sold my lenco turntable. Tried selling the cassette to the guy he wasnt interested. Now im glad

[@dobermanguy9437]

Nice cassette deck I always love Vu meters they just look so cool

[@zsigmondfoldessy8785]

Long live the cassette !!! (and reel to reel) I listen to cr-4 (without Dolby) and A77. Wonderful sounds. Sorry bad english!

[@TheMagicStar80]

Yes cassette decks are amazing even though most people do not use them anymore since the digital era but nothing can be compared to a good sounding analog tape. I prefer the AKAI GX and GXC and Sony ES and AIWA ADF- models as they touch my pleasure ear buds when listening through any of the mentioned brands.

[@anadialog]

Great decks! Congrats!

[@TheMagicStar80]

@@anadialog Thanks!

[@socksumi]

That higher speed makes a huge difference. I heard it on an old BIC two speed deck. Dynamics, detail, distortion, frequency extension all much better on tapes recorded at 2X speed.

[@shannonpattenthetexasbb]

The dial lights up beautiful

[@timothystevenhoward]

your audio quality on your youtube videos is excellent, and I really appreciate it. thank you!

[@elk3909]

i just got a sony tc k81 for 500$ and because i record all my tapes at high speed i modded the speed regulater circuit by bypassed the speed controls limiting resistor 100K and putting in a pot with a much higher resistance from 150k to 250k now the deck can play and record anywhere from .5X all the way up to 4 times normal run speed. it sounds amazing and im considering changing the values of the bandwidth limiting capacitors to i crease bandwidth.

[@anadialog]

Cool! If you were able to install a 2 track head it would probably blow anything else out of the water!

[@DANIELTHIBAULTchannel]

nice looking! remember a alpage!

[@olaniyi570]

The selector for pure chrome (European) and cobalt doped (Japanese) type 2s is awesome. Probably the only deck that had this capability. I want one!

[@anadialog]

True, the sound impresses me everytime I use it...outstanding!

[@TheLtData]

Nice tape deck! I think Techmoan will love this!

[@2011RAIMONDS]

Instructive and easy understanding perfect video. I like your moto- the music was born analogue despite nowadays everything is almost digital even original master records.

[@jasbirvirk9769]

I still love tape player,recorder and turn table.good video.thx.keep up

[@stackoverflow8260]

Now, i really want this deck! But they are upwards of 1000$ . Thanks to you, i have Yamaha K 1000, KX 1200, C300, and a Technics RS B905 decks 😂😅😂. I played my Technics at a local audio show and people were surprised! Didn't use NR, only Chrome tape.

[@NuGanjaTron]

I remember seeing this deck in their '83 catalogue and being quite impressed -- at least on paper. Never saw one firsthand tho. We had a mediocre sounding C939 in the 70s which gaves us a lot of grief. The C844 is clearly a superior machine! Oh, and I still regularly spin my Dual 701, their first direct drive turntable. 😊

[@savvassidiropoulos5952]

I like this deck. So much, that I have two of these. I have to disagree about the performance difference between normal and high speed. Especially with ferric tapes, the higher speed transforms the performance to a level that becomes truly amazing. Perhaps the source of the content you tried didn't contain much high frequencies but with content that has a high dynamic range and high frequency content, the differences become pretty apparent. And if you forget about the built-in dolby and use dbx, then the results are simply astonishing. No need to use metal tapes at high speed.

[@anadialog]

I agree, the content was frequency poor but with other types of music the results are more obvious. It is indeed a great machine and I fully agree about DBX, for that I have a dedicated deck! ;-)

[@knilesdharlem4804]

I have Dual C-816, which is less capable but still very good, high quality deck, and it is made in Japan strangely!

[@alcoholisfreedrink]

This one is rare but very very beautiful!

[@izwanshaari9854]

I have to admit that the recording does sound really good. I never expected this kind of quality from Dual's gear tbh.

[@natanpierce495]

Had NAD decks most of my life, I now own a Harman Kardon deck, very happy with it.

[@VIDSTORAGE]

I have never seen a deck with 6 tape selections and the FECR tape is very good from what I have read on tape forums ..

[@anadialog]

I know! Its a great deck, even without calibrating settings...at an affordable price!

[@montana01971]

amazing isn't it?

[@rico5870]

Hey mate, I want to just say thank you for this video! Couple of years ago I have seen this and then I have found one C-844 on sale for 130 NZ$ so I bought that and now two years later I'm owner of two beautiful C-844 who I had restored personally and now those are close to be perfectly restored.

[@paulgoudfrooij6561]

Nice vid. It might be nice to try this again with type IV tape, since it will mainly be the high frequencies that will improve with double speed.

[@anadialog]

True, several people ask for that. I will do that soon!

[@Jefferyscottgreer]

fantastic cassette deck . Sounds amazing too. never seen one with the hi speed feature, very cool

[@anadialog]

Jeff! Thanks for your comment. I just realized that I completely forgot to give you some feedback on your new album. I can only say that I love it. This one is shorter but it has a nice Latin-prog touch that reminds me of Santana. Great job!

[@Jefferyscottgreer]

ANA[DIA]LOG thanks man, I really appreciate it.

[@snakedude61]

I use a dual c820. Found it for 5$ at goodwill. Not sure how it compares to others but I love it.

[@arnoldtolker3505]

Ich hatte auch so einen! Ich habe ihn ca. Ende der 1980er an meine Stammkneipe verkauft! Dort lief er bis 2015 (!), bis mein Wirt mit 80 aufhörte und die Kneipe zu machte.

[@jakefiersing]

The few high frequency pasages of the singer were easy noticebly louder and higher in the faster recorded version .

[@nakamichi682zx]

Brilliant machine, very desirable. Great video BTW. The high speed recording seemed to provide slightly greater dynamics and cleaner vocals but on You Tube it's hardly a method of comparison. The Fox cassette is unexpectedly competent. Thanks a bunch!!

[@anadialog]

Thank you! I recently discovered that KZbin does not compress audio (even high-res) so that is why, this time, I did not add the tracks for download as usual.

[@francoisdallaire127]

@@anadialog For starters, KZbin does not play audio at 320kbps, even on the highest video resolution. It does not come even close to 320kbps. KZbin uses two types of audio formats - AAC (wrapped in an MP4 container) or Opus in a WebM container. For AAC, KZbin will play a maximum audio bitrate of around 126 kbps. For Opus, it can be between 56 kbps and 165 kbps. This is regardless of the audio source format being uploaded because KZbin will automatically re-encode videos to use their format. So even if you upload a video with 24/96 lossless audio, KZbin will convert it to 126 kbps AAC in an MP4 container

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

Dual made nice stuff, I have a turntable. This deck looks great!

[@anadialog]

How is the TT?

[@ngonnguaudionnaofficial6136]

Thank you for the very helpful video! I checked on yamaha ns10m studio, "double speed" for detailed and thick, wide, much warmer sound! the shaker on the left is clear and very realistic! vocals are also thicker and warmer! I think this is not a small difference!

[@revolvingtoto007]

lovely deck , i have a Dual c839rc auto reverse still going strong

[@anadialog]

Cool!

[@rossbeighed]

great sound

[@newborn8607]

Amazing!

[@LimbovitschHaim4Mir]

such wonders of architecture and their secret of creation are forever lost!

[@AleksandarGrozdanoski]

I had to change two pairs of headphones, but there is a difference. I loved double speed also for the visual effect. It gives a professional equipment feeling.

[@anadialog]

Trust me, very little in the video. I recorded headhunters by Herbie Hancock with chrome cassette and double speed and it blew me out my shoes!

[@AleksandarGrozdanoski]

@@anadialog well, that sounds like a good idea for a sequel to this video 😊

[@SangiTariq]

Great Tape Deck

[@LANCEofIRAQ]

Good job

[@jimgijbels9084]

Very nice thank you I own a DUAL c 846 and I love its looks and sound. I am 62 so for me the high speed is not really needed,./

[@calebwayte7122]

In the movie sixteen candles (1983-84) you can find a Dual and Nakamichi dragon in The Party of Jacke . In totally wasted conditions with tape tangled and all 😂

[@hirohidetokoro9423]

I'm a native Japanese so this is my first to see this your brand. Basically looks same as the decks of this decade which made in Japan.

[@Maxtutubo]

Dual is an vintage Hifi German company. In my country, Spain are famous for yours Phono turntables in the years 60-70. Sorry for my poor English. Bye. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_(brand)

[@artmanjohn2]

I still have my Nakamichi 682ZX Cassette Deck, I actually bought this deck in a pawn shop for 60 bucks when it just came out of pawn back in 1986. They had no idea what they had, I knew what it was, they thought it was just like all the other decks they had in their shop. This is a very high end deck that sold for just over 1600.00 bucks new back in 1986. Today they are still going for over 2200.00 bucks and up!

[@anadialog]

Great catch!

[@artmanjohn2]

I've got to do some maintenance work on this deck, it's not working right. Really haven't used it it much in the last few years but I feel that it's just the age of the deck and it's gonna need belts and/or rollers, cleaning, lubrication. I did manage to download a complete service manual on line for this deck, but the actual work might be above my expertise of experience. I also found all the belt and rollers on Ebay for the job. As you know, this deck is not your run of the mill tape deck, it got lots of critical moving parts! I did locate a technician that use to work for IBM, that just opened a local shop, any suggestions?

[@anadialog]

I live in Italy so I am not of big help I'm afraid! But yes, find a guy or a lab and send it over. It is definitely worth the investment.

[@artmanjohn2]

@@anadialog Thanks, I was thinking the same thing!

[@ImreBaracsi]

Vettem TECHNICS AZ-6, PIONEER CTF-850, 750, DUAL844, és sok fajtát. MINDET SZERETEM !! VINTAGE, van súlya, illata, történelme és története !!! ZENE örök és mindenkié !!!!!

[@TPOrchestra]

If you look closely at the frequency response graphs, at the slower speed the high frequency roll off starts around 12K and at the higher speed the roll off starts at 14K, so golden ears could tell a difference.

[@Nirky]

When one has a 3-hd deck, the best test of the tape & deck imho is to toggle back and forth between source & tape to listen to the differences during recording.

[@VAMIRACING]

nice vid! i was close to throw away my collection of tapes from the 80ies, assuming poor quality after decades, car use and because i never payed much attention to equipment and settings those years. this year i got me a harman kardon TD212 (1988-1991 in the 600 DM price range....so half the price of your C844) for 25 euro on ebay, just to check those tapes. the sound blew me away, much better than i remember (and obviously today i have better speaker and amp too) i can only agree with you that tapes DO sound good and i would add, you dont necessarily need a high end tape recorder such as the c844 to enjoy good music. definitively nice addition to vinyls.

[@user-do9vh3gi4z]

I like analog vu meter. Cool Deck.

[@marksphotoperry356]

Great test ! Amazing recording !

[@mikepxg6406]

Impressive.

[@motanu4280]

I love cassette decks and always use dolby C when recording and playing tapes!

[@colloidalsilverwater15ppm88]

Dolby C works great for me, on Pioneer deck. I forget the model.

[@birgerolofsson2347]

Nice! I MISS cassette decks!

[@mklstardust]

Make Tape Decks great again! Ues Tape Decks everyday!

[@anadialog]

🤣🤣

[@balazspfaffenbuchler5985]

Very nice design!

[@mangduardscercano3642]

excellent...

[@kforkrish]

I have Onkyo TA-2055 but if have Dual C-844, i may never use the double speed playback and record features since I mostly adore pre recording releases of cassette tapes but damn this piece of equipment is appearing super fabulous. And i kind of generating amusement for recording my own mixtapes in better quality. 😃

[@JAM7689mov]

Mi hai fatto sognare! Questa piastra è un capolavoro!

[@anadialog]

Grazie!

[@gotham61]

When Dual and BIC came out with their double speed decks, Nakamichi gave them a big middle finger by introducing the 680ZX, which delivered better performance than most decks, while running at half speed.

[@MrTmilovan]

I have Nak 680ZX and Dual C846, CC1462 (successors to C844) and to my ears Dual at high speed plays better than Nak at normal speed, when comparing at normal speed Nak is noticeably better, and at half speed Nak cannot compete with Dual (or itself) at normal speed. The sound quality just isn't there when recording at half speed, maybe good enough for speech or some radio shows, but nothing more demanding,.

[@rennethjarrett4580]

As you did state in the comments these two motors are for transport of the tape, not to make it double speed. Here is how and why this was done. As far as I know this idea started with the open reel-to-reel tape decks to lower wow and flutter problem, keeping tape speed very constant. However they used three motors. One for each reel and one to drive the capstan that pulled the tape across the heads. This meant that there was no possibility of any extra drag on the motor pulling the tape across the heads and meant a steady speed. Each reel motor was used at a lower voltage to pull up the slack and keep the tape from coming off the reel to easily, then it ran higher voltage on the RR or FF modes. For a cassette they just did not bother with the third motor to the full reel side but only used it for the take-up reel in play and rec mode and for other fast tape movements, and a separate motor for the capstan. Good demo ... I have a Sony two motor unit.

[@anadialog]

Top notch decks do have three motors, or even more! The Revox B215 has 4 and the Nakamichi Dragon 6, although some are used for extra features not for true transport...

[@rennethjarrett4580]

@@anadialog Found it: ONKYO Integra TA-2070 Cassette Tape Deck.

[@jameshanoomansing1442]

Great review, thanks. Just checked the going price on ebay: USD 1000 to 1500! Nakamichi price!

[@anadialog]

Woah! Use Hifishark for more results...

[@rennethjarrett4580]

Most people might not know this, but one of the problems with recording anything audio and video is compression. So this is even true in analog recording, that is the bigger reason why a faster speed sounds better. You can get the frequency response out of better tape but it is still compressed because of the speed of the recording. In the modern digital recordings to much compression (smaller file size) (lower speed, or less tape used) means part of the music will be lost or mushed together making it sound unclear or digitized. This often happens or is noticeable with orchestras or choirs in harmony, if it is compressed to small it is not clear and digital noise shows up. In the analog tape world it shows up mostly in the high frequencies as distortion or it is just lost. This is also why on a LP record the music with the most dramatic sound should be on the outside tracks, due to the speed of the record, most inches per second on the outside then in the middle. 8-track tape ran at 3 3/4 ips so they did have better sound because of that but the tracking problems and tape wear was a problem.

[@anadialog]

Lp records have a constant speed from the beginning to the end...what do you mean?

[@rennethjarrett4580]

@@anadialog Simple logic a larger pulley will make the other item it is driving spin faster, then a pulley of the same size or smaller. Larger gear to a smaller gear with variables the whole way through with different size gears. On a race track the inside is shorter the the outside so if you are always on the outside you have to run faster to keep up. Ariens used a friction disc system to make their walk behind machines have completely variable walking speed. See this video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipS3Xpaaqsx7las ; from 5:46 to 6:55. Just like a merry-go-round you get the faster ride on the outside then toward the center, yet the merry-go-round is running the same speed on the drive shaft.

[@ImreBaracsi]

Vettem ilyet !! KIRÁLY !!!!!!!!

[@anadialog]

Cool!!

[@Islandscout8]

I would think that the double speed would improve the SN ratio and MOL of higher frequencies of the audio material, and not necessarily the frequency response. During recording, decent decks utilize an EQ curve called "pre-emphasis" which is applied to counter the effects of self-erasure of high-frequency signals. High-frequency wave prints are so close together that they are in danger of cancelling out each other. With a higher tape speed, the prints are spaced further apart and the tape can hold a higher bandwidth before EQ is necessary. I would assume that the EQ during double speed isn't as drastic as the EQ during normal speed, and as such, the tape doesn't saturate and distort quite as easily.

[@bobjerome5390]

hi i got my tascam 238 working and the new re fit of the capstan motor take the 3 3/4 deck up to 7 1/2 and down to 1 7/8 i put in a 4000 rpm motir and did all the speed test's this is why a love the otari deck you can take the audio block heads of and go up and down on size of tape i will say i was lost for word;s at 7 1/2 the 238 sounds mind blowing it take a lot to take it down the audio gain i had to do alot of re tune as levels and eq have to be done if you can change over a motor to make it sound good do it i work on alot of deck over the years love your video's

[@Badassvidsz]

This a fantastic cassette deck i think one of the best decks ever by my opinion , i'd might be wrong but still ............. :-)

[@anadialog]

I'm with ya!

[@Badassvidsz]

@@anadialog Haha thank ya i like the ya there is also yo like yo man hahaha :-) Stay safe there dude here in Thessaloniki where i live the convid got worsen & worsen from such a save city it was :-(

[@anadialog]

Same here...it's Ike living in a sci-fi movie...

[@Badassvidsz]

@@anadialog I know from the news how bad is in Italy and indeed it's like a sci-fi movie as you said but who could believe it ......... my best wishes for all the world .

[@anadialog]

Stay safe!

[@illuwatar70]

Just a note about the motor setup of this deck - one motor is for capstan and the other one is used for the reels. The speed is set by the electronics driving it... Nice deck anyway - could be one to look for. Marantz did dual-speed decks too, the one I have (waiting for some repair) is the SD 3020. Would be nice to compare these two...

[@anadialog]

While I was saying it I knew it wasn't coming out properly, in fact I threw in a few 'in this case' 'also' etc...

[@shangyien]

Thanks for the informative video! You should add the very beautiful Braun Atelier C3 to the list, along with its ADS incarnation.

[@MrStarbor]

U a correct but forgot to mention mine - FISHER CR 4029 , 3 HEADS/DOUBLE SPEED/META/ FR.RESPONSE 30: 20khZ STANDARD AND INCREDIBLE 30:25khz (METAL)

[@anadialog]

Thanks for adding this to the list!

[@VintageAudioTech]

And it wears out the heads 2x as fast.. Congratulations

[@anadialog]

Gotta give to have! But I wouldn't say twice, it's not proportional.

[@jked7463]

The difference is the level low level detail, instrumental harmonics. That is the value. So even with low level resolution of youtube it was identifiable. That makes it worth it. I have a couple of BIC dual speed decks. Unfortunately, the person that i used to have tune up the decks, who was BIC's company repair perso, passed away and i can't find anyone who can get it going agoin. If you know anyone who vcan repair high speed cassette deck. Please let me know. When it was working properly, the sound was good enough for my friend who had a mega buck system.

[@anadialog]

KZbin does not compress audio. I used to think so but I discovered that I was wrong. I just sent my deck for minor repairs so, no I don't have a lab to suggest. The best way is to open a thread on major taoe forums like tapeheads or also gearsluts etc.

[@1mctous]

@@anadialog It does bit-rate compress to 192 KB/s, a decent but not full Red Book rate. The 320 KB/s rate comes closer to uncompressed FLAC.

[@haroldalexis4200]

This test , demonstration is 100%! I was amazed how clear in both speeds sounded as clear as a 💿 CD! That tape deck by DUAL is new to me as you mentioned very popular with their turntables! Fantastic I wish i could get this vintage model! Well done! 👋👋👋

[@chillwalker]

Ohja, I remeber this one. It was/is so good, we used it for Masterrecordings...when the reel was out ;-)

[@erikkroll2154]

I bought a Nakamichi MR-1 about 20 years ago. Before that I bought a CR-1 brand new in 89. Love them both. Looking for a CR-3 now. The CR-7 is out of my price range.

[@anadialog]

Try saving for a CR7, it's one of the top 10 decks in the world, if not the top 5!

[@erikkroll2154]

@@anadialog I would say top 2, lol

[@shaun9107]

Type 1 tapes are always good . I never realy have any trouble with them , no trouble here .

[@anadialog]

I agree!

[@VIDSTORAGE]

The FECR tape would be a great one to try ..I have never had one and they are expensive to buy now but too bad the formulation died out so fast ,,I have read great reviews about the sound it can make..

[@anadialog]

The sound is great, I have no idea why they decided to kill it....apart from the bias issues, I think it was just too expensive considering that a good type II was just as good.

[@anindyabakshi2010]

Feeling nostalgic 🙏 the sound quality is too good

[@alblackheam9096]

good prefix )

[@claudeabraham2347]

Very good video! Thanks so much for making the time & effort. I look forward to seeing more of your stuff.

[@anadialog]

Thanks Claude!

[@pankajkumarsingh7949]

You are right

[@verastaki]

That's what I've been telling friends and people for years and years. That it is very possible to make your audio compact cassette tapes sound louder and cleaner than CD's. I know so because all of my favorite cassette tapes sound louder and cleaner than CD's. It's very stupid that most people say that audio compact cassette tapes sound crappy or they would say "yeah right, tapes can never sound cleaner and louder than CD's, you gotta be joking". We'll if you don't know how to use tapes and record on them properly, and record with cheap stereos that uses a permanent erase magnet instead of an actual AC Bias erase head, of course they would sound crappy. Long time ago, as a teenager I realized that permanent erase magnets tend to record this anoying unwanted noise as it erases the tape, where as a stereo equipped with an actual AC Bias erase head tends to make nice clean recordings. I noticed that all the crappy, cheaper stereos normally are equipped with a crappy permanent erase magnet. Where as high end stereo systems and decks are equipped with an actual AC Bias erase head. So it all depends how and where you record your tape to get the best quality results.

[@anadialog]

I agree with you 100%!

[@josesamayoa6010]

Super deck

[@jeremytravis360]

I worked in the Hi Fi Trade as a buyer manager. We specialised it tape decks of all kinds. By far the most popular brand we sold was Sony. Most of our customer base was quite wealthy and the rest was just the average person. The tape enthusiast harked after Nakamichi as the penultimate deck although not all were prepared to pay the price. The most popular brand by far was Sony and I used to turn over about half a million pound a year from this one branch. They had their minor faults but most were an easy fix. When you got to the price of his Dual deck the issue was the other features you got on similar priced decks and often you could get trim-able bias settings and it you were paying £200 + for a deck then you were defiantly an enthusiast and wanted them on a deck so you would probably buy Teac Marantz or Aiwa because they all had good reputations. So sadly although a brilliantly reliable deck it just didn't see in enough numbers. Jeremy Travis Formerly Teletape London.

[@anadialog]

Thanks for sharing your experience Jeremy! I know that but boy if this deck sounds good, in playback and recording. I have several decks but this one is among my favorites. Sony decks are nice but not good IMHO.

[@jeremytravis360]

@@anadialog I agree with you. The Hi Fi press in the UK became obsessed with telling consumers that Chrome tapes wore out tape heads and that was why permalloy heads were seen as a bad thing. The reality was that permalloy heads make for much better sound quality. My Ferrograph reel to reel deck sounded much better than my Sony reel to reel recorder. I had many tape decks with permalloy heads and my friends agreed that they sounded better. Companies Like BASF lost out badly which was shame because they made brilliant tapes. The saying that you can lead a horse to water but you cant make them drink also apples to consumers as well when it comes to them choosing equipment.

[@life5161]

I noticed a difference. The double speed did sound better

[@tobiasbergmann1363]

I used it in the 80th ... it was nice

[@thehunterofdeath2180]

Nice but I still love my revox 215 straight motor n sound great no need for eguailezer got two of them never fail me got it since 1985 still work like a champ all the way to 2021 still work beutiful too is like the technics 1200 turntable made well n still work like a champ for DJ turntable so is the wheel of steel of the tape deck but the one you showing is nice too I like that one look cool

[@anadialog]

I have a Revox 215...this decks comes dam close to it and with double speed I would say even better...for recording the Revox wins obviously

[@MrStarbor]

Thank you for your reply Dan

[@jaduldepok]

Good analog👍🏻

[@thehunterofdeath2180]

Nice cassette tape deck sound nice it sound good the different 1 speed n 2 speed is not that much to me just a little bit on 2 speed sound good in both speed just a little different but is a nice tape deck

[@haihuachen2627]

2020-1981 = 39 years old, made in Japan. Dual amplifiers also made in Japan. Dual speakers heard several times, back in 1975.

[@xsc1000]

I have the same deck together with Dual CV1450 power amplifier since 90's. Both still work great.

[@haihuachen2627]

@@xsc1000 very good quality audio equipment !

[@inamurato]

Can't hear a difference here on KZbin, but probably a Type-2 tape would reveal it, as you suggest. And the idea of offering 2x speed is brilliant. But then why did the hi-speed dubbing function in 80s and 90s twin decks not perform so well?

[@anadialog]

That is a very good question. The answer is simple. With double speed you are using a double amount of tape. In fact, on a 90min tape, you can record only 45 minutes. High-speed dubbing, is quite the opposite, it is recording the normal amount of information, a 90min tape with 90min of music, but it is recorded at a very high speed instead of the necessary time to properly magnetize the oxide, leading to a loss of information, with out counting the low quality tapes employed in the process. In other words, the signal itself is accelerated in order to speed up also the tape and make the whole process done in a few minutes instead of hours. In double speed the signal is played and recorded in real time but the amount of tape is double!

[@DJPenguino51]

Here is my theory on high speed dubbing. 1. The tape heads used by the manufacturers weren't that great, especially the ones found in all in one component systems (like Emerson, Sounddesign, etc.), like the ones found in retail stores like Wal-Mart. The heads didn't have a good high frequency response. You double the tape speed and that exacerbates the problem. You have a rather dull sounding tape as a result. Prerecorded tapes have the same problem (dull high end) because the tape duplication machines ran them at very high speeds (way beyond double speed). 2. At double speed, with high speed dubbing, anomalies like wow and flutter (esp. wow) are worse. 3. If the cassette deck has a head azimuth error, that magnifies the problem even more.

[@ju6452]

Hi Guido, I wrote I was looking for a C 844 but only high priced, without belts, or broken, were available. And a deck, which I have to maintane, for 450€? No man. But I got a C 824, 3 Head, good looking, without belts, but for 73€. 15€ for the belts and I‘ll service it myself, is a bargain I think. I‘ll let you know and send you some pics, if you like😊.

[@anadialog]

Good job!

[@ginvil5656]

Hi I have a few decks which keep them because some tapes from Gramophone sound better on Denon, other tapes sound better at the Yamaha k630 and other at Nakamichi. One special metion is my JVC KD10 with Chronios head with very strong recordings. I know they are not in the same league but check that head. About double speed I just to have BIC of America T2 but they used to make 3 or 4 decks plus one for automobile, all of them double speed. Thank you.

[@anadialog]

Very nice collection! Congrats! Yes, I agree each tape has its deck!

[@bactanite]

The sound is amazing considering it is Ferric tape. I thought Chrome was needed to have highs that clear.

[@anadialog]

A good deck and a good tape, even type 1, can create true magic! That is one of the reasons why I started this channel...communicate this potential...

[@anadialog]

Exactly!

[@VIDSTORAGE]

I use to think the same but there are upgrade normal ferrics like TDK AD line and Maxell XL 1 and XL1S and others like Super Ferric formulations that still can be found .. Go to vintagecassettes.com/

[@jamesslick4790]

@Sannesthesia The BEST cassette decks were made between 1976 and 1986. After CDs were mainstream, "they" stopped making good tape decks, unless you spent A LOT! (although TAPES improved,LOL) A 1980 mediocre "Radio Shack" deck can be better than many 1990 "good" cassette decks.