Review of the new Toshiba Aurex ‘Hi-Res Cassette deck’

Toshiba in Japan has launched a High Res capable cassette recorder. What exactly does that mean and is it any good? Let's find out.
Special thanks to Hugo for his work on the audio analysis.
If you are interested in Walkman & portable stereos - visit
walkman-archive... and stereo2go.com
Music provided by (in order of appearance)
Retro Grooves Vol. 2 - Anders Enger Jensen eox.no/product/...
Candy Apple Blue - www.candy-apple...
KZbin Audio Library: / audiolibrary
Track Name: Busted by John Deley
If you want to hear the effects of the up-conversion of a cassette yourself - you can download the audio here: bit.ly/2KB6PVn
To make these files, first two identical recordings of the track 'Busted' were made onto one tape in one continuous go (the track was on repeat) from a Sony HAP-S1 digital audio player onto a Sony TC-K333ESJ which contained new-old-stock TDK SA90 tape. This tape was then played back on the Toshiba TY-AK1 - the first track with the Up-convert option off and the second with it switched on. The recordings were done from the headphone output into a PCM recorder (WAV format). These recordings are unedited.
If you just want to see the end comedy sketch on it's own - it's here: • hires
If you want to see the rest of the comedy outros - they're all collected in this playlist that can only be accessed by the people who read video description text boxes (that's you) - • Comedy
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---------Outro Music----------
Over Time - Vibe Tracks • Over Time - Vibe Track...
-----Outro Sound Effect-----
ThatSFXGuy - • Six Million Dollar man...

[@Techmoan]

****** HUMOUR WARNING ***** In one part of the video I make a humorous reference to all the dust on the machine (to avoid people feeling they have to message me about it) - and as a joke, I state "I'll be having a strong word with the housekeeper". This joke has resulted in complaints. People are angry that I will be speaking to the house staff in such a manner. The thing they haven't spotted though is that this was a joke - the joke is that it's ridiculous that I'd have a housekeeper. I chose the word housekeeper rather than cleaner because I was attempting to make the phrase as preposterous as possible - because pretty much no one has a housekeeper nowadays. It's more of a Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs kind of era (and then only in wealthy houses) - the kind of thing that died out well over fifty years ago. Occasionally people who don't have time to clean and can afford it might have a cleaner come in once a week - but that's still a very rare thing. I've never met anyone who doesn't clean their own house - and I'm the same. The joke was that obviously I'd be the person on the end of the 'strong word' - so I'd be telling myself off for not dusting. Yes, jokes aren't funny when you have to explain them. I suppose this is a good example of humour not travelling well. I suspect that the people who didn't get the joke aren't from the UK, so perhaps they think that housekeepers are a thing here. They've seen episodes of shows like Downton Abbey or watched films like Mary Poppins and think that everyone in 'Merry old England' wears a bowler hat and carries an umbrella and goes to work on a red bus and each house has a staff of cooks and maids and a butler. Anyway now I'm just off to hang some clothes on the washing line before getting the vacuum cleaner out - that's real life. So please try to lighten up, don't be so ready to get offended - life is too short to spend it looking for things that wind you up.

[@CousinHubertRetrogaming]

I love british humaaaaaa! from a french guy over side of the channel Continue entertaining us plzzz

[@Bastimon]

KZbin comment sections are a magical place.

[@kikurass322]

There's a word for these people Mr.Moan.....'WANKERS!'.

[@Das1x]

I feel offended by your Warning! Now I can't make up my own decision about weather or not this joke would have offended me. And I feel offended by your statement that life is short! I have a big life time! Even my wife said so!

[@TheRestartPoint]

Oh c'mon, everyone knows if you have to explain a joke it isn't funny. You'll have to be a bit less subtle next time, you're too clever for your own good :)

[@LaskyLabs]

Even with KZbin's audio compression, the Dragon still sounded clearer. God that thing is a real sexy beast.

[@Daijyobanai]

I have a garage full of new old stock Dragons if you want one for a £50. Nah, I'm kidding, but it was worth it to feel the Earth's population's collective pulse rise for a second.

[@L4ftyOne]

Nobody cares ​@@Daijyobanai

[@Daijyobanai]

@@L4ftyOne y u so sad? :(

[@diamondsmasher]

This comment has been up converted, it's better than all the other comments.

[@aarongresser2996]

Hope it wasn’t up converted on this Toshiba!

[@Derpy1969]

Really? Like the button on the player, I can’t tell.

[@keithdubois1521]

How does this new unit stand up to a second hand Nikamichi?

[@bsadewitz]

Masterful comic timing, Sir. I stand before you awaiting further instruction.

[@LarixusSnydes]

@@keithdubois1521 I'd choose the Nakamichi any day, provided that it was one from the golden years when the machines were still made in Japan.

[@adnvdn]

It seems as time goes on, manufacturers can slap a Hi-Res logo sticker on any audio device. This thing was a disgrace.

[@MysteryMii]

Anders Ljungberg And of any frequency above 44.1k Hz.

[@LRM12o8]

@@Andersljungberg That is all? Geez, that 'Hi-Res' "certificate" is really worthless then! I'd like to call that fraud, but it technically isn't, it's just misleading...

[@straightpipediesel]

@@Andersljungberg That is the requirement, 24 bit/96 kHz FLAC and WAV. The thing is that it's now cheap to buy a DAC that does that, regardless of the speakers and output electronics. www.jas-audio.or.jp/english/hi-res-logo-en

[@fakiirification]

the kind of people who would buy this would not own any hi-fi equipment and franky, anything more than a phone speaker probably sounds amazing to them.

[@life5161]

Funny. I was just thinking whoever came up with that Hi Res logo is Genius

[@LakeNipissing]

Even through laptop speakers, with KZbin's compression, the Nakamichi sounds phenomenally better... frequency response, stereo separation, less distortion.

[@alexe8375]

Same effect over my older phone's degrading speakers. The high end is just miles ahead.

[@RWBHere]

It's also markedly better on an iPad with one small speaker. Never thought I'd ever say that about hi-fi kit.

[@LakeNipissing]

Wow... with only one speaker, you don't even experience the amazing difference in stereo separation, which I find is the big difference.

[@AltimaNEO]

It was so damned clear compared to that Toshiba junker.

[@mspenrice]

To be honest, I'd expect my old salvaged Aiwa deck to give a better performance than this... or even the tacky but cherished old Amstrad CD-1000 microsystem mouldering in the back of one of my cupboards. Its effective frequency range (if we use the usual standard of the cutoff being where the amplitude of high-intensity white noise falls to 10db below peak) looks to be something like 150hz at the bottom end to not more than 10khz at the top, which is the kind of performance I'd have expected from one of those five quid Argos ownbrand personal stereos from the mid 90s ... like, the ultra basic ones which didn't even have a rewind function, only play and fastfoward (...which was just play without the pinch roller being pushed onto the capstan or the head onto the tape). Except this thing costs about 40x more. I mean, they probably still wouldn't stand up to the Dragon, but they'd all come a lot closer to it's performance than that of the Aurex. The difference was pretty stark even on my laptop with its tinny built-in speakers, one of which isn't even working properly so I've only really got the right-hand channel (which seems to be badly overamplified in compensation)...

[@tyttuut]

There's a very clear difference in audio quality between the Dragon and the Aurex, even on my phone speakers.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

Skip to 23:20 for "funny, grown-up, & smart" puppets. "You'll need a source..." "Like bar-be-que?" Best accent humor ever!

[@Stefan-]

Yeah that was great !

[@colinjohnston8519]

Anonymous Freak or just watch the whole video and enjoy it all?

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

Colin Johnston It was counter-teasing those who complain about the puppets.

[@bruhtv7215]

The reason the "Vocal Down" button didn't function correctly is because most features like that are center cancelling, removing sound from the center of the stereo image where the vocals are usually placed. You'll notice the voice seems echoey in the video once the vocal down button is pressed, this is because that particular song had a stereo reverb on the vocals, so when you cancel the sound in the center of the stereo image all you have left is the sound of the echo.

[@612Tiberius]

That last part at the end with the puppets was hilarious from start to finish - well done!

[@sdar120]

I do not regard the table top unit as junk. True it is no where near the performance of a Nakamichi DRAGON or a ZX-9 (I regard the ZX-9 as better than the DRAGON). It does illustrate that the cassette format is a phenomenal medium to listen to music. Perhaps Toshiba (Aurex) will have another go at it and make a new and improved machine. Long live the cassette!!

[@halvardlund4782]

Long live the cassette!!!

[@fallingwater]

Holy shit, retro grooves 2 is out! I've been waiting for it! My day is made! And my week, and quite likely my month!

[@Musicradio77Network]

@ 5:15, this cassette deck has a low end mechanism which was the last one they ever built, but thanks to Tascam, they brought the cassette deck back to its roots and put out a cassette deck in 2018 with a higher end mechanism.

[@musicnerd72]

Guess what? I have the Tascam and this radio. The cassette mechanisms are identical.

[@roberttoews2775]

A big reason why I subscribed to your channel is your honesty. This review is a great example. :)

[@gerhardprins1412]

I just found a Sony TC-FX33 in the trash, I’m going to clean it up and see if it works.

[@gerhardprins1412]

Rapisu and Hamutarou it sure is, it cleaned up nicely and it still works fine. It had a couple of problems but those apparently fixed themselves.

[@SameriddAndCave]

To me it sounds like the up conversion is a glorified EQ. Sounds like the mids and the highs are a tiny bit brighter and that's it really.

[@ct92404]

Sameridd Yup, that's exactly what I heard too. It really isn't worth it. And this thing isn't really cheap either.

[@SameriddAndCave]

ct92404 I wouldn't pay more than $50 for one of these. Especially since I can go down to a thriftstore and find a big metal sony/Panasonic/etc cassette player for $20 or less.

[@zacharywoodman6445]

Yeah, I was about to say this. That's what I heard too. Just slightly more volume in the mid and treble

[@albertocabezas282]

Same thoughts here. I purchased a small Sony Hi-Res Walkman and when I upscaled my CD-quality FLAC recordings, the whole song sank down: low volume, tiny sound, a certain kind of artificial brightness *and* a strange grittiness, too. Didn't like at all. Without that Hi-Res selection, my song collection sounds totally amazing to my ears, well balanced basses, crisp high-end and a smooth like silk feeling. Maybe you can call me a dumbass, but I sorely miss the Megabass option offered on old cassette Walkman.

[@THAW12]

Yes. And that's exactly how it should sound. Basically, up conversion is a marketing term for upsampling. As you know, digital audio is sampled at certain hz/second. What this button is doing is upsampling the signal that it's played, introducing some harmonic expansion. The CD standard is 44.1 kHz, when upsampled to 192 kHz, there wouldn't be any *added* spectral quality from the original source (audio), but a bigger spectrum will be perceived. This would be more evident in some mids and especially high frequencies.

[@k001daddy]

Love the puppets. Always makes me laugh. I wish all your videos had them, or maybe they could have their own channel. BTW, what are their names?

[@PassiveDestroyer]

They are known as 'The Moans'. Thankfully, they have their own playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLN2yCnHTG_6rlyYFpwUX2u0m_HVHpHO0F

[@verdatum]

Great review, and I love vids that include puppetry skits. Very cool of you to run proper tests. Those graphs tell much more than YT compressed audio ever would. This product though...wow. It can't play Type II or metal tapes, no Dolby, It's genuinely ugly, interface on the top instead of the front, wussy speakers...Jeez. This is one sad product. I don't understand why this product exists. I don't see the market for it. Maybe this started as a good idea that went too far in the design process to pull the plug on when it became clear that it wasn't feasible to make an affordable high quality tape deck in the current state of the industry... The mid 90s JVC decks are still extremely affordable, and the high-end ones are still fantastic. In my early teens, I used to record church services as a service for shut-ins members with one, and it was a treat to use. We'd record the master on chrome with Dolby-C, and copies done on Type 1 /w Dolby-B. The copies sounded so good that only audiophiles would be able to tell it wasn't uncompressed digital. The church's sound-system probably created more hiss than the tape recording/playback added. If those mid-90s decks ever start getting scarce and expensive, only then should anyone try to make a new decent tape deck system. And it's gotta come from a company that is large enough to eat some initial investment costs to start making proper components; that or wander across a warehouse full of new-old-stock. I find this to be pretty unlikely though. Cassette just doesn't have the same love as vinyl, and I don't think it ever will.

[@xXRenaxChanXx]

Yeah, the Nakamichi definitely blows the Toshiba away. That clarity on a cassette is insane. (I know YT compresses things. But YT audio compression is pretty good now. Since it defaults to the VP9 video + Opus audio codec. And opus is insane.)

[@verastaki]

This stereo still stands out compared to other stereos they make today. Just wish it could record unto type II and type IV tape. (You still can as long as you cover those notches on top of the cassette). But the sound quality will not be guaranteed. More than likely the sound would be distorted or would be too quiet. Also such recorders cannot erase type II or IV tapes completely if there's already something on the tape.

[@Tomsonic41]

All the 'vocal down' button does is invert one of the tracks and mix the two together into a mono signal. This causes destructive interference and whatever is the same on both tracks (usually the vocal, dead centre) is cancelled out. Of course this doesn't work on all material, particularly if there are echoes and pans on the vocals!

[@sarahthomas9230]

Hello Techmoan - Wel I stumbled on this presentation by accident but thought your joke was very funny, and needed no explaination. I have to say I like your style and the many 'slight' comments you make, it really is a great skill - Its such a pity you had to explain ... Anyway I love these slightly satirical videos - there great work, and my many thanks -Sarah

[@Tjita1]

When you first switched from the Nakamichi to the Toshiba I couldn't tell much difference, but when you switched back to the Nakamichi again it felt like someone flushed the wax out of my ears.

[@Buttepossu]

That Nakamichi deck is decent! The dynamics, frequency response and channel separation are great compared to any device, let alone to average tape deck or this newcomer. Must have cost a fortune at the time.

[@navanski]

Q. When have you seen the words 'Toshiba' and 'quality' in the same sentence before? A. Only when the word 'poor' has been included in the sentence as well.

[@fsfs555]

I think NR disappeared from compact and portable units in about 2002 because I found this same problem with CD/MD/tape combo bookshelf stereos: if you want MDLP (introduced in 2001ish), you don't get NR on the tape. If you want NR, there's no MDLP. The only exception I've seen is Aiwa's XR-MD520 which does offer both MDLP and a full-featured auto-reverse cassette deck with Dolby B. One of the possible reasons that this new Toshiba deck won't even attempt to play a Type IV tape is that, back when they were popular, metal tapes were said to wear more heavily on the tape heads. Many high-end decks of the era had specially hardened heads, advertised as "Sendust," "Glass & X'tal," "Laser Amorphous," or other fancy-sounding names while the heads on this deck are probably so soft that a few hours with metal tapes would grind them into powder.

[@TheCgfgrg]

I knew the Nakimichi was a beast but omg it just is so crisp!

[@bobsmith744]

is anyone else oddly pleased by the rf noise that he puts at the end of the videos?

[@bitrot42]

I listen to it every time. Soon I will know what my alien overlords want me to do.

[@CoTeCiOtm]

It's not RF, it is the sound of the insides of an old computer!

[@andinbriwel1092]

TLDR: the machine sucks. Skip to 23:20 for the real show ;)

[@JoeJ-8282]

Yep... Unfortunately, those puppets know more about what Hi-Res means than most consumers do now-a-days, and that's why and how the (especially cheaper, low-end companies, and most stuff made in China) manufacturers get away with charging ever more for much lower quality stuff than back in "the good ol' days" of true audio equipment, like the late 60's, the 70's, 80's, and early 90's... (especially the 70's and 80's!), as that was the era of better quality stuff for sure, especially when it came to electronics!

[@jimdayton8837]

That is so true! Everything was built to last in the 70's and 80's!

[@verastaki]

Other than that, it's a pretty decent stereo, I need to order one of these myself and test it out. The AC bias stereo playback/record head it's supplied with is actually a pretty decent head. The 1000 watt Sony 6 disc CD changer, dual cassette deck that I own uses exact same tape head in both of the decks. And It's one of the best shelf stereos I own. The tape deck records so loud and clean, that there's no difference between the CD and the tape. Even when you perform tape to tape dubbing, the tape in deck B sounds exactly the same from the source tape in deck A. My Sharp shelf stereo with an iPod dock/5 disc changer/dual tape deck/USB,SD card reader also uses the same exact heads in the tape deck. And the tape recordings sound brilliant on this Sharp stereo as well. Unfortunately such stereos are becoming harder to find these days, here in U.S.

[@Shermanbay]

I always appreciate your reviews and expertise. However, I would like to suggest that you use demo recordings that are less percussive if you want to test things like wow & flutter. A slow recording of a string orchestra or lyric piano would be more revealing than a hip-hop performance, for example. It might also reveal distortion, which percussion, not to mention fuzz guitar, tends to mask. Thanks for your reviews!

[@SuperCartoonist]

@Techmoan The Up Convert is suppose to keep the audio consistent, like for example if the audio drop down to quickly and becomes quiet, the Up Convert will raise the volume of the audio. It's like Loudness Equalization in the sound settings on your computer.

[@marknestbox]

This is nothing better than one of those 1970's bedside units that used to wake you up in the morning, the ones that also had the ability to make you a fresh cup of tea and turn the radio on... it still wouldn't be worth having even if this pile of crap had a built-in toaster. Thanks for the upload, great comedy!

[@oslaf3323]

"I've seen better quality LCDs on a Tamagotchi." Genius.

[@ducter2001]

Great video.Great commentary. Great editing and sound. My experience is that Toshiba never had a high-quality build, and I'm not surprised that internal and external components look cheap, and sharp edges catch you unawares! That soundhead would probably be worn-out in a few Months time! Listening here on my HQ creative PC spearkes (and despite bit rtae conversions) I could not detect any differences whatever on upscaling? To be honest Iwas expecting to hear BIG improvements! That's a fair whack of money for a bog standard cassette player- what will happen to it now?

[@ThirdSpectrum]

A company cashing in on nostalgia to make a quick buck? You don't say?

[@fooball4589]

ThirdSpectrum lol

[@demef758]

But you failed to note that Toshiba used oxygen-free wiring between the amplifier and speakers. Because SOUNDz!!!!

[@ehlerhog]

My Lord everytime you unleash the "Dragon" I swear I get the vapors... 👍😉

[@jcamp3606]

Take it apart. Teardown teardown teardown!

[@markm0000]

It's basically a power supply and a small blob on a green mainboard behind the LCD. Nothing to look at .

[@keithbrown7685]

Yeah... but..... but..... th..... that's no reason not to take it apart!!! :-)

[@PeterCamberwick]

Geeky comment here, but as you probably know, the vocal down or phase reverse technique only works really well if the vocal is dead centre, with not too much stereo effects or widening on it. On the extract you used, it seemed to have quite a lot of stereo chorus or duble tracking on it, so the voice is coming quite a bit from the left and right, as well as dead centre. SO the vocal down button might not be as bad on other tracks. Lovely video as always.

[@Mooncalf2012]

It sounds like the Toshiba tape audio is slightly shifted to the left. You may need to adjust the head azimuth alignment. Your friend at the Walkman site should have a tape to allow you to do that...

[@herrbatong]

Best review ever. I'm now a proud subscriber. :)

[@fujifilm5127]

the resolution on that cassette player is amazing.

[@scottpeterson7500]

At this point I’d be thrilled to have a cassette tape player/recorder that actually works. Doesn’t have to be HiRes😎

[@gsxracer1977]

haha, really cool and good explaining. Takes you back when i was a teen and wanted to record the only and one YEARMIX broadcasted on the radio on tape-device. For hours you were prepared..then broadcasting was begun and press the record button on the boombox ( that was my only posession) only succesfull with a full pack of batteries/ no disturbance in powergrid or parents.../ a blank or new tape from high quality like BASF 90 min metal tapes. I remember vividly that DJ's knew they would be probably recorded so sometimes they intervene with the mic! like VERONICA or a jingle through the mix, if that happened you pause quickly and then record again! hahaha And then, the next day on the schoolyard" did you make the recording?/ and you? " ah those days....

[@ronnielane8985]

I love the puppet segment.

[@Zdravko_F.]

This one is great for those who want to listen to some music before getting to sleep. If you were asleep he turns off.

[@DaveSpagnol]

Maybe you could get hold of a list of people in Japan who bought one of these things, find out who the richer ones are, and tell them that you have a bridge for sale.

[@stevesloan7132]

I had a Nakamichi LX 3 for 25 or thirty years and ran it until the repair guys couldn't keep it going for me anymore. It was from the late 1970s and was outstanding sound reproduction. Of course I only used the best quality tape available. It compared very well with the Toshiba CD player in the dawn of CDs, and still did for many years after that. What boggles me is why the highest state of the art for tape sound reproduction never became the new standard for all cassette tape makers. Cost I suppose. The big makers must still have the designs and engineering know-how to make that gear today. Instead we get that bottom end tape mech from probably the only tape player maker left. That's the new standard for tape - the worst of the era. The 80s were the dying gasp of high quality tape and cassette tape playback equipment. I doubt it will ever come back as a mass market phenomenon for a number of reasons. But the biggest of those reasons is none of us could replace our worn out best equipment with anything but the worst junk from the era, and even today the worst junk equipment prevails.

[@AlexandreLollini]

I suppose it adds upper harmonics, we can't hear on youtube. There are also some bass subharmonics that can be added, but I found both to be un-nessessary when listening to pristine sources. It can help on vinyl, cassettes, or on mp3 witch lack highs. But in the long run you will find more fatigue than usefulness. (witch i say without having heard) I tried a lot of combinations of those with high end sound processing devices : nothing replace good input signal. (balanced, or cd, or master)

[@45rpm.]

Maybe the up conversion removes noise and wow & flutter and maybe does some EQ if needed and maybe the tape was good enough sounding that none was needed. But that would mean thae the tape was already high res in the machine's opinion.

[@moeta486]

>hi-res deck >records to 192kbps mp3 instead of flac

[@briancollison5319]

So that's a no then !! The best bit starts at 23.13 the puppets speak a lot of sense. Brilliant video as usual.

[@Travelinmatt1976]

So basically they made it for people who don't know any better.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Thank you! I was holding back from stating the obvious! Anyone with any right mind on analog reproduction will know this is total crap!

[@brentfisher902]

If today you knew of a cave that whenever anyone walked into it they would come out badly burned and would die within a year then today you would say there is some radioactive material in that cave that is hazardous. Now turn back the clock 1000 years and you are very superstitious and had no idea what radiation was...

[@wrestletube1]

The SONY Walkman Silver Bullet Edition as I call it has better up conversion. The SR Mode sounds awesome actually on it I prefer it over Mega Bass and Mega Bass Groove and Normal on it it's like it's playing the best part of all of them at once SR Mode does.

[@Rickus23]

Wow.. The comparison with the dragon, it even comes through load and clear through KZbin and played on my phone speakers. That's pretty horrific!

[@gregorizi]

The thing sound quite good connected to amp. Othervise i love analog lp sound, it has some short comings, yet it has full, satisfying sound.

[@Radi0he4d1]

16:00 upconvert does NOTHING for the high frequencies

[@CrowAndRedString]

You don't understand, it's HI-RES bro. It's better!

[@Radi0he4d1]

Chocomint Wild guess it simply digitally samples the cassette output (hence the delay when the circutry kicks in), but that achieves fuсk all

[@CrowAndRedString]

It just adds extra conversions. If they're converting it to digital that would be the time to EQ it or something, instead it tries to make something from nothing using stupid sample rates and does nothing.

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

It is terrible! Almost a scam. And Aurex was an alternative to Dolby - was that not being used?

[@iainlaskey7285]

ghlyall you’re thinking of ADRES .

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

Yes you are right! I had a mental block. But as Neil also says below, it was Adres, but was badged by Aurex. I had (and still have) 2 stand-alone Adres units. I used them with a reel to reel setup. But haven't used them for nearly 25 years. One of them, in particular is a lovely looking thing - the Aurex AD-5. Here it is, with the other unit I also have: haisen.cool.coocan.jp/garakuta/AV/audio/NR.htm

[@adamdavies163]

You really had to explain that? I got it right away, but then again I live near to you so probably have a similar sense of humour :-) I recognise most of the roads on you dashcam vids!

[@pendulousphallus]

Techmoan is one video away from getting an oscilloscope.

[@Techmoan]

Wait until next week....

[@RichardWraith]

He already has one :-)

[@EtoileBleu52]

can you see the future?

[@LGR]

Thank you for your service. Yet another previously-tempting retro device I can happily avoid now!

[@big-g1980]

Plus it's not in woodgrain

[@rekkanoryo]

Wood grain patterned contact paper is a thing...

[@ChintanPandya01]

And aren't you his best friend! LOL. Just kidding. Couldn't help it.

[@MarkTheMorose]

Like this comment if, when you read an LGR comment, the voice in your head is Duke Nukem's.

[@rjpolancov]

Thanks Techmoan and LGR. I love your shows and the elegant humor. Puppets are just awesome! Greetings from El Salvador.

[@ww6156]

Having not seen the video yet, I can't help but think "if there's a magical button to make it sound better, why not always make it sound better... why does it need a button?" Haha

[@OldAussieAds]

How else can you make your audio sound a bit shitty for a while if you're in the mood for shitty audio?

[@ZX3000GT1]

It's the same with frame rate interpolators in some TVs. It's a scam.

[@GayDingo]

My old Sony HiFi has a button like this and you can actually hear a difference and with it on it does sound better.

[@nthgth]

It's like how every new car nowadays has a "go faster" button... Rather than that being just a matter of stepping harder on the gas

[@GoldenCroc]

@@ZX3000GT1 Long ago comment, but in that case it really does make a big difference, visible to the eye. Some people dont like that difference though, and prefer the normal fram rate. There is sometimes also artifacting involved that some are more sensitive to than others. So all in all, there are good reasons for there to be an on and off setting, my projector even got 5 levels. So not a scam, like this can be said to be.

[@locust76]

“I’ve seen better LCDs on a Tamagotchi” Loooool!

[@HowardLive]

Salamihawk Savage. 😎

[@Chris5685]

sik burn

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Salamihawk That LCD was limited, not just by it's price, but also by the crazy idea to stick it in the cassette player lid where you're supposed to have a window to see the tape position.

[@Satnavtomington]

I see more than two minutes left when the patreon credits start, and get excited for the puppets!

[@mogshade66]

Fantastic puppets 😀

[@nicomonkeyboy]

Upvote for puppets

[@daanwilmer]

I always skip forward to the "Childish and unfunny" muppets (sorry patrons)

[@calebbell5018]

Yesssss! I always am disappointed when I skip to the end and just see the reel-to-reel outro...FLIPPIN 'ECK

[@MrWombatty]

Actually their comments were exactly what was always said about quality hi-fi equipment!

[@DouglasMilewski]

I adore your easygoing attitude and the humor. You're an audiophile after my own heart. You make it fun rather than a competition, which is what it's about, isn't it?

[@stephencunningham1819]

I wholeheartedly agree

[@alkestos]

He's not an audiophile is what you're saying. We audiophiles like to suck all the fun out of the hobby and make it solely about worshipping expensive pieces of gear. To hell with actually listening the music. I listen to only frequency sweeps from 20hz-96khz and constantly claim I can hear or rather "sense" sounds over the 20khz limit.

[@mudsh4rk]

"Hi-res... records to digital media as 192kbps mp3...

[@AndersEngerJensen]

And I was hoping it could be a viable option to getting one of those old premium players. Ah well, I guess we’re better off finding some good ones on ebay. ;) The audio engineer in me looks very sceptically at the whole Up Convert thingy claiming it can re-create something that isn’t there... 🤨 That’s just like upscaling images and you get anti aliasing because the data is not there anymore. «Emperor’s New Feature» indeed. Great review though, as always! :D

[@mogshade66]

Anders Enger Jensen Good observation 😊

[@makaylaserniotti1474]

Anders Enger Jensen On the bright side we were treated to your music

[@TheRealColBosch]

Exactly. I cannot see how to add data that just isn't there, especially since this is clearly designed to output to modern, low-range speakers. Such a shame, since it could be a great unit that leverages modern production methods to make high-end tech available again.

[@StringerNews1]

Apparently the only thing needed to get the Hi-Res badge is to move more bits through than the CD Audio standard. No requirements whatsoever for the source. Pointless.

[@kFY514]

Actually, upscaling images can be really impressive. Of course, it's not as good as having a better resolution source, but by running some AI on GPUs you can get some pretty amazing results, especially for cartoon- or anime-type images. Check out the waifu2x algorithm at its home github.com/nagadomi/waifu2x or on this impressive demo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGqwq2aXeMeDhas I can't see any reason why you couldn't do the same with audio. Unfortunately, the domain of audio is plagued with people who claim and rate things based on some voodoo instead of any even remotely scientific methods, so even if there were some truly amazing algorithm to recover what has been lost on inferior formats or masters, finding that true gem in the sea of rubbish would be a great challenge. And, as the puppet section pointed out, most people can't even hear the difference between CD quality and hi-res - at least if we're talking about fully mastered mixes, hi-res during production is a completely different story. But imagine an AI that could recover the dynamics from overcompressed CDs! That actually doesn't seem impossible...

[@StevenOBrien]

In Audacity, if you use the Invert function on one waveform, line things up perfectly, and then mix it with the one you're comparing with, it'll subtract whatever's the same and leave only what's different between the two. Might be useful for future videos.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

love your profile pic

[@jakobole]

Right. But your forgot one point. You need to swap the fase on one of the recordings

[@VFuzball]

You could totally do this with CDs but there’s not a chance you’d be able to do this with a tape, especially on this machine, due to the wow and flutter differences between two recordings.

[@rin6521]

@@VFuzball What he said. He's used the technique before and that's exactly right. you could sync the waveform up, but there's just too much pollution there,

[@jhutt8002]

​@@VFuzballFunnily enough, when you search about ripping CD's online, you find a ton of info how you should use EAC, accuraterip etc... And basic free ripping software, or gasp! OS' own is bad. However the fact that you can do that with ang CD's so easily proves that any basic ripping software does 100 % perfect rips, save for rare damaged CD or issues with CD reader. Those slow complicated software to fix and verify are just another example of snakeoil in audio.

[@KX36]

"How many bits is Hi Res then?" "Oh, all of them.." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

[@RoyBatty1980]

“I think it was replaced...by Minecraft.” God bless Techmoan.

[@joshuarosen6242]

Unquestionably an upgrade in my opinion. ToTP was terrible.

[@MarJay1980]

This kind of video makes me feel good to be alive. It's not something I would have sought out on KZbin necessarily (I'm not really a Cassette fan or anything) but I so appreciate the effort that has gone into this video not only from a technical standpoint but to make the subject interesting to pretty much any viewer. No wonder Techmoan is often cited as a channel that other popular youtubers subscribe to. Well done sir! Well done!

[@Kuraio]

Wow that LCD screen screams cheapness. They could've at least made it inverted to better match the color of the face plate.

[@Agamemnon2]

That's like something out of a 90s novelty calculator. Pathetic.

[@mogshade66]

Increased rubbish for an inflated price 😕

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

"...not really 'low end', it's just *THE* end." Okay, I laughed out loud at that one. Then cried. Then died a little inside.

[@superbird6176]

That's some good syllables Eminem! 😎

[@dawge30]

Um... Yup. Sigh...

[@tubical71]

Why, just get yourself a decent tapedeck, a nice turntable along with a cool amplifier and great speakers and have fun listening to all these obsolete stuff, of which we (as we where born in the old age, prior 2000;) all familiar with...and stop thinking about phones, mp3 and stuff...but if you do, simply turn the volume knob right until your mind is made up right ;)

[@rarapas]

Same here :) :( :S :X

[@mogshade66]

TubiCal And bin your cheap bluetooth speakers and plastic rubbish with ceramic cartridges 😊

[@Shermanbay]

RE: Vocal Down function: This works by putting the stereo tracks out of phase, then combining them. Since most pop mixes put the main vocal in the center, this procedure results in nearly complete cancellation of the main vocal (or anything else that is mixed mono center). However, many audio mix engineers like to pan the echo from the main vocal left-right even though the soloist is mono center. This means that the vocal down function will fail to cancel the echo, even if it works for the main. That's what your brief test sounds like to me.

[@freesaxon6835]

£142 is daylight robbery

[@Headpotatoes]

You know the sound quality is Huge between Nakamichi and Toshiba when you can hear it on KZbin with a crappy tablet

[@Headpotatoes]

Ending was brilliant :D

[@CrowAndRedString]

Pretty shocking, even the source was an MP3. Being there in person it must sound as good as a CD, from a cassette. Very impressive.

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Tsuokari I could even hear it through the 10x2mm (approx) mono speaker on my phone! They must have gone out of their way to make it this crappy.

[@mogshade66]

John Francis Doe Me too x AWFUL 😊

[@MetalTrabant]

I even heard the huge difference on a 3 cm diameter noname Chinese Bluetooth speaker... (which is surprisingly good quality despite the size).

[@stevenjlovelace]

The most damning thing about this is how you can hold it in one hand like it's a piece of styrofoam.

[@matthewburroughs9597]

Thought that too as i was watching, quality home audio kit should be satisfyingly heavy.

[@swinde]

I think it means it is mostly cheap plastic and the cassette player will last about a year before the wear on the plastic parts will render the tape deck useless. The CD could last longer since these parts are primarily used for loading and ejecting. This thing should cost less than 100 us dollars.

[@matthewburroughs9597]

Good quality HI FI should really hurt if you hit someone with it.

[@rich_edwards79]

Steve Lovelace - Agreed. You won't be able to do the same with that Dragon, that's for certain!

[@StefanConstantinDumitrache]

Yeah, they should take some cues from Beats, maybe some advice from Dr. Dre?

[@ZylonFPV]

The dragon sounded infinitely better than this plastic monstrosity 😛

[@webfischi]

Yes it had much clearer treble, it'S a real shame no one still producing high quality tape heads

[@spikester]

Any deck with auto azimuth will trample anything without, its sad that more midrange decks didn't get this tech as no two cassettes are ever recorded the same.

[@TheSpliceofLife]

Although the Dragon is a bit of a beast itself. So many buttons and knobs! It looks like a prop team grabbed hold of a regular tape deck from the golden days and shoved more buttons and knobs in every available space as a prelude to putting it in a science fiction film.

[@IanDunbar1]

Even I could hear a very obvious difference, and I've got a bit of a tin-ear when it comes to audio quality.

[@Gigidag77]

Better find a bank to rob to afford one...

[@tcphvacr9950]

"The Emperor's new up convert", love it. And the puppet bit was pretty funny too, and about sums it up.

[@CandyAppleBlue]

Like the high-end audio cables mentioned in this video, we must have been "gold-plated and kissed by the pope" to be lucky enough to have our music featured for a second time on your channel. Even though the high-resolution feature of the Toshiba Aurex Hi-Res Cassette Deck turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, your puppet show at the end of the video was a clever smashing success. Bravo!

[@makaylaserniotti1474]

Candy Apple Blue I'm loving the new album, guys!

[@dennisg2169]

Candy Apple Blue II

[@CandyAppleBlue]

Thank you Makayla! Appreciate that very much. Your comment is music to our ears!

[@-_-_m]

It’s not all a disappointment. The vocal down effect sounded really cool. Might be a good sound for a middle eight.

[@BPantherPink]

Never heard of you guys before but definitely from now on, I'll be hearing much more of you !!

[@Bob_Burton]

"30 is the maximum volume" Better than 11 then

[@MosoKaiser]

"It's 19 louder."

[@TailsFurse]

Yea, but it doesn't sound better than 11.

[@MosoKaiser]

It goes to 30.

[@mogshade66]

UKHeliBob I get the Spinal Tap reference 😈

[@LogiForce86]

200 dollars for a piece of, to be blatantly honest, crap... they must be mad?! The kind that should go in the loony bin. This type of machine would cost 40 dollars, or maybe 30 in a sale. Well, if we were back in the 90s at least.

[@wilsoncalhoun]

$200? I saw it listed on Amazon for $400 and a bit. Absolutely shameless.

[@LogiForce86]

Joshua Noble Makes me wonder what my Sony WM-DD33 Walkman would go for, as it is in excellent condition, including a new center gear bought from Marian at Stereo2go. If I go by the logic that the better the product the more it is worth, I think new it would be 2000 dollars and second hand maybe 1200 dollars? Lmao... I know they are in the 250-300 dollar range if I remember well.

[@SPAZZOID100]

LogiForce86 piece of ahit.

[@jamesslick4790]

I can't believe that anyone in JAPAN of all places, (The land that "gave" the world so many damned good tape recorders) would pay that much for this!

[@jamesslick4790]

Jasper Janssen $102 in 1992 would be WORSE considering that back then $102 would have been enough for a decent tape deck.

[@EdWatts]

"The emperor's new up convert button"! KZbin gold!

[@miguelnglopes]

What a disappointment of a product... I'm really getting used to the idea that the world ended sometime after 1991... :(

[@SPAZZOID100]

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG “any of that music”?? Doubt it.

[@WaybackTECH]

"Up Convert" button might as well be the" Got Yo Monay Fool!" button instead.

[@jamesslick4790]

WaybackTECH it DOES upconvert junk into cash.

[@Loundsify]

WaybackTECH it sounded like it added slightly more bass?

[@kjererrrt9057]

THE CHINESE STYLE LMAO

[@fordtechchris]

So many products from the East are built with exactly this sentiment.

[@jennoscura2381]

What have I, what have I, what have I done to deserve this.....crappy tape player.

[@mikeey6804]

What's interesting to me (as a 20-something) about cassette is how much technology there was surrounding it that was dedicated to making it sound better. Tape formulations, Dolby Noise Reduction of different types, direct-drive mechanism, etc. There was an entire industry dedicated to making them sound better than they did when they were introduced.

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

That's what humans do with music. You could argue that the development of modern instruments was already the same... from simple strings or lyres (handheld harps) to violins, from simple spinets or similar things to pianofortes... and when they invented recording media like wax cylinders or well "records" they did the same, trying to find a way to make it sound better, to improve the experience, to make it vibe better... call it however you want... people always look for just the tad more enjoyment in arts.

[@chengfansoon1534]

We don't need that industry (to make tape sound better), if a the beginning when Philips invent the cassette Philips engineers decided to use a higher tape speed (20% higher) and a wider tape (20% wider). Same thing happen to CD, the Philips and SONY engineer decided to use 44.1 Khz sampling rate which is just enough to recording the highest frequency 20KHz audio that human ear can heard (Based the theory ). But Real World is always different from the Theory. Now although you have High-Res (higher sampling rate digital audio and DSD) but if the master tape is still 44.1KHz sampling rate than there is no benefit gain (in audio quality) whether you are using High-Resolution audio or not. Same thing happened to CD player-an entire industry dedicated to making/produce CD player which they claim sound better which cost you at least US$5,000 for one so called "Top model High End CD player"

[@lovedeathdisco]

@@chengfansoon1534​that's interesting. if i'm not mistaking you're saying both formats more or less needed more "headroom" [metaphorically] in their quality. but they instead cut corners to develop something more cost efficient. it seems to always come down to money, and on the average consumer end it's not much different, whatever will get the job done. love tapes and wish there was a more established standard. seems like much of its initial phasing out was due to misinformation, consumer level products and somewhat lack of care going into making them. i feel they have decent potential, but it's a confusing thing to navigate even suggesting a friend where to buy a tape player. so much potential, yet so many variables.

The sampling rate on that (obviously) digital VU meter is just horrible. But at least the whole machine is horrible :D The muppet segment at the end is just golden :)

[@presterjohn71]

I started to dabble with Hi-Res, until it dawned on me that at 52 I was not in a position to get the benefit. It's quite dispiriting but sadly you can't buy your way into hearing better than an 18 year old.

[@kellypg]

presterjohn71 I've dwelled far too long on this thought.

[@humanmold]

presterjohn71 I know what you mean,I miss my old hearing ☹

[@That_Handle]

presterjohn71 , Eh !? Whadja say there!?

[@mal2ksc]

It's not so bad when you realize that the entire range from 10kHz to 20kHz is just one octave. There's plenty of remaining music to be enjoyed, so just get on with it and don't worry unless mixing audio is your job. :)

[@dmproductions9484]

Vivian Stimpson I'm almost 50, and I'm STILL confused every day! :)

[@alasholyweek7]

Techmoan is like the retrotech savy grandpa I've never had. Thank you Techmoan for allowing me to have this experience.

[@oliverwortley3822]

that’s exactly how i feel. he’s very warm, friendly and inviting to watch. it’s very comforting to watch him and his videos. he’s like the grandad i never had 😂

[@AltCutTV]

Mine was pretty much exactly like the puppet. Apart from being green. Well, greenish at least.

[@alkestos]

Grandpa?! Oh god you make me have a mid-life crisis with such statements...

[@robertfletcher3421]

Very sad that even the Japanese have stepped this low in quality.

[@2prtv]

Not just sad.... more like frightening. :(

[@markm0000]

Japan is freaking dead man. As soon as their elderly population die off the country will basically have to bootstrap themselves back into the modern world. There is a massive problem between their traditions and what you need to do in order to de-stress workers and re-populate your country.

[@Luke-san]

I felt excited when I saw the box and a known brand. Then I saw the plastic, bad print of the letters etc. I was expecting an alu casing and something made with proud. I think some people would buy a fantastic machine like that even for 400 USD. I have a Panasonic radio 'boombox' with cassette and cd that was purchased in '92. It looks and probably sounds 100x better than this crap. Even the quality of the cassette mechanism is really nice. Disappointed in this new stuff is an understatement.

[@davidjohntough9115]

Simply because the majority no longer bother about sound quality!

[@RWBHere]

There are so-called sound engineers who think that 256kb MP3 is hi-fi. They've probably never heard anything recorded which can reproduce 20Hz to 20kHz with less than 3dB of level variation. Even the 'best' MP3 cuts off anything outside 50Hz to 14kHz, and then throws away 90% of what's left.

[@alain99v6]

Aurex used to be the premium line of Toshiba , this looks like an insult to the brand

[@אולדסקול]

Now I need diamond-coated cables kissed by the pope. Does that add angelic fidelity?

[@macartm]

Dunno, but I could send you some water blessed by Les Paul to sprinkle over everything. Only $1,999 for 10ml ;) Supplied in an oxygen free plastic bottle.

[@ColtGColtG]

@@macartm is the bottle BPA free? Personally I prefer that water to have been shipped in in hand blown glass bottles by Jimi Hendrix made with only the highest quality free range organic sand and corked by Brian May

[@deadmetalbr]

Holier-than-thou fidelity.

[@psistis80]

OMG.I have heard about the mighty Nakamichi Dragon,but i never thought i would never see one work in action to realise the quality.Thanks Techmoan.You allways surprise me even more with every video you upload.

[@adrianredodo]

www.ebay.es/sch/items/?_nkw=nakamichi+dragon&_sacat=&_ex_kw=&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_sop=12&rmvSB=true :S

[@albertocabezas282]

I own one of those cheap JVC decks and they sound pretty good. I'd love to own a NAK.

[@video99couk]

16:27 The moment he says "The Best Cassette Recorder Ever Made" I blurt out "The Nakamichi Dragon" and instantly earned myself a geek point from the misses. Alas I have only a mere Aiwa AD-F770, not quite on the same planet as the Dragon but perhaps in the same star system.

[@danwoodward23]

That dragon machine is badass

[@mistermatix8241]

Dan Woodward It's an extremely high end deck, that's why! Absolutely legendary amongst hifi enthusiasts!

[@dawicked2k8]

THE DRAGON OF AUDIO!

[@danwoodward23]

You'd never see it in cash converters!

[@albertocabezas282]

A guy is riping his old Depeche Mode bootleg live recordings on a Dragon. AMAZING. You can reach him there www.depechemode-live.com/wiki/Main_Page

[@tubical71]

The dragon, is ok for all non-pro audio guys...if you want a nice pro audio deck: tascam 234 (MK-II or a modified one to have the usual 1 7/8 IPS) or 322, eumig FL-1000, revox B-215, Marantz Professional Pmd-300cp, just to name a few....

[@DJErrn]

‘Do they even make new music? I thought it got replaced by minecraft.’ 😂

[@mistermatix8241]

Toshiba used to have excellent quality control, but they went right down. They're generally garbage now. Ashens reviewed a Camelio HD camcorder, and true to form, it was a dreadful device. A shame

[@Coffeebeard]

Major Mo Toshiba is now another Sanyo or Magnavox. Its become another brand companies like Funai can hide behind and dupe consumers into buying their stuff.

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Coffeebeard In the past 4 years Toshiba has lost billions on failed investments in the Nuclear power industry, mostly through buying Westinghouse (The General Electric competitor that promoted AC in the US, hired Tesla away from Edison and almost went bust) and some other big name power industry names. At the end of 2016, Toshiba was on the edge of bankruptcy, but also too big to fail. Whatever now remains is probably still struggling to make any money it can, including selling random crap adorned with nostalgic trademarks. Think of Toshiba as a cross between British Leyland and BP, then think of this thing as a kids toy car with a genuine Morris Motors badge sold exclusively in Britain to nostalgic locals.

[@madMARTYNmarsh1981]

Major Mo I bought a Camileo 3d video camera and it was genuinely awful, I stick to the camera on my phone for video recording now. I still use my DSLR for taking photos but even the quality of those seems to be dropping now. For £1400 I got a lump of plastic, no metal body etc like they used to be. Shame.

[@ivansichmann]

"Do they even make new music?" "I think it got replaced by Minecraft." *laughing hard intensifies*

[@Preditor65]

I think the best brand new cassette deck out there right now is the Tascam CD-A580. Even though it's $400 if you want new that's the only option that comes anywhere close to the standards set when good equipment was being manufactured. It supports normal, chrome and metal but does not have dolby. BTW I just found this channel and it's spot on man!

[@twocvbloke]

Just add a cheap quality ceramic cartridge-equipped turntable to the mix and it's pretty much just another retro "does everything but not that well" sound system... :P (Though it is 1-up on my Neostar out in the shed in that this toshiba can record to tape, not that I play them any more!!)

[@lShishkaBerryl]

twocvbloke It does it all! AM/FM! Cassette! CD! Vinyl! 8 tracks! Phonograph! Laser disc! Beer cooler! George Forman grill!

[@albertocabezas282]

That's the same image that came to my mind. I remember those enormous and stylish-looking 3-in-1 sold at the very end on the 80's. They looked gorgeous, too many switches, colorful displays and many small lights. You put your beloved cassette on and... OMG, why??? sounds flat, no high ends and no basses at all. Those big speakers didn't rock the house. Just rubbish.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

Could have added a DAB tuner as well, to make all those low bit rate mono stations sound even worse than normal! 😃

[@acertainshape]

Actually the new TEAC all-in-ones are not bad, though the cassette part is shite: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYKYlKeCq81oitE

[@RBSVader]

Piezo cartdiges? We called them DEATH TO THE PLATE. Are they even exist in 2018?