Should You Buy a Vintage Cassette Deck? Or Any Cassette Deck?

I don't recommend cassette tape decks unless you have irreplaceable music on cassette tape. I explain the reasons why.

[@summersky77]

Listening to your story, I'm quite convinced you used the bottom of the barrel decks and tapes. I never had the issues you and so many others exaggerate about. The only decks that ever ate any of my tapes were always car decks...on either very hot or very cold days. Give me a a name-brand Type II tape, a Denon or similar deck, and I'll show you S/N ratio better than most vinyl and a frequency response that exceeds 20kHz. I use Dolby all the time. I've ONLY ever had tracking issues with pre-recorded cassettes. Every Dolby tape I've ever made has always decoded properly on all my other players, including my EX Walkmans. Dolby C-Type, yes, there's a valid argument. It's finicky and has a very low error tolerance. Most of my tapes I play, people can't ever tell it's tape until I tell them. That's how transparent any format should be. Oddly, records always sound like records...and they shouldn't. Should sound like the source. The beauty of cassettes are, the format is as good or as bad as you want it to be, depending on your time, ignorance level, and dollars spent. Lots of 40+ year old undamaged tape out there that sound just as good as the day they were recorded. Can you ever say that about vinyl? Not really...at least, not often.

[@jake105]

Amen. I needle dropped Buckingham/Nicks album and Lindsey Buckingham Law & Order on a type 1 90 min Maxwell tape in dec 1981. It still sounds amazingly good. Among others

[@raygarafano3633]

Thanks dude, I have a Pioneer F21 deck. Kept it maintained an used good quality tape. Just for the house no need for car. No idea where this PUTZ isco.ing from. U sound much more trustworthy than Mr. Lancaster.

[@RUfromthe40s]

i learn the hard way that one should only use well built cassettes, other might even have better tape but in it´s whole are bad for the decks working quality and i never used dolby only the HX-pro for listening

[@summersky77]

@@RUfromthe40s I've always debated whether HX-Pro ever made much of a difference on higher-end machines. Between my 3-head decks with and without HX-Pro, there's no discernable difference in audible quality. Both deck types produce identical sounding results. Now on my 2-head machines, yes. There's definitely a performance difference between the HX and non-HX decks, but it could also just be the head types and many other factors. Dolby is only ever good when it works and the head is tracking the tape dead center. When it's dead-on, omg it works amazingly well. The trick is, most lower end portables, ghetto blasters and cheaper home decks even, all had variances in head positioning due to poor design or build quality. I stuck primarily to JVC, Denon, Onkyo & Sony decks for home and Sony & Aiwa portables. They've been good to me. :)

[@raygarafano3633]

Yup, I may have lost a tape or 2 but for the most part, I had so many great hours of listening to tapes. How much truth can u get from Captain.Morgan. Chances are, not much maint. Was done when we 1st got into this. So that did not help matters either.

[@EddieJazzFan]

I've used cassette decks for a long time and never had an eaten tape--you just gotta keep that pinch roller clean. I think it's all about choosing the right vintage deck. A NAD vintage deck is impossible to service with glued sections that can't be separated. A nightmare. A low end Nakamichi BX-100 usually only needs a $5 rubber idler wheel that takes 20 minutes to replace.

[@RUfromthe40s]

i don´t think the BX-100 is a low end deck, i might have several top end decks from nakamichi all working perfect as they were from my father but also have a BX-2 bought when i first bought the worst deck ever made or very good if only to work to monthes before the summer the Dragon doesn´t play cassettes and doesn´t breed fire ,so not a good cassette deck, but if the BX-2 as it´s quality the BX-100 might be better, more high-end than low-end , and i only have a friend, who owns a BX-300E and it´s very nice, the one i´m using it´s a 700ZXL as all were restored by a Nakamichi old technician in England where my brother and sister lives, sent there by my father who passed away recentelly

[@EddieJazzFan]

@@RUfromthe40s Yes the NAK BX-100 is a great deck. I have 3 of them. I meant to say that it's at the low end of what Nakamichi makes. I have a CR-3A that records better, but for playback, It's hard to hear the difference between the two. I always wanted to get one of those Revox decks, but the prices are ridiculous. I wonder how they sound?

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@EddieJazzFan the CR-3A is also a great deck from nakamichi i have just received from my father from the same year the CR-7A which is fine but people talk of nakamichi like if it were the best ,any top end pioneer records and plays better ,an example the CT-91A the CT-959 or CT-93 and i´ve tested the CT-F1250 as all were restored in the last 4 years , not only records and sounds better but the cassettes recorded in the cr-7a and in the 1000zxl sound better in the CT-F1250 or any of these i refered and better decks the TEAC Z-7000 or the B215 from Revox b series, this all working at 100% as all were restored to original specifications ,in the mid 70´s Pioneer in Magazines used to fill an entire page making fun of nakamichi decks this putting the nakamichi 1000 in the center of the page and the 76 with a extra window for the dynamic bias next to the VU meters in a corner in a litle size photo and also this decks i refer are flat recorders or don´t have what some call coloured sound, there is also the technics RS-9900 with transport and a extra component for the functions of the deck and sounds amazing this released in 76 as the CT-F1000 from Pioneer ,one thing i noticed the 70´s decks were made with better parts having a extended life not easilly getting out of tune, i had closed in a box a 1980 CT-520 and without putting new belts they didn´t had transform in a black gue but still working with casettes that didn´t demand extra strenght to rotate my surprise was when recording a cassette there the sound wasn´t that good but played it in a CT-91A and they sounded amazing good with perfect sound , with deep warm sound like some call it now, i prefer wider spectrum of frequencies and good dynamics

[@sexytasmin]

I totally disagree. My 39 year old Nakamichi cassette deck is in mint condition and sounds fantastic. Much better in fact than my turntable.

[@hanksta34]

Loved the alcohol-fueled rant. Laughed so hard!! One must drink every time someone says "cassette" or "tape" 📼"Dolby fucking sucks!"

[@sharonpreston5224]

I knew he was going to say he didn't take any notice of his own advice, lol. I was laughing right through too. 😂😅❤

[@Carlo8836]

Interesting. I have reconditioned about five cassette decks of decent quality. I don't use Dolby. To my aging ears, they sound great! Actually I get more irritated with the Snap, crackle and pop of most vinyl records than well recorded music on quality tape.

[@raygarafano3633]

Snap crackle n pop Ted Bundy come back from the electric chair? I agree with you to a fair extent. Tapes,are very good and good record maint can result in good quality music. I like messing w records, w an Eq 1 can get in more adjustment of sound. Hope u have a gr8 day.

[@florianm3170]

I Use high-res sources/files to record to cassette or reel to reel tape. Much more satisfying than just streaming it.

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@florianm3170 i record directelly from streaming services where i make playlists and record to a reel in a 79 GX something open reel deck from Akai also use a B series from Revox

[@RUfromthe40s]

i also tried but never recorded or play a cassette with dolby as some decks have a higher quality when not using dolby and the hiss if the deck works without any defect there is no hiss ,some cds in their sound have hiss but that was in the studio when recording it for some reason they let it stay, about the noises in the vinyl some cartridges and stylus one doesn´t hear those noises and it sounds perfect doesn´t cut any frequency ,normally good professional needles or just more expensive and better built like the Grado prestige II gold that isn´t that expensive and was the first i bought from this new generation of cartridges it as a low sound as all others ,MM type but one doesn´t hear noises in the record ,one thing is the record being dirt and make noises ,those aren´t heard but if the noises are already the record with bad sound in the grooves it never will disapear

[@waddg6998]

I could not live without my vintage audio equipment. 🤘

[@MichaelRusso]

I have that same old Pioneer tape deck I bought new back in the day.

[@RUfromthe40s]

my first cassette deck was a Pioneer CT-F2121 as i had bought a car that came with a radio cassette player from Pioneer before only 8-track cartridges for the car, but maybe my grandfather thought it wasn´t good and ofered me a CT-F1000 in the christmas of 1976 ,still have it and works perfect, both

[@blucat4]

They are great decks but look awful! I'm trying to decide whether to buy a Pioneer reconditioned, really high quality, or a brand new TEAC which is not as good but LOOKS good. I could always paint the faded yellow chome thing blue or something ..

[@rickymetzenbomb7548]

OMG the memories, that is what makes me want a tape deck.

[@Daniel-79]

This is one instance when I tend to shy away from silver face stereo equipment. The mid to late 80s tape decks were so much better at producing and recording high quality audio. At this point, almost all tape decks need belts. I tend to hang on to decks that are easy to service and have great features.

[@RUfromthe40s]

well i never notice diference from mid 70´s decks till the end of the 90´s, but i´m refering to good decks, in the early 90´s or since the second half of the 80´s the only thing that changed were the amourphous heads on top end Pioneer decks also the Denon DRM-800a and the kenwood from 87 ,the HK980 maybe not sure now, the one with two displays and the leds going up not sideways with calibration ,manual. but not all brands took advantage from the Amourphous heads, one of the best recording and playing deck i have is a Philips F series from 1979, no calibration but amazing how it sounds

[@septembersurprise5178]

Great video, Thanks. My cassette journey started the late 70's with the purchase of an Pioneer CT - F700, which I still have. It hasn't been used in 25+ years, but recent videos, including this video, have convinced me to seek any necessary repairs. Why? Because it is a thing of beauty, and fond memories. The beauty part, solid brushed aluminium front panel, the switches and knobs, lovely, while adding tactile enjoyment, and the three count em three V.U. meters dancing away. Makes me smile just thinking about it. The fond memories part, a local F.M. station would regularly broadcast new album releases, with a que up, without commercials or any other interruption until the album needed turning, short break, then the other half of the album, again without interruption. Many happy hours listening and being with Family and Friends. Just an aside here, but the alcohol recommended for cleaning purposes was, I believe denatured, not Scotch. "Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink-- under any circumstances." - Mark Twain

[@Gili1973]

I own Pioneer CT-F9191for 14 years,Changed belts,some idler tires clean the heads-working perfect, sounds great with chrome tapes. I also own Yamaha Kx-392 double cassette deck which I bought new in 1999, working great and never serviced just clean the heads once in a wile. Also own a Sony tc-134sd this one is ok...complicated to maintain.... Have about 500 cassettes.... Love the media.

[@jake105]

Hey Crank up the volume so everyone can here the tape hiss on a youtube video why don't you!! Prerecorded cassette tapes from the 1980’s are pretty darn good. Particularly after cd’s came on the market. Blank tapes from that era still hold up well. I never use Dolby and I don’t mind hiss because I can’t hear it with my tinnitus. Decks have lots of moving parts and the cassettes do as well and will some day fail. I still listen to 40 year old + tapes I recorded and they are just fine. My Teac deck is over 25 yrs old and works great!

[@gemspa73]

I have had my Pioneer CT-F7272 for ten years now and I love it. As with 8 track players (I have one of those, too. A Wollensak), the machine is only as good a the tape you're playing and the majority of those eighties and nineties pre-recorded tapes sound pretty good to my ears. I also never use Dobly and I can live with the hiss, too.

[@ericschulze5641]

Now I don't feel bad anymore about scrapping my Onkyo which was the best sounding cassette deck I've ever heard

[@genuinescorruption]

I bought my first tape deck as an adult three years ago. A refurbished Nakamichi BX-1 from a local audio shop. I needed it because I was on a mission to track down lost media from my childhood. I have some misc. pre-recorded Dolby tapes that sound absolutely wonderful. When it comes to things like tape-eating, I too suffered from exagerated memories in this respect. I remember being in class when tapes would get eaten. Many, many times. And the sound they made was awful. I remember my own tapes being eaten while I was playing them on a tiny handheld player or micro boom box while on camping trips with my family. And... of course. These were the lowest of low quality devices, built to favour convenience at the expense of literally anything else. I fail to recollect any such incident occurring on a reasonable, stationary component deck. They usually have safety features that shut them down before any problem becomes serious. While I would never want to go back to the days of cassettes and garbage players on the go, at home where it belongs, it's wonderful.

[@michaeldickson9876]

I have a pioneer CT-F 9191 that needs some service and so far it has been great

[@jeffmcnulty6589]

I love making mix tapes from KZbin Music to my Onkyo TA_RW411. Its all about the nostalgia the set up and it sounds really good. Guess im just a nostalgic guy I have a 2003 Lexus 430 whick has a tape deck in it.

[@michaelduffee6402]

I, too, have a few tapes from the 1980s and 90s that are only available in that format. I keep them around and occasionally listen to them out of nostalgia. My 35 year old cassette deck has most of the issues that you described and was terminal. I picked up a well maintained Rotel cassette deck on Craigslist list for $80. It actually sounds good. I'm happy enough with that option.

[@hanspuelinckx5602]

I was born in '70 and some of my best childhood memories to this day are about cassettes..recording the charts from the radio,albums then playing them on the move on my"Walkman"!I had them all:Pioneer,Technics,Sony,Akai,Aiwa and then later evolved in reel to reel...Sure it had it's perks but what doesn't?(And if were handy you'd manage!)No one can take away those memories!Great video Sir:Cheers!🙏✌

[@amitanaudiophile]

All of your confessions are correct faced same issues..

[@Zockopa]

The problem with cassette decks is that for decades now no one builds high quality motor blocks and toneheads anymore. So no new good cassette decks in sight,and the old ones that still work will die in one or two decades. Soundwise upper class early nineties models are the best.

[@edbissler31]

I am drinking with you, brother... Lol you're not wrong! I think I'm using my "bought as new" Akai deck as a VU meter as I build out my vintage set-up.

[@philtaylor2043]

This is exactly right, if you can work on the decks yourself, then grab one. If not , run away.

[@NoosaHeads]

Nakamichi Tri-Tracer 1000. Generally better than most high end reel to reel decks, with no audible hiss.

[@blucat4]

What a great video, cheers for that! Surprised you used sticky tape, I used to superglue mine. Yes, you brought back bad memories!! 😄🙂 But I'm not rich, I don't have servants, how will I digitise my tapes without a cassette deck? Oh, and about my 80 VHS tapes .. 😄

[@jukingeo]

I had a good laugh when you opened with "Run Away". I have to agree with just about everything you said here. Back in the 80's, I too believed that cassettes were one of the worst formats next to 8-track tapes. Sadly, I lived with cassettes for the one big positive reason that you mentioned...portability. Also, what ties into that, a medium to record music too. Back then, it was that or record on to reel to reel. While that was a vastly superior format in terms of sound quality, it had issues too and the big one was the lack of portability and also the high cost. But that would be another topic of discussion. Cassette's big downfall was that the tape speed is too slow. Unless you used a top end deck with metal cassettes, there was no way you would get even close to the fidelity of an open reel deck. Use a fast enough speed on the latter, and you didn't even need noise reduction. I too, hated noise reduction schemes with the exception of Dolby B. Dolby B seemed to be the only noise reduction system that worked between machines. As you mentioned, with most other forms of Dolby and, even more so, with DBX, you need to play the tape back on the SAME machine that recorded it. So that put in pin in the portability balloon. However, Dolby B was the only one that you could record with it, but you didn't have to use it on playback, and you got a nice boost on the high end. But there was tapes other problems, most of what you mentioned already, but my biggest pet peeve with cassettes were the phasing of the high frequencies when the tape started to wear. The high frequencies phased in and out. Then after that, the tape would get significant sections that would loose the high frequencies. This was a constant battle with just about all decks. Although I do admit the double capstan decks maintained a better tension over the tape heads and I DID have better luck with these decks, BUT the problem was never eliminated. So already back then, when it was the only feasible and portable recording medium, I loathed cassettes. But I dealt with them. So in terms of putting together a vintage system, would I add a cassette deck? Absolutely not! There are so many better and still portable ways to record audio now that I feel that cassettes have gone the way of the Dodo. IF I were to get into analog tape, I would want to revisit reel to reel decks. But, that is doubtful as that is a very expensive media to get into. Then there is the large amount of maintenance on the decks to keep them clean and aligned. So, I think I am generally done with tapes. However, I do have an interest in getting back into vinyl, and this was a source that I had always loved in the past. While not as portable as a cassette, it still was somewhat portable. Signal to noise ratio is far better than cassettes. There are no drop outs or having to deal with the annoyance of the high frequencies phasing in and out. Yes, there is some maintenance, in that you have to clean the records and stylus. But the player itself requires little maintenance, when compared to a tape deck. So yeah, I wholeheartedly agree that the best advice is to "run away". But I do get it for those nostalgia buffs out there. A nice cassette deck does look awesome with it's big VU meters and all sorts of buttons. Don't get me wrong, a cassette deck is eye candy, but just to have one to look at isn't warranted enough for me. I do recall watching another YT'er and he said that he often bought the tuner of a separate system, just for the looks, since he really didn't listen to the radio. I guess I can get that too given that the tuner has that huge, nicely lit, slide rule. But FM radio is still, yet, another inferior form of audio reproduction and I rarely listen to the radio anymore, save for the one in my car. So for vintage gear, it most likely will be just the amp, preamp, speakers, and a turntable for me. Great post! I had fun watching this one!

[@KennethwhiteWhite]

I had that same Pioneer Cassette deck that you've got there, the CT-F 7272👍

[@rushshukla4636]

I still have my CDs and cassettes and will never sell them. Gotta Yamaha KX 393 tape deck bought in 2000 and still going strong. I recently played a cassette I purchased on eBay by a band called Magnum. The album in question is Sleepwalking which was released in 1992. I couldn't find it on CD or download so tape was the best alternative. I put it on straight away and was blown away by the warmth and depth of the sound. So proud of my cassettes.

[@jimhines5145]

Very humorous. Thank you for the laughs. I hate cassette decks, but I still have about 50 of my own multi bounced multitrack recordings. I have two cassette decks in my possession and just changed the gummy belts in one of them. A Pioneer CT-F600. I have yet to place a tape into it as I recently moved and my tape box is lost in a box somewhere. The other is a Radio Shack Optimus SCT-49 high speed dubbing deck with two transports.

[@davidroberts1187]

Radiators are more efficient than open fires but I know which I would rather sit in front of. Frequency response only matters when a b ing one against the other, our ears will eq the difference.

[@locutiss100]

I have kenwood kx 52 , from 84 . Still working with the original belts. And another yamaha, original belts came with remote.

[@rangersmith4652]

I have a lot of music on cassette, and if I want to listen to it I need a deck. Neither my Denon nor my Nakamichi has never eaten a tape.

[@vals8062]

I have a couple of tape decks and my 90s unit have an automatic stop if it detects the take up wheel not working it stops, also using Chrome tape and good 3 head unit without using dolby sounds pretty good to me. I think you need to get your violin out and cry your heart out.

[@allanboyd7528]

Yes.... Had a few decks from my time back in the 80's . I was one of those who recorded new records to tape to keep them in good nick. My car stereo was worth more than the car. I currently have 2 working machines. a . nice Yamaha twin deck and a JVC with a few bells and whistles. I play tapes on them once a fortnight to keep them moving'. but also a few 'projects' in the garage. hhhhmmmm .... I might need cask strength Laphroaig Ha Ha!! I copied the 'keepers' onto my computer then to disc and other formats. quality not an issue as I long as still have them and listen to them ....aaah good old 80's music. You might have talked me into getting rid of the not so good machines.. my wife will love me for it ...Heh heh... Loved the video mate AL

[@sidesup8286]

Loved the video! You are a colorful and funny person; unlike so many KZbin videos which are Boring! Cassetes themselves are viewed as boring to many. However, their Sanyo or Soundesign or Sharp cassette decks come nowhere near a top of the line Tandberg. Top of the line Nakamichis don't come that near totl Tandbergs either, but they do completely destroy the brands I mentioned, and even others with more audio credibility. The Tandberg 20 series of reel decks were among the best consumer tape decks, and some who own totl Tandberg cassette decks, who also have their reel decks too, do not consider one that superior to the other. I'm guessing you haven't heard a good factory prerecorded cassette on a top Tandberg model or Luxman model. They can near rival reel to reel quality; and this a minor miracle at their much slower tape speed. Even with cassettes lack of dynamic range, I preferred them sonically to cds, or more accurately I preferred them to the sound of reasonably affordable cd players until about 1999; cd players were improving. Tape has such a smooth relaxed sound with great continuity. Very natural sounding and no ticks or pops. Even more analog than lps if you really think about the manufacturing processes involved You would be surprised the openness, clarity and purity of the finest cassette playback. The cassettes and the players can develop problems, but the cassettes are so cheap at thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets etc. that if the tape becomes ruined; you just remember all the good times and many plays it gave you for a measly dollar. You buy another one cheap. No tears! I bought many used cassette tape decks over the years. I've never had one last 15 years. But I think the average they lasted for me with very frequent use was between 4 and 5 years. For an average price of $50, I'd have considered it worth it if it gives me a year. That's the way I look at it.

[@Weissman111]

I bought one recently to act as a headphone out for my amplifier. It cost less than a dedicated headphone amplifier and works fine.

[@locutiss100]

I have an Akai 3 head ,3 motor higher end deck, same thing belts are good 👍 However it suffers from the common Akai problem that keeps the head from fully engaging, I think it's an issue with the cog gear needing some new grease

[@stpworld]

I still have one car with a cassette deck we use it every day its been ages since Ive had a tape actually break beyond repair. I have some decks that have been with me since the 80s and they have not broken yet.

[@4Rhouse]

Laphroaig Select? 10 is my go to. even have a 30 but haven't opened it.

[@amitanaudiophile]

Tape players only made correct by Nakamichi and very few models from technics,Akai,Sony,jvc

[@mrratskins]

But other than that how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln? I have a high end Hitachi I can't get anyone to look at. I cracked it open and can't even see the belts. On the other hand, I have a Sony I got for $1 at an estate sale. It was filthy, but it plays fine. I've got an Onkyo, a Yamaha with HXpro, and a JVC for field recording. They all work fine. Other people are selling . . . and I'm buying. If a tape is bad, I chuck it and move on unless it has high quality innards like TDK. I have noticed that 8 track tape machines are selling around here. Now THAT is a bridge too far.

[@WarrenSmith-gr1lw]

Totally agree with you! The worst medium every invented, but one of the popular ones... Although i think the Sony TC-177SD stands out for performance at that time, credit where credit is due, but as you say maintenance is key! Thank the lord for pin drives....!

[@paulf.5261]

I wouldn’t mind one of those bottomless drinks you have, I have a big glass and mine already needs a refill. 😬

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

I actually take very small sips, just enough to coat the tongue. That top-shelf scotch ain't cheap! 🤣🤣

[@paulf.5261]

@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi Should get yourself a little spray mister 😉

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Maybe, but that would be weird. 🤣

[@marceldaalen6604]

I went back to vintage AV stuf for 2 reasons. Copying old recording to save on newer media and emotional reason cause of my youth in mid '60 and '70. Became a Sony technician in early '80. Since one year a buy and repair vintage stuff I used to have. Cassettedeck like Sony TC-121, TC-K5 and TC-K6, Grundig CN-730 and Pioneer CT-F7070. They all have problems, electronics, mainly elco, mechanical , belts and gears, lamps 6V and dirty switches. Most of them i can fix them. Great to see them work as they did when they left the factory. Sound quality is not my main issue, i can live with that. Enjoy Vintage and give it a 2nd life. Hello from Amsterdam.

[@stevengagnon4777]

Would have agreed until I got my a JVC DD-7 a couple decades ago. Curb find maybe ? A thrift store possibly. Anyway 20 years old when got it. But yeah until that one i was putting a deck to rest every 2 to 3 years. Most did sound good...but something would go wrong with the mechanism. As you mentioned the plastic parts...it turns out they were essential after all. It was always something and either limping or totally dead. So now I'm still using the DD-7. More than a half dozen have bit the dust ( well collecting dust) and a few more limping or lamed . That DD-7 possibly the best product JVC made (1982?) . And it did get daily use in a bicycle shop for a decade after i found it. What i like about the DD-7 is the quartz locked direct drive single capstan motor...lovely simple and runs at the correct speed and no audible wow and flutter and the pinch roller still is like new ( amazing) . The Sendust Alloy heads...still like new! Does the head need adjusti ...no. But yhe best part is how well it records a Type I ferric as long as it is an oriental tape formula ( TDK D the doped oned of course...for instance) . Not sure the JVC even has Dolby....but yeah Dolby sucks and doesn't play back well on another taoe deck. JVC had thier own noise reduction system...never even tried it. But even if you get the Dolby properly calibrated you can hear it operating anyway. I wish this treny thing hadn't happened though, because I can't find anther one now...at least one I can afford. I don't bother tapin vinyl either...start with a digital source ...far less noise and distortion.

[@stevenj2380]

Put a CD recorder in the system to dub to. On my 2nd cassette deck since mid 1980s. I have just had second round of service done on vintage 1988 3-head NAD I bought used in mid 90s from audio dealer. The first shop was not quite as qualified to repair as the second one. Cost of service last year and just recently completed was $1k. Besides belts, and other parts, they had to get a main motor replacement from another deck as it is not made anymore. I had used a modest Technics cassette deck before this and many of my mixtapes are with dbx. I have a DBX decode-encoder in the tape loop and can play (or record another) of those. Most of my 30-35 year old mixtapes are good, and sound good if I got levels correct way back when. I bought NAD cassette deck as I tried to make an NAD system, of used serviced NAD Monitor series in the early 90s.

[@JasperAsher-lv1yg]

I still have my AKAI GXC-570D IN WORKING CONDITION / My NAKAMICHI ZX-9 but not working anymore. I bought it brand new in the 80s for 3K / I bought a TECHINCS RS-BX606 Cassette Deck that died on me. Gave that one to Goodwill. Not a very good deck. / I replaced it with HARMAN KARDON CD-491 that I found on Craiglist and I am still using it until now. My AKAI GXC-570D and HARMAN KARDON CD-491 cassette still running and still working just fine with no problem at all. I always use a high bias and metal cassette tapes. MAXELL / FUJI / TDK / MEMOREX / SONY / DENON / BASF / i used a normal bias tapes for my car and I used the high bias tapes for my home stereo only. It's very hard to tell the difference between my CDs and my cassette tapes especially if you have a high end home audio system like CARVER / SAE / DBX / EQUALIZERS / KENWOOD / PANAMAX / MONSTER POWER / TEAC X-2000R REEL TO REEL

[@RUfromthe40s]

i re-started to use cassette decks in 2017 as i had boxes filled with new sealed cassettes and some of the considered best decks ever bought mainly by my father who passed away recentelly and we both colected hi-fi components but his and most expensive colection is now part of mine, but i started again to make compilations to hear from cds or records i sometmes might want to hear a song but the trouble in finding the Lp or have to play it only to hear a 3.43 minuts music,. so since 2017 i´ve recorded 90 and some more compilations and what a pleasure to hear them ,about sound quality they sound better than the cds i recorded them from, it was a lot of work but now i can hear those or that songs by playing a cassette, and i like dflat recorders i9´m not one of those who increases high´s in the cassettes to latern they sound horrible also never used dolby but never had hiss ,it started by not having dolby in my fiirst two open reel decks also have more blank cassettes than reels so my option went to cassettes, i have been using a Pioneer with manual calibration and a Kenwood also a Nakamichi, almost forget a direct drive Technics deck quartz from 1979, how can that thing work perfect after so many years stoped and Pioneer´s have better engines, at least the older ones

[@keithmulkey3352]

I got back into tape...reel to reel first then cassette...in about 2013. It was mostly for that walk down memory lane thing. With 2 young kids, I couldn't afford a Dragon in the 80's, but I can now. 2 caveats, if you want good sound from a 40 year old, mostly mechanical medium...you have to buy a top rated deck from that time period...and you have to have it brought back up to spec. If not it will always sound poor.

[@silencekit]

PTSD achieved. I only have a few cassettes anymore and those are things like "Cassette" by PIL or "Low-Life" by New Order in the box packaging. Collectables only. I might get a portable...maybe.

[@umeshupadhyay...]

I am using Akai HX A1 since 1990 and I never got any major issue with this cassette deck.Only auto stop in PB,FF,REW mode I changed the belts and it works .The recording has stopped but I do not go for recording now at the age of 65.The cassettes dhould be all clear of any fungus or any such thing in tge cassettes.The TDK,old Green Sony cassettes are the hest ones ,never leaveczny oxide particles on the tape heads.

[@martyjewell5683]

I've owned my fair share of cassette decks. My first component cassette deck was the Pioneer CT-F2121 in 1975. I've owned decks from Akai, Denon, Onkyo, Technics, Nakamichi, Yamaha and Nikko. Cassettes are good for one thing for sure. Interviews via FM. I have recorded interviews with many people; Billy Joel, Springsteen, Paxton, Ainsley Dunbar, Lennon, Pete Seeger, Roach Sisters, South Side Johnny among others. These ain't available on internet and are quite rare. Some live performances off air to boot. Poor "high fidelity"? No shit. Cassettes run at 1 7/8 ips and cassette tape is half as wide as open reel tape and half as slow as R2R's slowest speed (3 3/4 ips). I use a Pioneer RG-2 expander with the tape format (since 1981) and it does restore some dynamic range and offer noise reduction. Cassettes are and always were a compromise. However, when tryin' to play music stoned or drunk, cassettes are a safer bet than lowering the tonearm on an LP. Much harder to F.U. You do make some valid points.

[@MagicMaus29]

You are absolutely right. I tried to stay away from cassette decks. I failed 57 times at it… yet 😂

[@danisold]

Hey, what band were you playing at the end? Great video by the way.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

D.O.L., from Fayetteville, Arkansas, recorded in a Little Rock studio.

[@sirrealism5806]

I will stick with my nakamichi. rx202. Wish it was a 3 head but it sounds very good and nothing is cooler then watching a tape change sides. It is time to put belts in it and I have them. I am scared to do it!

[@steveoszman8746]

I have a pile of decks and tapes. My favorite deck Tandberg tcd 330 and maxell urs. Dolby what a gimmick, never use it, then again I use on average 50 year old gear cept them new fangled cds. That tude ya got great comedy, keep swinging.

[@raygarafano3633]

U really might want to put down the bottle, u posing for Otis Campbell the town drunk? With Good maint. You can really enjoy the use of a good deck. U might want to know ur subject better, they are making a return.

[@kas-hifi]

I found a Vector research, it plays well, even with the original belts and parts, From late 80s. Only needed to clean the tape path. Works well. Yeah, I would say, stay away from it also. Reel to reel or vinyl records are better.

[@davidzoller9617]

If I had to choose between mp3 and a cassette, I'd choose mp3, 10 times over the cassette.

[@bigd835]

I LOVE cassette decks. but at this point in time, why buy one ? for starters, you cant even get good type II blank casettes any more. they are no longer made. with that said, using type I tapes, your recordings arent what they used to be. I hate to say it, but time has passed these beautiful machines by. I used to love buying TDK SA90 cassettes. Order them from J&R Music world and feel like a million bucks when you got a box of them. sadly, great times that are gone.

[@TachiTekmo]

Alrighry, folks! For our next game, we're gonna play "Guess if this hissing noise is my mid-80s CrO2 tape deck OR the startup sequence for an Imperial Star Destroyer!" 🤣

[@alex1520]

Compact cassette for me is a no today.. only because nobody makes decent tape anymore for them. if you want any decent compact cassette tapes to use in your vintage tape decks, you will be hunting for NOS stuff and the supplies of those (I am not talking about normal type 1 tapes but the better ones, ie: chrome, metal) are drying up - tape also doesnt last forever, so your NOS stuff that is decent is probably already 20+ years old)... whats left of the decent NOS stuff is getting expensive! If you are happy with type 1 you can still get fresh tape, record the masters (RTM) make a fairly ok type 1. If you are serious about compact cassette, then its an expensive hobby.... A good reel to reel deck capable of 15 IPS or higher (prosumer or better) will outperform a compact cassette deck - reel to reel is also an expensive hobby - i personally find reel to reel more appealing for my analog audio fix. I have a fully restored Revox B77 MK2 and it sounds magnificent

[@florianm3170]

Totally agree, but the main reason that Type II and Type IV aren't being made any more are environnemental reasons, they pollute too much for today's standards. I have 4 Revox A77, I paid between 45 and 200 € per piece, and I did all the servicing myself. My daughter got the fifth one with new recently replaced (1989) unused heads for 120€. Haven't had the luck to get a B77 for a "okay" price till now. I always keep an eye open for PER 525 and 528 studio NOS tapes, often on bobbys for studio use (740m.) (I'm in Europe), they cost about a third of the new tapes made today and are exempt of any ageing problems. My daughter is also into cassettes, she makes her own with custom covers and uses them in her own period conform 20 year old Opel Corsa car radio.

[@xvdifug]

Is that digital Kool-Ade that you keep sipping?

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

🤣 No, vinyl!

[@xvdifug]

In that case, Stay Thirsty My Friend.@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi

[@awesomusmaximus3766]

Replacement Tape heads are impossible to find

[@72vespa]

pretty dumb rant, but at least you seemed to be having fun. was never a fan of Dolby noise reduction, which is why I went with the DBX system. less popular yes, but way better sounding. p.s. it's just suppose to be a fun hobby .....

[@henrychinaski5223]

To put it simply you will get out of a decent cassette deck what you're willing to put into it. The early stereo decks were built like tanks. I've refurbished probably 30 decks in the last 25 years and can't think of one that didn't come out good. I've even refurbished the notorious FF/REW motors on the high end Pioneer CT-F series. But everyone's wants and needs are different and I can understand the frustration with cassette if a person lacks the knowledge of machines with many moving parts. I see you're from my old stomping grounds! Sheridan and Hebo for me.

[@fiftyfathoms8182]

Funny video. I have the pioneer ct f4040 and it has a strange mechanical click sound from time to time when playing. Does anyone know what this is?

[@pauleichenberger4966]

Don't care for the snark. Cassette decks are indeed complicated, intricate machines which need maintenance! In 45+ years of making home recordings on high grade tapes, in decks with clean heads, capstans and pinch rollers, I have never had a tape eaten! Belts wear out and will need to be replaced, motors are electromechanical devices which require occasional lubrication etc. Sadly, high grade tapes are no longer manufactured. Fortunately I have a good stock of types 2 and 4 tapes, so I'm good. I also have tapes made in the 80s which still sound fantastic! Prerecorded cassettes were usually bad, so I didn't buy them. And put down the scotch, dude!

[@thisisnev]

I so want to disagree with you... but I can't! In 45 years I've never had a deck chew a tape, but I do religiously clean the capstans and pinch rollers. Belt goo has never been a problem with my vintage Technics, JVC and Nikko decks; the main offenders seem to be Sony, Pioneer, Marantz, Aiwa and Kenwood. These days my nostalgia kick is satisfied by having a good-looking cassette deck in my rack; I don't have to actually use it!

[@martyjewell5683]

Nicely stated. I use a Denon DRM-800A in my main system and a Nakamichi BX-1 in my kitchen system. I have many tapes recorded during 1970's/80's from my favorite NYC FM station, WNEW (102.7). Concerts, interviews, concert happenings, weather and news broadcasts delivered by cool DJ's. Glad I saved'em. Artifacts from a saner time?

[@sjhorton1184]

Only 35 seconds in and already I have a problem...ice in your Laphroaig? Really? You are using the Glen Cairn glass even...but ice? LOL. This is just like audio in general; you do it the way you like it best and don't let anyone harsh your ride, dude - not even me! Love your channel, BTW. Was gonna let this lay and not comment further, but I had a Yamaha deck that had Dolby HX Pro and as long as the cassette was recorded in HX Pro, the playback was not too bad; but I TOTALLY agree that Dolby NR, both A and B types killed the life of any tape. Pretty sure it's still around here somewhere in storage. Fairly certain it is/was the K-1020. All my shipmates went Nakamichi Dragon, but the auto-flip was something waiting to be broken.

[@xprcloud]

100% Correct, only Metal tape (which used to cost the same price as a new LP back in the day), with Dolby-C reached acceptable quality. ALL 70 to mid 80s DECKS BIAS are miss calibrated, from the mid 80, finally decks appeared on the market with adjustable BIAS, (but average "Joe" never knew what that bias adjust was for and how to use it). so Dolby always mis tracked , resulting in either a dull or overly compressed sound, folks would playback dolby encoded tapes without correctly decoding them, yuck. and NO 2 DECKS PLAYED THE SAME SPEED, so a tape recorded on deck A would play slower or faster on deck B.

[@garylynncook1560]

Move over.cassette decks are making a comeback.and record companies are making prerecorded tapes again.

[@waddg6998]

Everything that you talked about in this video has happened to me. I have a Kenwood stereo double cassette deck KX-W8010 and I have a Kenwood stereo double cassette deck KX-94W and I have a marantz stereo cassette deck SD-155. And every one of them had the sticky belt situation and everything else that you said in your video 🫣🙃 have a good afternoon ✌️

[@sharonpreston5224]

I was wanting to buy a cassette tape deck, cause I've got a lot of tapes, but no player. 😢

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Me too! That's why I have 4 decks.

[@sharonpreston5224]

Wow 4 of them should last you well, lol. 😆 😎

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

But only one is working well enough to play.

[@sharonpreston5224]

Ooh you better get another one in case the one you've got might break down.

[@jameslaidler2152]

Before I watched the video, short answer no! Long answer NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do love them though.

[@jeffbrooke4892]

The way I see it, in asending order of bad to best with sound quality you got cassettes on the bottom, next bested by LPs, next bested by reel to reel, next bested by MP3, next bested by CDs and, by maybe of marginal value, fially bested by the various streaming platforms. Cassettes basically made your music mobile, not better.

[@jeffh8803]

CD is and will always be the best physical format, and it helps that they are still produced and you can still buy a brand new player just about anywhere . Remember the CD killed vinyl stone dead and then CD and mp3 killed tape. The only nostalgia I have for records and tapes from the era is that they had a side A and a side B. But then most new music was not designed for a two side format. Modern albums are mastered onto four vinyl discs cause they are too long.

[@supersportimpalass]

I hate quantum tape entanglement !

[@florianm3170]

And I hate Quantegy tape!

[@JasperAsher-lv1yg]

I believe you are getting drank sir. You should listen to a 40 years old NAKAMICHI DRAGON with a McINTOSH POWER AMPLIFIER and a B&W TOWER SPEAKERS and a METAL TAPES and tell me if the sound is not as closed as a CD.

[@JGofBEWA]

I totally disagree. Yes there can be problems. But there are problems with all kinds of media. There are many old recordings that are only on cassette tape. I find some amazing recordings in thrift stores. And what about those underground bands that smuggled their music out of Soviet run countries back in the 80s and 90s all on cassette. They had no abilities to make cds. I love my Akai and my Nakamichi. People say they can't really tell the difference between cassettes i made from cds and the cds. It all goes according the the entire chain of electronic equipment you are using. Cassettes do not suck I have over 700 of them and still buy them when i find a good one. You must be one of those audio snob. Digital is far from perfect I don't care how much you spend on a cd player mine cost $2400 new and sounds good, but I find most cd players are a bit bright, crisp and tiring and and I have had to take them apart to get a cd out when the draw stops working. Some cd player eventually start to misread the disc and skip so they too have to have maintenance and parts for high end cd players can be hard to get. As for streaming forget it you have to depend on a good consistant wifi signal or there are drop outs or noise. My Cambridge gets squelching noises from poor signals some radio stations are unlistenable. And all services do not have the same quality and there are library limitations where you can't find the music you want to hear. So streaming can suck. I bought a bluesound node and it sucked. I couldn't get the stations I listened to on my Cambridge so I returned it. The Eversolo got great reviews so I bought one its ok gets more of the streaming radio stations but there are still a few I can't get. It sounds better than when I bought with the eq upgrade, but I already have an equalizer. Are you one of those snob that says tone controls and eqs alter the original recording and should not be used, that if it sounds bad its poor quality equipment. Besides for all of that, the bottom line is that all types of equipment has its ups and downs and buying a cassette player is its own experience and should not be written off as out dated. I am a pro analog guy. Just do your research and don't buy a cassette player that was a cheap piece of junk when it was new. There are a lot of nice decks out there. Be aware they have some age and may need some care or maintenance, but their not disposable like streamers that you don't fix just trash when they become obsolete as the new best thing comes out. I love cassettes.

[@jakefiersing]

I have no idea, why you did not copy your cassette music on your computer or a minidisc or on a recordable cd or on a tape or on a dat cassette or on a video tape or on a high8 tape ? If cassette sounds as terrible as you told, why do so many cassette enthusiasts say, that they can barely here any difference when they use the monitoring function during their recordings on a cassette ?

[@florianm3170]

That's a simple question to answer, what is the mean age of the cassette enthusiast in your opinion? Heading degrades with age. My daughter which is 25 tells me that she can hear such differences (she has 2 3-head decks), i (60) cannot any more. When i adjust a deck now I'm using computer software to visualize the frequency response in addition to my old ears.

[@jakefiersing]

@@florianm3170 I got your argument, but the man in the video is around 60.

[@sergiototote]

Bla bla bla… tengo una platina de cassette marantz, la más baja de su gama que es la sd800 y estoy muy complacido con ese aparato, no puedo adquirir un nakamichi Dragón o la pioneer 1250… es cuestión de dinero o no se que otra cosa… Saludos a todos… 😀⚡️

[@frankr8271]

So you actually love cassette's lol Made me wanna drink and listen to some fkn shitty tapes. Thanks for the video

[@hanksta34]

Too funny.

[@Daniel-79]

Who actually uses Dolby Noise Reduction? I would rather tolerate a little tape hiss than lose even more dynamic range.

[@florianm3170]

Everybody who owns a correctly calibrated deck (or Walkman)! Dolby noise reduction does increase, not reduce dynamic range. XPRcloud 3 comments before explained.

[@jonpatrick66]

Dolby Fuckin Sucks! Ha! It always sounded worse when you hit that Dolby Switch

[@olpa12]

😂😂😂

[@CoryHatfield]

This is a lot of words to say you're incompetent at using cassettes and cassette decks.

[@m80116]

You seem to have a biased idea of how the FR affects the perceived crispness and brightness of the recording. Dolby C for example offers a FR extension, cassette decks especially low end ones are not that prone to eating tapes even when they are not maintained for decades. With such superficial approach I suspect it wouldn't be hard for me to fool somebody reasoning like you do into thinking they're listening a CD but not using one of my high end decks but one of my duplication machines on Type II tape. And remember a record doesn't actually records, a 10 inch reel can only be moved from room to room, a DAT or MiniDisc are confined niche market. Cassette was a media that everybody used and just required a modest machine to achieve nearly perfect results that lasted a lifetime. Cassette decks is today more than ever a sport that sets apart the dummy, the amateur and the learned user. Knowing your machine without knowing about cassettes isn't enough. Still you need a very well maintained machine which you barely ever find on the market in this day and age. It's a serious hobby that requires far more understanding than the average Joe is willing to spend.

[@-Window-Licker-]

As an audiophile I know how good tapes can sound. The players, sure they can be great and serviceable but the tapes themselves are the problem. Shelf life long expired, good luck :(

[@TriAmpHiFi]

. LL OO LL LL OO OO LL LL OO OO LL LLLLLLLL OO LLLLLLLL

[@TriAmpHiFi]

btw.......... Tascam has 2 brand new cassette with CD recorder models available. lol, again.

[@larrypagano8186]

I agree Dolby (B,C) did suck, but no one here mentioned HX-Pro. It sounded so much better on any type of cassette. Only a few high end decks had it and they were hard to find. Loved the video, it had me laughing and remembering, Thanks.

[@florianm3170]

A Lot of decks (like all of them) had HX Pro from 1990 onwards.