Sony TC-KA3ES Cassette Deck Repair (TCM-200 Mechanism)

Repair of a high end Sony TC-KA3ES compact cassette tape deck from the mid/late 90s. The belt replacement procedure can be used on any deck with the TCM200 mechanism.

[@josephhellums2612]

Without this video I would not have replaced the mode belt in my TC-K950ES cassette deck. The two tape transport mechanisms are identical. I studied the video many times and followed it step by step when working on the mechanism. So, it was a big big help to me. And thanks very much for that. My belt had in fact turned all the way to goo and I found myself removing it with alcohol and cotton-tipped sticks and toothpicks - bit by bit over a period of days. A big challenge for me was connectors that were essentially locked in place.

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, great to hear you got your deck up and running again and the video was helpful. Cheers, Jake

[@Kaxtube68]

Great video, never faced a deck so complex to change belts. We are lucky to have this kind of support now that tech centers don't like to repair old equipment and just change assemblies. Even old techs don't like to deal with old school gear.

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, much appreciated. Cheers, Jake

[@malcolmdarukhanawalla6524]

Just wanted to convey my sincere thanks for an excellent video, done with care showing ALL necessary details in fixing the set of belts on the Sony KA-3ES Cassette deck. I own one and, as it happens, it had the very same problem - melted belts. Having followed the video step by step I was able to replace the belts on my own unit and got it working. I did see the video for the third time, though, just to be sure I had all the steps right. I haven't heard music using my cassette deck in quite a while and I am so very thrilled to have it working again. Thank you!

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks Malcolm, I'm happy the video was helpful. Cheers, Jake

[@TheBebe666]

Because of this thorough repair i was able to fix mechanism on my TC-KA6ES ...they have practically the same mechanism. Thank you. 👍👍👍

[@thebirima91]

This video is just what I needed to see, don't have tape alignment tools but skillfully enough to follow this procedure. Have two TC-K750ES with broken mode belts. Just opened one right now and it came out intact albeit broken. No goo. Thank you very much!

[@sammieqnap2623]

Great video.... recently bought a KA6ES, cheap but worked.... for one day and after that, didn't wan't to play anymore. FF, REW, open and close all worked. Bought a replacement belt set... and YES! Thank you so much!

[@fredericchnl8997]

THANKS ! Thanks to you, I changed this belt easily, and my TC-KA6ES works perfectly!

[@Mister_Weasel]

Oh fantastic! This is exactly what i need to repair my Tc-k990es. I am just going to watch this another 20 times to work up enough confidence before i start. Cheers mate!!! 👌

[@TheStuffMade]

That's a very nice tape deck, definitely worth spending an afternoon to get it up and running again. Best of luck! Cheers, Jake

[@Mister_Weasel]

I finally got around to it last night. It took me 5 hrs but the deck is working perfectly again. I couldn't have done it without your video showing how to replace the little belt without taking the whole thing apart. Many thanks for uploading this!! Cheers, Wes

[@hananas1]

I also just wanted to say a big thank you for taking the time to make this vid. I just successfully changed the belts on my KA-6ES and could not have done it without the vid.

[@thebirima91]

The first one of two TC-K750 ES succeeded with your guidance. Thank you very much!

[@TheStuffMade]

Nice work, it's a great feeling when you bring one back to life.

[@kemalsayrak4400]

Thanks a lot. I did same repair on 1991 model 790es. Absolutely success. It worked. Thank you.

[@TheStuffMade]

Always good to hear it was helpful. Cheers, Jake

[@docholliday3150]

Enjoyed it, thanks. Quite a complicated device but appears very well made.

[@marcoallevi9303]

Thanks a lot for this great video. I'm a repairer, and my SONY TC-K970ES needs exactly the same intervention. I was a bit worried to put hands on mine :) Thanks again !

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, I recommend doing it this way then you don't have to recalibrate everything. Cheers, Jake

[@oxfamshop]

Loving the build quality

[@maryrafuse2297]

Cassette is coming back. It is wonderful for new bands that wish inexpensive exposure. A lot of new hype can be created around tape formulation for different categories of music. Also digital compression is the analogue tape recorder/player best friend. Recently I have listened to some of my old metal tapes recorded directly from LP's when they were new. What incredible sound when compared to my digital recordings. I can hear the difference.

[@jacekschneider4686]

It is not coming back, tape decks are geting very old and no one will make new equipment

[@darinb.3273]

@@jacekschneider4686 actually Teac makes brand new machines HOWEVER they do not have any Dolby noise reduction... some may have the company's own brand of noise reduction compatible with Dolby you would definitely have to search and search for such machines

[@jacekschneider4686]

@@darinb.3273 Teac makes new machines but they DONT make mechanics for them.

[@giuseppelavecchia775]

Fuori sembra il diluvio,mah... Un lavoro eccellente,sei molto bravo,tu sei un tecnico VERO,hai la calma e la precisione che un tecnico deve avere,si vede anche dal rispetto che hai per l'apparecchiatura su cui lavori,sei bravissimo.sempre così,ciao

[@jimboblivesforever]

Thanks mate, this really helped me with replacing the belts of a 808ES.

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, happy to hear it was helpful.

[@lukimaliniak7]

Good video. It helped me replace the belts in TC-K770ES. Has the same mechanism. THX

[@ivanfilgas2065]

Hi, where did you adjust the tape speed?....which var. resistor or adjust point??

[@chunga4261]

Thank you so much for the great video. It has been a great help and reference to repair mine. 👍👍👍

[@TheStuffMade]

Great to hear, thanks.

[@imtiaztunio]

Excellent work, going to help me with my 555esl. Already disassembled rubber rollers so going to face alignment scars you got away with... Wish watched this video before

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks and good luck on your 555 esl.

[@nigel_tufnel]

Extremely helpful - thank you!

[@pwissink1]

Good video and well explained. I had the same problems with my TCK808es. The drive mechanism is almost the same. I couldn't do the change of the small belt without removing the left pinchroller. I counted the turns when I removed the screw and did the same when I put it back. The sound was very dull at the beginning, but when using Dolby B and a good headphone and my last recorded tape, I could tune it very well. This was almost 2 years ago and the deck works still perfectly. You don't need to adjust the speed on this deck because it is quartz locked direct drive. I hope to find a TCK909es or TCK6es one day.

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, yeah it helps a lot if you have some reference tapes to help with the alignment.

[@m80116]

Some say it's not as good as it looks. KA3ES has more heft to it, and probably the best of the KA series.

[@nsw9154]

I Have the TC-KA6ES so it should have the same drive system mine is working fine as the belts where replaced before i bought it, but it's good to have this as a reference for when i need to change my belts in 20 years time

[@renancercilier]

I love this model.

[@CphDaily]

Very good video

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks!

[@rodolfogomez382]

You made a great job!!!, this is a very good quality casset tape deck, if it were mine I should make a complete restore including all circuits , change electrolityc capacitors, verify resistors and capacitors tolerance, diodes and cleaning controls.

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, I haven't ESR tested all the electrolytic capacitors, but they do appear to be in good shape, it's all good Japanese capacitors like Elna, Cemicon, Nichicon etc. It's one of those situations where the more you take it apart the more you risk damaging something (like solder joints/pcb traces on the wire connectors, seems to be a common issue when unplugging the wires). I agree it would be a good move to spray some contact cleaner into all the pots. Cheers, Jake

[@rodolfogomez382]

@@TheStuffMade Thanks for your answer, remember that electrolytic capacitors are degradated after time and the capacity changes, maybe the ESR be OK, if the factory date is late 90's you have 30 years old circuits in your tape deck; as cleaner I use isoprophilic alcohol, regards.

[@TheStuffMade]

@@rodolfogomez382 In my experience it's more the quality of the capacitor than the age of the capacitor (within reason of course). I've seen plenty of less than 5 year old (cheap) capacitors that have failed in e.g. switchmode circuits where they deal with high ripple current and heat. In this deck everything is over engineered and the electrolytic capacitors are only used for power rail smoothing/decoupling, so they live a very gentle life. Of course it wouldn't hurt to do a complete recap, but I've seen some bad jobs in the past where someone with good intentions have replaced all the quality japanese caps with cheap new chinese ones resulting in worse performance. It's important to use the right caps for a full recap job. Cheers, Jake

[@cars654]

Lucky find it looks like brand new no scuffs or marks anywhere. Also decks with a silver face are difficult to find.

[@thebirima91]

Maybe it's an idea to list a few more decks with the same TCM200 mechanism in your description. Then more owners will be able to find it. I was lucky to come across my case in a forum but not when I was searching it on KZbin. Thank you.

[@TheStuffMade]

It's a good suggestion thanks, I'll try see if I can find a list of decks using the same mechanism. Cheers, Jake

[@user-mc4hh5nj2m]

good job!

[@VitorMendes999]

Thanks for this video. Do you have any plans for an Aiwa XK-009 Excelia cassette deck repair video in a near future? (replacing belts, idler tires, etc...)

[@halitmarmaris]

Thank you 🎵

[@JamesE707]

My first impression is that the TC-KA3ES here uses cheaper and lighter chassis? Compared to say the older TC-K730ES or similar models. However, it does look well made. Nice machine - I did fancy one! ;o)

[@mamuraoss5910]

Thanks!)

[@turnkit]

THANK YOU. Excellent video and exactly what I needed to see. Can you comment on the TC-KA3ES belt and roller sets from a Slovakia ebay seller which come from China?

[@TheStuffMade]

A very nice cassette deck with all the advanced features and very little wear. However it's debatable if there is a point to having a cassette deck in 2018 unless you have a substantial collection of tapes. My last tape deck was a Denon DRM 800 that I bought new back in the early 90s, it was the top Denon deck, I mostly used it to record CDs to tape for use in my walkman. But truthfully sometimes it would subjectively sound better than the CD it was copied from as it would remove the harsh edge typical for early CDs.

[@Badassvidsz]

Cassettes recorded in a good deck from a good sourch like tt & especially reel tapes sounds better than CDs

[@bewarethedecks]

I own a Sony KA3ES. It exhibits the same symptoms as your unit...including the "missing" belt. I'm skittish about messing around with such small parts to the point where I'm about to drop it into a bin for recycling. Things like this makes me wish that Sony still had their old factory service centers. ☹ The 3ES was a great machine and I remember paying top dollar for it. Unfortunately, as another commenter noted, replacing the belt is a large undertaking.

[@TheStuffMade]

It's not that difficult to change the belts if you follow the procedure I used in the video, just take your time and use the right tools. Belts are not that expensive and worst case it doesn't work out. Alternatively you can probably get $100-200 for a non working deck if it's in decent cosmetic condition, that's a lot better than recycling it plus whoever buys it will probably fix it and keep it alive. It's still a great deck worth repairing.

[@JamesE707]

Today's generation have all the convenience of digital and portable devices - but how many understand how they work??? The new generation of people will *not* be able to repair or consider repairing any modern device! Convenience = dumbing down!?

[@csabakereszturi945]

I'm wondering if you remember that for removing the big REC level knob on the front right side the whole front panel needs to be removed? Actually I need to clean the actual potmeter because it's scratchy when setting the level. Probably the usual dust inside of the meter. I'm afraid the front panel needs to be removed as well.

[@TheStuffMade]

The REC level pot is very easy to access, you just need to take the cover off then you can easily get to it and spray it with contact cleaner. It's an ALPS pot and there is a small hole on top you can spray contact cleaner into, I did the same on mine. The other 5 pots on the front are a bit harder to access. Cheers, Jake

[@csabakereszturi945]

@@TheStuffMade Thanks, it wasn't really difficult, it worked just by spraying into the hole. But the real problem is something else. The left supply pressure roller is in bad shape and damaged a few tapes, before I noticed. Mostly damaged the tapes if played the cassette from the beginning, if played closer to the middle or so, not always. Anyways, I had a closer look to that roller and yes kind of shiny with a few dimpled spots. I may as well replace both rollers, but after reading a little, the left supply roller is much harder than the right take-up. But looks like you did not have to replace them.

[@northernsoundhighfidelity2963]

Fantastic. One of the best instruction videos I've seen. It made it possible for me to change the belts on my TC-K970ES. But after I got it all together the eject mechanism did not work. The pause button lightens up when i turn on the machine, so it seems like it's stuck in a pause mode. Tried to find a solution via google and it seems that I'm not the only one who has experienced this problem. Would really appreciate any help, did I miss something important during the process?

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, always nice to hear the video was helpful. Unfortunately I haven't experienced the issue you are having with being stuck in pause mode. I had a quick look at the schematic (you can download the service manual here: electronica-pt.com/esquema/audio/sony-audio/sony-tc-k970es-42791/) and it looks like your model is using a DA converter to detect what buttons are pressed (pg. 35 in the manual), I recommend checking this part to make sure it's working correctly (pin 11 on IC801) also check the connector (CN802) is seated correctly. Hope you manage to get it working again. Cheers, Jake

[@northernsoundhighfidelity2963]

Many many thanks. You are the best! Now it works! Actually I pulled out the IC801 and discovered that two soldering points under one connector were "damaged". I managed to trace the signal to find out if there were "contact" or not. So I managed to solder them together again. I guess I was a little uncareful when I at first removed the pin-connectors. But I was also uncareful with the small plastic washers for the capstan, that I lost during the process. Are theese vital/very important for the function? Can I buy them anywhere? Well, once again, many thanks for Your help and...…..my mistakes might also be helpful for other readers to consider when they start working with this.

[@TheStuffMade]

@@northernsoundhighfidelity2963 It's great to hear you got it up and running again. It's a very nice tape deck. I believe the little nylon washers are there to help keep the capstans in place and also prevent oil from the sleeve bearings making it out onto the rubber pinch rollers. I don't know if you can buy them anywhere, but you could try see if you can make some yourself. Cheers, Jake

[@northernsoundhighfidelity2963]

Once again....many many thanks & have a nice weekend. Ingvar.

[@jimmymeier2986]

Hey there! This video is great. I followed it step by and put everything back together and I am still having the same issue. I can fast forward and rewind the tape, but cannot record or play. It pushes the cassette forward for a second or two and then it stops. Any insight on what else could be wrong with it?

[@TheStuffMade]

It could be some dirty contacts in the mechanism, but I don't recognize the exact symptoms. I'd recommend posting on Tapeheads.net I'm sure someone there will know what is going wrong with your deck. Cheers, Jake

[@csabakereszturi945]

Great repair video, thanks. I'm wondering if the capstan belt can be replaced without removing the whole transport? The small mode belt is doing fine in mine, but in play mode the transport occasionally slows down and stops.

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, I believe it should be possible to change the main belt without removing the mechanism, but it might be hard to get to some of the screws. However I'd still recommend taking out the whole mechanism, it's really quite easy, just 4 screws and 3 cables plus pulling off the front tape cover. It's also a good opportunity to inspect and clean the capstans, pinch rollers and heads. Cheers, Jake

[@csabakereszturi945]

TheStuffMade That’s what I was thinking.Without removing the transport would be very hard to access the little screws and the potential to break other things. So I’ll definitely take out the transport.

[@csabakereszturi945]

Hi Jake, I hope you can help...Calibration...Not enough negative BIAS for any of the tape types. Mids/highs are too low even at the max turn of the knob, and this is clearly audible at playback. Do you know is there a way to adjust this with a screwdriver or something from inside the unit? Actually I think somebody touched this before, because even with a Sony metal tape I can't bring the highs up to the proper level. Thanks. -Csaba

[@TheStuffMade]

Hi @@csabakereszturi945 there is an adjustment procedure for the bias in the service manual, you can download it here: elektrotanya.com/sony_tc-ka3es.pdf/download.html Cheers, Jake

[@csabakereszturi945]

Thanks for the SM and I found what I wanted at that point. But practically it did not help. And after a while, with some help from others as well, took a closer look at the transport...and the supply pinch roller didn't go up all the way in PLAY mode, it hit the cassette shell....There's an adjustment screw to the height of the tape guide/pinch roller, needed CCW turns and now it's back in place where it should be and things sound very well to my ears. Now, removing the transport, do you think I can adjust the pinch roller height almost to perfection visually? Can I see the tape relative to the heads and rollers when the transport is out?

[@baredesigns1]

Could you please give me some advice - I have a 909ES. The bias controls are not working as intended. High Freq bias cannot be attained despite turning the bias control entirely to left (anti clockwise). Low freq bias is possible (works well when turning the control clockwise). Another problem is some tapes are getting chewed on the inner side during Play/Rec. I think the secondary pinch roller/capstan is not doing its job. All pinch rollers and capstans are in good condition, supple rubber, no gunk. Head too is fine. I would appreciate some help. Thanks

[@TheStuffMade]

Hi, since it's chewing up your tapes I'd recommend solving that first by doing an alignment adjustment. There is a good description in the service manual on how to perform the mechanical adjustments: elektrotanya.com/sony_tc-k909es_sm.pdf/download.html It also contains descriptions on how to adjust the bias etc. If you feel unsure, then I'd recommend posting a thread on TapeHeads.net. Cheers, Jake

[@jacekschneider4686]

How did you manage to get out safely cables for both heads, lucky or right tools?

[@TheStuffMade]

Hi, if you pause the video at 8:50, you can see the 2 sets of blueish cables, these are for the record and playback heads plus a grey cable for the erase head coming from the tape mechanism, these can all safely be unplugged from the main board without the use of any tools.

[@jacekschneider4686]

@@TheStuffMade yes I see, I've changed belts in european version (909es) 1week ago and skipped unpluging, didnt wanted to risk damage to the board. Lower SONY models from 90ties had a low quality board, It can break under the cable connector.

[@TheStuffMade]

@@jacekschneider4686 Understand, yeah, the board and the connectors are decent quality on this deck, there is no risk of damage. But of course everything should be done gently.

[@drdolby1585]

Mine has new belts already but its running too slow. Is there a speed adjustment possible ?

[@TheStuffMade]

There are no adjustments for the speed, it's controlled by an oscillator crystal. If it's running too slow it's likely a mechanical problem. You can download the service manual here: elektrotanya.com/sony_tc-ka3es.pdf/download.html#dl Cheers, Jake

[@therealtea9786]

I have a sony 65 series es they may have changed it not sure anyway it's not playing making a whirring stuck sound and won't eject no response from any button commands and when I switch power off the display goes off but motor is still running. Took top off and so far have managed to only do a partial eject so tape won't come out. Would u be able to offer any clues so I can have a go at fixing it thanks.

[@TheStuffMade]

Hi, check the belts first, it's the most common failure on cassette decks as they rarely last much more than 20 years. If a belt feels sticky or it can easily be stretched, then it needs to be replaced. Cheers, Jake

[@robicelus]

Hey I did manage to change the belts on my TC-K770ES which has the same motor mechanism as the KA3ES, and after putting all things back together, now the playback motor runs at maximum speed. And when I say maximum speed, I do mean very fast. For example, when I play a tape, it's like I am fast forwarding. Any ideas where I did go wrong? Your answer is much appreciated. Thank you.

[@TheStuffMade]

It sounds like the pinch rollers are not making contact with the capstans. Try remove any tape, then power off, hold down Open/Close and then power on again. It should make the mechanism run as if there was a tape inserted and you should be able to see if the pinch rollers are rotating and making good contact with the capstans. Cheers, Jake

[@robicelus]

@@TheStuffMade Thank you for your reply. I checked the pinch rollers, everything seems to be working just fine except the capstan motor turns way too fast. After my first message, I took the mechanism apart (that big metal thing with those fine brushes which squeezes the capstan motor into place), reattached it and worked perfectly. iIt had the right speed, just as it should. But then when I just got too happy, I did a quick playback test and after 10 minutes of listening, it turned into super fast speed (my AC/DC album turned into chipmunk music). The issue is, the capstan motor just starts turning super fast. When I power on my deck, it sounds like an airplane taking off. Could it be a alignment issue of the capstan motor cover with those fine little brushes? I checked the screws and they're tight and fixed. What am I doing wrong? I'd much appreciate your help on this and sorry for my English. It isn't my first language. Edit: it turns out I turned screws too tight on the backplate of the capstan motor (which includes those fine brushes) and this caused the speed issues somehow. I've loosen the screws a bit and it works without issues so far. Thanks for your help, videos like yours helped because I'm not an expert in these kind of stuff. Cheers

[@TheStuffMade]

@@robicelus Sounds like we can conclude it's not a mechanical problem. On these decks the capstan motor is controlled by a crystal to maintain the correct speed. You can download the service manual here: elektrotanya.com/sony_tc-k770es_sm.pdf/download.html#dl Since you had the mechanism out, I think it's worth checking for any damage on the circuit board where the mechanism connectors were unplugged and plugged in again, it is a weak point in these Sony tape decks and a common point of failure. Cheers, Jake

[@packratswhatif.3990]

Haha, I wonder if Sony could have made it any more difficult to change the belts ? I am not looking forward to changing the belts on my 870 as it does need to be done. Definitely a winter project !

[@TheStuffMade]

Well, to be fair, I doubt the Sony engineers expected anyone would still be using this tape deck 20+ years later, or at least that would probably not be one of their design priorities.

[@jacekschneider4686]

Imagine changing belts and pinch roller in tape decks from '80ties, nigthmare.

[@uGeneG]

Where can I get replacement belts for Sony TC-K677ES? Please advice.Thanks

[@TheStuffMade]

Hi Eugene, I don't have a good source on those belts, but try a post on tapeheads.net, I bet someone there can help. Cheers, Jake

[@user-er5bw9xj8v]

Thank you Sir for the excellent video. I learned a LOT and enjoyed it! Any chance you could share with me your parts source? Thanks again and take care.

[@TheStuffMade]

Thanks, I bought my new belts locally, but you should be able to find some on ebay. Cheers, Jake

[@matthewjctalbot]

My KA3ES was chewing tapes and the repairer gave up, saying he couldn't locate the replacement capstan (which is apparently slightly different for this model). Are you able to provide a link to a supplier? Also, looking at the pattern of damage on the tape, I'm wondering if capstan alignment may be the issue. If you were able to revisit this legendary deck in another video to help with this other tricky but fixable area, I'm sure many would be Extra Super grateful! Thanks!!

[@TheStuffMade]

Any idea what is wrong with the capstan? Is it bent, corroded or the flywheel cracked? Is it the motor side or the flywheel side? Usually when these decks start eating tape it's because the rubber pinch rollers have become hard or the surface is slippery. It's easy to find new pinch rollers, but it does require a full re-alignment when you replace them. Cheers, Jake

[@sballestra9269]

I have one like this in minty condition but it stops playing occasionally, then it works again when I press play only to happen again later. Do you have any ideas? Thank you.

[@TheStuffMade]

If it's never been serviced, then I'd check the belts, they are very likely to cause issues at this age. Make sure it's not just the tape, old tapes can get very tight and might need to be wound back and forth a few times also make sure the capstans/pinch rollers are clean and the rollers haven't gone hard. Other than that it's possible the motor torque needs to be adjusted, to do that correctly does require a special service tape with torque sensor, but I guess you could try increase the torque slightly and see if it helps. The procedure is described in the service manual: elektrotanya.com/sony_tc-ka3es.pdf/download.html Cheers, Jake

[@ingenfestbrems]

I know the ka7es is physical divided in 3 inside, power section, mechanical section and audio section and the walls are copper

[@122sport]

Thanks i fix my sony deck! but i have a question please can you help me changing the pinch rollers? i dont know how to do it! many many many thanks!!

[@TheStuffMade]

I was planning to do a pinch roller video at some point, but I never got around to it and I don't have the time at the moment. I recommend you try ask some of the guys on the Tapeheads.net forum, I'm sure they can help you out. Cheers, Jake

[@lesgl]

Always amazes me having watched a few of these on here that the companies making these units would use a perishable material like rubber to make the belts surely there must have been another more robust material they could have been made from especially in such inaccessible places like in this machine...would the average electronic repair man today have the knowledge and patience to do this repair??? and the labour cost for the owner....sadly I think a lot of these marvels of mechanical engineering from the back in the day end up in land fill

[@TheStuffMade]

To be fair the rubber belts usually last 15+ years, probably the engineers who designed them did't see that as an issue and didn't expect the belts would need to be replaced before the unit would be replaced by a newer/better model. But as your point out, today you are unlikely to find a local electronics repair shop that would even attempt to repair these cassette decks, so you'd probably have to ship it half way across the country and pay a premium to have it serviced by one of the few places that specialize in these machines.

[@jacekschneider4686]

SONY Tcm200 mecha are very well known, its far worse if you have less accesible mechanics with idlers (rubber wheels), solderer cables or broken elastic gears..

[@VintageAudioTech]

This deck is also known as: TC-K222esJ , TC-K909ES , TC-K808ES

[@ingenfestbrems]

Surprised to see that this doesn’t have physical enclosures like the 970ES

[@TheStuffMade]

I assume you mean the internal split into 3 compartments. If you look at the specs then this deck actually got equal or better performance compared to the TC-K970ES, plus it's got Dolby S. So I guess with this updated design they didn't need the internal compartments to lower the noise. The two decks cost almost the same, something like $800 for the 3ES vs $850 for the 970ES. Cheers, Jake

[@ingenfestbrems]

@@TheStuffMadeno this is older. Dolby s is just a gimmick in these decks, you could afford it you could afford high quality metal tape that easy goes 8-10db hot

[@pocmc9857]

is that yonkers?

[@therealtea9786]

Can't believe he broke my tape deck then posted a video and then trolled the comments.

[@TheStuffMade]

huh? is this directed at anyone in particular?

[@JamesE707]

Nice circuit board layout! Personally, I do not like automated cassette loading - why did they all bother with that? I suppose once one company tries to steal a market advantage and introduce this feature, then they all start worrying about their sales!?, and then they all follow suit and do the same. My 730ES, Revox B215, NAK DR10 all have machanical cassette loading. 100% bullet proof.

[@TheStuffMade]

Agree, the motorized cassette loading doesn't really serve any purpose besides showing off in front of your friends who only had a manual loading mechanism, so I guess it helped sales.

[@jacekschneider4686]

In case of tcm200 motorised door comes at no cost. Third motor and function wheel are already ther, so they add few gears and it opens..

[@user-qi9hg2wj5m]

Супер модель.

[@aegisofhonor]

for the life of me I can't get that cog off that holds the left side of the door attached to the mechanism, even after oiling git up and getting it loose it just doesn't come off well....

[@TheStuffMade]

Not sure if I understand correctly, but there is no need to remove the cog, you just have to push the spring part that locks the front to open it, then you can easily remove it. Check around 16:32 in the video. Cheers, Jake

[@BalthazaaR64]

Hi, could you pls let me know belts dimensios? thx

[@TheStuffMade]

Sorry, I don't remember the dimensions, I'd recommend getting a belt kit, it's only 2 belts and make sure you get good quality ones. Cheers, Jake

[@sunsan997]

昔のカセットデッキはいいですよね　大事にしてください。

[@fickfehler3866]

What does this deck got in common with a new corvette? Both a pain in the ass to change the drive belt ! Bad transport design, too many failure points !

[@TheStuffMade]

To be fair this only needs new belts every 15 years, a corvette probably a bit more often :-)

[@chickenee]

Nice accent. Er du dansk?

[@dimitriyyakimov9055]

Боря Джонсон уже проставился

[@glpilpi6209]

The area of concern would be the discolouration ( overheating components ) around some areas on the pcb . I saw at least two that were quite bad that would have dried out the capacitors mounted there.

[@TheStuffMade]

It's a good point, I don't recall seeing any seriously discolored areas, but you might have picked it up better than me as I was focused on getting the deck up and running again. If you have a couple of timestamps that would be helpful. Cheers, Jake

[@aanandreassudiro8375]

Hello

[@CvetkovIlian]

Great video! Thank you! But as a note for the guys that will go through the process - the sequence of steps showed here is wrong - should be the opposite. When you are working on the back of the mechanism ( as in this case replacing the function belt) never take off the cassete door out because when you put the mechanism face down it is stepping on the plastic and easy to break cassette type sensors. And then any push on the back to unscrew a bolt can ruin your day. Dont ask me how I know... ;-)

[@uher-audio]

that is not service-friendly for belt replacement

[@TheStuffMade]

True, but luckily you only have to do it once every 20 years. Cheers, Jake

[@122sport]

i will pay you to a paypal account if is neccesary!!! please!

[@manzanaresantonio]

Looking at the interior of this deck, I can see it's an overpriced toy. The box is completely empty!

[@visnjamusa9395]

Most of Hi-Fi equipment is quite empty (and used to be overpriced, of course). This is especially true for tuners - they are built as almost completely empty boxes. However, from sound quality point of view, smaller is always better. Smaller PCBs with fewer components almost always work better than bigger or more complicated ones. So, don't mind the emptiness of the boxes and look for features and specifications instead.

[@manzanaresantonio]

@@visnjamusa9395 Not really, I have vintage equipment that outclasses my newer Krells and Naim integrated amps. If you look at the interior of a late 1970's and 1980' stereo equipment you will realize that it is not a toy like this deck. Not only that, the sound it produces is simply amazing, once you get it back to specks and change some faulty capacitors! I am a Sony man when it comes to TV and I grew up with Pioneer and Sony as my reference, my first Stereo was a Sony and my first 3 head cassette deck was a Sony TC-K2ESA, but once you go into the entry level and high end stereo equipment you realize that Sony is good and reliable, but the sound is just ok!

[@harry.lassche5423]

Yes, I have the 970- es, copperplates and fully 'boxed' I don't give a bit about the latest Dolby S, because the sound Quality will be for me without dolby at all. I see the same with DAT-recorder, ZA-5ES is almost empty box, I have the dtc-2000 es, and dtc-77 es DAT-machines, 4-heads, quite a difference in build and sound. I also have the older 790, think that this machine can compare with the KA3-es...

[@manzanaresantonio]

Neil completely different my friend. I am a cassette decks collector and the Sony ES line up is not even mentioned by high end decks collector as a must have Cassette Deck. They sound just OK as most decks. A 2 Head Nakamichi with the Classic Mechanisms like the LX-3 or the RX-303 would run circles around this Sony deck. You want a serious deck go for Nakamichi, Tandberg, Revox, AIWA or Harman Kardon! The rest are just OK!

[@manzanaresantonio]

@Neil In the audio world, you would have to pay a substantial amount of money for a late 1990's stereo equipment to match the sound quality and level of construction of a late 1970's to early 1990's level. Back in those days the competition was fierce and everybody wanted to take pride on building the best equipment and obtaining the best sales through good reliability. After the late 1990's everybody just built junk to sale in high numbers, while sacrificing high quality construction. Let me give you an example: I had a HEGEL H-390 and watching reviews about it and how good it was, there's a video that this guy was comapring his Hagel with a pair of Harbeth P3ESR speakers vs a Harman Kardon HK 730 late 1970's receiver and He reported how this hard to drive speakers were easily controlled by this vintage receiver and how it sounded superior to even the very expensive Hegel. I decided to buy a HK-730 my self to test and I was also blown by its sound quality and hard-rock construction. Audio sound was very good even by the end of 1958, but TV's and computers were not at the same level to the computers now a days. Remember that not everybody was able to afford this kind of equipment in those days, a Harman Kardon HK-730 was around 800 usd in the late 1970's, which would equal to around 3,200 usd today. The same way if you wanted to have a Nakamichi or Tandberg, you had to pay serious amount of money, that the average Joe counld not afford!