The Cassette Deck Repair Odyssey: Is Tape Worth It?

It's been many years since I last used cassette tapes. Now that they're starting to gain popularity again, I gave them another shot -- but does the experience justify the cost and effort?
Thanks goes to Business Casual for sending some tapes my way:
businesscasual.biz
3D Blast makes some super fun vaporwave/future funk:
3dblast.bandcamp.com
Sources:
Japanese WM-R202 ad: bouya.officew.jp/tc-cf-tr-cb-...
New replacement Walkman belts: www.fixyouraudio.com
Best Buy blank tape ad: imgur.com/gallery/Pu3Vf
Cassette sales by year: www.officialcharts.com/chart-...
GPX cassette player image: www.ebay.com/itm/GPX-C3110-PE...
Tanashin cassette mechanism footage courtesy Techmoan: • The last cassette mech...
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Please consider supporting my work on Patreon: / thisdoesnotcompute
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram! @thisdoesnotcomp
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Music: "Mexico", "If You See Her", "Born in the 90s", "Call Waiting", "Boat", "Melting Sun" and "Bursts of Brightness" by Epidemic Sound (www.epidemicsound.com).
Featured music: "Talk To Me" by 3D Blast (3dblast.bandcamp.com).
Intro music by BoxCat Games (www.box-cat.com).

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

If you're wondering how I pulled off the sequence at 10:55, don't think too hard about it -- while I suspect it *could* be possible to cue up the tapes just right, I ended up just laying in the audio during editing.

[@NickDClements]

"I Pulled a Sneaky on Ya"

[@jamiey5779]

@This Does Not Compute I noticed a cracked cog @ 8.27 on the Sony decks gear mechanism.

[@izzieb]

Sneaky sneaky

[@pgtmr2713]

The tape itself can cause play issues if the tape isn't straight on the reels. A simple full rewind or ff both directions can straighten things up. Your test tape looked like part of the tape was off the reels inside the case. I found, stopping tapes in the middle a lot, changing directions, repeating the same songs, can cause this.

[@KittenNippl3s]

haha, for a second I was like "is this man beat matching with a tape deck, no way!"

[@Techmoan]

The rotating head in the home deck is for recording - the erase head has to come before the play/record head in the tape path. I assume the Walkman can only record in one direction.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

That’s a good point, Sony would have had to put an erase head on either side of a stationary 4-track head. One might think this would be less expensive than the rotating-head arrangement, but apparently not.

[@Techmoan]

Yes I’ve never really understood it - rotating heads can also go out of alignment. A four track head flanked by two erase heads would make more sense to me too - they must have had their reasons though.

[@compzac]

The only reason i can think that the rotating head and nakamichi and akai method of actually rotating the tape must have something to do with the design of the 4 track head, maybe bleed through on the recording. up till your video i didnt even know that 4 heads could record even if only in one direction, I had just always seen the other methods or in the case of my technics deck they just omitted auto reverse from the record deck.

[@jasonschubert6828]

All quality decks had the rotating head otherwise it is impossible to get the azimuth correct for both sides of the tape. The only reason high end Walkmans didn't have them was size. Some had bi-azimuth heads still using the 4 track head (that just adjusted slightly for each side), but even this was not as reliable as the rotating head of the decks. If you have ever tried to adjust the azimuth in an older or lower quality auto-reverse deck with a fixed head you will know you only have the choice of one side sounding good and the other bad, or both sides sounding average!

[@RWL2012]

Techmoan, why don't you get "verified"...? :-P

[@CassetteComeback]

Hi, it's nice to see more "mainstream" channels looking at cassettes. I like that you haven't gone down the "they sound crap and get chewed up" line that most recent media reports of late have. Yes, there's no point in cassettes, except if you get a nostalgia from them, or appreciate how beautiful and special physical media can be in this disposable world. What was new, becomes ordinary, becomes boring and people look for something else. Be careful though, if you continue with them and then start to hanker for TOTL decks (which sound amazing) it can be an expensive journey 😉 Keep up the good work!

[@RWL2012]

Good to see you here :)

[@animebloodsamples]

Ha! Good to see you on here

[@TechieZeddie]

Good to see you comment here!

[@umageddon]

Tapes DO sound like shit and DO chew up thou....

[@storm-sf5rj]

Hello Tony

[@assonance9057]

Damn I didn’t expect my music to be here 😳 thank you

[@johnmurcott1273]

Your music is great. I particularly love Music: Here to Stay

[@tarstarkusz]

Are you responsible for that awful noise?

[@englishbannana1232]

I remember when this video was new. Seeing that walkman really made me want to get one but i simply couldn't afford one. I also ended up collecting tapes because of this video. Finally years later i finally got the walkman. Its not a R202, its a F100 but still has the same build quality and overall design as the 202, and I am very happy with it. Thanks for making amazing quality videos and introducing me to new retro tech I never knew of.

[@Lippdinos]

I especially am grateful for the tip on taping the screws to the diagram from the service manual. I never thought of that one, kudos!

[@alistairblaire6001]

This just reminds me of what a revolution CDs were when they really took off in popularity in the 90's. You didn't have to spend a ton of money on high end equipment, yet you could hear a perfect reproduction of the music.

[@ivok9846]

yeah, someone should rediscover CDs....

[@InfiniteForces]

Which would later become a big problem for the RIAA as piracy grew with the release of CD-RW and the huge drop in prices of CD burners,which didn't happen in the CD tapes aka DAT because the RIAA made Sony postpone the launch and raise prices for the tapes and recorders so they could implement SCMS DRM.

[@dgillies5420]

Yeah but the huge mistake in CDs was that they WERE NOT pocketable and even with a neoprene "Tune Belt" they WERE NOT stable enough to play back properly while walking or running! The cassette player can take FAR MORE abuse !!

[@horsenuts1831]

@@dgillies5420 Which is where MiniDiscs came in - the best of both worlds.

[@noelj62]

It's all about the joy of looking at the tape rolling and the VU meters jumping to the sound. Something that I really miss in the digital era.

[@RJDA.Dakota]

Buy a cd recorder. Technics had a few of those.

[@drums122]

So what's stopping you from buying a cassette deck?

[@noelj62]

@@drums122 I do have mine from 1999. A Panasonic RX-E300 with Bi-amplified speakers.

[@drums122]

probably a good radio, but it’s better to buy a three-headed cassette deck and a RX-CT recorder

[@Stremon82]

It's really satisfying to see this kind of old tech being restored. Great job!

[@derekwhidden9730]

Really fun video. My suggestion is when rebuilding cassette decks to also lubricate them. This is why your walkman sounded better after an hour of play, the old lubricant loosened up. I recommend a brand called Tri Flow (sp?) and a precision oiler that is almost like a hypodermic needle. You only need the tiniest amount of oil, less is more in this case but it makes a world of difference. Also look gor a head demagnetizer. Radio Shack used to sell them. Basically looks like a cassette. I would also advise people to avoid decks with "soft touch" controls unless they have a fair amount of mechanical aptitude, as well as a large space they can work undisturbed. Read "lockable office" so children and pets do not ruin your project. While it is true that units with soft touch controls are higher end that is not always the case as I have seen cheaper models towards the end of the cassette generation. Earlier on I remember seeing higher end mechanical decks that are worth seeking out, are easier to work on, and because of their robust construction rarely fail (except for belts or lube) unless they are really broken. The 80s and early 90s were a lot of fun. Because during those times manufacturers had to rely on the good looks of their products, as well as features and quality, to sell. It was a lot of fun to pick out components and speakers, and set them up in your home. Then there were all of the portable units, boomboxes and Walkmans. You should expand on this subject a little more. There were a lot of cheap boomboxes in those days, but then there were some really interesting ones that had incredible features and sound. For starters look at the Magnavox D8443. This one featured a single 8" woofer that created "spatual sound". Then there was Panasonic with their XBS series that created great sounding bass (including a walkman like cassette player) and finally the Sharp "Twin Cam" that was a double deck, but you load the cassettes one in front of the other, in the same door. Oh and since you like Sony so much, they produced a twin deck Walkman. Techmoan featured one. Lots of ways to explore this subject. Keep making vids and I will keep watching!

[@alvercaine8893]

i got recently a sanyo trc 1550. mint condition, belt ok, but has this distorded sound effect... when you mean lubricant, can i use wd40? if yes on wich parts? i already used cotton tips and alcohol.

[@derekwhidden9730]

@@alvercaine8893 wd40 is ok, but don't just spray it. Use a precision oiler and just the smallest drop. The thing with wd40 is it does penetrate and loosen but it also tends to run and cover everything in an attempt to be a rust inhibitor. The Tri Flow stays exactly where you put it. Any lightweight machine oil will work, but I mentioned Tri Flow because it comes in a ready to use precision applicator. The reason you don't want oil everywhere, is because it reacts with the belts, as well as attracts dust. You shoild well know what debris would do to those small gears inside the tape mechanism. And don't forget about demagnetizing the head.

[@alvercaine8893]

@@derekwhidden9730 i think i can get friction alcohol from my local pharmacy, but is demagnetisation really essential? i'm already searching for a cassette deck to record and i'm on quite a budget. not sure about buying a demagnetisor

[@derekwhidden9730]

@@alvercaine8893 demagnetising is essential. It does affect the sound quality in a minimum way, but the reason why you demagnetize the head, is because of what happens to you tape when you pass it over a magnet in the first place. Eventually the tape itself is distorted. RadioShack used to sell a head demagnetiser, it was shaped like a cassette and sold for around $15. You just pop it in and hit play for a couple seconds. And it should be done regularly, I used mine around once a week or so.

[@alvercaine8893]

@@derekwhidden9730 for now my main concern is the wavy sounds and distorsion, before going more in depth. i'll try demagnetisation later then

[@MisterRorschach90]

I can say with certainty that the reason I love electronics, taking them apart and finding out how they work, is because I took a tape deck apart as a child. I was amazed. Then I got to take fax machines, printers, and rotary telephones apart. Though I do remember taking an ibm apart and thinking “I give up too many parts” lol

[@HarrySteed]

Honestly, I'm so absorbed by your way of solving each on video and the determination that lives in you. Thank you very much for all that!

[@Tronicsfix]

Great video and amazing channel! Love it

[@tarstarkusz]

It was terrible. Almost everything he said was wrong.

[@microfighterz]

I love the cassettes in how getting into them now means when buying old ones you'll eventually need to repair them in some way, and the bootleg/mixtape aspect makes it D.I.Y. making it a super personal hobby

[@GooniesNeverSayDie1980]

Sincerely Colin, tapping screws & bits to a printout is absolutely pure genius....

[@vadermasktruth]

I collected hardcorepunk 7" records in the late 80s through 2005. In the 90s I would record several 7"s onto cassettes to listen to in my Walkman. Every hardcore band put out 7"s because they were cheap and the bands would press so many different colored vinyl. I had thousands and thousands of 7" records, but in 2006 my heroin addiction took them all.

[@GeekTherapyRadio]

Oh you know I'm slappin a huge "like" on this one Colin. Also, some decks have a calibration feature that lets you manually (or automatically) calibrate the bias and recording level to best match each individual tape. Even calibrating a Type I tape before recording could produce unbelievable results. Calibrating a Type II was staggering and calibrating a Type IV was virtually indistinguishable from the source material. That said, especially with cassette in 2019, you gotta pay to play, both in dollars and time. But for those willing, it is an incredibly rewarding way to experience music.

[@Stoney3K]

I believe the deck he has even features auto-calibration. It looks like a newer version of my deck, the TC-KE400S, which was not auto reverse and single well. The transports look otherwise identical to mine. If you want a real quality deck, try to find one with 3 heads and bias adjust.

[@Pichuscute]

Awesome to see you do a cassette video. Fantastic and professional work as always!

[@dracicidasempronius4754]

Your so under appreciated! And the way you showcased off the quality of the tapes, absolutely smart and beautiful and a great song

[@BensOnTheRadio]

That main deck looks like it has Sony’s “cursed mechanism” of the 90’s. I’ve encountered it twice in my quest for a Dolby S deck. It’s my understanding that there’s so many minor problems with it that whenever you fix something, something different’s gonna break. One of the decks was even an ES model and has the same issues. I plan to cover this if I ever get around to making my “Cassette Journey” video, since it definitely would’ve saved me some money over the years. I finally pulled the trigger this year on one of Sony’s Direct Drive K222ESJ’s from Japan and it’s great to finally hear my tapes hitting their full potential. Keep up the great work!

[@ObiWanBillKenobi]

If I remember correctly, the reason my family had some metal Maxell tapes was because I discovered that my PXL 2000 video camcorder did not record on ordinary compact cassettes; you had to give it high-quality compact cassettes. And then experimenting with each for audio recording, I noticed a significant difference in sound quality.

[@hero_in_deepblu]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, when that chrome tape hit.... sooooo good. Awesome video man, keep up the good work! :)

[@THEDTSMAN]

I absolutely loved every second of this video. Thanks for making it.

[@willman85]

Thanks for introducing me to 3D Blast, it's right up my alley.

[@JohnWhittle]

Great video! It's not often something can hold my attention for 20 minutes anymore :)

[@JimmyDVD]

You bring me back so many good memories when I was at school... Thank you very much!!!!

[@magicspiral3323]

Thank you for doing this video! You covered a lot of great points about experiencing the tape format. I just released an album on cassette and on our channel we made a video discussing why we chose to release an album on the format. You hit the nail on the head with cassettes now being a way of delivering a listening experience. Fantastic work!

[@user-qn6yt3zx3w]

Back in the day, I had a high-end tape deck in my car, in my home and in my pocket. I loved the format and used only chrome and metal tapes to record mix tapes from CD’s. Walkman’s were a particular fascination, and I marvelled at the Japanese tech industry releases throughout the 80’s, especially form Aiwa (before they went from being the best high-end portable audio manufacturer, to the cheapest). But I switched entirely, to MiniDisc (car, home and portable) in 1996 and had some 300 minidiscs. I loved that format even more, and was known as a bit of a freak for this somewhat niche technology. I still have all the equipment and the cassettes/minidiscs, it’s enough to fill a few shelves in my storage room. But I have ZERO desire to revisit any of it now. Listening to the (perfectly transitioned) audio comparisons in the video, brought back memories of how tape sounded and confirmed that whilst it didn’t sound great, it does take me back to the 80’s, a very special time for me. But all the physical hassles of cassettes/MD’s and players etc, it’s all just a long winded exercise for seemingly inferior everyday utility. At this point, I would love a filter on my Spotify app, one that emulated the sound of a cassette. I would use it for listening to retro stuff to truly take me back to that period. But physically messing around with the format? Despite being a tech-junkie back in the day and spending wayyyyy too much money on all the hardware, I have no desire to go back to any of it :-( Around 2002, I began visiting Tokyo very regularly and was doing business with some of the big Japanese brands. I had missed the heyday of miniaturization and mechatronics that Japan had been world-leaders in. It was such a shame to watch most of these giants literally fade away over the last 20 years, as the Hifi industry (car, portable and home) has mostly unified around smartphones as the source.

[@terrygee210]

Hi TDNC. A few points: 1. Chrome and metal tapes have better high frequency response and so should always sound brighter and less muddy than ferric oxide. 2.. The purpose of Dolby noise reduction was to reduce tape hiss, which is more obvious in quiet parts. You would probably not hear it at all in the loud music used here even if Dolby was turned off. 3. These different types of cassette also need different record bias for best results. Some decks auto detected the type from their slight case differences, some decks had manual bias selection.

[@VIDSTORAGE]

You need a Head Demagnetizeer ,the plug in cord type and wee drop of thin oil on the motor shafts like the All in One or the stuff on Ebay that is advertised for electronics . A drop of oil on the shaft will loosen up the motor bearings on these old machines that have aged over 30 years .

[@YouTube4Rudy]

It’s remarkable how your opinions about tape media parallels mine. And for whatever reason, I have a new appreciation of Dolby B,C,S, HX-Pro, MPX, etc. to make cassettes sound better than what I remembered.

[@Stoney3K]

The fact that your ferric pre-recorded tape sounds so dull makes me suspect the head azimuth is misaligned. You can get a good quality recording on a ferric even without noise reduction, if you use a quality tape like a TDK D90.

[@frankhovis]

If its an old-ish cassette, its probably suffering from fade, where the high frequencies actually de-magnetize over time resulting in the tape becoming more and more muffled as it gets older. Ferric tapes suffer from it bad.

[@drums122]

Complete nonsense. I have a TDK AD90 79 year old recordings in 80's on which are the same as if only recorded. It's all about proper storage. This is a big myth about what you wrote.

[@BilisNegra]

@@drums122 Your broken English made me really unable to understand what you tried to get across. Especially the second sentence. "I have a TDK AD90 79 year old recordings in 80's on which are the same as if only recorded" WOW!

[@drums122]

I have cassettes TDK AD90 79 year of production. and recorded in the early 80s. Recordings sound like freshly recorded

[@BilisNegra]

@@drums122 OK, thanks, I can see what you mean now.

[@bactanite]

Great to see another Vaporwave fan. I have been playing it all night while I sleep for years.

[@danielhumer8173]

Just came across this video. Great job. Interesting, informative, personal touch, and fun to listen. Thanks.

[@FinalBaton]

Very good ep Colin (you know I adore your audio eps). I agree that tape and vinyl offer a tactile experience that's very soothing. For tape I even love the sound of FF/RW and the "KA-KLUNG" of some buttons. I got back into tape 4 years ago and bought a very decent deck (Lyxman K-111) and I find the sound quality pretty nice even on ferric pre-recorded tape. The big thing to look for I think is : get to know which duplication plants were good. some were really tight and some didn't care one bit. I've identified one in Canada that was constantly good and that way I'm sure to avoid lemons.

[@felipe5150]

Loved the video and your insights. It's all about living in that context again. Additionally, a personal experience, without interruptions of vibrating notifications from emails, texts, etc Cheers!

[@levscollection4566]

Excellent video. I truly enjoyed it... was like a trip down memory lane as well :) .Thank you so much

[@omegaman1409]

This is a marvel of a video. Great job.

[@TheWalkmanArchive]

Great video! The image quality, speech and everything is just fantastic. Just two things: 1- The lack of treble in the type I tape is probably due to azimuth. It's probably just that particular tape or maybe a misalignment of the head. Try with another one. 2- The weird stop that you refer in your deck after servicing it is due to the tape not being tensioned. Just roll the reels until the tape is tensioned and try again. Many decks have a sensor to the left reel. If you hit play and the left reel doesn't move, it thinks there's no tape and just stops. That's exactly what is seen in your video. Thanks for that video!

[@chrisransdell8110]

This is probably my favorite of all the TDNCs I've listened to so far. It's just really interesting and weaves the mechanical tid bits with the business and even cultural trends that came into play. Great work!

[@Beardwhip]

I've been crawling around pawn shops, flea markets, yard sales & goodwills in my area for years just to pick up all the $10 decks / walkmen that folks think are worthless. I've got a sizable collection now, & seeing the value of all these neglected technical marvels increase makes me happy

[@user-qn6yt3zx3w]

Really liked the “talk to me” track - thanks for introducing me to these guys and thanks for an excellent video (watched it twice!) :-)

[@LennoxTim]

I started back on tapes about 7 years ago. I came from the same place you did, tapes were just “acceptable” for portability. However I always had decent equipment so my tapes usually sounded nearly as good as the source. I’ve gotten so into tape now that I put a vintage in-dash player in my hybrid so I can rock on the road. I really love this format, like never before. Enjoy your new “old” machines.

[@kellyfoster7054]

Tim Lennox i started 3 years ago now have 1400 rock tapes and found the exact adiovox player i had at 18 years old off ebay brand new from 1983 that was in my camaro ,a lot of people are dissing the cassette but love all mine .

[@LennoxTim]

Kelly Foster that’s totally awesome! I love picking up used tapes at the thrift store for a buck or less. I’ve discovered so much music I never heard before. Like you, I wanted to replace one if my old machines, my first “Walkman” a Korean made Unitech model. Took years but I finally found one new in the box and the sound and weight of the machine was so nostalgic for me. I even put the same first tape in, dare by the human league.

[@kellyfoster7054]

Tim Lennox i bought 2 wm-f100 walkmans off ebay ,really nice machines but i wanted to get into a guardians of the galaxy but these people are getting crazy on the prices and also found a pioneer 1080 receivet on the ground at a sale had it fixed and love playing my tapes through that and i know records sound better but i cant afford that hobbie this late in the game , with the right player u can make a tape sound like it is supposed to

[@nhexan]

If you buy vintage audio gear as a restoration project. PRO TIP - Replace old components that will change their electrical properties with age, such as capacitors and so on.

[@isaiah7617]

Wonderful video, thank you for making it. It's always neat to take a look at vintage hardware like this. I've got a few artists that I like to buy cassettes/records off of. I'd been using a cheapo handheld player, and the deck that was available in my old truck. There's something interesting about the warmth you get from analog media like this though. It's a very neat way to re-experience stuff you've already listened to.

[@pepealexandre8815]

Beautiful piece of tech! Thanks for sharing.

[@mattparker9726]

I noticed corrosion on the head of the walkman. Maybe that has something to do with the treble?

[@jonglass]

one of the internal gears was also cracked through. I wondered if that contributes to some of the problem

[@gigatigga]

exactly this. that head is toast.

[@BigKelvPark]

@@gigatigga Nothing a light re-lapping could sort out.

[@gigatigga]

Kelvin Park maybe true, but I would also suggest he atop playing tapes on it. At a micro level he’s chewing up his tapes on all of those scratches, pits and rocks of rust. It might be easier to find a replacement/new head and swapping it in (we know he can solder)

[@BavarianM]

That gear that's cracked is like that on purpose I disassembled lots of Sony decks

[@SunnyAustria]

For all others with sony decks: if you change the belts, also replace the little gear . You can see the crack clearly in this shot at 8:25 .First the take up spools getting problems or Forward and Rewind doesnt work. And you can get nearly CD-Quality Sound out of Ferric Tape if you set up the machine properly. (1.Cleaning and de-magnetizing 2. Speed 3. Azimuth 4. Playback Levels 5. Recorld Levels 6. Bias Calibration 7. Dolby Levels)

[@jonglass]

playing a cassette in a car, with loads of road noise, in a deck that probably wasn't the best quality, with the speakers that typically came in cars meant that the extra expense of better cassettes was mostly wasted. :-)

[@DouglasMilewski]

Oh, the number of cassettes that died a heat death in my car. That was their job. My originals were always vinyl or CD.

[@777jones]

I visited Taiwan in the 1990s. This guy we visited had a Lexus ES300 or a fancy Toyota with a fancy Cassette oriented stereo, aftermarket component speakers carefully custom built. It sounded fantastic. Cassette can sound great.

[@marcsapinski4396]

Yes, it helps if your car deck is not directly UNDER the hot dashboard.

[@lyfandeth]

Well, I never bought commercial cassettes. I recorded my own on metal tape in a tape deck that duplicated *cd* quality sound. Yeah, the was a huge difference when you did it right.

[@ckafi1011]

11:24 wow, that difference is astonishing

[@EeveeEuphoria]

this video actually motivated me to check on a walkman i previously replaced the belt for and failed to get to work again, i just put a tape in there and let it do it's thing for awhile. and now the walkman actually works! just had to adjust the speed to sound just right

[@nflynn]

Old not obsolete, I love your videos they make me more productive :)

[@pokepress]

I give out promo cassettes at Pokemon events I attend (along with flyers and CDs). Still working through my first 100 blanks I bought. Back in the early 2000’s, I actually did field interviews using a portable cassette recorder.

[@ObiWanBillKenobi]

Can you imagine how impossible it would be to find a replacement belt for this specific model before the Internet?? 😮🤯 📼

[@Falstaff-mr8fk]

I still have around 500 cassettes that I play now and then. I have said before that with a good quality tape, recorded well, played back on a quality deck it can sound as good as a CD. Sadly, most people only had low end tapes and equipment and so never had this experience.

[@mescko]

*Exactly!!*

[@AdvancePlays]

Even all warped like that, I will always recognise Sparkle by Tatsu Yamashita! Sonic masterpiece

[@verastaki]

I just love!!!, The tape drives and the mechanical tape transports, all those belts, fly wheels, relay & clutch wheels spinning as the tape plays music. Inside my 6+1 cassette changer, is a robot, controlled by a micro-processor computer. You insert a tape in one of the bays in the tape changer, mechanical arm grabs the tape, loads it into the bay, transfers it towards the tape head mechanism, and scans thru the tape to play the desired track I selected to play. The deck repeats the tracks on the tape as it would on CD player, I love watching the motor spinning the belts, fly wheels and such. I love anolog technology, even if it's part digital. All of my tape deck play and record amazing. As long as you keep them at top notch.

[@cum_sock4004]

Wow you got a lot of patience, props to you 👍🏼

[@AnonymousCaveman]

I spent £60 on my technics RS-BX606 and honestly it's perfect. 3 heads, mpx, high headroom, Dolby B and C and overall great sound. I have some walkmans that are a bit meh but currently trying to get a new decent one. Loved the video my guy.

[@artysanmobile]

I truly miss analog cassettes. Unlike vinyl, they were an almost perfect analog medium. Efficient, high quality, user-friendly and a very durable design both of the tape and the machine. They were everything that later digital tape never was. The 4mm and 8mm rotary head digital formats were nothing less than a debacle, stranding professional users around the world with millions of dollars of useless junk and unplayable masters. Long live cassette!

[@justasringelevicius9134]

Awesome video! Love it!

[@JenMsumbaProject]

You are very patient 😊 I enjoyed this video thank you

[@systemBuilder]

The ability to hear a curated album of music, is more or less gone today (on the internet or with a robot streaming service). These devices bring back that charming experience. Forever.

[@FlyBoyZJ1]

I've restored a bunch of late 70s field recorders, I love the analog VU meters and the mechanical systems are so cool to learn how they work and how to service them.

[@stuartleckie]

I have a cheep and cheerful Sony Walkman to use for when I’m on the go, and I have a nice 3 head Technics deck in my home setup. The Technics gets a lot of play. Sounds similar to my vinyl setup, but much less hassle to use and enjoy. Fun video to watch 👍🏻

[@AbdelkaderBenRhouma]

Well-done, man!

[@stephendevore3902]

Well Done. Patience is your key to repair. I was only able to repair simple problems with tape decks. The most important ironically is to continually play the player and it fixed itself.Had years of use from it.Some happy accidents with belt less drives in hard drop on a table fixed the cassette player to play.Good Video🙂.

[@tonyhayden9453]

this puts a lot in perspective with listening to tapes because i never liked doing so because i thought the sound was bad and was always going to be bad. This lets me know that there are decent or actually really good sounding tape players out there and kinda would like to get a hold of something fancy and would love to hear with there is to offer.

[@chuheihkg]

analogue being is oddly. Have you faced some bass boom effect when playing? I have faced at least three times that I have to find that major root to clear it. When reading about the effect, it is believed something is switched on, I also tested with a dictaphone . It is believed the deck deceives tape played is very old, almost faded. So Before say tape is dead, Better check player first.

[@mallacai]

I ended up going down the cassette deck rebuilding road and now have 14 deck's, I have no idea why I got the bug but it keeps me happy, dolby noise reduction was aimed at cutting tape hiss from cheap ferric tapes, the chrome and metal tapes do well recorded at higher level's with less hiss so don't really need dolby, I have plenty of maxell UR90's and with dolby B on a halfway decent deck you can get a really high quality sound but only if you can set BIAS either manually or automatically, 3 head deck's allow you to hear what you've recorded and allow you to make adjustments on the fly to get a near perfect recording, most of my deck's needed new belts and i've needed pinch roller's idler tyres and a motor for some of my deck's, considering the price you can pick up a mid to fairly high spec deck you can't really go wrong

[@eldontyrellcorp]

I still have a Sony wmfx33 from this era, with an equalizer and am/FM radio. I'm still astounded how good it sounds right now. These things were definitely done to last.

[@jasonlitherland4270]

Man this video came to me at the exact right time. It’s so hard to find good modern straightforward info about this technology haha

[@typhoontim125]

Excellent video

[@solkompleksowa444]

You need a 3 head deck to make the best of ferric tape, with some bias and level adj it can sound as good as a chrome (or Fe-Co super avilin per TDK) one with slightly elevated hiss levels, but with dolby s (even dolby c) hiss is a non issue. Or calibrate your deck to a tape of choice and stick to it! ;)

[@SonicYM2612]

Very nice video and retrospective on the cassette format. As someone who records tapes on a fairly high end deck and runs a small label, I can tell you that good quality ferric tapes can actually achieve a level of sound quality comparable to that of chrome tapes. There are a couple of things that help it get there, such as properly setting the recording bias to yield good treble, and using an HX-Pro enabled recording deck which will dynamically alter the bias with respect to the input audio to avoid oversaturation of the treble. To be honest, current professional tape runs done by a duplicator are not quite as good as tape runs done back then by major labels, as most of them did implement both HX-Pro and at least Dolby B NR for the recordings. I recommend you find some of those tapes from back then, you'll be blown away by the sound quality, they're very close to the source!

[@TheGameBench]

I was lucky enough to have access to my dads HiFi system back in the day and he had a high end Yamaha tape deck. That thing sounded great for a tape deck, with some good tapes. Loved this video. I'm temped to pick up one of those Walkmans.

[@chuheihkg]

Walkman (R) ? Hmmm, you can try picking one, remember most of offers might need to get fixed before can use properly. I personally have received one machine, D6C, One chip built inside, causing chaotic, recording too fast, playing too fast like what I have tried on some cheap beings. I need that one because of one simple proposition known as FP, High-Fidelity built in a small box, powered with CR6 cells, which can be handled with a palm. If SONY(R) can do this, is there other can do that too?

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

The trick with getting rid of bad wow & flutter, by letting the player run in play mode for a while, actually works most of the time. I did the same once with a Sony TC-D5M which i got in a state where it played very weird but after having it let play without a tape inside for about 3 hours or so, it worked like a charm again. Mechanical players just don't like standing around unused for a long time. :)

[@dgillies5420]

could this mean the mechanism just needs some silicone oil and you are gambling that there is enough oil left to relubricate (partially) the mechanism?

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@dgillies5420 Sometimes yes. Old grease does indeed get "reactivated" again if moved a bit. I had that with some older mechanical 35mm cameras too. Only cold temperatures really showed the limits of the old grease. But it's still amazing how well it can perform even after all those years. If there's glycerine in the grease, it might take some of the air humidity and work it into the grease which then turns it smooth again.

[@xuwang1989]

Definitely worth! The R202 is such a beauty. I've got a similar model wm-101 but it's motor has problem, hope to find a replacement some day. The mechanism manufactured by sony can endure long time, most time only need to replace belts, caps, gears. Functions like auto reverse and NR, they're awesome, watch and listen to the machine reversing itself is one of the comfortable things to me.

[@patrickjmorgan]

Thanks for your vid- you covered all the bases us old timers know and there isn’t a vintage tape deck out there that won’t have the belt issue. It does turn to goo. Not all decks are as complex as that Sony- I use Pioneer high end that might have awkward belts to replace but you can get the decks out without so much disassembly. Pioneer also have a tape selection system that records a signal, plays it back, them sets the optimum setting for you to record. It’s called BLE. (Circa 1994) . Cassette tapes have their place still but I suspect it’s more nostalgia. Still perfectly useable and doesn’t suffer the compression or losses of digital music. It does depend on what you listen to as to wether that matters.

[@mhsvz6735]

What an ordeal. But worth it for someone who enjoys the tangible aspects of music. Bravo!

[@micheltremblay4774]

I still have a Nakamichi Dragon that I bought in the 80's for a lot of money and looking back, it was worth it. A problem developed a month after taking it home and was asked to ship the unit to the Canadian distributor of Nakamichi which I did promptly. They had to send it to Japan because they could not fix it in house. The fix that Nakamichi Service department came to was to send me a new unit, they are that complex. I used and still use TDK MA-R90 Metal tape (they were aquired for $18.00 CDN plus taxes then) with the Dolby C (the deck only does Doby B and C) but for even higher quality recordings, I have a TEAC X-1000B, a black 10" reel to reel tape deck with DBX noise reduction, that record and play my Akai tapes like the original signal. I still use both occasionally and will keep them as long as they work. Thanks for sharing your findings. Take care.

[@micheltremblay4774]

I also have the Nakamichi MX-100 microphone mixer that was specially made for the Dragon. I don't think they sold a lot of them.

[@SerenoOunce]

For cleaning up gummy residue, use naptha (lighter fluid) first. Evaporates slowly so longer working time and ultimately less labor. Save isopropyl for final for final cleanup.

[@jklcvb5894]

The Problem at 15:38 I think it’s the Tape presence switch which senses if there‘s a tape inside or not. Over Time the switches get bend and don’t give a good connection so the Tape Player thinks there‘s no Tape and stops Playback.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

That’s a good idea, I’ll be sure to take a look at it!

[@SirJeff]

I'm sure bending could be an issue, but oxidisation on those switch contacts could also cause the same issues

[@Zeldagamer9000]

I have a wm-f100ii, a model that’s almost identical to this, and yes, taking it apart further than you did does get complicated very quickly. Thankfully I love working on things like this, so it was a good time for me.

[@fisqual]

I bought the same Dolby S model dual deck from ebay for $30 about a year ago. Equally gooey belts. I was wiping with rubbing alcohol for about 5 minutes before I became horribly frustrated and tried brake cleaner. Viola! It took care of it with almost no scrubbing or fussing. But it also can partially melt plastic bits (the pulleys are nylon and quite resistant to solvents). 10 minutes later both decks were perfectly clean and ready for new belts. Thankfully I didn't have any additional issues re-assembling, but I also have excessive experience repairing things in general. Also, I love Business Casual and love them even more now that I see they're sending you free shit!

[@Velvet-Sunshine.]

Here's something more to consider. Yes to cassettes, because the digital voice recorders cannot edit on the Fly, meaning you can't rewind the recording to where you want to overwrite audio with a new recording and have it play seamlessly as though you never changed it. And this Can be done in an instant with cassette tapes. Example, telling a story and changing it midstream, you can do it digitally but it takes a lot of time to put all the fragmented pieces back together in the right order and name them so that they don't get out of place and play in the right order. Cassette tapes make this process a no-brainer. That's why if you are a writer telling your story using a cassette tape record, it will be natural and a Delight. Because if you have to fiddle around for hours with the voice digital technology you'll forget where you're at in telling your story, and writing is art and when a Magic Moment happens you need the flexibility of tape because you can't recreate that moment. I have tried putting the words to paper, and trying to read them back. Doesn't work the Magic Moment can not be recreated. Thanks for listening

[@TheNets]

I was waiting for a long episode like this :D a lot of details and explanations about the devices. And man xD you got an amazing cassette player. I never saw a metal one in person.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

Yeah, I like doing these longer episodes periodically, but they’re dramatically more time consuming to produce.

[@drums122]

I’ve been recording on lossless tapes for quite a while and enjoy the sound. No wonder in your experience, 90% of people think that tapes are shit like a sound and a point. It is worth buying a three-headed deck, setting it up from the master and you will be satisfied

[@RB-xm3ed]

Well and most don’t take very good care of their equipment and clean the heads and rollers properly. I invested in a used JVC and the capstans and pinch rollers were so filthy I must have gone through 20+ cotton swabs to get them clean. This is the same experience with walkmans. Many selling them saying new belts and clean, but then the pinch rollers are filthy and the tapes don’t play at the correct speed. Getting anything used is a gamble as many are out there just trying to make a quick buck and are anything but honest.

[@JeffCD77]

When I was a teenager my friends could have cared less what a tape sounded like. I used buy metal tapes and try to get the best sound possible with expensive decks and my friends thought I was crazy. They would say they couldn't even tell the difference between their crap memorex recordings and my TDK type IV metal. It drove me nuts!!

[@chuheihkg]

metal tape is very interesting. I only meet that once , It is labeled as SONY Metal XR, I remembered there are some talks during 1990s. It is believed cassette player between 1980s and 1990s, is stronger than current if being equipped with Dolby(R) solution and with a manual switch to select type 1, type 2 or type 4. Unfortunately, there are only few models which provides that fortissimo pianissimo effect. I ask something like that again because of removing something from my equation designed.

[@jdraven0890]

I had the absolute worst no-name mid 1980s combo tape and record player. The mix tapes I made from records sounded fine to on that system, or my crap $15 Realistic cassette deck in my truck. Then I played one on a Hi-Fi that a friend's dad owned. Uh, wow...

[@Mario_N64]

@ungratefulmetalpansy A lot. I know quite a few.

[@alanpwhelan]

Great review. Liked and subscribed 👍🏻

[@peterjmcgee4680]

You might try demagnetizing your head on the Walkman because that can cut down on the highs if the head is become magnetized get a demagnetizer and that should bring back some of the highs

[@stvlu733]

Good tape saturation sound makes the recordings stand out and sound great.

[@atlanta2076]

Still using a SONY Walkman WM-GX50 in 2023. It has very few little scratches and looks overall pretty new. Also sounds pretty great. It can record and has a radio built in. Bought it for around 150$ like four years back. And I love that little thing!

[@seanenriquez5945]

those transitions r satisfying as hellll

[@mvevitsis]

Cassette sounds almost as good as vinyl. People thinks it sounds bad because in the 80s they were using low end or mid range decks and low quality ferric tapes. A high end deck with metal tape and dolby S sounds amazing.

[@dgillies5420]

Nah its because pre-recorded cassettes were ALL SHIT. In college everybody bought vinyl and instantly recorded it onto CRO_2 (chromium dioxide) tape to preserve the vinyl from scratching ...

[@JunieVM]

The walkman needs to be re-lube, cleaning of head properly and some adjustment. By the way I think you hit the right word regarding the Cassette technology, it’s MESMERIZING!

[@nickwilczynski3684]

Great perspective. I'm with ya.

[@xerzy]

hell yeah 3D Blast!!!

[@brian_castro]

Wow. Hearing that test between the different blank tapes made me realize there are levels to retro tech I never knew existed. But like you Colin, I was kid at that time and couldn’t afford the higher end stuff. Also, in response to your parting advice on what to get, I’d recommend getting tape decks and sound systems from the brand Aiwa. They made really good electronics that in my opinion rivaled and could surpass Sony’s offerings. Does anyone else remember Aiwa? Here’s an idea Collin. It would be interesting if you made a video retrospective on the Aiwa brand like you have for Sony and Apple.

[@resonantconsciousness9248]

Metal position tapes all the way! Never bothered with dolby back in the day as I had a lovely Nakamitchi which was basically flawless at recording and playback.

[@BigKelvPark]

A Nak owner would at least be able to spell it properly.

[@resonantconsciousness9248]

@@BigKelvPark I just don't spell it frequently enough to remember.

[@BavarianM]

Nakamichi

[@emanueltomasini9947]

you could have used type I on a propper deck to get fab results

[@resonantconsciousness9248]

@@BavarianM thankyou

[@darkrulier]

My dad used to have a Technics system with cassette player and vinyl record player that he bought in Germany in the early '80s and that thing sounded amazing! The amplification and sound quality were great!