Looking for a source of replacement belt.

MikeN

New Member
Hi everyone,

I have several vintage cassette decks I'm in process of restoring. Sansui d 300 m, Hitachi d 220, and couple of Technics tape players. All need new belts. Went to eBay but the prices they are asking are in the $40 range. I can't justify spending $40 for belts on a $50 tape deck. Anyone know of a cheaper source for cassette deck belts? Where do repair stores get theirs? Wondering if buying a bunch of random cassette belts and hoping I find some that fit is the way to go. Anyone have any experience with this issue.
Thank you.
 
Probably why so many decks end up in the trash. I agree, spending that kind of money on belts for a deck that isn't worth much more is kind of a waste, I have a couple that need belts but I doubt they will ever get fixed because the cost is not worth it. If belts were in the $10 range, no problem, but when you get into the 30-50 dollar range, no thanks. Of course if they deck is something really nice, then the cost would be justified, but I never run onto those. There are a lot of sellers on EBay that have packages of different size belts, but what I've found is that the sizes are generally to small for my purposes, oh well.
 
Thank you,
You guys Rock!

After further research, yes the generic belts are too short.
And, yes, turntableneedles has much better prices for the correct belts.
Made the order couple minutes ago for my players.

So happy to be a member of audiokarma.

Mike
 
I always try first this site: thevoiceofmusic.com But you need to measure your old belt, there is pretty good chart and explantations for how to measure old belts. The prices are of range $5 +shipping cost.
Best regards!
Ivo
 
Have you tried "MCM electronics" they could find you a replacement but you'll want to know the size and you can get that from a Service manual. Oh "MCM" is now part of "Newark.com"

Good luck to you,
 
If you use a cheap belt for the capstan drive, it will cause excess wow/flutter (a speed variation), and as a result the deck won't sound that good. Cheap belts are fine for the other belts in the deck.

Unfortunately, the only good capstan belts you can buy are sold by Marrs and they are expensive.
 
Studiosoundelectronics are closed for the month. I tried turntableneedles and had good results with them. Thank you so much for all your advice.
Its much appreciated.
 
If you use a cheap belt for the capstan drive, it will cause excess wow/flutter (a speed variation), and as a result the deck won't sound that good. Cheap belts are fine for the other belts in the deck.

Unfortunately, the only good capstan belts you can buy are sold by Marrs and they are expensive.

Thanks for the advice. How expensive is expensive?
 
Hi everyone,

I have several vintage cassette decks I'm in process of restoring. Sansui d 300 m, Hitachi d 220, and couple of Technics tape players. All need new belts. Went to eBay but the prices they are asking are in the $40 range. I can't justify spending $40 for belts on a $50 tape deck. Anyone know of a cheaper source for cassette deck belts? Where do repair stores get theirs? Wondering if buying a bunch of random cassette belts and hoping I find some that fit is the way to go. Anyone have any experience with this issue.
Thank you.[/QUOTE
Do not order from MARRS as they appear to be out of business. Ordered a kit on their still "live" web site and they took my payment. Oonly problem is the belts never showed up an all attempts to contact them was useless. Their email is no longer active and you can not leave a phone message. Shame as their belts were decent.
 
The widest variety of inexpensive quality belts are from Electronic Supply Corp. But you have to know what size you want, including circumference, width and thickness.
 
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