Yamaha Tape Decks

yamahafanatc

Active Member
Ok guys, I used to have a Yamaha TC-520 (per my signature) but recently it had no power for anything and drug badly. As I am not much of a DIY'er in this area, I took it into the repair shop, and found out it is a bad motor. Apparently that motor is unobtainium as of now, so I am in the market for a new deck. Right now most of my system is yamaha, so for better or for worse, I would like to keep it that way. I am asking your opinion on a few matters. I have looked at the KX-580, KX-530, KX-500, K-850, K-720 and TC-920(B) I am wondering which of these you think is the best. I know it is up to my ears, yes, but in general what have you found? I also know that the K-1020 is very high quality as well as the KX-930, but my price range probably tops out at about $200. Another question I had is how useful are the various Dolby NR settings? My previous TC-520 had Dolby B only, but I am going for an improvement. All of the ones I stated above have B and C EXCEPT the TC-920(B) a few even have B, C and S. How important is it to have C or S? One more question I had was, how much better are the amorphous heads versus regular? Also if you have other suggestions along these lines I am open to you opinion.
 
I own the kx-1200, k-720, k-960, and a k-340.

I would recommend any above, but the 1200 is the best. Dolby b & c work great, but the dbx is another level.
 
It's been a while since I've used a cassette deck but have to agree with drumbum, Dolby C is a definite improvement over B but if one of those decks has dbx then I would pursue that direction. dbx is a whole different world better NR quality over Dolby. The only downside is that a cassette recorded with dbx will produce only really bad noise on a non-dbx capable deck.

Cheers,
James
 
Other disadvantage with dbx NR. Level practice is very critical, don't go over -0 db on your deck's metering. Also, the tape machine must be in top condition for dbx NR or any NR to work right, electrically and mechanically speaking.
 
I own the kx-1200, k-720, k-960, and a k-340.

I would recommend any above, but the 1200 is the best. Dolby b & c work great, but the dbx is another level.
I see your point here, the biggest issue for me is the price point...Do you have any info on Dolby S?
 
Other disadvantage with dbx NR. Level practice is very critical, don't go over -0 db on your deck's metering. Also, the tape machine must be in top condition for dbx NR or any NR to work right, electrically and mechanically speaking.
Disagree with the level recommendation.
 
It's been a while since I've used a cassette deck but have to agree with drumbum, Dolby C is a definite improvement over B but if one of those decks has dbx then I would pursue that direction. dbx is a whole different world better NR quality over Dolby. The only downside is that a cassette recorded with dbx will produce only really bad noise on a non-dbx capable deck.

Cheers,
James
I have around 2200 blanks, so I can make duplicate recordings of the best stuff; dolby b for the vehicles and dbx for in house. Along with the three yamaha decks w/dbx, I also have two 224x's and a 222.
 
I see your point here, the biggest issue for me is the price point...Do you have any info on Dolby S?
Patients is the key when searching for a reasonably priced deck, but as time goes on...

Have no experience with dolby s. Zero, zip, nada.
 
I own a KX-800U, KX-300U & KX330. All are excellent. The 800 is a pretty high end 3-head deck with dbx and HX-Pro. But the sleeper is the 300U. Man does that sucker punch well above its price point. Dolby C works well, but it is very alignment dependent. Tapes recorded with Dolby C can sound awful when played back on other decks.
 
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