Best Dual Well Cassette Decks of All Time?

I'll play.

Sony TC-WA9ES. According to some sources, the last ES series cassette deck that Sony made.


MVC-012S.jpg
 
Though the best dual well cassette deck may be below a low priced 3 head deck in performance, I now find it interesting to collect and put my attention on some of them.

I love cassette decks and as this thread says

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=366547

it's not all for the best quality or ultra-performance. There are other reasons and some of these dual decks may be of interest.

I myself have bought a Technics RS-T80 whose price when new was almost the same of a Top of the line three head deck, has recording on both mechs. dbx. I Found it damm cheap.

http://www.vintagetechnics.info/tapedecks/rst80r.htm

Other decks I'd like to posess and would probably compete to answer the thread title would be:

Teac WR-990
SONY TC-WXXX ES Series
pioneer CT-W800D / 600D (or similar name, with digital signal processor)
 
I'll nominate the Tascam 302.

from the Sweetwater.com website.

TASCAM.gif


"Since this machine comes from TASCAM, you know you're going to get the best audio possible from the cassette format thanks to the unit's built-in Dolby HX Pro sound technology which extends frequency response while minimizing distortion on Normal, Metal or CrO2 tape. The 302 even lets you fine tune the amount of high frequency response via a convenient front panel control. And of course the 302 ships with the industry-standard Dolby B and C noise reduction. All of which means that you end up with an impressive frequency response of 25 Hz to 20 kHz using high quality Metal tape - no sacrifices here - plus a 79 dB signal-to-noise ratio and distortion of less than 1% at 1 kHz.

But what sets the 302 apart from other cassette recorders is the fact that it is actually two fully independent cassette decks housed in one 3U rack-mountable enclosure. Each of the 302's decks is capable of recording individually or simultaneously, giving you incredible flexibility for normal or high speed dubbing, continuous recording or playback. That's because both decks have independent sets of interface connectors, transport control keys, noise reduction functions, LED peak meters and more. And with such advanced features as Control I/O and Cascade, the 302 can even link with up to ten additional machines for multiple dubbing! You can even quickly access either side of your cassette via the unit's bidirectional Sync reverse capabilities.

The 302 carries a list price of $699"
 
"Best of all time" and "dual well"? Kinda impossible.

The OP was very specific with "The best dual-well cassette decks of all time". He did not ask or state that the best cassette deck of all time was a dual-well.

Now, I realize that a lot of folks do not believe that a dual-well deck can compare to a TOTL single-well deck, but there are several dual-well decks that are excellent performers.

Check out this link for more info about the Sony TC-WA9ES :

http://user.cybrzn.com/tjoker/Pictures/sony/misc/sony tc-wa9es/Sony_TC-WA9ES_Dual_Cassette_Deck.html
 
Tascam Dual Decks being the best Dual Decks made of all of them. The 302 best of all Dual decks and a good choice for convenience. And well built and sturdy.
 
I was almost tempted by a dual well the other day at a thrift. It was a Teac seemed pretty well made had bias fine trim, rec on both decks iirc. Looked to be a cut above most decks of that type. Really had no use for it though except maybe in the garage.

I kind of blame dual decks for the lack of respect cassettes get. These were the decks most people had back in the day making copies of pre-rec tapes that didn't sound so good to begin with.
 
I had one of these yrs. ago that was stolen along w/dbx 128 and Pioneer int. amp.:pity::pity:
I really REALLY liked it 'cause I did lots of off-air recording and had used dbx for yrs. before on my Advent 201. I might just go buy this one...:scratch2::scratch2:

Pioneer CT-S99WR Stereo Double Cassette Tape Deck is in excellent operational and cosmetic condition except for foot imprint on top from other component system and normal wear and tear character marks.

The heavy duty Pioneer CT-S99WR is one of a new breed of ``computer`` smart, double-dubbing cassette decks.
What sets the CT-S99WR apart are its features: It records and plays using either transport, and both have auto-reverse. You can choose between Dolby B, C or dbx noise reduction systems, and the machine automatically senses whether you`ve loaded a standard, high bias or metal cassette. Dubbing from one transport to the other is accomplished at normal or high speed. You can record two cassettes from the same source simultaneously, or better still the transports can be switched to work sequentially.
This means that transport No. 1 will record both sides of a cassette, then automatically kick in transport No. 2, which also records both sides of a cassette, giving you three hours of unattended, uninterrupted recording using C-90 cassettes.
Or you can record a long concert on your hi-fi VCR and then dub it effortlessly onto cassettes. The same ``relay`` feature provides three hours of uninterrupted playback, a great idea for parties.
Saving the best for last, the CT-S99WR invites you to select only the songs you want to copy from one tape to the other. Tap the ``program`` button and a row of 10 light emitting diodes (LEDs) light up, allowing you to select up to 10 selections on each side of the tape you wish to copy. Assuming there are at least four seconds of silence between each song, the machine takes over and does the rest, at either normal or high speed. You can also program playback this way.
The damped cassette doors open very smoothly at just the right speed, a pleasing feature. There`s no skimping with six motors assuring smooth and assured operation and tape motion.









http://diplo-best.com/review/PIONEER/CT-S99WR
http://www.ps2netdrivers.net/manual/pioneer.ct-s99wr/#manual
 

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Is there a dual well deck that doesn't have auto-reverse?

I can't stand auto-reverse in the typical implementation, due to the (sometimes large) azimuth errors. The better decks I would hope do a better job I suppose, however the only decks with auto-rev I trust are Nakamchi's Dragon and RX series.
 
I'll nominate the Tascam 302.

from the Sweetwater.com website.

View attachment 281888


"Since this machine comes from TASCAM, you know you're going to get the best audio possible from the cassette format thanks to the unit's built-in Dolby HX Pro sound technology which extends frequency response while minimizing distortion on Normal, Metal or CrO2 tape. The 302 even lets you fine tune the amount of high frequency response via a convenient front panel control. And of course the 302 ships with the industry-standard Dolby B and C noise reduction. All of which means that you end up with an impressive frequency response of 25 Hz to 20 kHz using high quality Metal tape - no sacrifices here - plus a 79 dB signal-to-noise ratio and distortion of less than 1% at 1 kHz.

But what sets the 302 apart from other cassette recorders is the fact that it is actually two fully independent cassette decks housed in one 3U rack-mountable enclosure. Each of the 302's decks is capable of recording individually or simultaneously, giving you incredible flexibility for normal or high speed dubbing, continuous recording or playback. That's because both decks have independent sets of interface connectors, transport control keys, noise reduction functions, LED peak meters and more. And with such advanced features as Control I/O and Cascade, the 302 can even link with up to ten additional machines for multiple dubbing! You can even quickly access either side of your cassette via the unit's bidirectional Sync reverse capabilities.

The 302 carries a list price of $699"


Yamaha made a twin independent deck also, a damn good one, the KX-W952. It's capable of parallel recording with Dolby B on one copy and C on the other. The Teac W990 and 995 were very good also.
 
I can't say that the TC-WR99ES is better than the other TOTL Sony dual well decks mentioned so far... but I have been relatively happy with mine.

John


picture.php
 
I have a Sony TC-WE625 I always liked. Both decks record and it has the auto bias calibration using test tones. Even recordings made on cheap tapes come out pretty nice due to that. All the connectors are gold plated. I know I've seen the exact same model as an ES, maybe with Dolby S added.

It needed the tape heads aligned when it was new. Other than that, no problems. I had to change the belts a year or two ago and it still works great. Although, I bought a car with a CD player shortly after buying the cassette deck and I rarely use it.
 
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