After calling it quits trying to fix my old Pioneer deck (which was just kinda borked), I picked up a Technics RS-TR355. It's pretty much flawless, the sound is wonderful compared to the old Pioneer, but there's one major flaw. The recording deck (Deck II) plays entirely too fast, but only in the forward direction. And by "entirely too fast", I mean at least 2x the normal speed, not just a few measly percent off. Mystifyingly, the speed is dead on in the reverse direction, and Deck I is absolute fine both ways. To make matters worse, the screws on the left side of the machine are completely stuck and stripped looking, making getting in there almost impossible. Anything I can do, or should I just abandon it and move on?
EDIT: While fiddling with it, I noticed that the pinch roller had somehow slid forward and that’s why it wasn’t engaging. I pushed it back into place and it seems to be working fine. Still annoying that I can’t get inside the thing, but I guess so long as I stay gentle with it, I’ll be fine.
Other questions:
-I take it that this deck automatically detects normal/chrome/metal tapes?
-Is it normal to prefer Dolby cassettes with the Dolby turned off? They tend to sound rather muddled with it on, in my opinion.
-What are good sources for tapes? I’ve only got my mostly filled collection, and I’d rather not tape over what I already have.
EDIT: While fiddling with it, I noticed that the pinch roller had somehow slid forward and that’s why it wasn’t engaging. I pushed it back into place and it seems to be working fine. Still annoying that I can’t get inside the thing, but I guess so long as I stay gentle with it, I’ll be fine.
Other questions:
-I take it that this deck automatically detects normal/chrome/metal tapes?
-Is it normal to prefer Dolby cassettes with the Dolby turned off? They tend to sound rather muddled with it on, in my opinion.
-What are good sources for tapes? I’ve only got my mostly filled collection, and I’d rather not tape over what I already have.
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