Onkyo TA-R22 - Output only in mono, muffled audio

[foxbyrd]

Hey there,

I recently acquired an Onkyo TA-R22 stereo tape deck at an estate sale. It seemed to be in working condition -- however when I plugged it in and gave it a listen, there was a pretty enormous audio quality issue. I figured it was likely the heads and pinch rollers that needed cleaning, so I removed all the gunk from those pieces, yet when I attempted to give it another spin the issue remained the same.

Basically, everything sounds remarkably muffled, there are sporadic crackling noises in the center channel, and it's only playing back in mono. I popped open the lid to see if there was any noticeable issues, but my typical solution for restoring stereo audio on older decks (cleaning the play/record switch with deoxit) seems to be moot as there isn't the long narrow switch internally. Dolby B & C are unusably muddy, and without them it sounds unbearably tinny/strident/sibilant.

I would greatly appreciate advice or help on how to resolve these problems from individuals way more experienced than my dilettante self. Thank you

 

[duncan]

Thing is, cassette decks don't have a center channel. That makes it basically impossible for them to play back in mono, at least in the usual "L+R" sense. So if you think you're only getting one channel, but coming from both sides and sounding "tinny," my guess is you're effectively hearing the L-R difference signal out of phase, suggesting a missing ground connection somewhere. But before tearing into the deck to look for this, check your cables carefully, and maybe try using different inputs on your amplifier.