OK a little background. Recording and playback of analog tapes is something I want to do for fun with no real goal of duplicating lossless high fidelity music on 1980s cassette tape technology, but rather as an inexpensive nostalgic music hobby with decent sound.
I have been on the hunt for a rare Radio Shack Optimus SCT-55 dual cassette deck with CSES (computerized sound enhancement system) that digitally upsamples a poorly recorded analog cassette tapes to greatly enhance the music dynamics. I bought one NEW back in 1996 when Radio Shack sold them. The deck is a rebadged Pioneer T-W01AR that retailed for $359 in 1996, today around $250 used.
Today I finally found the Optimus SCT-55 deck on eBay under $40 shipped!! These are great sounding dual cassette decks with automatic head alignment, continuous dual deck playback, metal tape compatibility, FLEX or CSES, music search and cue. If you ever run across one cheap, grab it; Not to be confused with the common Optimus SCT-56 that lacks CSES/FLEX computerized audio enhancement, head alignment and wireless remote.
Optimus SCT-55
Similar Pioneer CT-W504R with a different color VU meter
Do you know of any Rebadged Hidden Gems that is made by one company but the exact item can be found for hundreds less because it wears an off brand tag?
I have been on the hunt for a rare Radio Shack Optimus SCT-55 dual cassette deck with CSES (computerized sound enhancement system) that digitally upsamples a poorly recorded analog cassette tapes to greatly enhance the music dynamics. I bought one NEW back in 1996 when Radio Shack sold them. The deck is a rebadged Pioneer T-W01AR that retailed for $359 in 1996, today around $250 used.
Today I finally found the Optimus SCT-55 deck on eBay under $40 shipped!! These are great sounding dual cassette decks with automatic head alignment, continuous dual deck playback, metal tape compatibility, FLEX or CSES, music search and cue. If you ever run across one cheap, grab it; Not to be confused with the common Optimus SCT-56 that lacks CSES/FLEX computerized audio enhancement, head alignment and wireless remote.
Optimus SCT-55
Similar Pioneer CT-W504R with a different color VU meter
Do you know of any Rebadged Hidden Gems that is made by one company but the exact item can be found for hundreds less because it wears an off brand tag?
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