Sansui ?

[gtx580]

While looking thru the local CL for some interesting vintage ( like we all are lol) I came across a Sansui cs 5330 (?) cassette deck.. It looks kind of interesting and the more I looked at it the more it perked my interest in picking up a nice cassette deck to tinker with and add to my small collection. Has anyone had any experience with the older Sansui Decks?,and would it be worth picking up for a few bucks? I,m not planning on starting a cassette collection but would like a nice quality deck to have on the shelf and that could be used once in a while. If not the Sansui,any other ones to keep an eye out for? Thanks!

 

[Daunia 70]

I own a Sansui SC-3350,another 2 head deck from the same period (I've got a feeling these Sansui's might of been partly made/produced by Pioneer,but am not 100% certain).
To be honest I've never really been that impressed with the Sansui's sound quality,so you might be better off acquiring a Pioneer CTF-800 3 head deck or even perhaps a cheap Nakamichi 3 head deck for better sound quality.But saying that,at only a few bucks the Sansui SC-5330 is an absolute steal as the overall quality is still very high.

 

[gtx580]

Well for 20$ I didnt think I could go wrong. I picked up today and will have to take a little time going through it.It looks very clean and its a neat looking deck.Just curious...what do you gain when you go with a 3 head deck?:scratch2:

 

[Daunia 70]

Congrats on the Sansui.
Well,put simply with a 3 head deck you can usually monitor your recordings.Also they're other advantages too,such as better quality recordings and frequency response as the record,playback,erase heads are separate.Even better if it's a dual capstan as this will give better stability upon playback and/or recording.

 

[gtx580]

SC-5330 questions

Ok, I have a few questions regarding this Sansui. I finally got around to firing it up and I noticed a few issues with it.The first is that the sound is very muted,or should I say muffled? Either way,it definitely is not up to snuff! When I bought it the guy said he thought maybe the heads needed alignment,but other than that worked perfectly. Is that something that can be done by a newbie or is it something that needs a pros touch? And would that cause the "muted" sound? It also needs to have all the switches de-oxed as I found that some of the switches had to be set in just the right spot to get any sound at all.Where can I buy the De-Ox ? I also noticed that the VU meters work well but the lights are burned out.Where can I get replacement bulbs? This seems like a nice,solid deck,and though I,m not a die hard cassette guy,I really would like to have a nice deck to experiment with and play with. Thanks for any help ahead of time!

oh,as a side...the deck was temporarily connected to my Denon AVR through the aux input on the front of the receiver,not the "Tape input" in the back..if that matters.

 

[Daunia 70]

First I'd try the tape inputs as the receiver front input could be at fault.
Then I'd thoroughly clean the heads,pinch rollers,capstan,then demagnetize the head.If that doesn't work it could be that the pinch rollers need replacing or as stated the head could be out of alignment or just badly worn or damaged.If it's out of alignment,think it would need to see a pro.

 

[ampegdan]

I believe Guitar Center carries DeOxit, if there's one near you..

 

[zebulon1]

I have a SC-5330. I bought it from a gal in Minnesota off of Craigslist. She sent it in the original box with all the stuff. Just like it was new. She also included this brochure you might find interesting.

My SC-sounded great right from the start. I think I was extremely lucky. These older tape players are a contraption! Do all the easy stuff first as Daunia suggested. If your Denon has two tape inputs, try both. Try a different tape. If you can record on it from a good source and replay it, that my help in troubleshooting it.

 

[zebulon1]

 

[gtx580]

Zebulon,thanks for the manual pics! Very interesting. I,ll run through all the suggestions later this week and see what helps and what doesnt. I do happen to stop at Guitar Center fairly often,just never thought to look there for the De-Ox! I,ll check this week .

 

[gtx580]

Ok,I De-OXed all the switches and cleaned the heads and everything I could clean without getting too deep into it. I used new cables and ran it through the tape inputs on the Denon. The sound is still muted. Not sure if it makes a difference but the VU meters were working as what appeared normal. I tried 3 different tapes ( recently purchased at a local sale) and all were muted. Then for kicks I tried the tapes in my cheap Aiwa stereo thats in my garage and they sounded the same,so I have a feeling the tapes may be the issue....so its off to find a few tapes that are good and see what happens..

 

[gtx580]

oh..just wondering..how do you de-magnetize the heads?

 

[Daunia 70]

The easiest way would be to use a TDK demagnetizer (a newer model like a HD-30 would be better than an older model like a HD-01),just put it in,press play,then stop after a series of bleeps.A RTR demagnetizer would also work (like a TEAC E-3),but you'd have to do it by hand...Turn it on,carefully move along head (not touching head),then gradually pull it away.

 

[gtx580]

Thanks,sounds fairly easy! Also I was viewing videos on Youtube and aligning the head should be fairly easy. The symptoms described for a magnetized head and mis-alignment are exactly what I,m experiencing with the Sansui...we,ll see how it comes out. :thmbsp:

 

[oldvinyldude]

I would caution you on attempting the alignment yourself. It's easy to turn screws, but doing it right requires calibrated alignment tapes, a scope, and knowledge that I, for one, do not have.

Realignment of decks is typically not necessary, unless a prior owner attempted to tweak things, and moved them out of alignment :sigh:

As you indicate that your Aiwa also sounds muted while playing the tapes you have, I would rule out the tapes first.

Find a couple of tapes made in the mid 80's or later. Thrifts are usually a good place to find them, and they are cheap enough, that it does not matter if you like what's recorded. I have many older pre recorded cassettes that sound dull, and my decks are in good alignment. Newer Cr02 tapes, with 120us equalization, and recorded with Dolby HX, sound very good indeed.

If you do not plan on recording tapes, a good 2 head unit will do just fine for occasional listening.

 

[tom3]

Make sure the tapes have the little felt pad still in place. Not unusual for this to have fallen out, not enough pressure on the head.

 

[stereofanboy]

Any time I have had a cassette deck that sounded that way with many different tapes, head cleaning fixed it right up. Sometimes it's just the tape.

It helps that I own a few cassette decks and many tapes to isolate difficulties.

 

[oldvinyldude]

It helps that I own a few cassette decks and many tapes to isolate difficulties.

Yea-that's my excuse too

 

[gtx580]

Finally got around to looking at the Sansui. The first thing I did notice was that the head was out of alignment.It was visibly off set,not sure if the previous owner had banged it hard or if he had attempted his own alignment.After checking a few y-tube videos I threw in a tape I knew was good,plugged in the headphones and did some mild adjusting on the single adjustment screw.Within a few minutes I had the deck really sounding good! I re-cleaned everything and put the deck back together and it sits on my shelf,looking good and hopefully ready for many more years of enjoyment! The last thing it will need is new bulbs for the meters,but for now I happy with the results.