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SANYO CASSETTE DECKS

TubesGalore

TubesGalore

Active Member
With the addition of a new system shelf I am looking to find a cassette deck for it. I am curious about the quality of Sanyo cassette decks of the 1980s era. I like units with analog meters and Sanyo has several, an example is shown below. That is a Sanyo RD 5030. In checking the classic cassette web site I see these type of Sanyo sold for around $120 - $150 when new, cheap compared to other makers of that era. On eBay today they sell for low prices compared to other name brands. So, what do collectors think of Sanyo of this era? Bargains that perform well or should I look elsewhere?
 

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IMHO, you can do WAY better than those models. Sanyo was not known for any particularly awesome units. You could easily find quality Akai, Sony, JVC unit for very cheap - go for three heads, direct drive and / or quartz lock if you can find one.
 
It can be tricky to find a silver face deck with the VU meters AND high quality components for a reasonable price but its certainly possibly.

Many of the JVC models are quite good 'sleepers' and tend to fly under the radar. You could also look at offerings from Technics who made some excellent decks. There is also Aiwa, again an often overlooked brand.
 
Some 80's Onkyo cassette decks are pretty good. I had a TA-2026 back in the day and a few years ago I wanted another one for nostalgia. Found one in excellent condition with new belts for $50. It's not given me a lick of trouble at all. Makes great tapes.

Oops, overlooked the VU meter request. Perhaps Onkyo made some? Dunno?
 
I had both a Technics and a Sony late 70's era cassette deck back in the day. Both were "middle" of the lineup, and beat the competitors like Pioneer, etc. in a Saturday afternoon "Cassette Deck Shootout" in the dorm testing comparably priced units of other manufacturers. (i.e. we lined up the different cassette decks and auditioned them through the same stereos).
 
Cassette decks are dirt cheap nowadays at thrift stores. I recently picked up 2 really nice Pioneers and a Nikko for less than $20 total. As mentioned, the key is finding a deck in working condition. Take a set of headphones and a test tape (one that you don't care if it gets eaten) with you. It takes only a few minutes to determine if the tape transport, meters, tape counter, noise reduction and auto-reverse mode (if applicable) are functioning properly.
 
Mr.White said:
Some 80's Onkyo cassette decks are pretty good. I had a TA-2026 back in the day and a few years ago I wanted another one for nostalgia. Found one in excellent condition with new belts for $50. It's not given me a lick of trouble at all. Makes great tapes.

Oops, overlooked the VU meter request. Perhaps Onkyo made some? Dunno?
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I would agree with that comment, I currently have an Onkyo deck and its great.
 
I used to own one of those Sanyos. It was nothing to wax poetic over but it made good sounding tapes and worked just fine. It's similar to many Radio Shack and Fisher decks.
 
danj said:
I used to own one of those Sanyos. It was nothing to wax poetic over but it made good sounding tapes and worked just fine. It's similar to many Radio Shack and Fisher decks.
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I thought that it looked very similar to an old Fisher deck I had. My experience with that one was as you describe: not great but made good sounding tapes.
 
In addition to the brands already named, I'll mention a couple of others. I had a Teac that I bought in the early 80s that lasted a long time and served me well. Denon also made its share of quality cassette decks; I have one that's now 28 years old and is still alive and kicking.

But, to be blunt, if I valued how the deck sounded a lot more than how it looked, I would look for a later 90s deck (which probably means black, not silver) which has Dolby B and C and HXPro. Any deck I've had with those capabilities sounded significantly better than any deck I had with only Dolby B. Some of the 90s cassette decks surprised me with how good they can sound at times.

As has been mentioned above, thrift stores are worth checking for cassette decks, and people still unload good ones occasionally. In the last few years, I picked up a Nakamichi B-150 for $20, and a Luxman K-111 cassette deck for $8 which sounds very good.
 
I'll just add that I own a Sanyo Plus Series D55. Only a 2 head deck, but to my ears it sounds excellent. No analog meters though (flourescent ones). It does have metal tape capability which is nice. Plus Series Sanyo is all pretty good (I also own a tuner and receiver from that series).
 
johnebravo said:
In addition to the brands already named, I'll mention a couple of others. I had a Teac that I bought in the early 80s that lasted a long time and served me well. Denon also made its share of quality cassette decks; I have one that's now 28 years old and is still alive and kicking.

But, to be blunt, if I valued how the deck sounded a lot more than how it looked, I would look for a later 90s deck (which probably means black, not silver) which has Dolby B and C and HXPro. Any deck I've had with those capabilities sounded significantly better than any deck I had with only Dolby B. Some of the 90s cassette decks surprised me with how good they can sound at times.

As has been mentioned above, thrift stores are worth checking for cassette decks, and people still unload good ones occasionally. In the last few years, I picked up a Nakamichi B-150 for $20, and a Luxman K-111 cassette deck for $8 which sounds very good.
Click to expand...

Agreed - all my best decks are black, funnily enough. Aiwa AD-F990, Technics RS-B965, Technics RS-BX707, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2 - all black, no VUs. And they cost me, in order, $80 NZ, $60 NZ, $10 NZ and $50 NZ. Most needed a little attention, a couple needed belts, nothing major.
 
At this time I like a simple non-computer type deck with some quality. The simple Sansui SC 2000 series is one I use quite a bit. Good sized motor, heavy flywheel, nice big meters that read on playback, records and plays very well, mechanical controls. Pretty cheap most times and easy belt replacement.
 
saunadog said:
I'll just add that I own a Sanyo Plus Series D55. Only a 2 head deck, but to my ears it sounds excellent. No analog meters though (flourescent ones). It does have metal tape capability which is nice. Plus Series Sanyo is all pretty good (I also own a tuner and receiver from that series).
Click to expand...

The Plus line were good indeed. A must-grab if you can get the "Super-D" noise reduction box with them!
 
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