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Top 10 holy grail cassette decks?

Alex Nikitin said:
Unfortunately, not possible. I did quite a lot of work on R2Rs - since about 1980s. Problem is not in the electronics or parts, it is in the physics. R2R tape magnetic layer is too thick for 7.5 IPS so the tape overloads pretty quickly at HF. Actually a good Metal tape at least equals a R2R at 7.5 IPS in this respect even at 1.875 IPS (4.76 cm/s). A dynamic biasing (i.e. "HX-Pro") may help to a degree. For quality R2R tapes 15 IPS is actually the optimum speed, for a cassette 3.75 IPS is the optimum, at 1.875 IPS it struggles.

Cheers

Alex
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interesting stuff

what about thinner tape like 18 micron? or is that not even going to cut it?
 
Alex Nikitin said:
... For quality R2R tapes 15 IPS is actually the optimum speed, for a cassette 3.75 IPS is the optimum, at 1.875 IPS it struggles.

Cheers

Alex
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Yeah, given the physical spects of the little tape, this can apply. But you'd need very high quality tapes (and good mechanics within the shells) for a regular use... And a constant de-magnetizing head tape besides your deck...

Also, it would create a problem in tape lenghts. I almost never use C-90 tapes, unless if it's some really good Sonys, TDKs or Maxells. I use maximum C-74, but still the C-60 in my favourite. At 9.52cm/s (3.75 ips), the use of a C-60 would be limited for my purposes.

For me, let's say, something in between would satisfy me more.

A good compromise...
 
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yes and no, I mean thats a short answer for the advantage of digital but you fail to mention that tape has huge advantages over digital.

I and everyone else on this forum could go on for days on end about those advantages, which are the reasons that this forum exists, and the reason we choose to use tape.


its not an opinion either, its a fact, that is the reason that people are spending money to get multitrack digirtal recordings run through tape.
 
We here love tapes and tape decks! No matter how much it cost!

It's a labor with dadication and caring about real MUSIC! Hard work here!

Tape folks (engineers and enthusiasts) are among the hard working ones. No laziness!

The pleasure to watching the whells and reels going round and round is priceless...
 
Alex Nikitin said:
1) You don't have to listen to all these thousands, only to some which considered among the best and I did.

2) Pure physics - no R2R at 7.5 IPS can record 27kHz at 0dB level.

3) I don't do DIY. I design, make and sell professional quality electronics.

Cheers

Alex
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Ive never heard sound at 27khz -- what does that sound like? :D
 
what about Neal ferrograph 312 or 320 great deck my brother had one not sure
which but it sound better than a nikko and heavy duty aiwa he also had.
 
Derek92994 said:
It has a third leg :D
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And a second or third wind.

In fact there is a Lot of Wind in this thread.

But I think I will agree with the poster who said buy a new Tascam.

I found some near new Tascam machines and they sound as good to me
as cassette ever sounded.
 
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Here we are:

122mkiiifront.jpg


Three-Head Mechanism
Cobalt Amorphous Record and Play Heads
Advanced FG Servo Direct Drive Capstan Motor
Gear/Clutch Coupled Input Level Controls
Front Panel Bias Calibration Controls
Built In Tone Oscillators
2 Locate Points and RTZ (Return To Zero) Function
±12% Pitch Control w/ Clear On/Off Switch
Precision VU Meters w/ Peak LEDs
Input Monitor Selector
Unbalanced RCA and Balanced XLR Analog I/O
Repeat Function
Parallel Control Port
Fader Start Function
Optional RC-134 Wired Remote
Switchable MPX Filter
Front Panel Line Inputs
Dolby B and C with HX Pro Headroom Extension
Headphone Output w/ Level Control
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I'd love to find a fully-working Sony TC-V7. I used to have one that needed the belts changed, but I couldn't figure out how to change them.
 
45rpm said:
I'd love to find a fully-working Sony TC-V7. I used to have one that needed the belts changed, but I couldn't figure out how to change them.
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Another TRUE HOLY GRAIL... but Japan-only... :worried: Although a few units were found in Canada...

tc2000esjp.jpg
 
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The JVC TD-V661 is dual capstan, slaved DD as pointed out, with very good specs, though I have never heard or owned one. Vintagecassette.com has it speced wrong, but the pic is correct. I should not have inferred that it was single capstan, belt drive based on one check point, my error.

That Tascam 122 MKIII is a fine looking deck, for sure. So many decks to try, so little time...
 
perryinva said:
The JVC TD-V661 is dual capstan, slaved DD as pointed out, with very good specs, though I have never heard or owned one. Vintagecassette.com has it speced wrong, but the pic is correct. I should not have inferred that it was single capstan, belt drive based on one check point, my error.

That Tascam 122 MKIII is a fine looking deck, for sure. So many decks to try, so little time...
Click to expand...

When I purchased it, I didn't think much of it, when I heard it perform I was like "WOW!". Same with the denon DR-F7, its only a single capstan DD. I guess you could say I only have average gear....but I am happy with it, many more hours of enjoyment to be had. I really enjoy reading about the experiences of you guys with much more advanced gear, and learning from it.

Tascam 122 MKIII looks real nice, would be great to hear one someday.
 
jammasterj13 said:
WOW! :drool:
That is just sex man.
I love ma ES gear....
Those Japs kept the best stuff for themselves:smoke:
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you guys realize that is not a real deck right? they never built them, thought about them, or planned to built them, that is a CGI image and fan art.

the dolby s switch is bloody well hilarious, that one had me rolling on the floor for a few minutes.
 
as far as reels go, theres a few holy grails, first that comes to mind is the marantz that never was.

second, well theres alot, to me its Les Pauls "Octopus" the first 8 track large tape reel.
 
Karl vd Berg said:
One thing I want to ask/share with you folks about all these super decks.

If (yes, "IF") Philips, instead of engineering the compact cassette at a 1⅞ inch per sec (4.76 cm/s) speed with 0.150 inch (3.81mm) wide tape, had developed something just like 5 cm/s tape speed in a 4mm wide tape, inside a still compact cassette cartrigde size surely we would have recording machines that could sky-rocket easily the frequency response beyond the 20kHz and a S/N ratio close to 90 dB with type I (normal) cassettes without the need of any bloody Dolby NR...
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They certainly could have done a better product technically, but that was not their target or design goal. They wanted a simple format for voice recording. The 'oddity' in the whole cassette history is how they and other manufacturers suceeded in making it work so well in spite of its technical limits.
The same is also true of Compact Disc - Philips never intended it to be a really high quality medium, it was intended as a simple-to-use and robust medium for the masses to be free from the dirt & scratch problems of LPs.

The L-cassette was a far better product, but no-one really wanted it.

That Sony TC2000ES is not real! It is a 'painting' of a hypothetical product sony might have made. The guy who painted it has a whole web page of sony dream machines that he'd have liked sony to have made.

I have pondered the idea of modifying a VHS transport to record stereo audio (wide two track, not FM helical) at something like 3-3/4 IPS, but buying a 1/2 inch head block is so expensive, I cannot justify it.
 
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