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When to use dolby b?

jlindsey86

jlindsey86

Well-Known Member
Finally got my cassette deck set up and going. This is my first real cassette deck and was curious about the dolby b feature. Is it ok to use it on all cassettes? I ask because I thought a cassette had to be recorded using dolby b before there would be any advantage for the listener to use dolby b. But I seem to perfer dolby b engaged when listening to all my tapes.
 
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actually alot of my listening includes home made cassettes that were done back in the 80's. I know they werent recorded using dolby b, but if it doesnt hurt anything I guess its alright then?
 
Essentially, Dolby-B boosts the highs at record time. At playback time, it reduces the highs back to flat, reducing the tape hiss at the same time. If you play back non-Dolby'd tapes with Dolby on, you will get the same hiss reduction, but it will take a significant amount of the highs with it, since they were not boosted during record. The natural compensation will be to boost the highs at the amp, but the resuls will be unnatural sounding, since the treble controls do not have the same curve as the Dolby circuitry.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
Just test it with some tapes and see what you like. I still use cassettes sometimes (with an Akai CS-MO1A deck) and generally find I don't really need Dolby.

In my experience it seeems like some brands/units had better or worse implementation of Dolby circuitry in their units: the Akai is pretty good, a low-level 70-s Technics I had was pretty bad, a Toshiba cassette deck I tried once had EXCELLENT Dolby B and cleaned up most recordings without any appreciable loss of high-end frequencies.
 
Poor calibration of the Dolby circuit seemed to be quite common in cassette decks back then. I used Maxell UDII Cr02 type tape and left the Dolby off.
 
Dont use it.

Dolby gives a recording an antiseptic quality. The same high frequencies that provide ambience and sparkle are the same frequencies of tape hiss. I have found Dolby to be the less of the 2 evils. If you have a good deck that is maintained well hiss will be less noticeable. I dont mind listening to records with its surface noise.
 
I have hundreds of cassettes recorded in the early 80's, all with Dolby B "on", and I still listen to them every day, normally with headphones. I find right now that listening to them with the Dolby off gives a nice kick to the highs, and the increased hiss doesn't bother me as it's only noticeable between tracks, and since I'm and old vinyl-bairn spud, I realize that it was always part of the deal so it's just nostalgia to me. Doesn't bother me in the least.
 
i mostly redline the meters at +3db and leave well alone...
dolby 'b' & 'c' never did sound right to my ears..:scratch2:
 
I've never understood the appeal of cassettes, I was more than happy enough to wave goodbye to them in favour of CDs, although vinyl beats both.
 
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