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My cassette deck has been causing me problems recently - it's a TEAC, but nothing expensive, and it's not really built as well as an average Tascam 4-track. Something's wrong with the door which I haven't been able to fix, and it looks like the plastic moulding of the erase head has now cracked at one of the mounting screws. I have loads of old albums I still listen to but which I haven't got round to replacing with CDs, plus a load of old stuff I've recorded myself (like first ever gig in 1982 when I blew the speaker in my 5W practice amp!), so I do need to replace it before it chews up something valuable.
Obviously I know of Nakamichi, but are the ones you can pick up for £100-200 worth getting? The Technics and Yamaha ones appear to have a decent build quality, at least from looking at photos on ebay. I don't think I'd risk another TEAC, when I opened mine up the build quality was poor, despite the Tascam connection.
I've seen a few really nice looking old ones, with piano-key controls and backlit VU meters, but that 70s/90s brushed aluminium look would look out of place in a rack with all-black units unfortunately.
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Comments
I wouldn't worry about the cosmetics, the main thing is functionality. Your TEAC is how old? And has lasted how long? Another TEAC that hasn't had as much use might be a good idea, or one of the same model that broke for a different reason so you can swop the parts.
I have an old Nakamichi but the LH record channel is flaky, and it squeaks when the cassette spools are turning. My main problem with old cassette machines is that they get to the point where they play a few bars, then stop, as if the cassette has reached the end of its tape. I have a top of the range TEAC that does it, even though (a) it is direct drive - no belts to wear out and (b) it has been cleaned. I also have a Denon that does the same thing. The Sony that I bought from @chillidoggy works fine, apart from one episode where it refused to let go of the cassette once it had reached the end.
I know - and can understand the reasons for - the arguments that people put about saying cassettes are crap, but they're nice cheap convenient crap and if you've got stuff recorded on them it's NBG telling me that other media are so much better, the signal is on cassette it isn't on a CD or elsewhere!
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
I had an Aiwa deck I think, but binned it recently, got on my nerves.
Sounds like it will be a bit of a lottery one way or another, and I should probably archive anything I want to keep when I can.
Sony 3 head / Dual Capstan decks from the same era were very good as well...the heyday of Japanese Electromechanical engineering.
transport sytems,the Naks really do sound good.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Nakamichi-Bx-125e-2-Head-Cassette-Deck/1023266666?iid=183009294967
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
https://www.richersounds.com/cd-player-cassette-deck.html
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
I've got a Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2 that I bought new in 1992. It had a lot of use in the first fifteen years or so and occasional use since. It still works perfectly and sounds great. The weakness is the tapes not the player. Worth keeping because, like the OP, I've loads of stuff on cassette that's no longer available in any other form and a lot of old recordings of gigs and rehearsals.
By comparison my partner's Sony combined cassette/CD/radio sounds pretty awful when playing cassettes.
Whaat? Is this the start of another hipster-led resurgence just like vinyl?
I’m pretty sure the drive belts are going to be knackered though. Maybe not worth the aggro.
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself