So I recently dug up my old Aiwa ADF880 cassette deck, just to demonstrate to my 14 y/old son. He was interested as he saw Guardians of the Galaxy and wanted to make a mix-tape :). A trip down memory lane, allthough looked like a dead-end as the deck was in almost complete no-motion. It wiggled a little but didn't start playback. Sure enough, the belt set was toast, completely liquified. Yes, a project! Found the belts, ordered and got to work with son. Great exercise, trying to scrub liquid rubber off the flywheel. It worked out well, he made a mix-tape on a brand-new cassette I still had (yes, taking off the wrapper, hmm). If you have been playing around burning your own CDs in the late nineties, then moving to MP3 players and finally into the todays streaming age, it's kinda neat doing this again. Great history lesson! But practical? Not really
@HiPHOPx872 жыл бұрын
Awesome. I love cassette tapes
@KuntalGhosh Жыл бұрын
I was making mix dvds after ripping audios from my dads huge cd collection & selecting my favourite tracks then converting them to mp3 & burning them to 4.7gb dvds that i would play at home or in dad's car. The last one i did was in 2015 & i was 12yo backthen. I still have the last dvd & two reels of sealed dvds & cds i will probably never open in next 30yrs.
@disappointednep-nep24304 жыл бұрын
This is probably one of the best modern cassette decks that uses the Tanashin mechanism in terms of features.
@peacearchwa51033 жыл бұрын
Two years later, I still found this review very useful. One aspect of the 202 MkVII which you overlooked was the tape-to-PC digital conversion. There seems to be an industry agreement designed to deter illegal duplication of digital audio CDs, limiting their digital output to 128kbps MP3 (i.e. the TASCAM CD-A580). Because this unit and the TEAC W-1200 only use analog cassette sources, the USB digital output can support higher-resolution file types such as WAV and FLAC. As for sound quality, I think this unit is comparable to most entry-level cassette decks of the 1980s including dual-well unit, which is to say it's a pretty good stereo deck if not TOTL. The well-used vintage TOTL decks from the "good old days" are going to be very hard and expensive to repair due to lack of parts and shrinking number of qualified repair techs, but this TASCAM and TEAC will probably be easily maintained and supported for many years to come. If I wanted a brand-new deck, I'd buy the W-1200.
@defiverr46973 жыл бұрын
but is it as good as a Nakamichi MR-2?
@peacearchwa51032 жыл бұрын
@@defiverr4697 IMHO, No.
@continentalgin Жыл бұрын
I stopped short of buying a vintage machine off of eBay because let's face it, those machines from the late 70's really weren't designed to last 50 years. Like anything else, they wear out and become too fragile. I want a new model, but will wait a couple of years to see if we get any better choices. I might get a MiniDisc thru eBay just for the fun factor.
@grownjohnboy Жыл бұрын
I am expecting mine this month. I ordered it a year ago. It is my intention to put this to use transferring my cassette and record collection to digital and onto flash drives. All of my vehicles have CD players and USB unputs. My Nakamichi needs to be warmed up and then it may just quit. I look forward to enjoying the 300+ 90 minute Maxell UD xl tapes I recorded so many albums on through the 80's and 90's.
@funkybuddha56045 жыл бұрын
Unboxing videos are not stupid. They are very enjoyable to watch and are useful to potential buyers. It's very therapeutic and relaxing to watch somebody unbox a product. It's useful to see what accessories come with the product as well as how the product is packaged, especially if someone is considering having the item shipped. Also to see what kind of setup is required if you are planning to buy it as a gift.
@vwestlife5 жыл бұрын
But there are plenty of other kinds of videos you can get your ASMR from.
@darinb.32735 ай бұрын
@@vwestlifeI see that your post is 5 years ago 😊, I just wanted to share my experience concerning type IV tape. I bought a couple (literally a 2 pack) just to try them out. Personally my hearing wasn't good enough to distinguish the difference between type II and type IV. Anyway on to my experience trying them. Mine as mentioned a two pack brand new. The deck if memory serves was a Radio Shack Optimus single well auto reverse "I think" SCT-88. As I did my research for belt replacement (yep, the original turned to tar/black goo). It was essentially a rebranded Awia RD-40. It couldn't completely blank the type IV (if I re-recorded it), however the initial recording was great. As I understood type IV's main purpose was to archive recordings because the tape formula was not as prone to fade (loose the recorded signal) or be damaged by potential stray magnetic fields.
@CoolDudeClem6 жыл бұрын
Good ol' cassette tapes, I hope this format never dies for good.
@BilisNegra6 жыл бұрын
Agreed. But at the same time, I wish it never makes a massive comeback with cheap china junk stuff like the way records have.
@nakamichi682zx6 жыл бұрын
Well, CoolDudeClem, luckily your hope is going to be granted. In fact, it already has been. NAC is churning out literally millions of cassettes, blank and pre-recorded every year. There are thousands of new fans all over the world every day when they discover they can hold something in their hands that contains the music.... Humans will always be humans and somehow, they like things they can hug...
@richardbates23676 жыл бұрын
Marc Hugo Hitachi for being considered low in back then was actually better than what some other manufacturers were producing.
@nakamichi682zx6 жыл бұрын
Very true CabinDoor. A thousand downloads is worth nothing really. What can be touched and held up has value. "Virtual" is not real by definition, soi here we have a software version of "a miss is a good as a mile". Hang on to that music collection of yours.
@BonelishOfficial6 жыл бұрын
+CabinDoor A vinyl or cassette collection has value mainly because of its replacement cost. Vinyl and blank cassettes cost something to manufacture, and vinyl cost depends on the price of petroleum oil. It's not the distorted, imperfect audio stored on these media that has value (except for its value as intellectual property).
@joyxlibeau6 жыл бұрын
The spec may not be the best we have seen. But i believe the points are; as of 2018, we can actually buy a brand new double cassette deck that is reliable on this planet, and for us to know some company still care and have balls and passions to produce cassette deck. love your unboxing video by the way.
@Charlesb885 жыл бұрын
*JOY* MUSIC yes, that fact that you can buy a brand new deck that isn’t a cheap piece of crap is a good thing even some features that some people want are missing. None of these missing features a absolute must haves in my opinion.
@sternwheeler3 жыл бұрын
I love the irony of an alignment cassette with a misaligned label.
@hulkslayer6264 жыл бұрын
One of my favorite things about listening to tapes when I was young was when I loaded the tape in, it felt like i was loading a gun lol
@Mujcanal4 жыл бұрын
Hulk Slayer me like closing car door
@londonroulette4 жыл бұрын
Hulk Slayer stop taking the drugs, lol
@haweater15553 жыл бұрын
You haven't tried using a camcorder in the 90s and swapping out rechargable batteries, and imagining you are handling ammo clips.
@davidreidy57502 жыл бұрын
😆 true, true!!
@george787795 жыл бұрын
I wish Technics will start producing cassette decks.....
@guillermoadcox015 жыл бұрын
Still have my 1990 Technics dual cassette deck.
@patrickjmorgan5 жыл бұрын
A used Pioneers a good bet- ebay or similar.
@AMadcapCow5 жыл бұрын
Just bought a 1986 Technics the other day for $5. Love it
@stevesstuff14505 жыл бұрын
Likewise! I have a RS-TR575 Dual Cassette Deck which was high-end back in '94-ish.... still works perfectly - no head wear, and even has auto tape callibration so it can adapt to various types of tape nicely.... It's not a top-quality 3-head machine sadly, but it still makes fantastic recordings, and only cost me about £100 brand new a year or so ago...(and you should see the dual heavyweight flywheels on each deck!!)......so good as that Tascam/Teac machine is, there are still some fabulous 'retro' bargains to be had....
@izools5 жыл бұрын
Just never buy a NAD cassette deck. They've made some beautiful amps and CD players but boy their cassette decks 😳👀
@vwestlife6 жыл бұрын
*UPDATE:* The TEAC W-1200 cassette deck (the same thing as the TASCAM 202mkVII minus the Special Playback feature and rack mounting ears) is now available in the U.S. for $399 or less.
@Kevin1988985 жыл бұрын
so it is back in 2018 ? i heard compact discs is going to be gone very soon
@vwestlife5 жыл бұрын
The TEAC and TASCAM decks are identical except for minor differences in features and the TASCAM having rack mounting rails while the TEAC does not. The doors should be removable on all of them.
@svenschwingel86325 жыл бұрын
Going back to 1991 ... for 350€, Pioneer sold the excellent CT-757, the successor to the already-great CT-737 Mk.II. Good times to be a music lover.
@avtarvirdi3805 жыл бұрын
VWestlife do you reel to
@avtarvirdi3805 жыл бұрын
Do you have reel to reel tape recorder and player
@scottpeterson75005 жыл бұрын
I’ve been enjoying cassette tapes since I was a teenager in the late 70’s and still enjoy using them ❤️🌈☮️
@americanhindi6 жыл бұрын
Very well made review. Cassette playback sound is surprisingly impressive.
@HDXFH6 жыл бұрын
I love the smell of a freshly opened new cassette
@SPAZZOID1005 жыл бұрын
HDXFH cassettes are awful.
@ardas775 жыл бұрын
smell of cancer
@GAIUSJAKE5 жыл бұрын
@Proteus Hellene you can get new ones from wallgreens in the use, just feric though
@stevenewtube4 жыл бұрын
I think that’s “I love the smell of oxide in the morning”
@Badassvidsz4 жыл бұрын
I'm your 147th who agree with you :-)
@tak1786 жыл бұрын
Just wanted to say, I've been watching your videos for some time now. I have no idea about audio equipment, but I really appreciate the time you take in being very thorough in your reviews. It's more education than people get nowadays when it comes to even basic electronics.
@randynovick79726 жыл бұрын
This was great. I'm the only person I know that still has a cassette deck in the rack. I was curious about this Tascam and was delighted to see your review. Many thanks for the guided tour!
@ceilingfanmusic65976 жыл бұрын
Randy Novick i still use a tape dec. i use it to recoard music. its a technics m11 tape dec an it works well. vary well
@abrahamoriowo41216 жыл бұрын
Randy you, not the only one I even still have my VHS recorder too
@bitspacemusic6 жыл бұрын
My main studio recording deck is a Denon from 96. The fun ones are the Califone library deck with 7(!) headphone outs, Landscape HC-TT, which is a motorless hand cranked tape instrument (Human Controlled Tape Transport) and a Panasonic tabletop player. The Califone I have for the pitch control, the Landscape is for vinyl type scratching and I sometimes mic up the speaker on the Panasonic. All of this is in my music studio, which also includes a reel to reel and a cheap 4 track porta studio. About to order this 202 Mk VII. The pitch control (very rare) and simultaneous playback sound fun. Too bad there's no third head and monitoring for echo effects.
@lesrogers73105 жыл бұрын
You definately are not the only one. I still have 4 cassette decks - Teac V-1050, Aiwa AD-S950, Yamaha KX-580 and Technics RS-BX501. All but the Technics are connected and in still in use (no more room for this).
@sternwheeler5 жыл бұрын
abraham oriowo, When my reel-to-reel died, I started using a hi-fi VCR for my long recordings. Just don’t turn on the TV. Even though I have digital recording equipment, and I don’t use my Super VHS for audio anymore, I’ve added three more reel-to-reels. I love the things.
@turbo1gts3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the really detailed review. The audio quality was apparent; even though it uses the Tanashin mechanism, the heads and audio circuitry must be higher quality than in the boomboxes you see for sale nowadays. Plus, like you mentioned, the availability of parts and maintainability of the deck should be good. Edit: The only thing missing for the review that I could see would have been a mention of the specifications, like the frequency response and signal/noise ratio.
@ArinMishra3 жыл бұрын
From the User's Manual: Frequency response Chrome tape (Type II): 30 Hz - 15 kHz (±4 dB) Normal tape (Type I): 30 Hz - 13 kHz (±4 dB) Total S/N ratio: 59 dB (during maximum recording level input, A-weighted)
@KRAFTWERK2K66 жыл бұрын
You know… i just recently made a mixtape for a girl. And even if she has no tapedeck it was still kindly & happily appreciated as a gift. 90 Minutes of well selected music arranged in a particular order with the goal to give one heck of a FANTASTIC listening experience. Making the playlist is great. But nothing beats the moment of actually recording it :)
@rollingtroll6 жыл бұрын
A friend of mine is a big Greenday fan. Still. I wouldn't do that if I were her but still, the band makes her happy. I wanted to get her something she didn't have yet so I got her the original 1992 Dookie tape. She didn't have a cassette deck so I added a walkman, batteries, earbuds and I sent the whole package of the UK (which is there the tape came from to start with, oh well :D). She adored the gift. Good!
@marcboulware62426 жыл бұрын
You are re-living the magic that I had in 1990/1991 with regards to Tape Decks. My GF (eventually My Wife) didn't appreciate CrO2 or Dolby or what not, but she loved the selected music arranged in a particular order. And Playback was awesome. I listened on Hi-Fi Stereo and in the Car; she had a Midland Boombox at her home that blew away all the competition at the time. Great Bass Response, Plus ''Stereo-Wide'' on it as well. Glory Days for sure.
@KRAFTWERK2K66 жыл бұрын
Yeah this is probably what i'm gonna do as well :) Picking a good walkman (or personal stereo) with a pair of good headphones and giving it to her. So she won't pick up some crap like these "mp3 conversion" thingies with the tapehead glued to the "play" button....
@halfmt46436 жыл бұрын
I find it irksome when people call a cd compilation a ¨mix tape¨.
@marcboulware62426 жыл бұрын
Those were some of the more happy days of my life and I am sure you will help her to choose well. My GF/Wife already had the Midland Boombox but I could not, for the life of me, believe how well the sound emanated from that early '90's Boombox. Midland, after all, was known to manufacture CB Radio's. But this Boombox was unsurpassed and unparalleled back in its day. It made Bose and Boston Acoustic (things that came after it) sound lame (at a fraction of their price). And MP3 Files... well they are Compressed anyway. Always have been and always will be. Until the FLAC format finally kills off MP3, a lot of the ''unsuspecting'' will continue to listen to Compressed Audio. A pity. Give me 2 Loudspeakers, a CARVER AMP, A Couple of Hundred WATTS, along with some DQ-10's, and until then......... ;-)
@MacXpert746 жыл бұрын
I was impressed with the sound quality of the recording you made on that Fuij tape. Even without noise reduction, there was hardly any noise in the sound at all. The highs also seem to sound pretty decent.
@makusmati6 жыл бұрын
I suppose a major advantage with this deck over old decks is that it has a built-in A-to-D converter. The pitch control is certainly great too especially for playback of older cassettes recorded on myriad of decks and recorders. If these were sold in volume, I'm sure the prices would drop too.
@daleschneider76895 жыл бұрын
OMG they’re still making cassette decks? I still have mine. It’s maybe10-15 years. Glad I never got rid of it.
@VE6XTC3 жыл бұрын
Hang on to that machine. Cassettes from decades ago still play.
@colewoodard89206 жыл бұрын
Less than 30 seconds in and I already hear the voices of 2 of my favorite youtubers
@grasshopper68966 жыл бұрын
Wow, Vwestlide went in deep on this cassette deck. Good job in going into details & even taking it apart to show the internal. 👍
@VE6XTC3 жыл бұрын
What I love about cassettes is when they stay stopped and start at the exact same place in the recording. I also have hundreds of cassette tapes, both commercial and home recorded.
@stevesstuff14504 жыл бұрын
This is a great video...it's good to see a review from a non-biased person: so many so-called audiophiles condemn these decks without ever seeing or using one. I had seen this, and the Teac AD-850 available for a while and was curious about them, and after first seeing this review several months ago, I decided to go for the AD-850 - I wanted a decent cassette deck with CD player to simplify recording albums to tape, rather than using using one of my turntables and getting static/clicks/pops/groove damage noises from my LP's (I have a range of turntables from and AT-LP3, AT-LP120USB, Rega RP1, Project Primary w/acrylic platter...but so many new LP's come with groove damage from new - 'no-fill' in the grooves being the worst!) Also to eliminate having a second CD player connected... save on plugs and wiring!! So yeah... I got the AD-850 and my word, it plays good quality pre-recorded tapes beautifully....sounds fantastic! CD playback is flawless of course: it's a good CD player. CD recording works well, but you have to be careful now with so many CDs being overly compressed and 'brick walled'... but when you get the record levels just right, the tape recording sounds fantastic! I guess ultimately, all I'm trying to say here is that these 'cheap' Tanishin (sp?) cassette mechanisms are robust, perform well, and long may they last making them.. it's good to know that there's someone out there still who has decades of history with making them...and cheap as they are, they still work bloody well...!! :-)
@mjh54372 жыл бұрын
Good review,,Can you explain what 'brick walled'..means please? Thanx
@KRAFTWERK2K66 жыл бұрын
WOW! You can tell this is actually made for the more serious Tape user. Having the ability to record on BOTH decks at the same time, having a recording and a 1st generation quality duplicate tape that either serves as a archival backup or copy for a friend, is absolutely fantastic! Dude, i think you just sold me to this deck :D
@rollingtroll6 жыл бұрын
Serious tape users don't use double decks though. It's a mid-low end seperate. It's not bad, but it's very much entry level. This is about as bad as cassette gets after about 1985. Which makes it even weirder that people seem to hate on it so much. They just have no idea.
@KRAFTWERK2K66 жыл бұрын
at this point i'm glad they even offer something like this. Sure the price range is a little hefty but i'm sure this price will drop very soon (maybe even down to 250) and the more they flood the market with easy maintainable and new parts & machines, the better. At least this deck can record.
@denshi-oji4946 жыл бұрын
I doubt very much you will see much of a price change on this. If there is enough demand, they would likely sell a CHEAPER version under the TEAC name rather than lowering the price in the TASCAM line.
@catsbyondrepair4 жыл бұрын
@@rollingtroll professional sound guys use double decks all the time we do use other things but tape is the best thing for recording something temporarily.
@rollingtroll4 жыл бұрын
@@catsbyondrepair Easy dubbing. Also they are generally cheaper to buy new. They are never the better option though.
@LieutenantReid6 жыл бұрын
I may not have lived in the generation, but I appreciate and listen to cassettes on the daily
@AltRockLover3 жыл бұрын
What a great review! Very informative. I've always had a love affair with audio electronics but I never used them for anything other than simple recording and playback, meaning most of the specialized features went unused. This is def a pretty solid looking unit, and considering the market for new cassette decks, dual or not, is so small, I'd say the higher price is well worth it even just for nostalgia!
@yuk7475 жыл бұрын
Five hundred dollars or a hundred dollars is still too costly for such a cheesy basic cassette player I would definitely go with a vintage high end.
@joeblankenship3773 жыл бұрын
Definitely the way to go. I don't even have any of my old cassettes anymore, but I've been watching the hell out of Techmoan and he's making me want to get all the components and build a super hi-fi.
@llary3 жыл бұрын
That's just over $200 in late 80s or early 90s money. $200-300 back then would get you a nice - but not amazing deck and you would be looking at $1000+ in today's money for something really high end. So I think the price is fair considering low volumes they must be selling but some outlets are trying to push them for $599 which I think is going a bit too far.
@Livewire916 жыл бұрын
Well at least it's not bad. If my old jvc cassette deck decides to give up, i would definetly buy this or the upcoming budget version. Just because it's new with factory warranty and probably will last for at least 5-10 years. Thanks for the great review West.
@VintageAudioTech6 жыл бұрын
Your videos keep the format alive! Thanks for being you, VWestlife!
@tonygarrett72144 жыл бұрын
Have always been a fan of cassette machines. I still use my 1974 model Sony CF 420L. It might be 46 years old but is in mint condition and still going strong!! They were really well made in those days (full metal chassis). The belts have been changed once.
@waltrautwhite81783 жыл бұрын
Why do I watch a 20 minutes review of a cassette deck I'll never intend to buy ? Just for the sake of good old times .. :-) Thank you for the video !
@sexytasmin2 жыл бұрын
Hi Kevin congratulations on one million views. It’s a testament of how excellent your videos are!!
@dylanwelsford63912 жыл бұрын
I cannot believe how good this Tape deck sounds. I wanted a good quality machine that required no repairs. Worth every penny
@rubenholguin29174 жыл бұрын
Wow, one of the very best reviews I've seen in youtube. Thank you for the information.
@richdelgado34055 жыл бұрын
And that smell of newly-opened audio equipment. God I love that.
@JeffreyBenshoff6 жыл бұрын
I bought those Fuji DR II Chrome slim cassettes by the gross. They sounded awesome, the slim design meant you could put two of them in the space of a standard cassette in a cassette holder. I never had a problem. Fuji Made good tapes then. Nice touch with Shango, and Techmoan In the beginning. I love those guys.
@gekkehenk19806 жыл бұрын
Good one! 0:18: Techmoan! 0:21: Shango066! The only big downside of this cheap cassette mechanism, is that the don't use a sleeve bearing at the back of the flywheel. Besides that, they work pretty well, as seen in many cheap stereosystems. Philips even used two plates of iron as a flywheel in their 80's stereosets, which is nice and good for the wow and flutter.
@joeschmoe68025 жыл бұрын
That is a very good review. You covered a lot of stuff, and explained it well. Thanks for the inside view of the circuit board (it looked like a lot of full sized ICs) and it's adjustment pots, and tape drive mechanism.
@kylehazachode5 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the review of this tape deck. I have the Tascam MD-CD1 for listening to minidiscs and cds and it’s my favorite music playback device. I bought the Record Store Day release of Prince’s The Versace Experiment last weekend on cassette. The last cassette I bought was Smashing Punpkins’ Melon Collie and Infinite Sadness double album back in the 90s. I’m really excited that Tascam is still making tape decks. As soon as I’m done watching your review I’m gonna buy the deck online.
@DvdXploitr6 жыл бұрын
I wasn't TOO shocked with the sticker price...I was guessing $699.99...but it actually turned out to be LESS! Great looking deck and the quality looks to be great too! It should serve you MANY MANY years of great quality playback/recording
@walter-ly4dy6 жыл бұрын
You can probably get something second-hand for about 100$ that's about the same quality.
@MVVblog26 жыл бұрын
Probably $10 for a superior quality...
@mikeg249110 ай бұрын
@@walter-ly4dyand for that $100 you’ll get it home and find it doesn’t work, experienced this multiple time with VHS players from garage or estate sales
@CraigTube6 жыл бұрын
Awesome video. The only complaint I have is that you didn't smell that brand new cassette when you opened it! Dammit! :D
@BilisNegra6 жыл бұрын
True! I always did that as a kid and in my early teens. New sony tapes smelled particularly sweet to my taste.
@QuadTubeChannel6 жыл бұрын
Lol that brings back some happy memories xD
@algerian88625 жыл бұрын
😘😁😁😁😁😁😁
@2112jonr5 жыл бұрын
There's opportunity for a whole new KZfaq channel here......
@My-Pal-Hal5 жыл бұрын
Complaint ??? You have NO IDEA,.. where he "Stashed" it. smuggling it from China. Let's just say, Moist Towelettes were involved 😂
@MrBagley555 жыл бұрын
I love the smell of Hi Bias in the morning!
@jorgerivas84944 жыл бұрын
I love the smell of metal even better. Ferro chrome smells like crayons.
@jeffreystroman28114 жыл бұрын
I was a broadcast bench tech for 20 years, built my own home recording studio and had dozens of Nakamichi among others that I'd get for free and fix up. It's hard to believe I'm looking at buying this way as they are long gone and have some old stuff on cassette
@user80026 жыл бұрын
The return of the cassette deck. Who would've thunk it. I still have my old jvc. Maybe I won't get rid of it after all. Thanks for the review.
@BhadriShashikanth4 жыл бұрын
Cassette decks, are still available in market. I wish I had one. A huge thanks to you and your channel for acquaint this to me.
@marekmaslak80406 жыл бұрын
The simpler transport mechanism,the less stuff that can go wrong,plus for the first bird of casette deck comeback it is not bad at all.
@boggsty5 жыл бұрын
I love the flavour that cassettes contribute to the music. Every tape gives the recording another flavour and makes it unique. I think it's great tha cassettes are not dying completely off
@mercuryoak26 жыл бұрын
Expensive deck but you did a great review on this. Product. I was impressed a 2018 deck sounded amazing.
@golfman92906 жыл бұрын
Tremendously thorough review, highly enjoyable to watch.
@GeneralVanRyberg5 жыл бұрын
I know it's an older vid, but still thanks for this more than excellent review. I am considering buying either the TEAC W-1200 or AD-850 (single cassettte deck with CD player. I guess/assume the cassette deck itself would be comparable to the one of the W-1200?), as I didn't have any luck with second hand purchases of vintage gear in the past and I - unlike many seriious tapeheads , it seems - applaud TEAC's effort to at least work with the components that are available nowadays and understand that prices need to be high for this niche hobby. I miss the nostalgia of cassette decks and have lots of pre-recorded tapes that I would love to listen to. Maybe I'll record some tapes myself as well eventually.
@karlhungus55544 жыл бұрын
Beautiful gear. Remember the Nakamichi RX-202 and RX-505 auto-reverse units that would open the door, flip the tape 180 degrees, and close the door? It was like magic.
@edeggermont6 жыл бұрын
I do not think I wil ever buy a cassette deck but I enjoyed watching your review
@LightTheUnicorn6 жыл бұрын
It's great that they seem to at least be trying as best they can with the limits of the mechanisms available, I'd say they ended up making something rather nice there, leaps above the "boombox" style new decks you can buy new today. Oof, pricey though.
@olaniyi5706 жыл бұрын
Yes bring back more cassette decks! Also I'm glad it's not autoreverse.
@JorgeRodriguez-po7kx4 жыл бұрын
I Would've liked to have this Deck back in the Mid 70's when the Disco Music Mixes were in Full Swing Saturday Nights on WBLS and in WKTU
@nordishkiel59856 жыл бұрын
It´s amazing how many through-hole components can be in a 2018 device! Those PCBs look like an Atari 2600 board :-D Love it!
@westelaudio9435 жыл бұрын
Through hole conponents are still found in switch mode power supplies and also some analog equipment like conputer speakers or headphone amps. Nothing really special and there is a ton of SMD in there.
@freibier6 жыл бұрын
Nice video! I agree, compared to what you can get on ebay (high end tape decks from the 90s, many even fully serviced), this is ridiculously expensive for what it offers. And no Dolby for recording is just sad, even though I can understand they do not want to license it for how many decks they probably sell. Just get something like a used Pioneer deck with Dolby S (CT-900S, CT-S 820S or whatever), make sure it has been serviced (new belts etc.) and you will have yourself a nice tape deck which will smoke these "new" decks in every regard, and it will most likely be cheaper. The situation is pretty much the same as when you want to start with analog photography - instead of buying some plastic camera which is produced/sold right now, it will be far better to go on ebay and buy a used high end Canon/Nikon from the 90s (EOS-1v, EOS-3, Nikon F4/F5/F100) which can be had for $200-300 (and cost $2000-3000 back then).
@Dan-TechAndMusic6 жыл бұрын
You can't even get a license for Dolby NR for cassette tapes anymore. From what I've heard, Dolby does not actively license it anymore as the actual NR chips aren't being made anymore, and Dolby has no intention of getting back into cassette NR.
@freibier6 жыл бұрын
+Neko Suki (nice name btw!) True, there simply is not enough demand from the general public for brand new tape decks/cassettes. So it is either these cheap Chinese mechanics, which can also be used in $20 stereos for the kitchen, or super high end hand-crafted devices which can be sold for thousands of dollars and so are profitable even when produced in single digit numbers (although I know of no actual tape decks which are produced that way these days, only reel-to-reel tape recorders - google "Ballfinger reel to reel"). That's why, as everybody who follows like this one or Techmoan knows, the best way to get a good tape deck these days sadly is to look on eBay for decks from the golden age in the 90s. What you can buy brand new today is pretty much the Crosley record players in tape deck form.
@Stoney3K6 жыл бұрын
Unfortunately the same goes for blank tapes. Try getting your hands on a fresh chrome or metal tape these days. But since vinyl, reel-to-reel and analog photo are on the return, I suspect cassettes will follow. As long as it doesn't involve hipsters being cool with cheap fake Walkmans which have USB.
@freibier6 жыл бұрын
normal and chrome tapes are still available e.g. on Amazon (although in the case of chrome tapes probably just leftover stock), but yes, sealed/unused metal tapes are pretty much impossible to get these days. Luckily I never threw away my tapes from the 80s/90s, so I still have a lot of used TDK MA etc. I can record over. You can still get metal tapes on ebay (of course all used) at a reasonable price - of course you then have to hope they were stored correctly etc.
@vwestlife6 жыл бұрын
If someone designed a new high-end cassette mechanism today it would be a *lot* more expensive. Just like the Technics SL-1200/1210 series turntables -- back when they were in mass production they cost around $500 to $700. Technics recently reintroduced new versions of it, and they now cost $1700 to $4000.
@PBRStreetgang6 жыл бұрын
Oh man, that tape! It came with my friend's 1990 "Eddie Bauer" edition Ford Explorer way back when. I guess it's good to see cassette hifi components are still on the market, but that play head and assembly haven't been updated in decades. Also I never knew Tascam was the pro branch of TEAC. Great video, thanks!
@LSD971235 жыл бұрын
I really miss the live analog sound of the cassette tapes!
@eliaschnl6 жыл бұрын
Man, that play engagement sound is so satisfying...
@rollingtroll6 жыл бұрын
It screams 'cheap plastic!' though :D.
@pfjb91226 жыл бұрын
Oh when you peeled open that new cassette, it took me back to old times of tape faith and dependence :)
@franklee91155 жыл бұрын
It is a time machine. Forget the good old days of cassette, just enjoy the feeling and the simplicity of analogue format.
@sonicpowerr40686 жыл бұрын
It's been 16 years since I bought a cassette 📼 tape for the last time. Gotta say this one sound superb ! I would say this receiver sound almost like my Sony hi fi receiver!
@uxwbill6 жыл бұрын
As happy as I am to see a cassette deck still on the market, I thought it stumbled on the Pat Coil test recording with noticeable flutter on the piano parts. I do find it interesting that they enabled both decks to record. Surely by now all the patents have expired on Dolby noise reduction for cassettes, so it probably comes down to trademarks and the lack of available ICs at this point. I wonder if perhaps some competitor's system, like JVC's ANRS, would be available for licensing.
@jimwilliams88586 жыл бұрын
Agree - lack of IC most probably.... I thought this deck is cost reduced. Record knob does not adjust L/R levels independently. A must feature. And MIC input should really be stereo inputs these days. Lack on metal recording really hurts this deck.... is this targeted to professionals?
@uncatila5 жыл бұрын
I just lokated my Sony D6c in the garage of a friend. That thing is now highly sought after. It played all the tape types.
@My-Pal-Hal5 жыл бұрын
@@uncatila All the tape types? Reel to Reel and 8-Track Too? What about SVHS? (a Great Audio recording choice in its time) And even my Phone,.. Has Dolby ATMOS. ...get with the times people 😂...
@slipknotboy5554 жыл бұрын
@@jimwilliams8858 I know I'm a year late, but -- it's not really a must 22:12. I would prefer just one record level knob anyway, personally. With those internal pots, you still get access to the separate L and R levels
@vinylcity15996 жыл бұрын
Nothing is a better companion to vinyl than tape! Record a great sounding LP on a chrome type 2 cassette, wow! Record a great sounding lp on a type 4 metal cassette, and it's pure magic! Keep it analog baby!
@ardas775 жыл бұрын
lol
@monsirto4 жыл бұрын
Almost impossible to get hold of now and not clear if they are still pumping them out. Great video!
@zumazmusic3 жыл бұрын
I attempted to Fast-Forward this video (no pun intended) but, there were so many interesting things at the end of the video that I ended up going right back where I left off and watching the whole thing!
@wildbilltexas6 жыл бұрын
In the 80's and 90's this deck would have been a very middle ground cassette deck and probably would have sold for around or under $250. I'd like to hear how the DNS can handle a cassette with lots of hiss or DC bias rumble. UPDATE: Now in December 2019 Amazon's price has dropped to $349.99.
@sevcaczech59616 жыл бұрын
Ok, go to westegg . com/inflation/, (the inflation calculator), put there $250, year let's say 1990.. and the result?: "What cost $250 in 1990 would cost $475.92 in 2017."
@Bucefal765 жыл бұрын
I doubt, no Dolby, very bad mechanism, one can hear wow effect at recorded tape, nooooooooooo
@martinkent3338 ай бұрын
I paid 850$ to amazon last week for this Tascam.
@AriKona6 жыл бұрын
Wow! When this came up in the recommended list, I thought it was going to be from 20 years ago. So glad to see they are still making quality cassette decks of this caliber. Excellent review. Covered the things we need to know and included a lot of "like to know" material as well. Sticker shock? Not really. Costs about $200 less than the dual cassette deck (Yamaha KX-W602) I purchased some 25 yrs ago replacing a TEAC 360S - both great decks. The question that came to mind is: You said that it didn't record metal tape, yet the Loran reference cassette was metal. Does that mean it has the capability to play, but not the equipment to record metal tapes? I guess what I mean is: Is the quality there on playback if it can't record this kind of tape? Great feature set. USB support would be nice. Again, an excellent unboxing and review video. Hope you get years of enjoyment from your Tascam 202 Mk VII.
@vwestlife6 жыл бұрын
Any cassette deck that can play Type II chrome cassettes can also play Type III ferrochrome and Type IV metal cassettes, because they all use the same 70 µs equalization. The exact differences between these types only become relevant during recording.
@AriKona6 жыл бұрын
Thank you. Wasn't sure if it the difference would affect the playback. Great video.
@victorysonics65645 жыл бұрын
What caliber? It`s not 3 head system that means it`s not pro grade deck. what a disappointment
@jimmeade9961 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the detailed review of this unit. The information you supplied regarding the azimuth adjustment screw was solid gold. I inquired to several well-known, reputable sellers whether the 202MkVII actually had an azimuth adjustment screw and was assured by more than one that it did NOT!! In fairness, I think this is because younger salespeople have no real experience with tape, looked at the specs or owners manual, and saw no reference to azimuth. Eventually, I found a more experienced person at a vendor who checked the service manual and confirmed. A sign of the times, I guess. Thanks again!
@tommahoney83046 жыл бұрын
I'll stick with my Nakamichi DR-10 . Thank you for the vid. I bought up all the metal tapes from Tower records back in 2002 .
@mescko5 жыл бұрын
I remember looking at the 10-pack box of TDK MA-110s in the D & R catalog and thinking, "They're going to stop making these things, I should buy up a bunch . . ."
@jeffreystroman28114 жыл бұрын
Tom Mahoney I used to think my Nak obsessed buddies were strange, then I trash picked a studio deck (was a bench tech) and man oh man, I had never known just how good a cassette could sound, Nakamichi was really THAT good.
@bigbaddms4 жыл бұрын
@@jeffreystroman2811 It was incredible. Indistinguishable from a CD... maybe better?
@samsulummasamsulumma68986 жыл бұрын
Excellent presentation. Well done!
@AMDXplusplus6 жыл бұрын
I still use cassettes for my radio recordings and Tascam still sell cassette decks in 2018 for making cassettes and MP3 converter with USB. And they still sell cassette tapes at walmart.
@bratwurst29236 жыл бұрын
Brian 1610 AM DX same
@wclifton968gameplaystutorials6 жыл бұрын
your lucky since cassette tapes aren't sold in uk supermarkets anymore, the only place I know they might sell cassettes here is in a store called Wilko/Wilkinsons……….
@bratwurst29236 жыл бұрын
wclifton968 I find them at thrift stores / garage sales for next to nothing
@davarosmith13346 жыл бұрын
You get them on Amazon and Ebay brand new.
@bratwurst29236 жыл бұрын
Davaro Smith okay thanks, I'll keep that in mind
@LennyCooke636 Жыл бұрын
Great review. I purchased the Tascam 202 MkV back in 2010. To this day I'm not really sure why I purchased this deck since I already owned a very good Marantz SACD player bought around the same time. I guess one of the reasons why, was that I received a very generous Pension from my previous job after a a job lay-off. I had a little money to blow, so I decided to upgrade my stereo system with this deck. Since cassette decks were a dying breed, I wanted to get my hands on one of the last cassette decks being made which was the Tascam 202. The only poblem, was that my SACD blew every piece of equipment I owned out of the water, so I didn't see any point into making, or listening to recordings that didn't measure up. So my Tascam cassette deck sat there for years, looking pretty on the shelf while garnering all sorts of ooh's and ah's from friends, and not being used. It wasn't even connected to my Yamaha Amp(for 10 years !). It was only recently after retiring , that I decided to play with it. I bought myslef some empty Metal tapes and Chrome tapes, but unfortunately after thougroughly reading the manual only to realize that this machine does not record on Metal tape, my only hope was to record on Chrome tape and maybe listen to prerecorded metal tapes. This review at least gave me some hope that I did not totally waste my money ($499.99) back then. I also own a Luxman 406 casssette deck that does record on metal tapes and has dbx noise reduction system. The Luxman is really a jewel, but unfortunately it makes a loud hissing sound once in a while out of nowehere and for no reason. So serious recording work with this machine is out of the question unless/until I can get it fixed if possibe. Right now it sits like a collectors item on my shelf.
@vwestlife Жыл бұрын
You can actually record on Type IV metal tape on this deck. It will sound a bit bright (too much treble), but will work.
@djhaloeight5 жыл бұрын
The Ford/JBL premium sound system in my ‘93 Lincoln Mark VIII sounds terrific. The factory amplifier took a crap, so I replaced the factory head unit with a limited production Pioneer MVH-S501BS and wired all the internal speakers to it. I used a crossover filter so the tweeters only got the frequencies they’re supposed to, and I added 2 JBL 12” subs powered by a Fosgate 600 watt amp. It sounds GREAT. The 26 year old Ford/JBL speakers still sound excellent, no buzzing or rattles etc. Doesn’t surprise me they offered a quality recorded tape to show off the systems of the era. Nice!
@maineboy19796 жыл бұрын
The pitch control is a very compelling feature for me. I've never understood why so many cassette decks, even the higher-end ones, lack this feature even though it was a common feature on turntables at almost every price point.
@nickwallette62016 жыл бұрын
I like the reference audio tape. A selection of fine examples of early 90s digital synthesizers, some of which used 8 bit samples, the others 16 but cramming all their waveforms into 4MB of ROM. :-D
@Stoney3K6 жыл бұрын
Sounded suspiciously like a Roland JV-1080 to be honest.
@MacXpert746 жыл бұрын
+Stoney3K VWestlife said the tape is from around 1991. The Roland JV-1080 wasn't out yet. In fact the whole JV product line wasn't introduced yet. Some of the sounds do indeed have a 'Roland' feel to them. I would say they are probable from a D70 and/or U20/U220. Although there might have been some Korg M1 in there too. :D
@Stoney3K6 жыл бұрын
I was convinced the JV range was already out by the early 90s, but it could have been a D-70 or other ROMpler from that series as well. The Korg M1/X5 sample set sounds different.
@MacXpert746 жыл бұрын
+Stoney3K The first JV synth was the JV-80. That one was introduced in 1992. I owned one at the time, it was a nice synth. Virtually al it's sounds were also available in the later XP-50 / JV-1080. The sounds from the tape do not sound like anything I directly recognize from the JV-80. The piano sound is different for sure. It could also be that they used a Roland sampler like the S-750/770 and used some of Roland's sound library. I always wanted one of those back then, but couldn't afford it. :)
@ferretman67904 жыл бұрын
My mom loves your vids ( so do I ) but she likes your videos because she can fall asleep to your voice!
@kentonkirkpatrick52255 жыл бұрын
The reason for Metal tapes was due to residual magnetism of the playback head erasing the high frequencies of regular tapes. Metal tapes required a much higher recording force to record or delete signal to/from tape. This made residual magnetism unable to delete the delicate high frequencies. My last cassette deck was the fabulous Onkyo TA-2090 which I purchased around 1986 for $500. I accidentally fed it 220 volts which killed it. Wish I could purchase another NIB.
@stevebennett97506 жыл бұрын
The problem with these new cheaply made decks is people will assume this is the limit to cassette as for sound quality and wow and flutter. Until they've heard a top of the line deck (3 head dual capstan with proper bias and level calibrations) they don't know how good cassette can really perform.
@kjrchannel14806 жыл бұрын
steve bennett I think we can blame that on the China mindset that stereo sound is a luxury and it costs too much. If you don't believe me. Just check out some led projectors for an example. Some are stereo in ,but mono out. They can even only have half stereo out, or only have one speaker installed although it can handle full stereo. As we know people have been brainwashed into thinking mp3's are top quality, and watching a movie on a cell or tablet screen is high quality entertainment. I would not convert any media into mp3's without a high quality original if I could. People have really forgotten what real quality is. What I would like is to have movies fully uncompressed with updated audio and bluray on laserdisc.
@NOWThatsRichy6 жыл бұрын
Yes, regarding sound quality, it's amazing nowadays how many people are quite happy to listen to their music for hours on a tiny phone speaker!
@lobsterwhisperer793229 күн бұрын
when he said tape mechanism is the same as some aldi cheap retro box, my heart dropped.
@joeschneider676 жыл бұрын
I use to use metal tapes back in 1980s, in my stereo house and in my car too...metal was the best sound back then.
@PreppyGuy0074 жыл бұрын
Love looking at audio equipment made of substance. Lately, I've seen downsized, recyclable plastic, resembles a toy equipment on the retail shelves.
@armarra6 жыл бұрын
watched it right through. At first I was dissappointed with the lack of features and dolby modes, however I was impressed with the amount of nominally high standard tapes you used and the thoroughness of your review. I've been purchasing and reconditioning/repairing a few cassette decks with higher functionality like multi cassette changer and another with Dolby S. It was really nice to see the gleaming facia of a brand new unit, its motivated me to see just how clean and dust free I can make my second hand units look like. I would have liked so see you flick the noise reduction switch within camera shot so we can hear the difference of the dynamic noise reduction. I do wonder if your reference tape was accurate to within half a percent as its subject to tape stretch like any other tape... in short the speed of the unit was probably correct and the pitch knob adjusted slightly left. Thanks for a look at a new unit. I do recall the TEAC A250 that we had and the full size headphones that we used as Dad did not buy an amplifier for a while afterwards.. Teac lost its integrity a little after the 70s as it made some cheap portable players, however they've certainly remained a mainstay of cassette technology.
@maineboy19796 жыл бұрын
Great review. This deck is nicer than I was expecting. Hopefully the price will come down a bit.
@joekaplowitz27196 жыл бұрын
Cassettes are back from the dead but MUSIC is six feet under
@christopherdunn3175 жыл бұрын
Exactly
@float_sam5 жыл бұрын
Maybe for 'players' but for producers/sound engineers/artists its just the beginning. First time in history you can reach mass distribution 45 minutes after your done with creating your banger on your twitch live stream. (Doja Cat - Moo)
@gautambanerjee69625 жыл бұрын
True
@Mosfet5105 жыл бұрын
Agreed! And you should copyright that, damn good.
@LogiForce865 жыл бұрын
@@float_sam Yup, and that ease of distribution also means that the markt gets flooded with crap. Same with games on Steam after they introduced Steam Greenlight so developers could more easily go to market. Sometimes having a hard time also means you will have to work harder so that you know your music production is good enough so that it will get distributed. So yeah, it might be a golden age for money grabbing but not a golden age for quality music.
@charleshughes83585 жыл бұрын
Along with dbx-2231 eq, i am a Proud owner of a SONY tc-wr350z full logic dual cassette player(no rack mount) w/ dolby A/B, remote and added pitch control that amazingly recreates the mood/atmosphere & pitch of whatever cassette i record or play, been a Fan - still a Fan since childhood.
@Tubeflux5 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this review with retro outlook! I’m into cassette and MD walkmans... so I enjoyed your video ver much. Keep this this thing up!
@VoxAndrews6 жыл бұрын
That music on the Pontiac VIP Trans Sport Casette Tape is awesome. Wish I could find some digital versions of the songs.
@afloyd49766 жыл бұрын
Why would Dolby not want to make money from licensing their B noise reduction? It makes no sense.
@watershed446 жыл бұрын
A Floyd Indeed, considering that making even limited numbers of encoder/decoder chips would be very cheap today with current manufacturing abilities. Plus they'd get free advertising through the consumer market as people have forgotten about Dolby Systems including professionals even.
@michaelturner44575 жыл бұрын
Not enough demand probably,. Especially if there's only one company(Tascam), making only one high quality cassette deck(the one in the video). Basically not worth it, Dolby makes all its bucks from the movie industry these day
@peacearchwa51035 жыл бұрын
Ray Dolby passed away on September 12, 2013. Dolby had become a publicly-traded corporation. As a big company, it's likely that others in Dolby's corporate management wanted to kill off the money-losing NR licensing some years earlier. They likely refrained from doing so while the company's founder and namesake was still alive. This scenario has played out many times before in corporate America, such as relocating the corporate HQ or changing the corporation's name shortly after the founder's death.
@classicgamereviews545 жыл бұрын
Watching this while listening to a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers cassette on my TASCAM CD-A500 in the background. Manufactured in Jan 2001. Amazing CD player and Cassette deck combo.
@noahman273 жыл бұрын
Haha! I just watched a half an hour video on a cassette deck. Loved it. I miss all those mechanical sounds and feather touch controls. By the way, the sample audiophile tape you played was a Loran cassette. Back in the day, Loran was my favorite cassette to record onto. It could handle very high input levels with no distortion. They weren't always easy to find though, so most of my cassettes were TDK SA-90 as they were available by the brick load.
@carnivorouslee6 жыл бұрын
Haven't seen a rack mountable tape deck for a long time! Looks good!
@vernonbishop6 жыл бұрын
My sister's foster dad worked for the Ford dealership here in town, so I do know about the reference cassette for their JBL audio systems. It may be obscure to others, though, as my experience is only anecdotal.
@robinscheines6775 Жыл бұрын
I have this Tascam unit for 3 years, and I do hear a low grade hum sometimes on deck #1 but most of the time I don't hear any hum at all on deck #1 Maybe I got a better shield or something, but anyway It seems to be intermittent for hum on my machine, for whatever reason ,and I listen for it too A great tape machine and I love when there is no hum, just quiet tape hiss and that's most of the time on my unit Thank You for this video I love cassettes and 4 track cassette recording
@robinscheines6775 Жыл бұрын
The intermittent hum was caused from a small electric fan I have on top of the Tascam With the fan switched off there is no hum When the fan is switched on there is humming sounds on both #1 and #2 The fan also gets moved around sometimes Makes perfect sense now
@ProjectOverseer4 жыл бұрын
I own a fairly high end HiFi with mainly digital technologies from knowledge gained from my years in audio engineering and my passion for audiophile recordings and playback technology. Regardless, I still have room for vinyl and own a pretty decent turntable. I love cassette for a multitude of reasons, and back in the day would make quality compilations for home and car use. About 6 months ago I was cleaning out the loft and found a box with Awia AD-F800 on the side. I remembered I bought this as a backup in a sale in the early 90's but never used it. I opened the box and found a mint deck and couldn't wait to try it. I had to wait longer unfortunately. The rubber belts had disolved leaving a black mess on the drive wheels. I was mega pleased to find quality replacements on eBay. Cleaning wasn't as bad as expected and replacing the belts was easy but fiddly. Testing day came ... The deck worked perfectly. Now the sound test. Whilst waiting for the belts, I managed to find some TDK SA90 blanks still in original rap. I used some of my best digital recordings for the test. I did a couple of vinyl recordings too. The deck is now a permanent part of my system, I was blown away with what this old technology was capable of. And to think this deck wasn't even high end at the time, though it did get a few good reviews. I hope cassette makes a comeback. Though it looks incredibly dated in my system, it's sound certainly isn't 👍
@Claro19936 жыл бұрын
0:19 Techmoan?
@gmcnewlook6 жыл бұрын
Claro1993 shanago66 as well :)
@vext016 жыл бұрын
I believe so!
@TalenGryphon5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, that's him alright. I did a double-take trying to figure out who's channel I was watching
@allstar9306 жыл бұрын
Thank you for making this. I really appreciate all the hard work you put into your videos. Long live cassettes and cassette culture!!
@amilcareposti24375 жыл бұрын
from Italy, excellent explanation and beautiful apparatus, I did not believe that someone still did them! thank you.
@kunalzshah6 жыл бұрын
Absolute gold!! Oh how I miss those days where I would align the head fr every cassette that I would play!