Decent casette tape deck?

[neutron7]

I have a few cassettes of personal band and so forth i wish to transfer to the computer so i can throw them out. once that is done i would not use the tape deck much if at all, i expect it would probably take about a couple of months to do.

Is there a cassette deck that can play old tapes very well, hopefully with an external azimuth adjustment, and not cost a fortune? or an old model i ought to look for?

[tinkerbelt]

Denon DRM710 is a good deck and you could probably find one quite cheap on Ebay etc.

[Ron E]

Originally Posted by neutron7

I have a few cassettes of personal band and so forth i wish to transfer to the computer so i can throw them out. once that is done i would not use the tape deck much if at all, i expect it would probably take about a couple of months to do.

Is there a cassette deck that can play old tapes very well, hopefully with an external azimuth adjustment, and not cost a fortune? or an old model i ought to look for?

I have a sony 3 head deck, (690?) I got mine for $20 at a pawn shop - looked brand new. IT works very well for your intended use. It does not have adjustable azimuth, though - for that you will probably need a nakamichi dragon or the like....

[aptquark]

Basically, if you're trying to squeeze out the last little bit of fidelity from your tapes...you will need a an automatic azimuth adjusting player. Those are not cheap. Why not just buy a decent deck...like a used denon, and adjust the playback head manually via the head adjustment screw? You can usually do it while the tape is rolling and hear where the optimal tracking kicks in. You can do this independently for each cassette. Have you ever fiddled with that before?

[neutron7]

Oh i did not mean "adjustable azimuth" in the external and expensive nakamichi manner, just that i can pop off the panel below the tape door(or sometimes the tape door itself) and adjust the screw on the head itself. (usually i end up drilling a hole there)

I guess i will go down the road to the pawn shop and see what they have.

oh there is a Denon DRM 700 on ebay, it is local to me, and only $100. supposedly only driven by a little old lady on Sundays.

[aptquark]

Originally Posted by neutron7

Oh i did not mean "adjustable azimuth" in the external and expensive nakamichi manner, just that i can pop off the panel below the tape door(or sometimes the tape door itself) and adjust the screw on the head itself. (usually i end up drilling a hole there)

I guess i will go down the road to the pawn shop and see what they have.

Many decks have a removable door, specifically designed for these purposes. I think you have made the best choice for your situation.

Cheers

[argibbo]

A Nakamichi. That's the answer! doesn't have to be a Dragon. I've got a really old Naka and it gets stuff off the tape other decks leave behind. I've had some dual cap 3 headers, Aiwas Pioneers, Sonys. etc. Nothing touches the Naka!

Good luck!

[mdynac]

i totally agree, just about ANY Nakamichi deck would be an excellent choice.