Awesome tape deck

@Fubar06

7 ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

Superrrr

My thoughts: I have both AZ6 and AZ7. They sound absolutely the same to most people (me included) and specs are the same. AZ7 has a few features, some people take advantage of them, some don't. For instance, PLAY DIRECT will give you a lot of hiss on anything apart from metal, so I don't like it. AZ7 has additional circuitry on playback head amplifier, but this isn't noticeable by most people. The virtual battery (which is not mentioned here) could have been a nice feature, but again, it's not noticeable, AZ6 lacks it and it doesn't hum or anything. Mechanical unit uses solenoid and it's very noisy, but usually it works well. Yes, some parts (noticeable REM0043 part) break, there are replacements on internet, but all of them are 3D-printed and don't know how long it will last. 0.07% WRMS wow & flutter is not so good, but still bellow usual human perception. Turbo winding and rewinding can be deactivated at glance if not needed by pushing the buttons again. Microswitches are prone to collect dirt and oxidation and so deck can mess up the commands, but it's an easy fix. I read somewhere that Technics and Philips tried to no avail to make a magnetorezistive analog recording head, guess you can't have it all. So far, only playback MR heads. I don't like ATC, it's too permissive. If the level and bias aren't way off, the deck still gives you green light, although you can clearly see a drop on level for instance. And you cannot manually adjust it. Some say this deck sounds metallic, but I like it, it's a nice deck. Still, the price is too far IMO. Maybe it's better to go for an AZ6 (almost identical), although still expensive. Another interesting thing is the rubber "shoe" that encloses the chassis and lastly, the way ATC calibrates the EQ. This I cannot expand, since I'm not an expert, but I read somewhere that uses some digital programming. I could be wrong and I could say rubbish, but that's something I read somewhere.

@Fubar06

2 жыл бұрын

I didn't mention the virtual battery as it's mostly a marketing gimmick, just like the AA preamp. It's, at most, a bit of extra filtering on the power transformer, which other decks don't even mention. Play Direct doesn't "give" you hiss, it simply takes out all circuits that otherwise would reduce the hiss artificially. I replaced the REM0043 on this unit a few months ago, no issues so far. Indeed the mech is flimsy and mostly plastic, that's why I believe the reported W&F is very good for what it does. Yes, it's noisy, but so are every Sony or Pioneer mechs from the same period. The good part is that it's very easy to fix and shares most parts will almost all Technics decks from that time. I too am a fan of manual calibration more than auto, but I will take this over a simple bias button most 3 head decks have every time! The best calibration system in my opinion is the manual one with internal tone generator and manual bias and per channel level pots. I did not listen to the AZ6 so have no input there, but I would take the AZ7 for the awesome door lights alone :)

@Fubar06

2 жыл бұрын

Ah, am uitat sa specific, dintre toate sistemele de autocalibrare, cel mai bun mi se pare BLE XD, de la Pioneer. ATC-ul Technics e bunicel, dar nu e BLE. Chiar si asa, AZ7 inregistreaza excelent pe aproape orice fel de caseta.

Cassettes are still amazing for me :-)

@Fubar06

2 жыл бұрын

Yes they are!

Never owned a Technics Cassette deck. Nothing against them, it just never came up for me. They have some cool designs, so I wouldn't mind trying one of their 3-head decks some day. The deck pictured below, the RS-BX727, is very similar in features and layout to the Sony TC-K870ES that I used to own. Wouldn't mind having one of those. My first cassette player was a Panasonic portable though (given as a Christmas present in the mid 70's). That thing was a tank, and it never stopped working. I still have it somewhere.

@Fubar06

2 жыл бұрын

The 727 is the deck I like most from all the ones I have (or had), and they are not few :) Aside from the design which you mentioned, I like the Technics specific sound, the open scene, the warmth (it resembles a bit Pioneer but I feel it's more encompassing). Many say they are too plasticky, too light, that mechs aren't really sturdy on the newer ones (like the AZ6/7), but somehow the numbers are there (w&f, freq) and they sound amazing. My dream is one day owning a 905, but I'm very happy with my 727 as my best recorder and my AZ7 as my best player (the MR heads are really something else!)

@jhschmidMD4

2 жыл бұрын

@@Fubar06 I know what you mean about having the specific sound you love. I feel that way about the Akai GX-9. The recordings that thing makes are truly amazing! They absolutely sound (to my ears) better than the source every time. I've never heard it equaled. It's not perfect though. The auto calibration (tuning) is very, very good, and it has an additional manual bias fine tune that allows for extra detail retrieval. However, on rare occasion with with certain tape formulas (like a pure Chrome BASF), it doesn't calibrate perfectly, and I find I get better results with the fully manual calibration on my Teac V-8030S. Also, the level output control doubles as the phones level, and I hate when deck designs do stuff like that. Both recording and playback on the Akai are amazing, but I like to play my Akai recordings back on the Pioneer 616DR's, since it sounds identical to playback on the Akai, but with the added benefit of clean removal of the tape hiss. Since I am a true fan of the hobby, if I come across good examples of either of these Technics models for sale, I might be tempted to give them a try...

@Fubar06

2 жыл бұрын

@@jhschmidMD4 If you only want a player, then 555/565 will do great and they are cheaper. If you also want to record, I suggest going for 707/727 or 808/828 if budget allows, as they have manual cal (which I prefer). True chromes can be tricky, indeed, also one thing I like more on cobalt formulations is the thing you can go higher in level. In their defense, true chromes have a lower noisefloor, closer to metal tape.

@jhschmidMD4

2 жыл бұрын

@@Fubar06 I like how clear and glassy, pure Chrome tape sounds for certain types of music, but you're right about cobalt type 2's being better overall, and much easier to work with. I also like your choice for dream deck in the 905. I see that deck came equipped with dbx. That's the one analog NR system that I'm a big fan of. And yes, it's way better than Dolby S (in my opinion). Both my Teac V-4RX and V-2RX decks had dbx, and it was absolutely the best analog NR system ever. The down side, of course, is the tapes you encode with it can't travel with you, unless they go to another machine with dbx, which is likely to be a rarity.

@Fubar06

2 жыл бұрын

@@jhschmidMD4 Sadly, my only DBX deck is the Technics RS-TR555, which is a great double decker when it comes to Play, but lacks calibration options, so Recording is hit and miss, from tape to tape. TDK SA sounds great on it though, as it was probably factory calibrated for it, like most decks (on type II).

The TDK SA sounds better great decks. Congrats

@Fubar06

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I use the ATC after i have ff some 30 seconds. The begining of the tape is not as GOOD as after 2 mins of play.

@jhschmidMD4

2 жыл бұрын

I've noticed that as well, with any calibration system. I usually FF/RW all the way through a new tape before play or recording. I do my calibration at the center point of the tape.

@Fubar06

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, calibration is best done mid-way AND on both sides. Calibrate A, record it, calibrate B, record it.

Salut, casetele inregistrate pe surse ,deck uri diferite ,se regleaza capul automat sau tot cu surubelnita?

@Fubar06

Жыл бұрын

Salut, nu se regleaza automat ca la Nakamichi Dragon. Daca ai casete trase cu azimuth-ul nealiniat corect, reglajul de compensare se face cu surubelnita.

Hola, tiene auto reversa?

@Fubar06

7 ай бұрын

Hola! No. You can get the RS-BX501 that looks similar and has auto reverse, but is inferior in all other matters.

Fubar, ce deck-uri urmeaza ? :)

@Fubar06

2 жыл бұрын

Hmmm, urmatorul probabil o sa fie un Akai GXC 740D, dupa el... mai vedem :)