Tape Deck Longevity

[Izzmo]

Can anyone comment on if their tape deck still works (and buy works I mean not eat the tape, insert and eject properly, not make noises). Most of them still "work" and play sound, but the mechanical operation is what always messes up.

I have 5 EATC's and all of the tape decks have gone bad, and by that, they just eat the deck. I have taken them all apart.. and look OK (but there are so many things going on, no idea what is actually going on).

Happen to anyone else? How can you get these repaired, or can you?

I am currently just using it for my MP3 player, so I just need the tape to go in and just simply stay in and play through. Is there anyway to instead of going through the tape deck, to instead go through the wires to the CD changer?

 

[98SF19]

stereo jack installation

I was just checking this out a few weeks ago:

http://www.taurusowners.com/topic/2371-how-to-adding-aux-input-to-factory-radio-1996-07/

Here are a couple of goofballs enjoying it (it's where I came across the link):
WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE IN THIS CLIP - MAKE SURE LITTLE EARS AREN'T AROUND!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuwX_oD-Cuw

 

[Bull Geek]

The factory one in my 97 w/150K+ still works. Not sure how/why but it does.

 

[Izzmo]

I was just checking this out a few weeks ago:

http://www.taurusowners.com/topic/2371-how-to-adding-aux-input-to-factory-radio-1996-07/

Here are a couple of goofballs enjoying it (it's where I came across the link):
WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE IN THIS CLIP - MAKE SURE LITTLE EARS AREN'T AROUND!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuwX_oD-Cuw

Thanks, good information. I might take it a step further and make a switch so I can still use my CD player if need be.

 

[98SF19]

cd changer, eatc

Would this be the factory cd player? (changer)

5 eatc's?! How many of those were obtained due to a/c issues?

It's surprising that nobody repairs the eatc's, at least that I know of. I'm sure they'd charge some big $$$ to do it.

 

[Izzmo]

None of them were due to A/C problems. One is just the wrong year (98-99) model. The others were due to tape deck header problems and eating the tape.

I guess I've had relatively good luck with EATC's. I am going to take one of the tape decks into a specialty electronics repair shop (who cleans/repairs old 60-90's style tuners, record players, etc) and see what he says. If I get enough information, I bet one could repair the tape decks rather easily.

 

[My_Silver_SHO]

Cassettes? Really? I have an iPod adapter/interface that works with CD changer...much better sound.

 

[Izzmo]

Well.. you don't actually use a tape, the tape is just needed to tell the RCU that a tape is in and playing so I can use the wires to send out my own audio.

 

[KyngofPop]

Cassettes? Really? I have an iPod adapter/interface that works with CD changer...much better sound.

*Hi-JaK* Still proudly using cassettes and seek them out online daily. Many artists of the 80's and 90's released ****-singles on CD and cassette format and to boost sales there would be different versions of the singles on both formats...so a music buff such as myself were inclined to buy the vinyl, CD, and cassette version.

In my never ending search for music online I've still yet to find the song versions of those "****-singles" that were originally put out on cassette format, for any artist that I've searched for that put out the famed "****" singles.

There was also an experimental cassette format called "Q-Sound" that several manufacturers toyed with and several artists released albums on in the early-mid 90's that added another dimension to the magnetic media users ear.

and lest we not forget the rare recordings and one night only rave parties that used to happen and those events were usually recorded onto cassette and distributed right on the spot.

Magnetic media also has a better sound quality production than any ipod or Mp3 could dream of (there have been studies.) The cassette is NOT dead.

 

[Izzmo]

Quality is definitely lost in digital conversions, only because media has to be converted down to fit on different formats, and just overall transportation. It's easier to download a 10-12 megabyte file isntead of a 50 megabyte WAV file. If you were to use a WAV files on your audio device, then it would be better for sure. mp3 format loses quality, especially since a lot of these online stores are only giving you 120's instead of 320's.

 

[98SF19]

Whaaaa?

Magnetic media also has a better sound quality production than any ipod or Mp3 could dream of

Technophobe alert!!!

If your tests relate strictly to initial quality, I can buy that. But I'll put a digital copy of Young American Primitive from 1996 up against your early 90's cassette of Deep Dish any day, and we can see which sounds better. Why is that? Google "Sticky Shed Syndrome".

Also you're talking about analog and digital, and they're two different monsters. You mention the rave parties - analog synths definitely had their place in the past and still do. I've created my own stuff using both. However, the technology exists today that allows audio data to be produced with a sampling rate that makes it virtually indistinguishable to the human ear from initial magnetic tape quality, even with crazy high end. The data storage technology today also permits one to store many times more data on mp3 players than a cassette can hold.

I'm all for retro, but your assertion of the cassette as the superior audio media is incorrect . . . IMO.

 

[stephen newberg]

Continued technophobe alert.

I have to agree that from pretty much all aspects digital can be superior to analog cassette as a recording medium. The caveat to keep in mind is that depending on the sampling and compression system used for the digital recording, much of that superiority, if not all of it, can be lost. But generally, yes, picking the CD over the cassette is going to be the better audio choice.

pax, smn

 

[fourofdiamonds]

1997 SHO. 202K miles. Tape deck works as new. Cleaning it it from time to time helps it survive.