schley@mmm.UUCP (Steve Schley) (08/30/85)
In article <30@drune.UUCP> mohler@drune.UUCP (MohlerDS) writes: >there are several other companies decks you should >consider. AKAI, B&O, HARMON-KARDON, KYOCERA, NAKAMICHI, ONKYO, SONY, and >TANDBERG all make at least one great deck in this price range. You forgot AIWA. Specifically, the Aiwa AF-660 (I think those are the letters before the 660...) is an exceptional value at under $300. Dolby B/C, Dolby HX Pro, 3 heads, front panel bias adjust, dual capstans, ... It compares favorably to the mid-line Nakamichis and the high-end Harman-Kardons. (We've A-B'd these units, and it's true!) >I suggest that the features you might look for to provide good sound and >reliability might include the following: > >... >No auto-reverse unless it is electronic or like NAK'S new type - any head > rotation type auto-reverse deck is suspect when it comes to reliability > and recording quality. I'd say no electronic auto-reverse, either. To do this requires short cuts in tape head technology. If you must have auto-reverse, buy Nak. >... >Dolby HX or HX/PRO unless compatibility with Dolby B/C is needed A major misunderstanding here! Dolby HX and Dolby HX Pro (early and late versions of the same thing) are not noise reduction systems, hence they can be (and are) used with any noise reduction system without any compatibility issues arising. HX Pro is a process involving the dynamic adjustment of the bias current during record. It derives from studies at Bang & Olufson into the physics of tape recording. It is a _single-ended_ process, hence it does not require any decoding at playback. The result of this process is extended headroom at high frequencies -- just where tape saturates earliest. In other words, metal tape performance from high bias tape! And it really works! >... > > David S. Mohler > drune!mohler -- Steve Schley ihnp4!mmm!schley