|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
83.94.147.131
Hello tape users.I'm totally new to this whole tape thing so forgive me if this has been covered many times before.
I've just bought a JVC DD-9 deck which I will be receiving soon and I'm reading and learning about this media as much as I can. I understand that the cassette-player manufacturers used specific brands and models of tape to calibrate each deck and that it is preferable to use this very type for your specific deck if possible.
Is this important or not so important? I mean, many upscale decks have some form of automated bias and azimuth adjustment but that isn't exactly the same thing right? (still learning...).
I guess it will be pretty difficult to find out exactly what tape was used for your machine (and what vintage!). And narrowing your choice to that tape from that year will seriously hamper your chances of building a stock. :-) But I'm mostly asking out of curiosity.
I sent a mail to JVC (Hong Kong) believe it or not but didn't receive any useful information. Is it correct that TDK SA was the most commonly used type II tape? Anyone happen to know which JVC prefered? :-)
And if your deck is old (mine is 25 years) will this factory alignment have lost its precision and therefore relevance hence making a moot point of this whole endeavour? :-)
And about vintages: I read a lot about how a certain tape from a certain year or period is superior to other vintages. Are the differences really that big and is there a certain point in time where it generally started going downhill regarding the quality?
The only brand still in production I have been able to find on the web is EMTEC. I understand that they are related to BASF somehow? Are these new tapes (Chrome super II) any good compared to the likes of TDK SA(-X), Maxell XLII(-S), BASF Chrome Maxima etc.?
Thanks.
Follow Ups:
There is a seller on ebay, electronix, that sells a general purpose alignment tape that works fairly well. If azimuth and head height are your main concern, as they should be, to do it correctly you will need some sort of outboard meter, I recomend a Leader LMV-185 or 185A, available regularly on e-bay. Contrary to popular opinion, heads do need adjustment after time. I have R&R dozens of decks some as new as 3 years old, others over 30 years old, they all needed some head height and azimuth adjustments, some a lot, some a little, to guarantee complete compatibility. As far as auto-azimuth decks are concerned, they are nothing but a pain in the ass. Good luck.
Thanks for mentioning "electronix". :-) I'll get me one of those."As far as auto-azimuth decks are concerned, they are nothing but a pain in the ass. Good luck."
Hmmm.... Mine has "Auto Bias Calibration" & "Auto Equalizer Calibration". Not the same thing? Why are auto-azimuth decks a pain in the (Bleep!)?
Yes, auto bias and auto EQ are not the same thing. Auto azimuth relies on motors, gears, sampling levels between heads, too much stuff. A lot of auto azimuth decks will, in my experience, play and record on that deck fine but have compatibility problems with other decks. But most importantly, the auto azimuth circuit has to set up properly to begin with for it to work correctly. A lot easier to turn a screw, adjust for max but equal output, put on some nut lock and your done, and in most cases, no compatibility problems.
nt
Hello.
About the azimuth alignment.
I've managed to align it properly with no test tape, but using two or three pre-recorded tapes.read this thread:
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/tape/messages/7027.html
And do a search on azimuth subject on this forum, you will learn.
About tape diferences. I've read several times that "they don't make them like the used to do". It may be true, specially these days where the best you can buy is an average chrome class tape. Anyway, if you can buy or use old tapes, on good decks differences will not make you happy nor unhappy. And on bad decks, sound quality is bad to the point that "does it matter the tape?" I also collect tapes, but to make recordings to hear on my car I use whatever used tape I pick. If the tape doesn't do well, or it has too much dropouts I throw it away and use another. I've managed to get used tapes for free.If I ran out of used tapes, I would buy them from known stores that still have chrome stock.
Thanks, I'll check it out and search the archives.But azimuth is mostly of major importance when you play pre-recorded tapes right?
I'm only going to make my own recordings on blank tape and play them back on the same deck.
1) If you have autobias you are home. It is the same thing...it adjusts the deck to the needs of the tape used.2) If you have manually adjustable bias, the instruction manual will tell you how to use it.
3) If your have a tape selector switch (eg. Type I, Type II, Type IV, etc) then you set the selector to the type you have. The Japanese consortium in the seventies pretty muchf standardized these biases, so tapes with a similar type rating pretty much perform the same.
4l) According to Scott Dorsey over on RAP, the Emtec tapes are splice-compatible with their BASF counterparts. And from my experience back in the '70's and early '80's, the BASF tapes were among the best, if not the best, available. I used the BASF tapes as standard for my Semi-Pro recording in those days (on Ampexs, STuders, etc) and used BASF as my main cassette and open-reel tapes.
5) In general cassette heads do not go out of alignment unless the machines have been horribly abused. Professional heads are another question, as the widths are greater and thes heads themselves are designed with variable adjustment. Not true for most cassette decks.
************************
Calibration tapes may be available from JVC...other manufacturers made them as well. First you measure (via meter or VTWM) the frequency response in playback mode. If flat, you then record/playback test tones (you need a signal generator) which upon playback should also measure flat from about 40hz up to at least 15khz. But usually none of this is necessary. Just record/playback and compare to your source...if all is well they will sound very, very similar.
nt
| ||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: