Mystery Deck

Miracle Mile

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#43
Congratulations Tony! Nice Deck.

You did it; Five pages of suspense in this thread and there it is: A Denon..... :mrgreen:
 
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#47
Cool deck, I have one of it's little brothers. Denon decks seem to fly under the radar.
Yes. I bought a 790 new back in my duplication days and sold it later almost new. Never liked the sound. It was too "cold" for me but she was reliable. We used it for a while to make the running masters for our Infonics "in-cassette" duplicators. Congratulations on your find and I enjoyed the "suspense"...Ha!
 

BlazeES

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#48
Yes. I bought a 790 new back in my duplication days and sold it later almost new. Never liked the sound. It was too "cold" for me but she was reliable. We used it for a while to make the running masters for our Infonics "in-cassette" duplicators. Congratulations on your find and I enjoyed the "suspense"...Ha!
Thanks Mag!

Can't disagree on the "cold" characterization other than to say, I find the Denon more flat, no color added. Cold is as good an adjective as any though.

When I traded up from my original 44HX to the Sony 870ES, way back when, I immediately noticed the bump/extension in the low end and a warmer overall sound across the spectrum. Especially on metal tape.
Does wonders for transforming sterile CD sources into something more listenable.

But decks are like girl friends; everyone needs that variety is the spice of life thing now & again.
I jumped on this Denon to relive my youth, to see how well the tech held up all these years later and to simply mix it up a bit! :glasses8:
Been a while since I've dabbled in sendust heads too. They're a different beast.
The 790 has LA heads and I think it suffers because of it, like most the Denon decks circa 1990's.
 
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Dazen1

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#51
Does wonders for transforming *some* sterile CD sources into something more listenable.
The reason I stayed with tape for so long.

Others were archiving precious vinyl; I was using it to colour those compact discs that were a little lacking in the SQ department.
 

Elite-ist

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#52
Congratulations, Tony, on unveiling your newest cassette deck. I hadn't guessed your mystery deck was a Denon, at all. I have a tiny bit of experience with a Denon cassette deck, but I can't say which model it was. Looking at the fascia of the DR-M44HX, it wasn't that model. The Denon deck was, and still is my ex-brother-in-law's, and I used it to record my wedding tapes back in 1985. I cut my eye-teeth on a Pioneer CT-9R circa 1982, and like you I have a hankering to replace it with another. I look forward to hearing more of your nostalgic step back in time when you are ready to get that puppy back into service.

Nando.
 

eminence1963

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#54
Congrats on your blast from the past find:tongue1:
I still have a old reel Sony TC200 when I was a kid. Not the same one but a replacement of the past still in my closet:blob:
 
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#55
Thanks Mag!

Can't disagree on the "cold" characterization other than to say, I find the Denon more flat, no color added. Cold is as good an adjective as any though.

When I traded up from my original 44HX to the Sony 870ES, way back when, I immediately noticed the bump/extension in the low end and a warmer overall sound across the spectrum. Especially on metal tape.
Does wonders for transforming sterile CD sources into something more listenable.

But decks are like girl friends; everyone needs that variety is the spice of life thing now & again.
I jumped on this Denon to relive my youth, to see how well the tech held up all these years later and to simply mix it up a bit! :glasses8:
Been a while since I've dabbled in sendust heads too. They're a different beast.
The 790 has LA heads and I think it suffers because of it, like most the Denon decks circa 1990's.
Yeah, Tony. Could be the heads or something. Also remember that the 790 was a commercial version. With all honesty, for some reason, I couldn't stand that deck and seldom listened to her. But, as you said, it all depends on many factors and what could be "cold" for me, could be "neutral" for you, "colored" for Nando, "Lifeless" for Larry, etc... Ha! Thats why this audio hobby is so full of fun! My blast from the past component is the BGW 750B Amp. This became the standard at the Disco's during the 80's, replacing almost every Crown DC 300A of that era. More powerful and more reliable. It took me a year to find one in good condition. It was like going back to the 80's and my DJ glory days!

005.jpg
 

BlazeES

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#56
Yeah, Tony. Could be the heads or something. Also remember that the 790 was a commercial version. With all honesty, for some reason, I couldn't stand that deck and seldom listened to her. But, as you said, it all depends on many factors and what could be "cold" for me, could be "neutral" for you, "colored" for Nando, "Lifeless" for Larry, etc... Ha! Thats why this audio hobby is so full of fun! My blast from the past component is the BGW 750B Amp. This became the standard at the Disco's during the 80's, replacing almost every Crown DC 300A of that era. More powerful and more reliable. It took me a year to find one in good condition. It was like going back to the 80's and my DJ glory days!

View attachment 12915
Cool amp Mag! Dig those meters! Sweet looking Spec too. And who can resist the look of that Nak!
You got it going on Mag!

It just dawned on me how good one of those amps would look sitting in a stack with a BIC, black faced cassette deck!
 
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#57
Cool amp Mag! Dig those meters! Sweet looking Spec too. And who can resist the look of that Nak!
You got it going on Mag!

It just dawned on me how good one of those amps would look sitting in a stack with a BIC, black faced cassette deck!
Thanks Tony. I just received another darling this morning and I was tempted to do the same "suspense game" you did but I was so desperate to play with it that I couldn't just wait anymore! Ha,ha,ha! So, here are the photos:

System 2.jpg
B 215 S Front.jpg B 215 S.jpg Main Recording Rig.jpg

A B 215S ! My other B 215 is leaving today to Tinman for a tune-up and then to his new owner in San Diego. This is my 5th B 215 since their introduction in 1984, but this is the first special edition I have. Now, you can see my main recording system consisting of a B 215S, TEAC Z 7000, Nakamichi ZX 9 and Nakamichi ZX 7. In my system 2, where the ZX 7 used to be with my Spec and BGW, now resides a TEAC Z 5000. A TEAC Z 6000 and a Nakamichi CR 7 is all I need to fulfill my mission. :happy7::happy7::happy7: A shootout would be made soon between these monster decks and I'll report back my observations. I also have a 700 ZXE with Perry waiting for repairs. Should be an interesting journey!

Enjoy!
 

BlazeES

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#58
Awwww! No time for another 'Mystery Deck'? Damn!
Now I really look like an assclown..
:confused5:

Hey, I truly appreciate you sharing this new acquisition & the pix + your back story!
So what makes a Special Edition unique Mag?
And is a SE the last gen of the 215?
Tell me it's not just the euro-black presentation..


Thanks Tony. I just received another darling this morning and I was tempted to do the same "suspense game" you did but I was so desperate to play with it that I couldn't just wait anymore! Ha,ha,ha! So, here are the photos:

View attachment 12920
View attachment 12917 View attachment 12918 View attachment 12919

A B 215S ! My other B 215 is leaving today to Tinman for a tune-up and then to his new owner in San Diego. This is my 5th B 215 since their introduction in 1984, but this is the first special edition I have. Now, you can see my main recording system consisting of a B 215S, TEAC Z 7000, Nakamichi ZX 9 and Nakamichi ZX 7. In my system 2, where the ZX 7 used to be with my Spec and BGW, now resides a TEAC Z 5000. A TEAC Z 6000 and a Nakamichi CR 7 is all I need to fulfill my mission. :happy7::happy7::happy7: A shootout would be made soon between these monster decks and I'll report back my observations. I also have a 700 ZXE with Perry waiting for repairs. Should be an interesting journey!

Enjoy!
 
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#59
Awwww! No time for another 'Mystery Deck'? Damn!
Now I really look like an assclown..
:confused5:

Hey, I truly appreciate you sharing this new acquisition & the pix + your back story!
So what makes a Special Edition unique Mag?
And is a SE the last gen of the 215?
Tell me it's not just the euro-black presentation..
Ha! Tony. Don't be dissapointed. It was really fun!

Well, unfortunately, the B 215S version is just that: looks. Nothing else is different, except for the price...:confused5:. But you are right saying the these were the last B 215 made; around 1989 or so. This one is working and looks like new. The sound is also amazing. I'll keep you posted abou the tests.

Enjoy!
 

BlazeES

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#60
Ha! Tony. Don't be dissapointed. It was really fun!

Well, unfortunately, the B 215S version is just that: looks. Nothing else is different, except for the price...:confused5:. But you are right saying the these were the last B 215 made; around 1989 or so. This one is working and looks like new. The sound is also amazing. I'll keep you posted abou the tests.

Enjoy!
I like it in Black!
 
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