Recent content by Makymak

Exactly! An M300 gauge (or equivalent) is only useful for reference when starting tape path calibration. In other words, for the starting point. The M300 gives the absolute geometry of the path but the actual is affected by some factors the M300 can't anticipate, eg: the condition of the...

Define head wear. This whole thing reminds me my short time at TH where every poor guy showed a photo of their deck's head, the reply was "this head is crap". A lot more things matter than the tape type when talking about head wear. I bet you there are quite a few type I that are head...

As I thought! Damn, I'm jealous of the decks that also calibrate the EQ curve. My Technics don't... So, as Jim said, I'll stick mostly with tapes that give me flat response. For type I TDK D, SONY HF and Maxell UR and for type II TDK SA-X and Maxell XL-II and XL-SII. If I want this extra...

Vince, when referring to EQ you mean the time constant, right?

That is so true. And most times is unthought.

I thought the "D" stands for "Dynamic". There are some lesser tapes in TDK's lineup, like FE, B and T1. @vince666 that explains a lot. So, the premium ferrics indeed boost some frequencies. But, why? To sound more pleasant? Or to eliminate some losses of the inferior decks? @Elite-ist I have...

Hi all! Taking seriously my Technics' recording abilities, I started remaking my mixtapes collection. They had been made with a mediocre all-in-one Sony system (NX1) on mostly TDK CDing I when I was at high school (looong time ago!). This debatable cassette is similar (if not same) to AD. Back...

If I remember well, Philips let the format free as long as the other companies didn't made any alterations. Of course the limits between alteration and improvement are quite vogue. And definitely there was a huge improvement through the years following. I have some "lower" TDK Ds and Sony HFs...

Of course the TDK design differentiated from the Philips CC standard. That's why they needed to make thinner shells to accommodate the folded slip sheets. With the cassette success and after it got been a mainstream format, every manufacturer took their own way improving the cassette. This led...

Furthermore, don't forget about the slip sheets. At a very large amount of shell designs (like TDK) they are not flat but have folds and act like shock absorbers between the tape reels and the shell while keeping the reels centered in a loose shell.

Unfortunately, a slight deviation from the correct dimensions can get the alignment way out of the specs. Head and guides hight can be verified with a mirror tape up to some level but penetration (when applicable) and especially tilt is very difficult without an appropriate "type-m300" gauge...

It's a tool to align and check the tape travel. It's a very critical alignment when servicing a dual capstan deck but of minor importance on the majority of single capstan decks, as they usually have fixed head and guide points. The dual capstan needs an exact alignment or else the head contact...

Technically, if talking about red book format (16/44.1) this isn't wrong. As frequency rises, the fidelity drops. Above 14-15khz (maybe even lower) the analog reconstruction of the waveform starts to deviate from the original and is up to the DAC's algorithm (and some kind of statistics) how...

Absolutely!!! Although externally they seem to be of good quality, the case has to be removed and been examined internally. Both optically and by touch.

500€, not a chance... At this price I would preferred to buy a third 965 (the other 2 costed 200€ each). Or maybe an SL-1200. Not an AZ7...