experts on cassette decks needed

[am radio]

Hello, I am into recording off the repro of discrete headed cassette decks off tape monitor mode to computer.. I know this may sound ridiculous but it's what i am trying to do. I am doing it right now with a basic 3 headed akai cassette deck but they only have rca line in's. I know 2 kinds of decks that have balanced xlr line in's/blanced 1/4 inch line ins. these 2 kinds are the nakamachi mr1 and the tascam 122 mk2/3 series. Is buying one of these really gonna make a difference in "quality". btw I am using the good grounded rca to quarter inch cables i found made by monster. I am also using good processors and good mics/mic pre's. I found a couple of these xlr line in decks (nak/tascam i stated) on ebay. but they are expensive and it sucks when noone around to help you learn how to repair/maintain them. I really wanna learn how to keep these machines running. I am 27 and ready to learn! anyway, should I continue with the rca's or upgrade to xlr. and also I noticed the xlr in on the nak say +4dbv. and not on the tascam.

[newdigitaluser]

Originally Posted by am radio

Hello, I am into recording off the repro of discrete headed cassette decks off tape monitor mode to computer.. I know this may sound ridiculous but it's what i am trying to do. I am doing it right now with a basic 3 headed akai cassette deck but they only have rca line in's. I know 2 kinds of decks that have balanced xlr line in's/blanced 1/4 inch line ins. these 2 kinds are the nakamachi mr1 and the tascam 122 mk2/3 series. Is buying one of these really gonna make a difference in "quality". btw I am using the good grounded rca to quarter inch cables i found made by monster. I am also using good processors and good mics/mic pre's. I found a couple of these xlr line in decks (nak/tascam i stated) on ebay. but they are expensive and it sucks when noone around to help you learn how to repair/maintain them. I really wanna learn how to keep these machines running. I am 27 and ready to learn! anyway, should I continue with the rca's or upgrade to xlr. and also I noticed the xlr in on the nak say +4dbv. and not on the tascam.

not really

use the rca

why learn somethign obsolete
spend your time learning the current andor future technology

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by am radio

I know 2 kinds of decks that have balanced xlr line in's/blanced 1/4 inch line ins. these 2 kinds are the nakamachi mr1 and the tascam 122 mk2/3 series. Is buying one of these really gonna make a difference in "quality".

If the rest of your audio system isn't balanced you won't really be getting any advantage from the XLR connectors on the Nak or the Tascam...but that doesn't mean one of those cassette decks won't make a difference. In fact, I would suspect either of those machines do make a difference in the "quality" of your productions irrespective of their XLR connectors, because those are two of the finer cassette decks ever made.

[Bill Way]

If you are determined to wring sound out of a tape medium that gives you a whopping 1/32nd of an inch for each track, blazing along at 1.875 ips, while still having a hugely complicated mechanism (I'm tired just thinking about it!) then get the Nak Dragon. Nothing else comes close. I have no idea why they were so good, but they were. Because they are "audiophile" products, bad cosmetics or missing buttons can sometimes cause them to go relatively cheap.

Of course for the same money you could get a half-track Studer/Revox PR99, an RB67, an A77 (or two), an Otari 5050, or a Technics 1500. Any of those would give you tape at its near-best, while still keeping you just as busy and poor in your quest to keep them running.

Good luck!

WW

[vernier]

Balanced is beneficial for certain grounding issues, and only that. So, in your case, the better cassette recorder will be better for reasons other than being balanced or not.
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