Quote:
Originally Posted by Synchrodyne
Another ostensible reason for the DIN style radio-to-tape recorder connection was that back in the 1950s, not all domestic tape recorders had line inputs, but they all had microphone inputs. So taking the radio feed down to mic level, which is more-or-less what the DIN system did, was a solution.
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Out of curiosity I looked up the circuit diagrams of two cassette decks I've used which had DIN connectors.
The first, a mid-1970s Sharp RT-442H, has a high/low input level switch which affects its input. In both cases the input is fed in to the microphone preamplifier, but in "low level" position it's attenuated by 32dB, and in "high level" by 52dB. Switching between mic and DIN input is done by the switch contacts on the 1/4" jack mic sockets. The DIN output is at what I'd call "line level" these days - a few hundred mV.
The second, the 1980ish Sony TC-K55 in its UK/European guise, actually feeds the DIN input straight in to the microphone preamplifier via a 3k resistor which gives very little attenuation. In this case it's actually necessary to switch the MIC/LINE switch on the front panel to the MIC position to get the DIN input to work! The DIN output is connected straight to the phono line outputs and is thus at high level.
I do find it a bit odd that the the inputs and outputs on the DIN socket on a machine like the Sony are not actually compatible with each other without attenuation.
Chris