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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 17th Jul 2018, 9:52 pm   #1
Jolly 7
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Default Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

I am in the process of trying to restore a Pye radio cassette recorder. The radio has nice audio quality but the cassette doesn't. The cassette is new with an HQ audio recording and the belt is new too. What would be the common causes of poor audio quality from cassette playback ? Can I assume that the amplifier section is fine because the radio is perfect ?
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Old 17th Jul 2018, 10:10 pm   #2
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

It's likely to be dirty, out of line or worn heads - or a combination of all three of those.

Also, even a new/old stock cassette can be faulty with perhaps a degraded pressure pad, so worth a look at that, but clean the head/s first.
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Old 17th Jul 2018, 10:31 pm   #3
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Thanks. I know the cassette is fine because it plays perfectly on another unit. The head, pinch roller and capstan have all been cleaned with alcohol. I guess I'll try to align the head or replace it if it's still problematic.
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Old 17th Jul 2018, 10:36 pm   #4
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Is the tape recorded with Dolby-nr set differently on the recording compared to the player?
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Old 17th Jul 2018, 10:57 pm   #5
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Is the player a mono unit? Domestic hifi decks tend to record with quite a bit of phase error between the channels. This sounds fine played back on the same equipment, and even in stereo on different equipment (the stereo image just shifts a bit) but it can sound awful on different equipment if the two channels are paralleled.

Apart from that it's likely to be a misaligned, worn or dirty head.
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Old 17th Jul 2018, 11:02 pm   #6
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

The cassette was recorded on a Panasonic RQ444S , which does not have Dolby as far as I am aware. Both the Panasonic and Pye are mono units.
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Old 17th Jul 2018, 11:53 pm   #7
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

What is the model number of the Pye cassette...…..some Philips & Pye machines have problems with the heads, where the heads are damaged/disturbed by alcohol.
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Old 18th Jul 2018, 12:04 am   #8
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Pye 9005 RadioRecorder.
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Old 18th Jul 2018, 8:17 pm   #9
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

I found a spare tape playback head to replace the worn out head on the Pye. It has four wires, so is it a stereo head for two channels ? Will connecting the red wires together and white ones together convert it into a mono head ? Picture attached.
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Old 18th Jul 2018, 8:59 pm   #10
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Have you tried adjusting the head azimuth, before replacing the head? This makes an enormous difference. If it's wrong, the sound will be very muffled, like putting a pillow over the speaker. It's adjusted by turning the screw at one side of the head (usually on the left if the tape-head contact point is at the top). Turn it while a tape containing lots of treble (cymbals, hi-hats, applause, that sort of thing) is playing. It should be possible to find a sweet spot where the sound is clearest. Sadly there's no perfect setting that works for all tapes, because all recorders vary a bit in their alignment in my experience, but you should be able to get a setting that works for your tapes.

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Old 18th Jul 2018, 10:31 pm   #11
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Hi Chris
Thanks a million for your brilliant suggestion. The head was indeed misaligned and I found that the paint/glue that had been used in the factory had broken loose. Maybe it suffered a jolt at some point in time. I had to turn the right hand side screw slowly anticlockwise to get the best audio and the treble slider switch is now very responsive.
In addition I found the potentiometer that adjusts the motor speed and have tweaked that too.
This is not a high-end set but the audio is now good enough after the adjustments.
Thanks again
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Old 19th Jul 2018, 12:46 am   #12
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Good news, well done.
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Old 19th Jul 2018, 11:09 am   #13
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolly 7 View Post
Thanks a million for your brilliant suggestion. The head was indeed misaligned and I found that the paint/glue that had been used in the factory had broken loose. Maybe it suffered a jolt at some point in time. I had to turn the right hand side screw slowly anticlockwise to get the best audio and the treble slider switch is now very responsive.
You're very welcome! I'm glad it worked. The stuff that seals the azimuth adjustment screw often comes loose or cracks over the years, and then the movement backwards and forwards of the head as the player gets used (especially the thump when pressing stop!) tends to make it move.

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Old 19th Jul 2018, 11:29 am   #14
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Head adjustment screws also tend to attract twiddlers.

Whenever I encounter cassette equipment of unknown provenance I always adjust the head using a test tape from a known good deck. It only takes a few seconds with a good pair of headphones. I also adjust the playback speed if this is possible (lots of basic portable players can't be adjusted).
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Old 23rd Jul 2018, 2:34 pm   #15
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Default Re: Poor sound from cassette: radio audio crystal clear

Add a drop of nail varnish to 'seal' the screw after adjusting
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