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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 12th Apr 2020, 3:18 pm   #1
red16v
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Default Akai X201D sale - advice please.

I am after some advice concerning the sale of my Akai X201D. In particular of course - a suggested price.

I have had the machine since I was 20, making it 46 years old - probably longer. As to the condition of the machine:

Cosmetically, the wooden cabinet is in generally good condition and all the metal surfaces are bright and rust free. The cosmetic knobs to select ‘Tape speed’ and ‘Auto Pause/Start’ are missing but the actual knobs are there and function normally.

Functionality. All mechanical controls work normally. All electrical controls and operational adjustments all work normally. The Play Auto-Reverse function works, both manually and with end of tape sensing, but that depends on the Play Lever being in precisely the exact position otherwise operation becomes ‘iffy’. I have traced this down - it is NOT an electrical fault - the ‘Auto-Reverse’ control signal passes through wafer switch on the back of the Play switch, one half of the pertinent wafer is broken - all is fine with ‘Auto Reverse’ if the Play Lever is in it’s precise position, if it is off slightly then the Auto-Reverse functionality becomes iffy. Maybe the wafer can be overwired or repaired, I do not have the tools to investigate it any further.

I believe these models have issues with crumbling ‘cams’. My machine works perfectly fine in all Play/Rewind/Wind combinations and the Play and FF/RWD levers operate with a satisfying positive action. Close inspection of the cam(s) below the faceplate reveals no deterioration of the cam(s) in any respect.

The deck plays back ok at all speeds and I have recently used the Line outputs to feed an ADC to transfer some tapes to my PC. The headphone sockets work ok too. I have tried recording on the machine at 7.5ips and all was ok on recording and playback. I do notice that sometimes when the machine is in Stop and 7.5ips operation is selected that there is a small residual reading on both VU meters. It is tempting to think this may be ‘hum’ of some sort but whatever it is is NOT present on the machine’s outputs. (Most of the time there is no residual reading) Sometimes the machine appears to play slower than the correct speed when playing in Reverse mode but after much experimenting I believe this is down to the age and condition of my 40+yr old tapes but of course I can offer no guarantee.

The machine will come in its original packing cardboard case (probably the only one left in the World!) which is a little worn around the edges, with the original colour double-sided A4 sales leaflet, the original Operator’s Manual and the original comprehensive Rank Service manual.

I thought a figure of £75 would be reasonable with delivery within 25 miles of Southampton as this is a heavy machine and posting is not really an option. Can the team offer me any advice on pricing or indeed any other pointers I may have forgotten about?
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Old 12th Apr 2020, 6:24 pm   #2
garry71
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Default Re: Akai X201D sale - advice please.

Search your model on ebay, and click on completed listings. That'll give you an idea of prices that working and non-working models have sold for recently.

Shame you're getting rid of it after all this time.
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Old 13th Apr 2020, 11:10 am   #3
red16v
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Default Re: Akai X201D sale - advice please.

Quote:
Originally Posted by garry71 View Post
Search your model on ebay, and click on completed listings. That'll give you an idea of prices that working and non-working models have sold for recently.

Shame you're getting rid of it after all this time.
Thanks for your reply, I would gladly keep it on permanent display but my wife has other thoughts!
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Old 13th Apr 2020, 11:55 am   #4
DMcMahon
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Default Re: Akai X201D sale - advice please.

If the condition and operation is as good as described then to me it sounds like a very reasonable price, a minor shame about the missing knobs. Is it the wooden lid version ?
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Old 13th Apr 2020, 4:24 pm   #5
red16v
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Default Re: Akai X201D sale - advice please.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcMahon View Post
If the condition and operation is as good as described then to me it sounds like a very reasonable price, a minor shame about the missing knobs. Is it the wooden lid version ?
Yes it is, the ‘dings’ in the case are very minor. As per my previous post, it is only the ‘cosmetic’ knobs that are missing, the metal levers underneath work perfectly well.
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Old 14th Apr 2020, 3:16 pm   #6
DMcMahon
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Default Re: Akai X201D sale - advice please.

Yes was fully understood from original post.
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