Cassette playing fast

[Martin Bush]

Hi

I have just taken delivery of a really nice radio cassette courtesy of the forum. It's in wonderful condition and works well.

However, to my ears, the cassette I have played on it so far sounds fractionally fast.

I've not had time yet to clean the heads, roller, capstan, but wanted to ask if this is likely to remedy the issue? I've read elsewhere that if the pinch roller/ capstan aren't quite doing their job it can result in too-fast playback.

The tape in question is an album I am familiar with from CD and it sounds slightly sharp to me. It's a new pre-recorded cassette.

[Beobloke]

More likely that the regulator pot on the motor needs a minor tweak.

[paulsherwin]

Obtain a source of sine wave tone, copy it to a cassette using a known accurately aligned deck, then adjust the speed for zero beat while playing the original source on a computer or CD player.

[ben]

Check the obvious first: buildup of crud on the capstan or inside on the motor pulley?

This kind of equipment was never exactly precise, so may need a slight tweak to the speed pot (often part of the motor, so use insulated screwdriver)

[Martin Bush]

Thanks chaps. I have cleaned the capstan, pinch roller etc and, dare I say it, it seems to be running well now.

This machine is quite a nice one so I may get it professionally serviced at some point. I have enough experience now to know that I often fix one fault and create another. Time to quit while I am ahead

[pazuzu72]

Hi, I had a friend record a 3Khz tone on a quartz deck. I think it should be reliable.