Teac CD RW 890 recorder. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Triode & Diode · 5th Dec 2022, 8:09 pm

Hello….I have a 2nd hand TEAC RW 890 CD Recorder but I don’t understand why I cannot record onto OR more important get a signal/level into the machine?

I have a Marantz 5400 amplifier & as far as I am aware have connected the inputs & outputs correctly & even though the machine plays discs the volume from the TEAC is fairly low.

Even though I select an input from the Amplifier the recorder does not pick up any signal:the manual doesn’t address the lack of recording OR the low volume playback.

Additionally I have done all of the things the manual suggests to get a signal & adjusting the recording level etc:I bought the machine 2nd hand as I said & recently got a remote for it & started installing it last night.

I have some Sony CD-R’s that I bought ages ago for this eventuality & while the machine plays pre-recorded discs(at a low volume)the machine seems to record BUT with no signal going into it: I have even used the MONITOR option to see any signal going into the device & NOTHING.

The low volume & NO recording signal seems to indicate a problem with the machine itself?

ANY suggestions before I take it to a repairman would be very appreciated!

Yours Sincerely

Justin.

gallowfields · 5th Dec 2022, 8:34 pm

you don,t say what you are trying to record from ie tuner,tape deck etc if you could show us your arrangement of wiring we might be able to help
regards brian

Welsh Anorak · 6th Dec 2022, 2:53 pm

Hi and welcome to the forum.

It would be worth posting this under the audio and hi-fi tab as that might attract someone familiar with this deck. Usually a moderator will do this for you.

paulsherwin · 6th Dec 2022, 3:52 pm

Thread moved.

Richardgr · 6th Dec 2022, 3:58 pm

The blurb for the device says there is a headphone socket with volume control - was that what you were using when you mentioned MONITOR above?

Graham G3ZVT · 7th Dec 2022, 8:38 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triode & Diode

I have some Sony CD-R’s that I bought..

That may be an additional problem.
Some CD recorders, by design, will only record onto special "audio" CD-R disks that were avalable at a premium at the time these machines were marketed.

The idea was to compensate the record industry for their perceived losses due to home duplication.

dave walsh · 7th Dec 2022, 9:25 pm

Yes that's right Graham. I've always used dedicated audio CD discs, mainly the maxell XL-II 80 ones, identified as "Music" to differentiate them from basic computer discs. Those who burned music to their home computer never seemed understand the difference. The "Music" CD's could be finalised to play on anything while often Computer Discs wouldn't. This seems to be different now as recordings I get from a computer source generally play ok. The dedicated audio discs did indeed cost a lot more back then but the maxwell brand are still available [for now] and very cheap! They work fine on my latest [reconditioned] compact disc recorder, a TEAC CD-RW890 mkII.

Dave W

Graham G3ZVT · 8th Dec 2022, 6:35 pm

The OPs post reminded me of the occasion when a similar CD recorder turned up for at a repair shop where I was working in the early 2000's (in Bury).

The guy could not get it to record anything, the LCD display gave a most unhelpful cryptic error message.

The Internet wasn't as mature as it is now, but fortunately Googling the words of the error message educated me about these music disks.

5th Dec 2022, 8:09 pm	#1
Triode & Diode Diode Join Date: Dec 2022 Location: London, SE18, UK. Posts: 1	Teac CD RW 890 recorder. Hello….I have a 2nd hand TEAC RW 890 CD Recorder but I don’t understand why I cannot record onto OR more important get a signal/level into the machine? I have a Marantz 5400 amplifier & as far as I am aware have connected the inputs & outputs correctly & even though the machine plays discs the volume from the TEAC is fairly low. Even though I select an input from the Amplifier the recorder does not pick up any signal:the manual doesn’t address the lack of recording OR the low volume playback. Additionally I have done all of the things the manual suggests to get a signal & adjusting the recording level etc:I bought the machine 2nd hand as I said & recently got a remote for it & started installing it last night. I have some Sony CD-R’s that I bought ages ago for this eventuality & while the machine plays pre-recorded discs(at a low volume)the machine seems to record BUT with no signal going into it: I have even used the MONITOR option to see any signal going into the device & NOTHING. The low volume & NO recording signal seems to indicate a problem with the machine itself? ANY suggestions before I take it to a repairman would be very appreciated! Yours Sincerely Justin.

5th Dec 2022, 8:34 pm	#2
gallowfields Hexode Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Durham, County Durham, UK. Posts: 325	Re: Teac CD RW 890 recorder. you don,t say what you are trying to record from ie tuner,tape deck etc if you could show us your arrangement of wiring we might be able to help regards brian

6th Dec 2022, 2:53 pm	#3
Welsh Anorak Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Wales, UK. Posts: 6,921	Re: Teac CD RW 890 recorder. Hi and welcome to the forum. It would be worth posting this under the audio and hi-fi tab as that might attract someone familiar with this deck. Usually a moderator will do this for you. __________________ Glyn www.gdelectronics.wales

6th Dec 2022, 3:52 pm	#4
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,947	Re: Teac CD RW 890 recorder. Thread moved.

6th Dec 2022, 3:58 pm	#5
Richardgr Heptode Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Täby, Sweden Posts: 704	Re: Teac CD RW 890 recorder. The blurb for the device says there is a headphone socket with volume control - was that what you were using when you mentioned MONITOR above?

7th Dec 2022, 9:25 pm	#7
dave walsh Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex. Posts: 5,817	Re: Teac CD RW 890 recorder. Yes that's right Graham. I've always used dedicated audio CD discs, mainly the maxell XL-II 80 ones, identified as "Music" to differentiate them from basic computer discs. Those who burned music to their home computer never seemed understand the difference. The "Music" CD's could be finalised to play on anything while often Computer Discs wouldn't. This seems to be different now as recordings I get from a computer source generally play ok. The dedicated audio discs did indeed cost a lot more back then but the maxwell brand are still available [for now] and very cheap! They work fine on my latest [reconditioned] compact disc recorder, a TEAC CD-RW890 mkII. Dave W

8th Dec 2022, 6:35 pm	#8
Graham G3ZVT Dekatron Join Date: May 2010 Location: Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 18,715	Re: Teac CD RW 890 recorder. The OPs post reminded me of the occasion when a similar CD recorder turned up for at a repair shop where I was working in the early 2000's (in Bury). The guy could not get it to record anything, the LCD display gave a most unhelpful cryptic error message. The Internet wasn't as mature as it is now, but fortunately Googling the words of the error message educated me about these music disks. __________________ -- Graham. G3ZVT