Description
Pioneer made some of the very best cassette decks. This top of the range machine is from the heyday of the cassette as a serious Hi-Fi medium. Manufacturers in the 1980s and 1990s put a huge effort into making the very best equipment possible. These days, it’s impossible to buy a new cassette deck with a comparable specification - companies have stopped manufacturing high-quality cassette mechanisms and Dolby no longer licences their noise reduction and headroom extension systems for cassette tapes. Durham Audio Ltd are members of the eBay pre-qualified refurbished seller programme. All work is undertaken by a degree qualified, time served Chartered Engineer. Everything we sell that is listed as refurbished is carefully tested for operational performance and electrical safety and comes with free fast UK postage via Royal Mail Tracked 24 as well as a 30-day free returns policy and a 12-month warranty for UK-based buyers.The CT-400 is an impressive looking and brilliant sounding classic cassette deck. It has the superb fluorescent peak level meters typical of the Blue Line series, and can handle all popular tape types, including Fe-Cr, CrO2 and Metal as well as standard Type I ferric cassettes. It is beautifully engineered, with quality electrical components, oversize solenoids, an unusually large and heavy capstan flywheel (to minimize wow and flutter), and is clearly built to last! It also includes Dolby B noise reduction and has front panel mounted microphone inputs as well as a fixed level headphone output. This deck has been professionally serviced, including replacing all the drive belts with brand new parts (there are three in total), cleaning the switches and potentiometers, and testing and cleaning the internal electrical contacts. The electrical alignment has been checked, using a test cassette, oscilloscope, signal generator and external level meters. This process covers the recording levels, playback levels, meter calibration, bias and tape speed. It sounds absolutely great, and the tape transport is smooth and very responsive – showing almost no signs of wear, suggesting that it has seen only light use over its lifetime. The tape transport has been checked, cleaned and demagnetised. All rubber parts have been cleaned and treated with Rubber Renue, which restores them to their original specification and performance. It has been tested for electrical safety and put through a full PAT test in line with current guidance. A brand-new mains plug has been fitted, which meets modern safety standards and includes the correct fuse, rated at 3A. Cosmetically, this deck is very good. The fascia and display have only minor signs of previous use. The lid is also in great condition and free of the scuffs you sometimes see on stackable Hi-Fi equipment. Overall, it is a testament to its previous owner. A printed copy of the instruction booklet for the slightly lower specification Pioneer CT-300 is included, which covers all the basics for how to get the best out of this fantastic machine. It will be very carefully packed, and we usually ship out same or next day. Please check our feedback, and if you have any questions - just ask.
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