Description
This fantastic looking and sounding Sony double cassette deck is from the heyday of the cassette as a serious Hi-Fi medium and has an exceptional range of features. It is very unusual to find Dolby S on a double cassette deck, let alone dual recording, pitch control and a host of other useful features. A quick search online reveals excellent reviews, with one reviewer on a specialist HiFi forum summarising that this is ...all in all one of the best and last dual well decks ever produced. 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 mechanisms and Dolby no longer licences their noise reduction and headroom extension systems for cassette tapes. This is an excellent example of one of Sony’s highly-regarded auto reverse, double cassette decks – packed with advanced electronics. The specification is phenomenal, including:-Recording functionality on both decks (including simultaneous dual recording)-Auto reverse functionality on both decks-Variable pitch control on Deck A-Programmable track selection on both side of the tapes-Dolby B/C/S noise reduction-HX Pro headroom extension-Full logic-controlled transport-Auto tape type select for recording bias and playback EQ-Headphone output on the front panel-Real-time digital tape counters on both decks-High speed dubbing The TC-WE825S also provides an auto calibration feature. At the push of a button, it records test signals onto the tape, then plays them back to adjusts the bias and recording level to the perfect settings for whatever tape you’re using. This achieves essentially the same calibration performance as a three-head deck, but completely automates the process. Dolby were extremely picky about the quality of the decks that their ‘S’ noise reduction was licensed for and required very high standards to be met in the mechanisms that used this technology. Dolby S provides up to 24dB of noise reduction at high frequencies and Dolby Labs claimed that most members of the general public could not differentiate between the sound of a CD and a Dolby S encoded cassette. In our experience, with high quality tape we couldn’t reliably detect whether we were listening to the source or the recording on this deck. This deck has been fully tested and professionally serviced, including checking all drive belts and pulleys, and replacing where needed (we source our belts from a specialist supplier and don’t use the cheap generic belt sets often sold on eBay). It has been inspected for electrical safety and put through a full PAT test, in line with current guidance. The servicing work also included cleaning the switches, and testing and cleaning the internal electrical contacts. All components of the case have been cleaned, to restore the deck as close as possible to its original appearance as well as functionality – this includes complete disassembly of the display to clean behind the glass, which now looks amazing. The electrical alignment has been checked, using a test cassette, oscilloscope, signal generator and external level meters. This process includes setting the recording levels, playback levels, meter calibration, bias and tape speed. The tape transport has been tested, cleaned and demagnetised. Cosmetically, this deck is in very nice condition. The display is clear and looks fantastic, the front and back panels are in good shape. There are minor signs of use, including some light surface marks near the power switch on the fascia and some minor imperfections on the lid (as you often find with stackable Hi-Fi equipment), but there really is nothing that takes away from the fantastic looks of this deck. Please take a look at the pictures. Durham Audio Ltd are members of the eBay pre-qualified refurbished seller programme. Everything we sell that is listed as refurbished is carefully tested for operational performance and electrical safety and comes with free fast postage via Royal Mail Tracked 24 as well as a 30 day free returns policy and a 12 month warranty for UK-based buyers. A printed copy of the original instruction booklet is included so you can get the most out of this impressive 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.
Live search