
Technics RS-M225 & RS-M17 Cassette Decks Overview & Belt Replacement
Two successive generations of Technics cassette deck, entirely different yet strikingly similar at the same time.
Two successive generations of Technics cassette deck, entirely different yet strikingly similar at the same time.
My experience working on the AD-WX727 and AD-wX929 twin decks, the latter returning for a second round left a bitter taste in my mouth. But they did produce some decent hardware in the same era and this, the AD-F500, is one of the more economical examples. It has proven itself to be competitive in its performance and good value on the used market for the right price.
Better than the WX727 in some areas, it does an acceptable job playing back pre-recorded tapes. But the best thing the WX929 has going for it is a few extra metal components which add to its scrap value.
a run of the mill CD player from the mid-2000s when mainstream hi-fi separates were teetering on the verge of extinction. A no-nonsense 'Natural Sound' CD player, Well worth the money.
Ordinary in its appearance and almost empty inside, Sony's CDP-361 is more than a flimsy metal box filled mostly with air. Easy to service and very little in them to go wrong, If you're after a high-quality, fully functional CD player, or transport to feed discs to your DAC, the CDP-361 and its ilk should make your shortlist.
reasonable sound despite its shortcomings in build quality. But proceed with caution, free is about £5 too much.
The Toshiba PC-G10 cassette deck was sold in 1983 as part of a Toshiba ‘Rack system’. These are fine decks and well worth the little they cost to pick up on the second-hand market.
the culmination of the so-called ‘ghettoblaster’ in its best form after decades of refinement. This particular example had a few faults. The CD player didn’t read discs, the tape deck warbled hopelessly off key and FM radio reception wasn’t as good as I thought it should be.
A Sony CFS-W318 radio cassette boombox from the turn of the millennium. Scrapped due to brittle plastic in the tape mechanisms, but an interesting electronic design and a useful source of parts including a nice tuner module.
You can't save 'em all. This is a Philips MC-151 micro 'hi-fi' system, a far cry from the once-great audio division of Philips who produced the first cassette recorders, a myriad of portable and hi-fi turntables, one of the first consumer CD players and even owned Marantz for a time.
full of cheap plastic and not the most fun to service, but serviced with care they do sound very good, and cost less on the second-hand market than other 3-head, dual capstan models from Sony, Technics, Aiwa, Pioneer and Nakamichi et al.
Later KX-series decks are very simple mechanically and electronically, easy to service and maintain and generally well constructed as far as later cassette decks go. And for now at least, second-hand pricing is still relatively sane
A mini review and repair of a Cambridge Audio 540C V2 CD player with a 'No Disc' error. Applies also to 340C, 640C, 740C, 840C, 351C, 651C, 851C etc.
Whether cassette will see the same resurgence as vinyl, only time will tell. But while there are still plenty of these in the wild, it’s a fine deck for the money.