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February 5, 2010 - 9:07pm
#1
Confessions of a cassette junkie
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GREAT POST!
I agree!
Sadly I have no more idle RCA-in's on my amp, so my DRM-800 is having a rest. I am not getting rid of it though
Freako~ The DRM-800 looks like the '555's more feature-rich older brother. If it performs anywhere near as well, it's way too nice a piece of gear to gather dust in a closet. Plus, I firmly believe that these things are like classic cars--they're more likely to stop functioning if you *don't* use them enough. (Note the guy who just posted a comment in Mr Mejias's blog about the Nakamichi he's been using hard for years w/o a bit of trouble.)
What ya need to get your '800 back in action is one of these:
In the U.S., you can get this (the Sony VS-4) or something similar at Crutchfield.com, Amazon, Radio Shack, probably even Best Buy--just about any place that sells A/V gear.
Used to be Radio Shack sold a couple of audio-only stereo switch boxes, but I can't find them on their site any more. I have one of them keeping my '421 and '555 "in the loop." The one above'll give ya the same benefit though; you just won't be using the composite or s-video connections. Yeah, I know, the purists are flipping out at the mere thought of introducing such a device into your signal path. But we're being practical here, and it's a connection for a cassette deck, not an SACD player. If you keep the cables between the deck and the box, and the box and the pre-amp/receiver short, I don't notice any loss in sound quality.
What I find fascinating about my old cassettes is not how much their sound has been superseded more modern digital sources, but how well they hold their own.
Thx for the hint doswonk, but I would go by it in a much easier way: Disconnect my computer from the "tape in" sockets and connect the DRM-800. Then I can listen to computer music through my headphones if necessary. The music there isn't of a serious quality anyway (mp3/320)
The DRM-800 performs great; I believe it was one of the best cassette players in the price category when I bought it.
Wonderful post, doswonk.
I still use my aging Nakamichi periodically. I hope it never dies.
Wonderful post, doswonk! Thanks for sharing all of that. I think I'll come back to your story as my own renewed appreciation for tapes grows.
Doswonk-
I really enjoyed the read and I sure remember the days of "crafting" cassettes for friends, parties, etc. Even though I won't return to tape, I can see the intrigue in owning a killer cassette machine for next to nothing.
Thanks for the memories!