Thank you, great video, I've had one of these cassette decks since the mid 1990s and never understood the bias adjustment, just left them in centre position for 30 years, did some test recordings on a few different tapes yesterday
That bias drift is why they incorporated the HX Pro circuit where it constantly statbilized minor drifts fine tuning and optimising the bias as the Recordings are being made.
Thanks for another good video. The 611S was my first 3 head machine after getting back into tapes. Needed some TLC at first but has been great for a couple of years now. I agree it takes some beating for price, features and serviceability. I also picked up a 444ES more recently, mainly as it looks really cool and has left and right channel record levels. I wouldn't say it's really any better than the 611 though, just a different experience. I do find different decks seem to cope better than others with certain tapes though, so it's nice to have a choice and a backup for when one needs a service. Looing forward to your next video.
I have had one to work on (an ES) but at the time I didn't have the k611. I really do fancy getting one to see how it is. The separate recording channels would be nice. Next video is a Nakamichi BX-2. Just waiting on parts to arrive, it needs some biiig TLC. Thanks, appreciate it 👍🏻
I have a Sony TC-KE500S which I've serviced from top to bottom and it has a great sweet sound with no NR on normal tape. There are better decks out there but it's all about the law of diminishing returns and very little increase in sound quality. Unless you have money to burn why buy anything else?
Hi there, did you know if you hold in the eject button and power button at the same time the deck will go into cleaning mode ! It allows you access to clean the pinch roller etc without the drive engaging. Oh, you do have to remove the cassette door 👍
I’m new and looking to add a take deck to my setup and this is one I’m looking at. I have a few questions please. How exactly does AMS I still don’t really understand? Does this have auto reverse ?
AMS is a system that when the decks already playing, if you press FF or RW it can skip tracks. It detects silence between the tracks. No auto reverse on this, to be honest auto reverse is a weakness as any movement of the head will knock the azmituth out if the auto reverse feature is worn
@@pwrestoration thanks for the info sorry I’m a vinyl guy never really owned a cassette deck so not very clued up. Without auto reverse do u need to physically flip the cassette or can u play it backward then to play side b?
Good video! 🙂 I have one of these coming today that I will be changing the belts on. I personally prefer decks that auto-calibrate (I get choice paralysis on the manual ones!)
AutoCal is all nice and good as long as it works like Pioneer's Super Auto BLE with a 64-step adjustment. If you have a system that only offers 16 steps like Kenwood's AutoBias, a calibration becomes more of a guesstimate 😂
The 611S was a classic example of mixed calculation from Sony to offer premium features usually associated with their ES lineup in a consumer model, thus offering a good bang for buck. When I compare it to my 909ES, it lacks the third calibration option (a three-position EQ switch that can help to mitigate some of the nonlinear frequency response of two-layer Type IIs like the TDK SA-X) and it also lacks the switchable HX Pro. Internally, the ES decks had Sony's best amorphous Rec/PB heads and a shiny sendust erase head which helped to minimize the ever-present occuring treble loss on multiple playbacks. The mechanism itself features heavier flywheels for both supply and takeup capstans which brought down W&F even further and has an almost indestructible capstan DD motor. And there's a lot of copper shielding as well. But: the Dolby S could only be licensed from Dolby Labs if certain machine specifications were met by the manufacturer. And this 611S does a really good job at that.
I've only ever had one ES machine in and the build quality was certainly there in comparison to these K611S, and I understand the higher price. The Dolby S is a great feature but I do sometimes now record without it, and HX Pro would certainly be a nice addition to a deck. A Dolby S deck with HX Pro would be the best of all worlds, but I didn't know about such differences with the EQ knob and better heads. Maybe I'll invest in one in the future. Hopefully that needs repair so I can document it. Thanks for the info!
@@pwrestoration the 611S uses Dolby HX Pro. Its circuitry just can't be switched off. And since HX Pro is highly beneficial to high frequency dynamics, it's a somewhat moot point anyway. If you are interested in an ES deck, the 808ES or 909ES are quite good and can sometimes be obtained at a good price.
Nice video. I have just got one of these to fix for myself. It won't eject and seems to be stuck with pause on and making quite a noise. Assume its the belts that have gone. Could I ask where you get the pinch roller from as I might as well do that as well while I am at it...Thanks!
Hi I just get generic ones by size as theyre half the price. Give it a Google from memory it's 11x6x2mm Stuck in pause might be the rotary encoder needing a clean if the belts are ok
Hi. I have one of these (well, a 661) and its dropping audio out on one channel and slightly chewing the edge of the tape as if its not pulling the tape through straight. It is intermittent and seems to hate some tapes. My thought was a dodgy pinch roller, in line with your comments here. Do you offer a repair service?
Absolutely change the pinch roller. It's called tape skew and is extremely common on this transport. I do - but I'm very backed up at the moment. Get hold of me via email on the channel homepage 👍
Was just wondering. I am wanting to have the ability to view vu meters on my system. If I have a three head cassette deck, does recording have to actually be engaged to view the meters?
If you mean to view the VU meters react from an external line in, yes. You could always buy a separate VU unit and plug in between your output and your amp. Otherwise, look for an amp with VU meters built in. Alternatively there are many LED sound level displays on AliExpress etc for very cheap and they work well, such as this: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235541060938?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=0Qj9nKHKTX-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=qI2jvYkCTXO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY I have one and it works well.
Thanks for taking the time to show the features of this cool deck. I can see how this makes recording tapes more enjoyable. I usually make ambient or black metal mixes. What kind of tapes do you make with this?
@@pwrestoration i mostly use type ones but have some tdk sa and maxel and basf type 2,s as far as type 1,s go the tdk ad the sony hfs and maxell ud1 are not bad sounding type 1,s back in the day the only type 2,s i bought were the cd ing from tdk i guess they were cheap .
PW, I use to have a Sony TC-K511s. It couldn’t calibrate certain type 1’s from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Nothing exotic mine you. TDK D’s from 1979. Memorex MXRI’s from the early 80’s. I even tried some early 70’s Realistic and Akai ferric’s for an and g’s. They would refuse to calibrat. I gave some slack to the early 70’s cassettes being that they’re over 50. But I would expect a 1979 TDK D to calibrate no problem. Considering it had no problem calibrating to some of my BASF pure chromes which shocked me. What could have been the problem and would I have a similar problem with the TC-K611S?
To be honest some very early ferrics just don't give the higher frequency response the auto cal is looking for. However, it could be that your record bias needs adjustment. Pickup a modern type 1 Sony tape and run a calibration. It should have both bars just about level with the record and bias knobs centralised. If not, it'll need adjusting. I can do that if you're in the UK.
Great video. I’d like to get one of these decks with the TCM-200 drive mechanism on it. I just got a TC-KA1ES (TC-K561S) with the TCM-190 mechanism and that damn cracked gear problem and it’s driving me mad trying to get it to work correctly. I changed the belts, pinch roller then discovered the fine crack on the gear and changed it out and I have take up and supply reels still half the time turning in the wrong direction or the wrong mode. I’m about ready to give up and sell it for parts.
Which gear is cracked? Email me some pics if you're in the UK and want to sell it. Contact details on my bio. If not, you could maybe pull parts from another deck
I’m in the US and it’s one of the gears in the assembly pressed onto the mode switching motor (as opposed to the capstan motor - two motor deck). I can send you photos to maybe get some ideas. I picked up a couple of replacement gears from a guy in Poland that I hoped would work, a pinch roller from another guy in Slovenia and a set of new belts to replace the originals that turned into a gooey tar mess. I’d sell this thing to you but US to UK shipping costs might not make it worth it.
Just wondering if you know how the real time counter works? I know the normal counters generally run off either take up or supply reel and for that reason their speed changes as the tape progresses. The only constant really is the capstan but that isn't in tape contact in fast wind modes. Maybe the deck averages the speed of the two reels? I've never owned a deck with a real time counter to open it and check this feature out. Mine are all regular counters that run off the take up reel, except for my Aiwa which runs off the supply reel. Thanks for the videos btw, they are great.
These are great decks and they are affordable if i went out and bought a really high end deck then i would also have to replace my 1988 onkyo reciever and the speakers to get the benefit of it .out of my decks the 3 head aiwa ad f810 is an ok deck i have the sony 3 head tck 561s and my favorite is the boxed pioneer ct656 i got for £35 the fault was the sound phasing in and out this was done to a really dirty idler and idler tyre but sound was not quite as nice as i was expecting ,the deck itself appeared to be never opened but plastic latches on one side of the removable door where broken my gues is previous owner messed with head alignment a little tweak by er for now and it sounds superb >When i get a new idler tyre and belt i will do the alignment properly .
I just got one of these shipped to me from the UK I'm in the US using a voltage converter everything seems to be working fine but I'm not getting any sound put out from it. Could that be internal?
Are you putting 240v into it? Make sure you have your RCAs in the 'line out' ports. Make sure it's not your amp too or that tape monitor is on/off Is the levels on the deck showing sound is going to the head? No sound at all is unusual.
Yeah the levels show up on the screen and the cables should be all good I just unplugged my turntable and used the same input into my receiver since it was already hooked up there.
Haha wow I feel really stupid right now. I forgot to change the source on the amp to that input haha. Thanks for your help but everything works now. Wow lol
My TC-K611S has got a few annoying faults after refurbishing. Tape mechanism works fine, but when I press in the MPX Filter button, the sound crackles and completely fades out. Not a huge problem there, since I don’t record off the radio. But also, the Calibration mode no longer records the calibration tone onto the tape. I go into calibration mode and press record, and no matter what I try, I get no life out of it. It’s erasing the tape, just not recording the test tone. Any ideas? I’d greatly appreciate the help
Does it record onto a tape successfully from the line in, and is playback of a tape ok? Definitely an electical issue, check the wiring connection to the heads hasn't been disturbed in removing the transport. Then check all the plugs the heads plug into on the main board for cracked solder underneath. Visually inspect all caps one by one to see if any have bulging on the top or leakage at the bottom. I'm afraid after that it's an oscilloscope job to see where the signal is getting to.
@@pwrestoration erasing and recording onto tape works fine, yes. I did break a connection during a prior disassembly- there’s a blue wire running to the tape mechanism. When I pulled the connector off I ended up breaking the solder connection on the underneath of the board. I fixed it, but I’m wondering if I didn’t quite do a good enough job. I’ll keep poking and prodding with my multimeter. Thanks!
@@XanderRowlet I'd certainly start with that - give it a good clean up and remove as much old solder as possible with a solder sucker or braid. If the connection is damaged and you can't get a clean connection to it, you might have to follow the trace on the board to the next connection. Consider testing the wire too for continuity to make sure there's no breaks.
Another Great Post, Thank, if you have time I would like to see on AKAI 3heads Deck GX 75 which I have a problem when I srat play have some noise and did not play could you help me please
When I recording on 3 HEAD Deck, Always turn thevdolby off, than set the channels, and turn dolby than, because, never set the channels when dolby Is on, because the dolby Is Like filter
This was my final cassette deck, and it was excellent. Thank you for the trip down nostalgia lane.
They're my favourite decks.
Thank you, great video, I've had one of these cassette decks since the mid 1990s and never understood the bias adjustment, just left them in centre position for 30 years, did some test recordings on a few different tapes yesterday
I find a little over bias, towards the high end, makes a difference in recording. They sound very well!
That bias drift is why they incorporated the HX Pro circuit where it constantly statbilized minor drifts fine tuning and optimising the bias as the Recordings are being made.
Thanks for another good video. The 611S was my first 3 head machine after getting back into tapes. Needed some TLC at first but has been great for a couple of years now. I agree it takes some beating for price, features and serviceability. I also picked up a 444ES more recently, mainly as it looks really cool and has left and right channel record levels. I wouldn't say it's really any better than the 611 though, just a different experience. I do find different decks seem to cope better than others with certain tapes though, so it's nice to have a choice and a backup for when one needs a service. Looing forward to your next video.
I have had one to work on (an ES) but at the time I didn't have the k611. I really do fancy getting one to see how it is. The separate recording channels would be nice.
Next video is a Nakamichi BX-2. Just waiting on parts to arrive, it needs some biiig TLC.
Thanks, appreciate it 👍🏻
Ich hab das TC-K 711 S, dafür hab ich vor ein paar Jahren, 127 Euro bezahlt, sehr interessantes Video, danke fürs Hochladen.
Excellent video, thank you.
I have a Sony TC-KE500S which I've serviced from top to bottom and it has a great sweet sound with no NR on normal tape. There are better decks out there but it's all about the law of diminishing returns and very little increase in sound quality. Unless you have money to burn why buy anything else?
Hi there, did you know if you hold in the eject button and power button at the same time the deck will go into cleaning mode ! It allows you access to clean the pinch roller etc without the drive engaging. Oh, you do have to remove the cassette door 👍
I did not realise that one, I'll give it a go tomorrow!
Nice one that actually worked made cleaning the roller so much easier
I’m new and looking to add a take deck to my setup and this is one I’m looking at. I have a few questions please.
How exactly does AMS I still don’t really understand?
Does this have auto reverse ?
AMS is a system that when the decks already playing, if you press FF or RW it can skip tracks. It detects silence between the tracks.
No auto reverse on this, to be honest auto reverse is a weakness as any movement of the head will knock the azmituth out if the auto reverse feature is worn
@@pwrestoration thanks for the info sorry I’m a vinyl guy never really owned a cassette deck so not very clued up. Without auto reverse do u need to physically flip the cassette or can u play it backward then to play side b?
You have to manually filp it over to play the other side@@AK_0000
Good video! 🙂
I have one of these coming today that I will be changing the belts on. I personally prefer decks that auto-calibrate (I get choice paralysis on the manual ones!)
AutoCal is all nice and good as long as it works like Pioneer's Super Auto BLE with a 64-step adjustment. If you have a system that only offers 16 steps like Kenwood's AutoBias, a calibration becomes more of a guesstimate 😂
The 611S was a classic example of mixed calculation from Sony to offer premium features usually associated with their ES lineup in a consumer model, thus offering a good bang for buck. When I compare it to my 909ES, it lacks the third calibration option (a three-position EQ switch that can help to mitigate some of the nonlinear frequency response of two-layer Type IIs like the TDK SA-X) and it also lacks the switchable HX Pro. Internally, the ES decks had Sony's best amorphous Rec/PB heads and a shiny sendust erase head which helped to minimize the ever-present occuring treble loss on multiple playbacks. The mechanism itself features heavier flywheels for both supply and takeup capstans which brought down W&F even further and has an almost indestructible capstan DD motor. And there's a lot of copper shielding as well.
But: the Dolby S could only be licensed from Dolby Labs if certain machine specifications were met by the manufacturer. And this 611S does a really good job at that.
I've only ever had one ES machine in and the build quality was certainly there in comparison to these K611S, and I understand the higher price. The Dolby S is a great feature but I do sometimes now record without it, and HX Pro would certainly be a nice addition to a deck. A Dolby S deck with HX Pro would be the best of all worlds, but I didn't know about such differences with the EQ knob and better heads. Maybe I'll invest in one in the future. Hopefully that needs repair so I can document it. Thanks for the info!
@@pwrestoration the 611S uses Dolby HX Pro. Its circuitry just can't be switched off. And since HX Pro is highly beneficial to high frequency dynamics, it's a somewhat moot point anyway.
If you are interested in an ES deck, the 808ES or 909ES are quite good and can sometimes be obtained at a good price.
Nice video. I have just got one of these to fix for myself. It won't eject and seems to be stuck with pause on and making quite a noise. Assume its the belts that have gone. Could I ask where you get the pinch roller from as I might as well do that as well while I am at it...Thanks!
Hi I just get generic ones by size as theyre half the price. Give it a Google from memory it's 11x6x2mm
Stuck in pause might be the rotary encoder needing a clean if the belts are ok
@@pwrestoration Thanks I'll get the belt kits and a roller and do the whole service :-)
Hi. I have one of these (well, a 661) and its dropping audio out on one channel and slightly chewing the edge of the tape as if its not pulling the tape through straight. It is intermittent and seems to hate some tapes. My thought was a dodgy pinch roller, in line with your comments here.
Do you offer a repair service?
Absolutely change the pinch roller. It's called tape skew and is extremely common on this transport. I do - but I'm very backed up at the moment. Get hold of me via email on the channel homepage 👍
@@pwrestorationWill do, where are you in the country? I am in the north west.
@@JetmanUK I am in North Yorks but do almost all of my business for servicing and repairs through Parcelforce. Drop me an email 👍
@@pwrestoration Will do. Thank you.
Was just wondering. I am wanting to have the ability to view vu meters on my system. If I have a three head cassette deck, does recording have to actually be engaged to view the meters?
If you mean to view the VU meters react from an external line in, yes.
You could always buy a separate VU unit and plug in between your output and your amp. Otherwise, look for an amp with VU meters built in.
Alternatively there are many LED sound level displays on AliExpress etc for very cheap and they work well, such as this:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235541060938?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=0Qj9nKHKTX-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=qI2jvYkCTXO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I have one and it works well.
Thanks for taking the time to show the features of this cool deck. I can see how this makes recording tapes more enjoyable. I usually make ambient or black metal mixes. What kind of tapes do you make with this?
I generally stick to type IIs but in all honesty it can make a good recording on most
@@pwrestoration i mostly use type ones but have some tdk sa and maxel and basf type 2,s as far as type 1,s go the tdk ad the sony hfs and maxell ud1 are not bad sounding type 1,s back in the day the only type 2,s i bought were the cd ing from tdk i guess they were cheap .
@@paulb4uk The giveaway on these decks is if they will calibrate, they should produce a good sound. I always use that as a benchmark.
PW, I use to have a Sony TC-K511s. It couldn’t calibrate certain type 1’s from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Nothing exotic mine you. TDK D’s from 1979. Memorex MXRI’s from the early 80’s. I even tried some early 70’s Realistic and Akai ferric’s for an and g’s. They would refuse to calibrat. I gave some slack to the early 70’s cassettes being that they’re over 50. But I would expect a 1979 TDK D to calibrate no problem. Considering it had no problem calibrating to some of my BASF pure chromes which shocked me. What could have been the problem and would I have a similar problem with the TC-K611S?
To be honest some very early ferrics just don't give the higher frequency response the auto cal is looking for. However, it could be that your record bias needs adjustment. Pickup a modern type 1 Sony tape and run a calibration. It should have both bars just about level with the record and bias knobs centralised. If not, it'll need adjusting. I can do that if you're in the UK.
Great video. I’d like to get one of these decks with the TCM-200 drive mechanism on it. I just got a TC-KA1ES (TC-K561S) with the TCM-190 mechanism and that damn cracked gear problem and it’s driving me mad trying to get it to work correctly. I changed the belts, pinch roller then discovered the fine crack on the gear and changed it out and I have take up and supply reels still half the time turning in the wrong direction or the wrong mode. I’m about ready to give up and sell it for parts.
Which gear is cracked? Email me some pics if you're in the UK and want to sell it. Contact details on my bio. If not, you could maybe pull parts from another deck
I’m in the US and it’s one of the gears in the assembly pressed onto the mode switching motor (as opposed to the capstan motor - two motor deck). I can send you photos to maybe get some ideas. I picked up a couple of replacement gears from a guy in Poland that I hoped would work, a pinch roller from another guy in Slovenia and a set of new belts to replace the originals that turned into a gooey tar mess. I’d sell this thing to you but US to UK shipping costs might not make it worth it.
Just wondering if you know how the real time counter works? I know the normal counters generally run off either take up or supply reel and for that reason their speed changes as the tape progresses. The only constant really is the capstan but that isn't in tape contact in fast wind modes. Maybe the deck averages the speed of the two reels? I've never owned a deck with a real time counter to open it and check this feature out. Mine are all regular counters that run off the take up reel, except for my Aiwa which runs off the supply reel. Thanks for the videos btw, they are great.
I think it runs from the two light sensors pointed at the mirrors on the backs of the reels
These are great decks and they are affordable if i went out and bought a really high end deck then i would also have to replace my 1988 onkyo reciever and the speakers to get the benefit of it .out of my decks the 3 head aiwa ad f810 is an ok deck i have the sony 3 head tck 561s and my favorite is the boxed pioneer ct656 i got for £35 the fault was the sound phasing in and out this was done to a really dirty idler and idler tyre but sound was not quite as nice as i was expecting ,the deck itself appeared to be never opened but plastic latches on one side of the removable door where broken my gues is previous owner messed with head alignment a little tweak by er for now and it sounds superb >When i get a new idler tyre and belt i will do the alignment properly .
Very cheap if you can find out the dimensions.. mine was 13x6x2, get a generic one instead of model specific. A third of the price 👍🏻
I just got one of these shipped to me from the UK I'm in the US using a voltage converter everything seems to be working fine but I'm not getting any sound put out from it. Could that be internal?
Are you putting 240v into it? Make sure you have your RCAs in the 'line out' ports. Make sure it's not your amp too or that tape monitor is on/off
Is the levels on the deck showing sound is going to the head?
No sound at all is unusual.
Yeah the levels show up on the screen and the cables should be all good I just unplugged my turntable and used the same input into my receiver since it was already hooked up there.
@@ColdGlock is the tape deck plugged into your phono port on your amp then?
Technically the "CD"
Haha wow I feel really stupid right now. I forgot to change the source on the amp to that input haha. Thanks for your help but everything works now. Wow lol
I don’t think much of the Motorised Door mechanism. Isn’t needed, just compromises long term reliability.
Ok just got mine and the recordings are distorted when i calibrate the tape any ideas
Do you mean it won't auto calibrate?
Or your recordings are distorted?
My TC-K611S has got a few annoying faults after refurbishing. Tape mechanism works fine, but when I press in the MPX Filter button, the sound crackles and completely fades out. Not a huge problem there, since I don’t record off the radio. But also, the Calibration mode no longer records the calibration tone onto the tape. I go into calibration mode and press record, and no matter what I try, I get no life out of it. It’s erasing the tape, just not recording the test tone. Any ideas? I’d greatly appreciate the help
Does it record onto a tape successfully from the line in, and is playback of a tape ok?
Definitely an electical issue, check the wiring connection to the heads hasn't been disturbed in removing the transport. Then check all the plugs the heads plug into on the main board for cracked solder underneath.
Visually inspect all caps one by one to see if any have bulging on the top or leakage at the bottom.
I'm afraid after that it's an oscilloscope job to see where the signal is getting to.
@@pwrestoration erasing and recording onto tape works fine, yes. I did break a connection during a prior disassembly- there’s a blue wire running to the tape mechanism. When I pulled the connector off I ended up breaking the solder connection on the underneath of the board. I fixed it, but I’m wondering if I didn’t quite do a good enough job. I’ll keep poking and prodding with my multimeter. Thanks!
@@XanderRowlet I'd certainly start with that - give it a good clean up and remove as much old solder as possible with a solder sucker or braid.
If the connection is damaged and you can't get a clean connection to it, you might have to follow the trace on the board to the next connection. Consider testing the wire too for continuity to make sure there's no breaks.
Another Great Post, Thank, if you have time I would like to see on AKAI 3heads Deck GX 75 which I have a problem when I srat play have some noise and did not play could you help me please
I'll check it out
@@pwrestoration Thank you very much you are the best
This is like a nicer version than the deck i have, TC-RX311. id like to get one but i cant justify spending $400+ on a tape deck.
There are always bargains to be had on eBay etc. Just don't make the mistake of getting the 411 or lower - different transports.
I have same deck with two motors
When I recording on 3 HEAD Deck, Always turn thevdolby off, than set the channels, and turn dolby than, because, never set the channels when dolby Is on, because the dolby Is Like filter
If you calibrate with Dolby on you will get a much better recording
First dolby off For channels balance, than dolby on For good recording
Хорошая дека!👍