Hi there. Switching modes on a tape deck is like switching gears on a bicycle or motorized vehicle. I too had similarly in sound when you hit Dolby B & C but in my case it wasn't the tapes age it was how recorded. It sounds muffled otherwise. Your tape deck was clear in spite of these minor glitches during your demo. I hardly noticed it. There is a bright side many of my past recordings were from the radio & had a lot of tape hiss due to the lousy analog audio signal in those days in the 1980's. Your video is very satisfying great set up of the wall unit yes im a cabinet maker as well🤣 Really enjoyed watching this 100% worth it.👋👋👋👋
@Urzhum No, Dolby HX pro is not a noise reduction system at all. It's a special sound pre-processing to make the signal sound better when recorded to the tape.
@CoolDudeClem An interesting thing is that Chrome tapes have the lowest noise level of all. Metal cassettes actually are quiete noisy, but since they usually allow pretty high record levels, that doesn't matter. The MPX filter is only for filtering out the 19kHz pilot tone of FM stereo broadcasts, because that can disturb the Dolby system. When there is no MPX filter switch on the cassette deck, usually it's integrated into the Dolby system directly.
Hi Jonas, Its good to see your Awia tape deck - its like the Technics deck I have and showcased aand now have set up in my office at home. Keep up the god work Warm regards Richard
Nice. I once had an AD-F810, this deck's less-expensive sibling. I bought it new. From about two years old it had intermittent issues with 'wow' when a tape had been playing for over half an hour. I always thought it must have been a problem with the twin-capstan drive...maybe the belt was stretching. I never found it what it was.
@giammyzanna Usually there is a little hole on the back of the motor with a potentiometer behind of it. Stick a screw driver into there to adjust it. Make sure you use a non-conductive screw driver.
Nice beast. The Dolby effect has always baffled me. After decades I still don't know whether I want B, C, or try a deck with S, B for recording and nothing for playback... C for recording and B for playback... it's mental!
@@sh0t734 I am glad if you don't mind/notice anything. A NR without compromise doesn't exist, and apparently my ears are pretty sensitive to compromise. It's not that you need a degree in something to use Dolby, it's a freaking switch.
I remember your previous video about this cassette deck, but I can't remember what music you played in it. I sometimes wonder about getting a stereo cassette deck to connect up to my computer. mainly so I can archive my home recordings from tape to the computer to transfer them to my MP3 player, it's just a thought I've had.
I guess those were the days when AIWA was in their prime huh... I really gotta build me a system something like yours for my computer....., thanks for the inspiration, and the motivation!!
@vdochev For perfect results, always use the same Dolby system for record and playback. Sometimes different systems might sound good, but it's not the way it's supposed to be. Playing Dolby B cassettes with Dolby C has never worked for me.
Pretty nice tape deck. I think Dolby C is geared more towards Normal tapes and probably even Chrome aswell, metal tapes are such hi quality sometimes noise reduction is not even needed. I also have HX-Pro and MPX on one of my tape decks but they seem to do nothing aswell.
I Love AIWA equipment, my dad used to have a grat AIWA Stero, and i bought in 2001 an aiwa stereo and it stills working, is the only brand that Sony fears XD
Not really. The companies were closely working together, under the leadership of Sony. Most of Aiwa's management employees used to work for Sony. In 2002, Sony became the owner of Aiwa.
That Aiwa tape deck must've cost a lot when it was brand new. Almost professional like. Have we heard that tune on one of your Dr. Ca55ette videos? It sure sounded like one. Is it one of the tunes you've downloaded to you computer? Or could it be something that came with your video editing software?
I read that HX PRO was of more benefit to Type I cassettes to record an extended high-end. You (probably) wont hear HX PRO's effect's much on Type II or IV cassette as these can handle high-end much better than Type I cassette anyway.
That's a nice deck. I have the AD-F850, but it has less features; for example there's no calibration guide, so I record FM static and adjust to make the source and tape sound the same. HX-PRO is most effective on standard Ferric tapes.
Wow, thats a good tape deck. I had 2 aiwa tape decks and both had sme problems with the motors and the belts. Quick question: how can I adjust the tape speed in a tape deck? is there a pontentiometer of what?
Nacho Pachés Sony used solanoid in much older decks 555es etc....in most cases used 3 motor or 2 motor + direct drive...Technics use solanoid+2 motor or + direct drive rsb 965....etc.... Nakamichi, Yamaha, Kenwood.... used Sankyo 3 motor transport i. most cases
The calibration test tones it uses are 400 Hz and 10 kHz, according to Adobe Audition's spectrum analyzer. There is a guy named Kevin MacLeod who makes some pretty good copyright-free songs. You can download them as MP3s for free from his web site.
I can't beleive that I saw you pushing a button called HX Pro. All my tape decks have HX Pro but do it automatically. Wow and thanks for showing this. I can't still trust my eyes...cool.
Very nice presentation. The switcheable HX pro is very interesting. Even though the HX pro system makes the highs better it does so at the expense of added distortion over the entire frequency spectum, IMHO.
Hi. I had a Technics deck for a while (I believe it was some 2000s model) and Dolby C actually worked quite well on a tape that was recorded with Dolby B on another deck. Also I read somewhere that Dolby C should decode fine a Dolby B recording and not only that, but the noise levels should be even lower. Correct me if I'm wrong. :) For this video I agree, the Dolby C does sound kind of muffled :( What year was this deck from? Maybe they made the system better in the 90s.
I have a model that looks like yours but mine says dolby s on the side was this a newer model I have the remote to. I did have to fix its belts at one point and it has a powerd eject door.
I have a nakamichi cassette deck 1. Its a shame nak does't have calibration tones like this aiwa. It records very well, but you need to set up BIAS by ear. Normally i start recording and listem output using headphones, and then i calibrate BIAS by ear comparing source to tape.
@giammyzanna Thanks, I think I solved it but I'm not sure. How do you check if a tape deck is working at the correct speed? in my case I used a song that I have on a tape (not recorded with this cassette deck) and it's on my computer as well.
Hi..... my Aiwa adf850 has a failed optical sensor on the right side..... where can I get one? Cant find one anywhere on the internet. I have the service manual, but the component code comes up with nothing either. RS components have many types but, I dont know which one I should use if any of them. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
It visually meant ripple in the HF portion of a response chart. Due to transient ringing. Not on all decks not on the same levels. Some good ones did not have that trait at all.
I know - however, if a cassette deck's internal adjustments aren't a 100% spot on, you will loose some sound quality. Dolby is a pretty tricky thing as it is very sensitive to tolerances.
That AIWA is from 1990 - 1991- The last ones made TOUGH and really made in JAPAN. Aiwa reputation od quality died at the same time thet changed the logo to lowercase "aiwa"...
can anyone tell me how to get the door to release without force, i got a 910 which i put away probably 13 years ago because of the door issue, are the bands easy to replace ? and the double bands that are sold on ebay are they decent quality ?
@giammyzanna UA-cam user uxwbill has a video on his channel in wich he explained what I think is the perfect method for setting the speed of cassette decks.
Ich weiß nicht, wie man das schaffen kann...aber es sieht so aus, als ob an meinem "geretteten" AD-F910 der Löschkopf *abgebrochen* ist. Das erklärt, weshalb es nicht aufnehmen möchte, die Wiedergabe jedoch einwandfrei ist. Das ist natürlich sehr ärgerlich, da das Deck sonst soweit wieder einwandfrei funktioniert. Ich vermute die Kassettenlade war blockiert, da die Köpfe durch den losen Antriebsriemen nicht mehr in die Ruheposition gefahren sind...und der Vorbesitzer *gewaltsam* die Kassette entfernt hat. :(
+AudioMobil Da musst du jetzt den Mechanismus am besten ausbauen, und prüfen, dass auch wirklich keine weiteren Schäden entstanden sind. Wenn der Löschkopf abgebrochen ist, dann würde ich es für wahrscheinlich halten, dass auch die Aufnahme- und Widergabeköpfe verbogen sind. Ich hatte mal ein Onkyo-Cassettedeck wo ähnliches passiert war, da war im Mechanismus dann die gesamte Kopfträgerplatte verbogen. Da gibt es dann nichts mehr zu reparieren. Wenn es bei deinem Deck nur der Löschkopf ist (was ich nicht glaube), dann kannst du den ersetzen, achte nur darauf, dass der Ersatzkopf ungefähr den selben Gleichstromwiderstand hat.
Ich traue der Sache natürlich auch nicht mehr so ganz. Obwohl der Löschkopf relativ schmal ist, benötigt man sicherlich einiges an Gewalt, um das Teil rauszubrechen. Am Aufnahme- / Wiedergabekopf war die "Bandführung" auf der rechten Seite leicht schräg, das Teil war aber nicht verbogen, sondern ließ sich mit etwas Kraft zurückdrehen. Die Wiedergabe ist einwandfrei, selbst die Spurlage musste nicht großartig korrigiert werden. Auch wenn das Deck nicht gerade sonderlich solide aufgebaut ist, hat vielleicht die Tatsache, dass die Köpfe in einem stabilen Gussteil befestigt sind, schlimmeres verhindert. Trotzdem werde ich das Deck wohl besser einfach nur als Wiedergabegerät auf Lager legen. Manchmal muss ich Bänder digitalisieren, bei denen man ganz schön an der Spurlage drehen muss und ich möchte meine "guten" Decks nicht ständig verstellen. Trotzdem schade, dass wegen eines eigentlich kleinen Fehlers (den Riemen) der Vorbesitzer mehr oder weniger das gesamte Deck ruiniert hat. Vielleicht mache ich mal ein Video um den Schaden zu zeigen. Wenn jemand noch ein Laufwerk oder zumindest den Löschkopf übrig hat, kann er sich ja bei mir melden. Viele Grüße - Roland
Ach ja, das Aiwa ist ja Doppelcapstan - ich hatte jetzt an einen großen Standardlöschkopf gedacht. Nein, diese kleinen Dinger sind schon speziell, da wird man wohl keinen Ersatz mehr für bekommen.
The record level has to be high on Dolby C or it will sound bad. I don't know what is wrong with your recording level, something is not right here. AD F910 was a good deck, i had this 30 years ago.
Beautiful Aiwa cassette deck J! That Aiwa is a real treat. Thanks for showing us so well! - Craig
Hi there. Switching modes on a tape deck is like switching gears on a bicycle or motorized vehicle. I too had similarly in sound when you hit Dolby B & C but in my case it wasn't the tapes age it was how recorded. It sounds muffled otherwise. Your tape deck was clear in spite of these minor glitches during your demo. I hardly noticed it. There is a bright side many of my past recordings were from the radio & had a lot of tape hiss due to the lousy analog audio signal in those days in the 1980's. Your video is very satisfying great set up of the wall unit yes im a cabinet maker as well🤣 Really enjoyed watching this 100% worth it.👋👋👋👋
A wonderful video of a wonderful machine! I like the automatic door and the speakers are so cute!
@Urzhum
No, Dolby HX pro is not a noise reduction system at all. It's a special sound pre-processing to make the signal sound better when recorded to the tape.
HX pro dynamically changes the bias level to allow more treble frequencies to be recorded to the tape. That's what I read about it.
It's coming back to me now...
HX Pro reduced the bias when the input signal had lots of high frequency in it. This prevented overbiasing the tape.
@CoolDudeClem
An interesting thing is that Chrome tapes have the lowest noise level of all. Metal cassettes actually are quiete noisy, but since they usually allow pretty high record levels, that doesn't matter. The MPX filter is only for filtering out the 19kHz pilot tone of FM stereo broadcasts, because that can disturb the Dolby system. When there is no MPX filter switch on the cassette deck, usually it's integrated into the Dolby system directly.
Hi Jonas,
Its good to see your Awia tape deck - its like the Technics deck I have and showcased aand now have set up in my office at home.
Keep up the god work
Warm regards
Richard
Great deck! I own the Aiwa AD-F810 and JVC, Pioneer, Kenwood, Denon, Luxman 3 head decks (with or without dolby S).
I realy like my Dolby S decks.
cassettes are awesome
Nice. I once had an AD-F810, this deck's less-expensive sibling. I bought it new. From about two years old it had intermittent issues with 'wow' when a tape had been playing for over half an hour. I always thought it must have been a problem with the twin-capstan drive...maybe the belt was stretching. I never found it what it was.
It is interesting that both test tones high and low are used simultaneously. Mine does each seperately.
@giammyzanna
Usually there is a little hole on the back of the motor with a potentiometer behind of it. Stick a screw driver into there to adjust it. Make sure you use a non-conductive screw driver.
Nice beast. The Dolby effect has always baffled me. After decades I still don't know whether I want B, C, or try a deck with S, B for recording and nothing for playback... C for recording and B for playback... it's mental!
you re supposed to play it back with the same dolby you ve recorded.
Doing otherwise is wrong.
I know. I don't like how Dolby muffles the highs. Perhaps dbx was better?
@@m80116 Dolby C is amazing. You re probably not using it properly.
@@m80116 Dolby doesnt muffle the sound AT ALL , if used properly.
@@sh0t734 I am glad if you don't mind/notice anything. A NR without compromise doesn't exist, and apparently my ears are pretty sensitive to compromise.
It's not that you need a degree in something to use Dolby, it's a freaking switch.
I remember your previous video about this cassette deck, but I can't remember what music you played in it. I sometimes wonder about getting a stereo cassette deck to connect up to my computer. mainly so I can archive my home recordings from tape to the computer to transfer them to my MP3 player, it's just a thought I've had.
I guess those were the days when AIWA was in their prime huh... I really gotta build me a system something like yours for my computer....., thanks for the inspiration, and the motivation!!
I miss cassettes
Once again, a great video. Thank you Dr Cassette.
@vdochev
For perfect results, always use the same Dolby system for record and playback. Sometimes different systems might sound good, but it's not the way it's supposed to be. Playing Dolby B cassettes with Dolby C has never worked for me.
Pretty nice tape deck. I think Dolby C is geared more towards Normal tapes and probably even Chrome aswell, metal tapes are such hi quality sometimes noise reduction is not even needed. I also have HX-Pro and MPX on one of my tape decks but they seem to do nothing aswell.
Calibration feature? That's a very ingenious design because most decks are biased to a particular brand of tape from what I read.
I Love AIWA equipment, my dad used to have a grat AIWA Stero, and i bought in 2001 an aiwa stereo and it stills working, is the only brand that Sony fears XD
Not really. The companies were closely working together, under the leadership of Sony. Most of Aiwa's management employees used to work for Sony. In 2002, Sony became the owner of Aiwa.
You're having a laugh with a statement like that, Denon, Marantz, N.A.D, Cambridge Audio, all are far superior to both Sony and Aiwa
That Aiwa tape deck must've cost a lot when it was brand new. Almost professional like.
Have we heard that tune on one of your Dr. Ca55ette videos? It sure sounded like one. Is it one of the tunes you've downloaded to you computer? Or could it be something that came with your video editing software?
I read that HX PRO was of more benefit to Type I cassettes to record an extended high-end. You (probably) wont hear HX PRO's effect's much on Type II or IV cassette as these can handle high-end much better than Type I cassette anyway.
That's a nice deck. I have the AD-F850, but it has less features; for example there's no calibration guide, so I record FM static and adjust to make the source and tape sound the same.
HX-PRO is most effective on standard Ferric tapes.
Wow, thats a good tape deck. I had 2 aiwa tape decks and both had sme problems with the motors and the belts. Quick question: how can I adjust the tape speed in a tape deck? is there a pontentiometer of what?
best aiwa deck?? aiwa f770 as good? Or 990? looking to go 770 though,,...
It's a two motor and one solenoid mechanism + one door motor.
The two motor and solenoid was a common mechanism from sony and aiwa at the time
Nacho Pachés Sony used solanoid in much older decks 555es etc....in most cases used 3 motor or 2 motor + direct drive...Technics use solanoid+2 motor or + direct drive rsb 965....etc.... Nakamichi, Yamaha, Kenwood.... used Sankyo 3 motor transport i. most cases
Thank You I enjoyed this quite a lot!
The calibration test tones it uses are 400 Hz and 10 kHz, according to Adobe Audition's spectrum analyzer.
There is a guy named Kevin MacLeod who makes some pretty good copyright-free songs. You can download them as MP3s for free from his web site.
I can't beleive that I saw you pushing a button called HX Pro. All my tape decks have HX Pro but do it automatically. Wow and thanks for showing this. I can't still trust my eyes...cool.
That HX Pro pushbutton really is a gimmick. If your deck is equipped with HX Pro, it only makes sense to leave it on all the time.
Some of the early HX-equipped decks provided a switch. The Onkyo TA-2058 has one.
@@mescko yes, Akay Gx-95 too
Nice Aiwa AD-F910 Stereo Cassette Tape Deck
Dolby HX PRO the best noise redaction:)
Very nice presentation. The switcheable HX pro is very interesting. Even though the HX pro system makes the highs better it does so at the expense of added distortion over the entire frequency spectum, IMHO.
Hi. I had a Technics deck for a while (I believe it was some 2000s model) and Dolby C actually worked quite well on a tape that was recorded with Dolby B on another deck. Also I read somewhere that Dolby C should decode fine a Dolby B recording and not only that, but the noise levels should be even lower. Correct me if I'm wrong. :)
For this video I agree, the Dolby C does sound kind of muffled :( What year was this deck from? Maybe they made the system better in the 90s.
@alinthelion
It's some background music thing generated by Pinnacle Studio 14.
@Lachlant1984
Just hook the cassette deck's output up to the computer's line in. No big deal.
I'd much prefer if you'd comment after watching the video ;)
I only covered up the record protection holes, not the holes for the tape selector.
I have a model that looks like yours but mine says dolby s on the side was this a newer model I have the remote to. I did have to fix its belts at one point and it has a powerd eject door.
I have a nakamichi cassette deck 1. Its a shame nak does't have calibration tones like this aiwa. It records very well, but you need to set up BIAS by ear. Normally i start recording and listem output using headphones, and then i calibrate BIAS by ear comparing source to tape.
One method is to find a source of white noise, and record at about -20dB. Listening with headphones you can get a good match.
@giammyzanna Thanks, I think I solved it but I'm not sure. How do you check if a tape deck is working at the correct speed? in my case I used a song that I have on a tape (not recorded with this cassette deck) and it's on my computer as well.
That Aiwa cassettedeck , looks like my Philips Fc870 cassettedeck !
@djbrian95
It's heavy, and certainly was expensive when new.
I have the ad s750. love that deck.
Hi..... my Aiwa adf850 has a failed optical sensor on the right side..... where can I get one? Cant find one anywhere on the internet. I have the service manual, but the component code comes up with nothing either. RS components have many types but, I dont know which one I should use if any of them. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
very nice deck
What was the title of the song you recorded on the tape?
I have an AD-S950, while it's not up the calibre of this machine it does have Dolby S along with 3 heads.
later made cassette deck equipped with Dolby HX Pro on-off switch because it "could affect high level transient response" whatever that meant.
It visually meant ripple in the HF portion of a response chart. Due to transient ringing. Not on all decks not on the same levels. Some good ones did not have that trait at all.
Dude,you are hilarious! I love your videos :-)
I know - however, if a cassette deck's internal adjustments aren't a 100% spot on, you will loose some sound quality. Dolby is a pretty tricky thing as it is very sensitive to tolerances.
Wow you're a yt partner now!
I still use it today as my main deck,and only have changed the belts and motor on it during all those years.
Wohoo, ich bekomme eins für Umme :D Bin mal gespannt ob es so gut ist wie es ausschaut, war ja von einem Aiwa 660 schon schwer beeindruckt !!!
Tascam produces professional audio equipment, so that deck is probably better.
That AIWA is from 1990 - 1991- The last ones made TOUGH and really made in JAPAN.
Aiwa reputation od quality died at the same time thet changed the logo to lowercase "aiwa"...
can anyone tell me how to get the door to release without force, i got a 910 which i put away
probably 13 years ago because of the door issue, are the bands easy to replace ? and the double bands that are sold on ebay are they decent quality ?
Very nice system of recording whith testing signal 1 kHz like profetional real-to-real recorder for studios
My deck have autocalibration with three of test signal: 300 Hz, 3000 Hz and 15000 Hz.
Got the remote as well!
That was just music from Pinnacle Studio 14's built in music generator. No real title.
@giammyzanna
UA-cam user uxwbill has a video on his channel in wich he explained what I think is the perfect method for setting the speed of cassette decks.
The computer's line out is hooked up to the amplifier.
Thank you 🎵
i love those machines cause it looks like Professional Equipment. Today's audio Equipment sucks with there ipoddocks.
I have an AD-F910 and the earlier AD-F770. The latter is a better deck though they are both very good....
You think the 770 is better?
I had a AD-F640 similar er as to the 770 👍
I know :)
Ich weiß nicht, wie man das schaffen kann...aber es sieht so aus, als ob an meinem "geretteten" AD-F910 der Löschkopf *abgebrochen* ist. Das erklärt, weshalb es nicht aufnehmen möchte, die Wiedergabe jedoch einwandfrei ist. Das ist natürlich sehr ärgerlich, da das Deck sonst soweit wieder einwandfrei funktioniert. Ich vermute die Kassettenlade war blockiert, da die Köpfe durch den losen Antriebsriemen nicht mehr in die Ruheposition gefahren sind...und der Vorbesitzer *gewaltsam* die Kassette entfernt hat. :(
+AudioMobil
Da musst du jetzt den Mechanismus am besten ausbauen, und prüfen, dass auch wirklich keine weiteren Schäden entstanden sind. Wenn der Löschkopf abgebrochen ist, dann würde ich es für wahrscheinlich halten, dass auch die Aufnahme- und Widergabeköpfe verbogen sind. Ich hatte mal ein Onkyo-Cassettedeck wo ähnliches passiert war, da war im Mechanismus dann die gesamte Kopfträgerplatte verbogen. Da gibt es dann nichts mehr zu reparieren. Wenn es bei deinem Deck nur der Löschkopf ist (was ich nicht glaube), dann kannst du den ersetzen, achte nur darauf, dass der Ersatzkopf ungefähr den selben Gleichstromwiderstand hat.
Ich traue der Sache natürlich auch nicht mehr so ganz. Obwohl der Löschkopf relativ schmal ist, benötigt man sicherlich einiges an Gewalt, um das Teil rauszubrechen. Am Aufnahme- / Wiedergabekopf war die "Bandführung" auf der rechten Seite leicht schräg, das Teil war aber nicht verbogen, sondern ließ sich mit etwas Kraft zurückdrehen. Die Wiedergabe ist einwandfrei, selbst die Spurlage musste nicht großartig korrigiert werden. Auch wenn das Deck nicht gerade sonderlich solide aufgebaut ist, hat vielleicht die Tatsache, dass die Köpfe in einem stabilen Gussteil befestigt sind, schlimmeres verhindert. Trotzdem werde ich das Deck wohl besser einfach nur als Wiedergabegerät auf Lager legen. Manchmal muss ich Bänder digitalisieren, bei denen man ganz schön an der Spurlage drehen muss und ich möchte meine "guten" Decks nicht ständig verstellen. Trotzdem schade, dass wegen eines eigentlich kleinen Fehlers (den Riemen) der Vorbesitzer mehr oder weniger das gesamte Deck ruiniert hat. Vielleicht mache ich mal ein Video um den Schaden zu zeigen. Wenn jemand noch ein Laufwerk oder zumindest den Löschkopf übrig hat, kann er sich ja bei mir melden. Viele Grüße - Roland
Ach ja, das Aiwa ist ja Doppelcapstan - ich hatte jetzt an einen großen Standardlöschkopf gedacht. Nein, diese kleinen Dinger sind schon speziell, da wird man wohl keinen Ersatz mehr für bekommen.
I used to have one :-)
Aiwa logo in Africans language stays for " yes ", " " ok ". 🙂 Saluti da Roma !
The record level has to be high on Dolby C or it will sound bad. I don't know what is wrong with your recording level, something is not right here. AD F910 was a good deck, i had this 30 years ago.
I got mine cheaper at £300 when it was out in the early 90's.
@giammyzanna
:)
reminds me of c64.. turbotape..
great
nice tape deck... check out my sony tc-kc661s great videos keep them up ...