Great deck at a low price
Written: Mar 28 '02
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Pros: Dolby B, C, and S. Two-motor transport. Remote capable
Cons: No auto reverse, no remote-capable power switch
The Bottom Line: Buy this unit if you want to record high-quality tapes for the car or portable.
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| kb9vrg's Full Review: Sony TC-KE400S Single Cassette Deck |
After many years of playing with MiniDisc and MP3, I decided to get into the cassette market again after purchasing a new car with both a cassette deck and CD player.
I was looking for a basic deck for recording. I wanted Dolby S for good playback at home, and since Dolby S is compatible with Dolby B, the tapes would sound good in my car too. I didn't want to get a dual-well deck, as the quality seems to be sub-par when compared to the single well decks.
I've had very good luck with Sony component decks in the past (their Walkman line is another story), and since I already had a Sony receiver, DVD Player, and VCR, I thought I'd keep with the brand theme.
The TC-KE400S is very basic. It features:
* Cermaic Tape well
* 2 motor transport
* Full Logic Controls
* Manual Level Controls
* Auto Bias Selection
* Auto Bias Calabration
* Music Search
* Dolby B, C, S, and HX-Pro (With multiplex filter controls for FM broadcasts)
* Remote control capable (meaning it has an IR window, but doesn't come with a remote)
So far, the tapes made on this deck sound excellent. The Dolby S works well at home, and the response in the car is more than adequate. Even the tapes played on my portable player sound good.
The deck's controls are standard full-logic Sony. Nothing extra to clog the switches, and everything's very logical. Anyone familiar with a cassette recorder won't even have to read the manual.
One item to note is that this deck can be controlled by remote. I was surprised that my Sony receiver remote would not control the deck, however my One For All Cinema 7 was able to control all the major functions of the deck (Play, pause, stop, search, and record). One disturbing note is the power switch is not controllable by remote (it's push on push off).
Overall, this deck is serving its purpose just fine. The mechanism seems durable, and the sound is great. I have no complaints.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 189.95
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Epinions.com ID:
kb9vrg
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Location: Pewaukee, WI
Reviews written: 36
Trusted by: 1 member
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