Very competent and almost good!
Written: Jan 08 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good sound, excellent build quality
Cons: Appearance
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| za9ra22's Full Review: Sony TC WE435 Stereo Dual Cassette Deck Single Dua... |
I bought my TC-WE435 about 2 months ago when Best Buy had an open box for $99. At that price this is a fine unit, though I'm not sure I'd be quite so happy if I'd paid the usual $150.
Last time I spent any time listening to Sony cassette decks, they all seemed to sound a bit soft and lacking in dynamics. Always well engineered, these were machines that needed very careful choice of tape to make them sound lively, and as such were therefore never at the top of my list as a choice for a first class audio source. These days though, I really only need a tape deck for listening to old material that I'm transfering to mini-disc, audio books and making tapes to play in the car, so my demands are not all that great.
That said, aside from the fact I think this is the ugliest looking tape deck I've seen since the front fell off my old Nakamichi, this Sony cassette deck is actually rather good. It is auto-reverse and can syncro-play, so you can set it to play both sides of both tapes automatically... and it has very competent tape transport that typically of Sony decks, is never likely to cause problems. Everything works with a satisfying feel and equipped with Dolby B and C this machine is well specified.
However, it was in the quality of sound that I was rather surprised. It has punch and dynamics, and remarkably low noise. Even using fairly cheap tape, recordings come out clear and lively, though the automatic record level is a feature I'd recommend you turn off because it causes audible compression and leaves you feeling a bit dissatisfied. Using good quality TDK and Sony tape, results are sparkling and show how far tape technology has come in the last few years.
The cue and review functions work very well, though the transport mechanism can sound a bit loud 'clunking' from fast-forward or rewind to stop and play, but even this adds to the sense of build quality the deck clearly shows. Metering is accurate and far more usable than annoying devices that show spectrum bandwidth and fail to highlight the level at which distortion would occur, and while Dolby B does exhibit occasional signs of 'breathing' Dolby C is set up very well indeed.
I like this deck. Not a whole bunch, but enough to recommend it to anyone who wants or needs a competent, well engineered tape machine that sounds the way we all wished cassettes would sound back in the old days. It's truly ugly, so you'll need to listen to it with a bag on your head, but still, you can't have everything. And one other quibble too - the tape counters are electronic, so they re-set to zero when you switch off. A real nuisance that can be, but also one that is common to a lot of decks.
Having used this unit for 2 months, I can also say that unlike a lot of tape decks over the years, it has not significantly gone 'off specification' - it still sounds the same and performs the same as it did when I got it.
If you're in the market for a tape deck, this is certainly one to have a listen to.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
za9ra22
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Member: Andy
Location: Virginia USA
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 2 members
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