The 1970s in a Box: IMA PS 2500 Radio/Cassette/8-Track Entertainment System
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- All the chrome and woodgrain goodness of 1970s hi-fi gear packed into a box smaller than a breadbin.
Read the full DAK ad here: i.postimg.cc/r...
I got the 8-track player working correctly! It just needed more oil to lubricate the roto-tweebulator mechanism and a good workout.
VWestlife can you upload a full video of the disco tape 8 track I’d love to listen to a full version because I like the cool disco music and also this and an other video by you are the only record of it existing!
VWestlife I have a question how do you ‘rescue’ items from the recycling center without getting caught?
Also witch plant do you go to?
roto tweebulator shango066
Shango066 is smiling....
What causes the annoyance of two or more songs being heard simultaneously during 8 track tape playback?
Engineers: What features would you like to see on this equipment?
Director: Yes
The buttons on the cassette deck look insanely satisfying to press.
This gadget is the coolest thing that I've ever seen. An analog tuner and a digital frequency reader.
Also, this remembers me to the older stereo systems that brings out an astronishing sound quality.
6:50
-How old are you?
-Im 40
-Ok, terrific...
Never ask to a woman her age...
23 minutes hearing a detailed analysis of a 40 y/o Craig all-in-one stereo? Priceless!
5:18 - 5:26 That Ashens reference. :)
@M Tavner It kind of caught me off guard too. ;D
@Mood-EBlueWolf
Ashens is now a legend! I love his channel!
English wit is amazing.
@@watershed44 Now. He's been a legend since his channel started. :D
@@watershed44 I'm Irish
For a second I thought it was guru larry.
The DAK ads and catalog was very creative with their descriptions of the products that they sold. I ordered a few items from DAK in the 1980s and early 1990s. The mic inputs are a nice feature, but there is no record level controls, so I assume it uses some type of auto record level. For my cassette decks, I ordered a multi-pack of belts from China for super cheap / free shipping via Ebay. You may find the right size drive belt for this unit in such a multi-pack.
Surprisingly well made. Compare the insides of some modern China smart bluetooth wonder box and you'll cry
"ChInA sTuFf BaD" "mOdErN tEcH bAd" You will deny being out of touch, but that's what you are.
I think Techmoan will love this machine ;)
I like that it has a tape out and aux in. Open-reel anyone. And to use a magnetic cart turntable on phono in, just use a pre-amp. I wish I had this device. The AM and FM sounded good.
"You will repeat in your mind... everything your hear on this tape..."
Thanks Kevin for reenergizing my brain! If I am not mistaken BrainStorm Technologies were specializing in psychological aid products and these tapes are used for purposes of treating patients with schizophrenia and depression.
My sister would appreciate this tape since she is undergoing a therapy for schizophrenia. I'll never hesitate to accept your generous open offer to get the BrainStorm tape!
It is always nice to see old equipment working so well. I wonder how much of todays electronics will be working in forty years time.
Not much of it. Only the really well-built stuff will probably still work.
@@jimdayton8837 Given my recent experiences with built in L-Ion batteries I give a cheap Chinese piece of equipment that runs on AA or D cells a much better chance than anything incorporating a rechargeable battery (providing cells are left to leak inside the cheap equipment).
You got a lot of NPR stations in your area. In the US nearly everything below 91.9 FM is NPR.
This was made in Japan, that's why it's lasted so long. Despite the likely 5-6 inch speakers, the sound quality ain't bad.
OMG it's self contained GORGEOUSNESS!!!!
Just grabbed a 2500A from my neighbor's trash.
Nice to see these still hanging out.
I love the '70s styling, I don't know why. I have an old Telefunken radio from the '70s. It also has all the radio stations written on a display
Same
Been watching for years. Love your attention to detail. Nice vintage item!
A solid system - love all the metal dials and switches. The speakers also sound pretty good.
Love how the 8-track ultra-smooth eject is the complete opposite to the super-fast cassette door!
this is the type of content I use youtube for.
The 8 track sounds great. The audio transferred well between your camera microphone and this stereo. Thank you for posting.
The only thing that this clock radio is missing is having a mechanical flip clock to replace the led clock.
Nixie tubes would be cool too, but 1979 is a little late for those.
Also for the frequency display please! Imagine a flip-digit frequency counter!
@@albinklein7680 I actually thought about that...lol
Richard Edwards No consumer clocks ever had nixie tubs
Here we have, retrochad such a kool voice
Clint from LGR would love this!
I wouldn't be surprised if he has already watched this.
He actually came across one, or a very similar product (I remember the general shape and the IMA branding), in an episode of Thrifts. He passed it up, saying IIRC that he didn't know anything about it.
I wish RetroChad would come back, his videos represent my childhood, I'm 19 now.
RIP RetroChad 2008-2013.
I miss him too. His channel is still up with everything he uploaded over the years, but no activity in a long time. Hope he is doing well.
The mechanism problem looks to me as the metal lever is slipping over the plastic wheel of the second program. I would temporarily try to attach a small plastic part underneath the metal lever to slightly extend it downwards. That way it should be unable to slip over the plastic wheel. A more crude way would be to just bend it, which I wouldn't recommend. Nice unit!
I'm in love with those dials.
I'm in love with the aesthetic of that thing.
re: that red cassette. search Google for "MindTech2000" looks like it was an audio/visual hypnosis machine. Company is still in business
Interview with the "PersonAll Programmer" developer: th-cam.com/video/E20KNooV-ok/w-d-xo.html
huh, appears to be more an infomercial than an interview... so one side of the cassette plays the hypnosis sound recording, while the other side has tones that flash the LEDs in the glasses? Wouldn't you have to have a player that could play back all 4 tracks at the same time for this to work
@@CARLiCON It probably just has mono audio, with the other audio track being replaced with the light data signals.
It's a pretty decent and well made unit, even useful today. Digital readout is great, better than a dial and long before digital tuning became commonplace.
Beautiful piece of kit! I would say it would make a good clock radio except that it doesn't have an alarm function and if you put it on a nightstand, you wouldn't have space for much else. I was born in November of 1979 and remember when everything was styled like this - woodgrain case with black or brushed aluminum fascia and big, chunky knurled knobs and switches. The fact that this has an aux input means that with a BT adapter or Chromecast audio plugged into the rear jacks, it would still be a perfectly practical thing to have around today.
That Brain-Storm cassette is CREEPY !!
Agreed! that was weird.
You will NOT buy that shitty It's OK cassette player
@@JonnyInfinite You WILL buy vintage cassette players...
Yeah, it reminds me of POSTcontent/Easy-Go Solutions
@@JonnyInfinite - LOL!
This is the same machine that it was used during the last day of WPLJ from two months ago. Nice!
I love the detailed reviews you do, so much attention to details that you see rarely in TH-cam video's. Always a pleasure to watch your videos. Thanks and keep up the excellent work!
Picked up one of these with both tape decks not in great shape especially the Cassette deck which was a nightmare to fix. All the drive wheels for the reel transports use rubber idler tires and on mine the Play and FF tires were hardened and cracked. So then began the painful task of finding 2 replacement tires (Rew one was OK). No more local electronics stores, so ebay was the source and not from the USA of course but China or Eastern Europe and a month long wait to get it. Tire size was an oddball size but got something close that seemed to get the reels turning again. Then lots of Wow and flutter and pinch roller was hardened/glazed so had to replace that which wasn't easy to access. Worse, was trying to remove the shaft pin WHICH WAS RIVETED IN on one end; I couldn't believe it. I tried tapping it out, wouldn't budge. I ended up bending up the loose end, replacing the roller, and bending it back down! The roller hole I had was too small so I took the rubber part off and slipped it onto the original hub. Cassette plays better but still with a bit of Wow and flutter. What an ordeal though!
As for the 8 Track with these Mitsumi track change mechanisms, you really need to disassemble the track change part by removing the C-clip first and sliding everything off the shaft. MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A DIAGRAM SHOWING HOW ALL THE PARTS FIT TOGETHER AND THE ORDER THEY CAME OFF AND GO ON. Take lots of pictures too. Careful of the springs. Clean off all the old grease, relubricate every sliding, turning piece. Glue the cracks in the head frame while it is disassembled. Good luck with this unit!
Great Ashens reference !
I picked up the Hanimex 1000 version at the Goodwill Outlet (bin store) for a whopping 49 cents about a year ago. It site on my workbench/desk. It only had audio out of one side. I cleaned the 8-track mechanism thoroughly and replaced a few caps and it works great. With the aux-input and decent-ish built in speaker and amp, it works nicely to test cassette decks as I am servicing them.
Nice! I have been waiting for about a video on this thing! This is so cool. Crazy that Tanashin of all manufactureres made the very last 8-track drive, as well as the very last compact cassette drives right now...
Hopefully not the _very_ last. I know cassette's not gonna have the same kind of resurgence LPs are enjoying, but they are awesome and underrated and still useful in the indie recording scene. A guy can dream...
Speaking of which, does anyone know if you can change (and of course realign) the play head in a Tanashin cassette transport? If we're never gonna see another manufacturer return to the cassette market, the least we can do is soup up the gear we're given!
That is a beautiful piece of equipment!!!
Whatever you call it, My life is not complete without this!!!
I would hazard a guess and say the beeping tracks on that Brain Storm tape are for controlling some sort of visual stimulation device. Perhaps something like a VR headset with multicolored lights inside that are pulsed at varying frequencies along with the audible prompts in such a way as to encourage certain patterns of brainwaves and induce a state of suggestibility for the wearer... To try and make all those nice, self-affirming statements embed themselves in the wearer’s subconscious.
It’s the sort of thing that could be easily done with a modified Walkman sized tape player, for example.
If only they'd have put as much thought into letting the 8-track and cassette transports start up and stabilize as they did with the smooth eject...
This still seems like it'd make for a pretty credible compact stereo system, even today.
The AM/PM indicator while setting the time is probably programmed for the models with the alarm option. It's probably disabled in this model since there is no alarm clock functionality, and having an AM/PM indicator is pointless.
At 8:45 "You will enjoy repairing and restoring vintage electronics and making videos of this activity. Your viewers will enjoy watching your videos and emulate your actions." Hello from across the sound in Connecticut. Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless..
I love how the whole 8 track tape is very funky disco
My workplace has one of these in their prop library collection.
I love that look. I've got a woodgrain Sony radio in a similar form factor I got from my grandfather.
Man. Your videos are so good and satisfying to watch
Sounds surprisingly good. Brain-Storm: "You will be creative" ;-) Mod it, find some speakers that fits the size and style of unit and add a handle on top, 70's boombox is born! Could be nice.
You are lucky to have an AM oldies station. All I have is sports, talk, and ethnic.
That thing is very late '70s! I like how the tuner works. My Clarinette 101 has the same 8 track, and cassette mechanism in it, it even pauses in FF! I never thought to do that before, but I tried it just now. haha. It's just too bad it doesn't have an alarm function; that would be good for recording radio shows when you're not home. In fact, why don't cassette decks have timers the way VCRs always did?
Thank you for this video! Great edited and recorded!
That tape most likely steered a mind machine. You put on dark glasses with red LEDs in it and they should set your brain into a special state. Was a hype around 1990. The device most likely looked like a large walkman.
Yes. That's what it is. I've never seen that brand. But if you pick up a copy of Omni magazine from the 1990s, you'll find lots of advertisements for these types of devices.
THANK YOU for the info on the phono input. That explains why my Realistic SA-10 doesn't work with my turntables. I didn't know phono inputs used to just be essentially line-level.
If you ever have the opportunity to snatch up a Radio Shack SA155, do so. Those are righteous little workhorses and you can get them cheap. They have phono inputs for both ceramic and magnetic cartridges (switchable on the back), plus inputs for a tuner and tape/CD. In addition, there's a front-panel 1/8 inch input jack for portable devices, AND a set of REC-OUT jacks as well. These amps have a single volume control with separate balance, as well as a tone control and a mono/stereo switch. RS rated them at 1.8 watts per channel (distortion
Neat combo unit!
Some day we may meet up in some thrift store, for I too visit such places and have to take these kind of items home to explore. As a matter of fact I get a bit of a thrill out of repairing them.
Any chance you would know why one of these would simply stop working after servicing the cassette? As in, no feature functions but the clock
@@ryanandangelamccullough5671 Sounds like someone opened the case and pulled out a connection or losened one and then buttoned up the case without first checking all the connections.
I had almost the exact same stereo that my dad gave me as a kid in the 90s. I played with it all the time - recording songs off the radio and listening to them on there. I miss that thing.
Nice little bedroom system
*I remember Craig, they were a HUGE value oriented electronic company back in the 1970s until the mid 80s or so.*
Yep. I think they still exist too. Back in the 60's they were known for high quality audio equipment, but by the 70's they were more of a budget brand.
I had one of these, without the 8 track player, made by Craig, back in the early 80s. It was quite cool back then. I don’t remember what happened to it.
1:31, oh dankpods would love to see that this is a CRAIG.
it's built like a tank inside.. all that metal
Quirks and features, ultimate crossover videos on this channel.
Ok, so I'm 21. I really like the look of the dark woodgrain and silver face. I've built a stereo system comprised around a 72' Kenwood Kr6200. My whole room has been designed around it...lol
You got hypnotized at 8:38 didn't you.
It's a craig
Dankpods fans are gonna freak
The only thing that could make this better styling wise is if it was a flip clock
11:40 - YESSSSS! The "Andy's Birthday" 8-track makes another appearance!
3:48 - Is that the Amy Grant cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi?" Man, I miss hearing that version on the radio.
7:22 - Selena! NOICE!
That's actually a nice-looking machine. I wouldn't mind having it on a shelf somewhere in the Man Cave cranking out my John Denver and Beach Boys 8-tracks (or even my bootleg Mariah Carey 8-track, or WDRC-FM's Top 100 of 1973 - I could totally see myself cranking up Three Dog Night's "Shambala" or The Rolling Stones' "Angie" on this beauty).
You're right about Content ID. It now notices 3-second clips and even sped-up clips. VERY annoying.
OMG I remember DAK catalogs... My grandmother bought me a 4-pad drum machine, I can't remember the model off the top of my head and can't find it through Google... I still have it, it's in the same box as my Yamaha DD-5 drum machine (which I was able to find on Google while searching for the other one).
That's a rather nice piece of hardware! You don't see anything built this well today, and it sounds pretty darned good through the internal speakers. I was surprised to see aux and phono connections and really surprised to see rec-out connections.
Oh please do publish the whole BrainStorm tape; it sounds chill AF
What's the full name of that album?
You will not infringe copyright. You will spend lots of money on the proper equipment for playing the tape and tell all your friends to do the same.
5:18 I hear a wild Ashens!
Damn, your FM band is really packed with channels over there. And the reception sound outstanding.
Probably in the late 70s and 80s, Tanashin was probably the only company still making 8 track transports. Just like they are now, the only company still making cassette transports.
These AM/FM/Cassette/8-Track one-piece systems showed up fairly often at local thrift stores until quite recently. It seems like collectors and flippers are snapping these up. Heck, I was lucky enough last week to snap up out of the blue sorting bin sitting on the sales floor, before the bin items were put onto the shelves by staff) was a very nice 45-year-old Realistic transistor radio. That proves that the best thrift store buys come to those who are in the right place at the right time. What's commonplace today for thrift store electronics, at least in my area of the world, are standalone DVD players, 5-disc CD players, "ihome" docking stations with built-in speakers, and multi-channel dolby-surround home-theatre audio receivers.
Take the head actuator assembly apart (take pictures) check for dried lubrication and dirt, also check for any damaged parts where the solenoid hits the actuator. Re lubricate the assembly with a lite lube, not too much . Resemble and test. You'll likely have to perform a head realignment, which requires a 8 track alignment tape for best results.. I've repaired many 8 track and cassette tape decks in my early electronic tech days. Good luck!
AAAH these New-Age tapes .... Hillarious ... Besides nice presentation
Recently picked up a Hanimex-branded PS 1000 on Goodwill. Too bad the clock part doesn't work but at least everything else works after cleaning the pots. It's gonna be perfect for an all-new cartridge comparison video.
My thrift stores never have stuff like this, just clothes and old books.
Same. British thrift stores suck. Dead people's clothes, Herb Alpert records and old MFI furniture.
The same mechanism was used in my grandparents Rising STR505. It's most notable feature is it will start to play slowly and then wind up speed. And not to forget the fast forward pause trick too.
BTW, if you ever come across a SONY HST-89, that would be a great piece of equipment to review. It was built like a tank, all metal.
I had this when i was a kid. My first stereo but mine did not have the built in speakers. Exact same layout but I'm not sure if it was a Craig or perhaps Soundesign? But it did have all of these features in the exact same layout.
I will be good to myself.... by watching one of VWestlife videos... And that will be very easy...
Tanashin: where obsolete audio technology goes to die.
Hanimex?! They made the first videogame console our house had: a Pong knock-off!
Everybody made a pong console in those days. Compare it to now where there's only 3. Lol.
@@applescruff1969 Yeah, but after seeing the original box it came in, on Biff's Gaming Videos, I can see why my dad bought that model: It was dirt-cheap!😒
I guess Hanimex were one of several companies buying stuff from the far east with their name on it. In the UK they were well known for their cheap 110 format cameras.
Was that RetroChad heard at the end of the video? God I miss his videos.
Yes, that was Retrochad... I too miss his videos.
RIP RetroChad 2008-2013.
How do you find stuff like that in your thrift stores? Here in the UK all we have in thrift stores are old people's clothes and James last LPs.
Same in South Jersey. His part of New Jersey must have high class thrift stores.
@@Pisti846 he's in central Jersey
Yup. A lot of them aren't allowed to sell electronics, or else they don't have the time / inclination to PAT test them, which is a real pity. There was an RSPCA shop in Leeds that was an exception - I got a Denon receiver, Denver DAB+ radio and Kenwood tape deck from there, but it closed a while back. When in the US, the Sally Army store on Rt 1 near Boston is good for retro appliances for very little money.
You forgot the Val Doonigan LPs and CDs of Robbie Williams "Swing when your winning". If you find Charity Shops that do sell Electricals you can find some cool stuff. I have seen both a Sharp VZ1500 and a Panasonic Cobra in the last month. VWestlife didn't say how much he paid for the IMA. There are companies in the UK that do PAT testing for £1 an item so I would guess a Charity Shop would want to get at least £4 to for an item to make it worthwhile.
Do Not Use While Driving!
Challenge accepted!!
I see similar systems like this all the time at thrift stores, usually branded Citizen, Candle, Viking, and even some old Sears models. Always thought about getting one but they all seem to be in pretty rough shape. Nice to see one working here though, that cassette mechanism looks like it could survive an air raid
Drew A Kaplan.... DAK. He used to write all the text in his catalogs. Wonder if he's still around? Would be kind of old now, I'd think
Drew is still around. He relaunched DAK as a web site in the 2000s and retired from it a few years ago.
Yeah, I believe he is still alive. I think he's 66 or 67. DAK Industries is still around online, Drew sold the online business to his business associate Sol and then retired. They are located in Brooklyn, NY.
He has a BLOG on blogspot, but his posts are infrequent and unrelated to audio gear. DAK is now run by Sol Harari.
Loved the bit with Techmoan
IF IT,S NOT NOT BROKEN DON,T FIX IT I HAVE ONE FROM 1980 AND IT STILL WORKS 39 YEARS LATE.
That looks awesome haha. i want one
Retrochad back from...wherever?
As far as I know Retrochad produced his radio show until the late 2000s, so the original recording (on cassette) must be at least 10 years old now.
8 track=best track
Its exactly the right size for a size conscious music lover
The difference between the aux and ceramic (high- level) input would likely be the RIAA Eq curve applied to the phono input and the aux input is running naked.
No, ceramic phono cartridges have built-in RIAA de-emphasis as long as they are connected to a high-impedance (1 megohm or more) input. So the only difference between an aux input and ceramic phono input is that the aux input has an impedance of 47 kohms while the ceramic phono input has an impedance of around 1 to 1.5 megohms.
I wish you had more subscribers; I like your videos.
I miss those piano key tape players. Great video 🙂
Those audio cassettes contain hypnotic and mesmeric mind altering program data designed to make listeners bark like a dog.😂
This thing looks so cool! I want one lol
Apparently TH-cam has never heard of the term fair use because you are allowed to play any audio clip if you add some entrainment to the audio clip such as a brief description of the music that is playing or some other such things such as some comedy or parodied or some other such things and that includes even playing another instrument along with the music as long as what you do somehow adds or changes the audio in some way and that is what the term fair use actually means and TH-cam needs to consult with an attorney and learn what the term fair use actually is and how it works!!!
Fairness falls on deaf ears with JewTube.
Yeah, their copyright policy is a load of bs. They couldn't care less about fair use. They are completely selfish, unfair, and mean.
Awesome find!
Nothing I like more than classic ashens references