I was just given my late papa's Sony TCWE435 cassette deck and personally replaced the belts on it today and got it working again like brand new! I've had such fun and enjoyment with it today!
I think people are surprised when they hear a cassette to how good they sound, because it has been so long since cassettes were made. I think a lot of people now days never heard music from one, and everyone is use to hearing MP3 / iTunes or streaming music. Which is another reason there is a bit of a surprise when one hears vinyl for the first time, or the first time in many years.
WaybackTECH Analogue is usually always less harsh on the ear, I think that's partly it even if it's a shoddy recording. There's nothing shittier than a weak digital remaster or low bitrate mp3 on full volume.
I have a unit similar to that one, but with square buttons and Dolby S. I was kind of blown away by how effective the Dolby S noise reduction was at retaining highs. But alas, no factory auto systems had Dolby S.
I've been into audio all my life and have even made money at it, and I do know the limitations of cassette tape. I think it sounds just fine. It is certainly a marvel of engineering, the performance they managed to wring out of this medium, with its byzantine clockwork of moving parts.
I was born in 2001, and cassette was filled during my childhood until 2013 when my school decided to use CD instead Cassette to record English class lectures. Then two years later my Dad gave all cassettes and CDs to his friends since he thought I'm not going into music (but I did a year later😂) I have being digging into mp3s, streams, CDs, Vinyls, and here I am to rediscover cassette in 2019 and, personal opinion, this is the one gives me the most joy. With all you can do to record and play and trials and errors, try hot recordings, dubbing and personalize, it just fun and enjoyable. Picked up this we475 from Goodwill for $9.99 and LOVE IT! My roommate shocks about how great a cassette could sound and I will never forget his reactions when he realized this deck is just 9.99 bucks😂
I just picked one up at an antiques store for $35. It was in excellent shape. I also picked up 12 tapes of type 2 , 3 and 4 for 33 cents each. I felt like I won the lottery because I have been using a LX1 Sears machine made by Sanyo during the early seventies. Its OK but without any noise reduction. The Sony seems to be a nice addition and with their new popularity I felt $35 for a perfect machine was a good deal. Thanks for the review and the date code info which places mine at 2002.
I had one of these as part of my first brand new separates system. Other components included a TA-FE370 amp, ST-SE370 Tuner and an older Philips CD player. This deck lasted me well until I sold it in 2014, long after the rest of the system had gone. I now have much higher end components, but I look back fondly on that system as it lasted well and sounded great.
I just bought the silver one today. Came here to check the deck out before I get it delivered to me next week. Nice video bro. Im really happy I bought this deck thanks to you. You just bought yourself a subscriber.
U happy with it? Thinking about buying one locally. Haven't used tapes since 1997 when I jumped on minidisc. I might not be happy with its distortion, but for $10 I guess I've made worse investments!
@@nunyabidness4946 it works very good, as to be expected from a Sony. It’s not my main cassette unit, I have a DD deck as my main unit, but it certainly does a really good job.
Just scored one of these at my local thrift store for 3$! Works perfectly just adjusted the speed control and it works great. It was a great find. Be careful if you ever open the hood tho I had 2 plastic catches that broke instantly, luckily it doesn't affect anything tho.
Excellent!.. just acquired one of these after watching this review. Just confirmed with the selller that i am interested in purchasing for 20 bucks...in excellent working condition like brand new. Will be picking it up tmrw sunday..✌
Excellent review! The best cassette tape player that I had was a Walkman made by Aiwa. I remember going to an electronics store here in the Denver area called Silo. The graphic equalizers on the audio equipment in Silo were so cool to watch! I love my iPod Nano, but audio equipment just looks so sterile anymore.
I have exactly the same Sony Tape Deck I purchased brand new at Best Buy's in 2005. My universal remote control works well with this tape deck! I can record from tape A to tape B, from CD, MD, etc... Without getting up from my table as I'm enjoying my breakfast.
I just picked one of these up at a thrift for $7 today .. perfect shape. Mine was actually made in JAPAN (in 2003), which is interesting in and of itself. Thanks for the video - I didn't know the doors came off - very helpful!
I ran to the living room to check if we have this same tape deck...and it is! I guess its quite a popular model since I see a lot of posts that claim they have this too. I really like to sound from this but unfortunately I don't have a lot of tapes anymore to use this. BTW, the sound quality from your tape recordings are great. 👍🏼
It's an old video, but the Dolby circuits need a very well matched input level in order for them to work properly. Adjusting the playback level (*down* to about 510 mV for a 250 nWb/m level tape) using a calibration tape that can be ordered from eBay, a multimeter and the internal pots (RV111,211 for deck A and RV121,221 for deck B) makes the deck come alive for playback and recording.
Nice demo. My favorite dubbing deck was a Realistic SCT-74 from the late 80's that unfortunately died about 15 years later after a lot of use. It didn't have auto-reverse, but it allowed me to set levels and Dolby for dubbing. I didn't like the later dubbing decks like this one that had automatic level control. For normal bias tape like TDK-D or Maxell UR's I recorded or copied with Dolby B on but turned it off for playback to get more high end from the tape.
I also have this cassette deck since today and it does sound really good. The mechanisms inside this deck are not the best ones i've ever see, but they will do the job. If there is a tape jammed in this deck you will need to operate by hand the mechanism via the solonoid to release the tape from the mecanism. It's a pain in the ass, but not impossible.
Interesting comments here. I "acquired" this deck when my brother passed in 2015. Been using it for three years now. Not sure when he purchased it but I know he had it several years. My only caveat with this (and any) reverse play deck is the mechanical system to accomplish this function. Man, I just don't trust machines! I've never used the reverse mode and the deck has run without problems for me over the last three years. Appears to be an acceptable cassette deck in the quality Sony tradition. That is, as dual well decks go. My main cassette decks are; Denon DRM-800A, Akai GX-f31, Technics RS-M224 and a Nakamichi BX-1. I also have a Teac X-3 open reel deck.
I've had one of these for almost 18 years, bought it brand new back in the day. I've had the issue of the tape getting stuck as well, and then the deck won't even work, it'll try to release and fail and flash it "-E-" on both counters. Solution is to open it up and rotate the capstan on the stuck deck *manually* in *reverse* - from the back of the machine you would turn it clockwise. This quickly releases the mechanism. Then you can eject the tape Not sure what causes it but I've had to start doing it more often lately since I dug it out and started using it more. I only keep one screw in the top cover to make it quick to open it up should I need to. Luckily it's still relatively uncommon and even with heavy use I only find I need to do it once every month or so. (The ARL button manually turns the auto level on and off, it's better than rotating the level dial to turn it off on a new recording especially if you carefully dialed in the level previously.)
Josie Cotton an The Blues Image on the same tape? Wild! These Sony transports were very clever, there was a mode wheel that cycled 360 degrees every time you changed modes. And it did it when the drive belt reversed direction with a high speed change of polarity to the drive motor. The drive gear had a secondary planetary gear on it off its axis that when the motor reversed direction the gear would spin the little gear onto the mode wheel and cycle it. Then a cam would follow various slots in the wheel to retract the head, move it into FFW and then cycle around again to raise the tape and play. Thats why they were so clunky, that wheel was turning fast and furious. Too bad the planetary gear carrier was made of nylon and would crack and lose its ability to do its thing. Even the High end TC-K615S had this transport but had heavier cast AL flywheels in place of these flimsy plastic wheels.
I have the model from Amazon! It’s really great! I am using it now for high-speed dubbing on a tape that would not work on any other cassette deck except for this model for some odd reason.
I want your mixtape! Lol. I'm fixing up a pioneer ctw500, got play side perfect, still have some work to do on record side, seems like a simple to work on deck and good sounding.
Used one of those gems for 10 years, put in new belts and sold it to and it will likely keep running for many more years. Replaced with a Sony tc wr670 sony makes good every day play back decks.
I've got one of those Sony cassette decks (TC-WR845S) that won't eject the tape and found that removing the top cover and releasing "something" (it was a long time ago), I was able to retrieve my tape. Commenter uxwbill is exactly right in stating that the belts need to be replaced. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm glad to see your machine is still up and running. Regards, Tom
I just bought one of these at a thrift store in Winnemucca, Nevada for $5. All I've done with it so far is plug it in to see that the display lights up, and also I had a look at the heads and pinch rollers (all looked clean). Should be fun to play with!
I actually wanted to buy this tape deck but I wen't for the Yamaha KX-W482 because it has Play trim and can record on both Deck A and Deck B. Mine also makes that stupid clunking sound every time it switched modes and the reason is very simple, it uses only a motor and a relay engaged a cam gear to cycle trough the modes of rising the head and switching between play, FF and REW which is a bunch of crap because it will wear down the mechanism much more faster than a 2-3 motor deck, lesson learned for me, however it sounds very nice so I'm pleased with that at leas. Cheers :)
I have a TC-WE425, which is almost the same deck except the 425 lacks the automatic music search feature. There are some cosmetic differences in that the 425 uses rectangular & square buttons for the tape controls.
I have the same model called TC-WE675 with dual recording on each deck. Still working A1 after purchasing it in early 2002. I will never get rid of it even if someone offers me $10000. I still have it in pristine condition, with its original box, original wrap, manual. Like new from day 1. I'd be curious if these models (475 & 675) are able to transfer tapes to MP3 with an audio cord linked to the computer using the Audacity program. The back of this tape deck has two black 2.5 mm output but it doesn't say "Audio in" but "Control A1 II"
The "Control A1 II" is designed to operate with compatible Sony CD players, MiniDisc decks, DAT decks, receivers, and more to allow for synchronized recording. To transfer tapes to a digital file medium, simply connect an RCA to 3.5mm audio cable from the line out to the line in on your computer, and adjust the levels accordingly.
Ugh, wish I knew that little secret about removing the cassette doors. After many many years, I had to dismantle the unit and replace the belts. You have do remove the doors in order to do so. Somehow I was able to do one deck without any issue, but the other one, I broke some of the plastic which helps to keep the door latched on. Anyway, it's playing tapes as good as new again, so can't complain too much. 2 of the belts had literally begun to deteriorate and turn into mush. The deck overall does sound pretty decent as long as you are playing good quality, clean tapes.
Not unexpectedly, guitar playing is pretty revealing of wow & flutter, you can subtly detect this at 10:35. It's actually pretty common on most cassette decks. This is a nice-sounding deck for something that's not TOTL. Thanks for posting!
Reminds me a my Sony double deck (TC-WR350Z); found on top of someone's garbage about 6-7 years ago. As found, deck B worked fine; deck A had the head stuck about ½ way round (also a dual auto-reverse). So I take to cover off to find that the belt had slipped off. So after I fixed that & applied power, it clicked home (still working fine to this day). And BTW, I like the song starting around 9:02; have it on a 12".
Flipping of the head is because you're playing in opposite direction that you're fast-forwarding to. This is auto reverse mechanism, so you can play in both directions and thus "rewind" is the same as "fast-forward" and vice versa, depending on which direction is tape playing.
I found a very close model, the TE-WC425, at a thrift shop for $10. It works perfectly, and sounds very similar. I think the only difference is that it doesn't have AMS. Dolby B sounds great on it; it's far too harsh without it on. Dolby C seems to flatten the sound too much.
in terms of dual cassette decks, you might like the Denon DRW-750A for three reasons 1. it has two non-auto-reverse cassette decks with two motors on each deck 2. both decks have a stableization system (how effective it is, i'm not sure) 3. you have Dolby B, C, HX Pro, as well as a manual adjustable bias control
Had a model similar to this. Sadly catastrophic failure happened where it wouldn't rewind or reverse play anymore. Messed with it too much don't know what I'm doing and then it wouldn't power back on again.
I had one of those sony cd, radio, cassette stereo type units and I think the same mechanism was used in those, doesn't sound good when it FF Or RW but it is sturdy
They are king till now even in digital age..casette should come back totally..I love it totally..recently have started loving more.. can you recommend me best budget deck ?
I have a similar tape deck- earlier sony model, and it broke for the exact reason you have been worried about this one breaking- the silly flipping mechanism design.
I believe I saw this at Goodwill today and a Yamaha KX-530 Natural Sound Stereo Cassette Deck. Gonna go back later and pick one of em up, need something to play the few cassettes I got. Just worried about whether about any potential issues.
I have one of these and they certainly sound clunky at times, and recently I had a tape stuck in, or so I thought, luckily I didn't resort to trying to force the door open, it must of got to the end properly, not sure I understand that bit.
Great review of this product. What do you recommend for someone like myself who did not buy the last decks made by Sony and now my older unit has developed an issue with the belts going bad? I'd really like to find a like-new Sony unit but so far no luck with eBay or Amazon.
I don't know why but the Dolby B is pretty muffled on most entry to midlevel Sony deck I tested (I never had a high end Sony deck). Maybe I was unlucky, but it's interesting to see I am not alone.
For recording you need a 3-head, but for playback one of these decks are great. I'm currently on the hunt for a simple deck like this so I can spare the tapehead of my "real" deck.
Could it be that the head is flipping over because AMS is working? On most of the decks with AMS or similar technology you have to stop the tape first and then press fast-forward or rewind otherwise it will make an AMS-search.
Is it a big deal that this unit doesn't have auto calibration or a manual bias control? I'm switching to this unit from a JVC-TD-W317 because I want remote control over my tape deck, but I will be losing automatic calibration from the JVC.
I have purchased one new, in late nineties. But after few years and not many cassetes recorded/played it does not work. It seems belts have gone (displays show "Error" mode, and it does not roll cassetes).. I have HH Scott cassete dect from late seventies and I changed the main belt only once and it still works fine after milion cassetes recorded/played,...
Nice cassette deck. BTW. When you showed the date code on the cassette deck and confirmed it was made in 2001, you just helped me figure out those questionable date codes that Sony puts on their electronics. I've been trying to find out when my Sony PlayStation 2 and Dream Machine were manufactured. My PlayStation 2 is a model SCPH 39001 and it has the date code 2D which would mean that it was made on the last quarter of 2002. And my Sony Dream Machine is a model ICF-C2W (probably an 80s Dream Machine by the looks of it) and has the date code 8B probably made on the second quarter of 1988. But my question is do the letters on the date codes go by quarters of the year like A,B,C, and D?
I did some research a few nights ago and it appears that the letters go from A to D to represent the quarters of the year. Since there are 4 quarters in a year, I guess Sony used letters like A,B,C, and D.
I listened the cassette you played it as a demo, and it sounds great so what will do better a high end cassette; it will do better than this? I have five cassette decks which are not high end, they sound fantastic when I copy from Reel-Reel.
Just got this today at Goodwill for $10 replacing an old Technic deck that had cassette A broken... What does dc servo controlled motor mean??? Thank you for the great review video...
Bought this at Value Village for $10, several years ago. It makes beautiful tapes on good tape. Playback is good, except for Chrome tapes, always have to turn the dolby off, both sides both directions, chrome sucks. It also won't fast forward or rewind on either deck, just a lot of clunking. sometimes pulls a couple seconds and then stops. When a tape gets stuck, I have to take the top off and manually force the eject white plastic thingie down to where it should be. Neither side will play when this error occurs Good for $10, but I would be pissed if it acted this way new back 22 years ago. If it develops any more weirdness it will go out with the bag of electronics to be recycled!
Cassettes sound freaking amazing. I will never get rid of them, or my Technics RS-TR355 and Sony TC-WR710.
I was just given my late papa's Sony TCWE435 cassette deck and personally replaced the belts on it today and got it working again like brand new! I've had such fun and enjoyment with it today!
The audio seems very very good for a tape here.
Even over YT.
I think people are surprised when they hear a cassette to how good they sound, because it has been so long since cassettes were made. I think a lot of people now days never heard music from one, and everyone is use to hearing MP3 / iTunes or streaming music. Which is another reason there is a bit of a surprise when one hears vinyl for the first time, or the first time in many years.
WaybackTECH Analogue is usually always less harsh on the ear, I think that's partly it even if it's a shoddy recording. There's nothing shittier than a weak digital remaster or low bitrate mp3 on full volume.
I can’t really enjoy the satellite broadcasts due to the aliasing.
I have a unit similar to that one, but with square buttons and Dolby S. I was kind of blown away by how effective the Dolby S noise reduction was at retaining highs. But alas, no factory auto systems had Dolby S.
That, and people have heard bad recordings, with cheap tapes or over recorded tapes used on cheap gear ;)
@@markteague8889 Dolby C is still pretty good and I'd argue you dont really need anything more than that. Especially on a player this midrange.
I've been into audio all my life and have even made money at it, and I do know the limitations of cassette tape. I think it sounds just fine. It is certainly a marvel of engineering, the performance they managed to wring out of this medium, with its byzantine clockwork of moving parts.
noisepuppet D6, D6C and D5M are way better than the new Sony dual well decks.
SuS WoW
You always have such a great playlist for these demos.
Great review....2000 views in 3 days! Wow I thought I was one of the few people still interested in cassettes.
Cassettes will never die. Same as all of the analog technology. Digital is great, ok... but when it fails, you lost all. Analog doesn't.
I was born in 2001, and cassette was filled during my childhood until 2013 when my school decided to use CD instead Cassette to record English class lectures. Then two years later my Dad gave all cassettes and CDs to his friends since he thought I'm not going into music (but I did a year later😂) I have being digging into mp3s, streams, CDs, Vinyls, and here I am to rediscover cassette in 2019 and, personal opinion, this is the one gives me the most joy. With all you can do to record and play and trials and errors, try hot recordings, dubbing and personalize, it just fun and enjoyable. Picked up this we475 from Goodwill for $9.99 and LOVE IT! My roommate shocks about how great a cassette could sound and I will never forget his reactions when he realized this deck is just 9.99 bucks😂
I just picked one up at an antiques store for $35. It was in excellent shape. I also picked up 12 tapes of type 2 , 3 and 4 for 33 cents each. I felt like I won the lottery because I have been using a LX1 Sears machine made by Sanyo during the early seventies. Its OK but without any noise reduction. The Sony seems to be a nice addition and with their new popularity I felt $35 for a perfect machine was a good deal. Thanks for the review and the date code info which places mine at 2002.
Recently got back into tape decks. Thanks for the vid.
I had one of these as part of my first brand new separates system. Other components included a TA-FE370 amp, ST-SE370 Tuner and an older Philips CD player. This deck lasted me well until I sold it in 2014, long after the rest of the system had gone. I now have much higher end components, but I look back fondly on that system as it lasted well and sounded great.
I just bought the silver one today. Came here to check the deck out before I get it delivered to me next week. Nice video bro. Im really happy I bought this deck thanks to you. You just bought yourself a subscriber.
U happy with it? Thinking about buying one locally. Haven't used tapes since 1997 when I jumped on minidisc. I might not be happy with its distortion, but for $10 I guess I've made worse investments!
@@nunyabidness4946 it works very good, as to be expected from a Sony. It’s not my main cassette unit, I have a DD deck as my main unit, but it certainly does a really good job.
Just scored one of these at my local thrift store for 3$! Works perfectly just adjusted the speed control and it works great. It was a great find. Be careful if you ever open the hood tho I had 2 plastic catches that broke instantly, luckily it doesn't affect anything tho.
Excellent!.. just acquired one of these after watching this review. Just confirmed with the selller that i am interested in purchasing for 20 bucks...in excellent working condition like brand new. Will be picking it up tmrw sunday..✌
ARL is Auto Record Level. It's another way to turn it off without diddling the dial.
Excellent review! The best cassette tape player that I had was a Walkman made by Aiwa. I remember going to an electronics store here in the Denver area called Silo. The graphic equalizers on the audio equipment in Silo were so cool to watch! I love my iPod Nano, but audio equipment just looks so sterile anymore.
Another good dual well deck is Denon DRW-750. It does have bias adjust. :-)
I believe Aiwa made Sony’s mechanisms in the mid 80s. Or, was it a division of Sony?
I have exactly the same Sony Tape Deck I purchased brand new at Best Buy's in 2005. My universal remote control works well with this tape deck! I can record from tape A to tape B, from CD, MD, etc... Without getting up from my table as I'm enjoying my breakfast.
Hi, what brand/model universal remote do you have ?
@@seand67 I've managed to control this deck with a One For All universal remote as well.
I just picked one of these up at a thrift for $7 today .. perfect shape. Mine was actually made in JAPAN (in 2003), which is interesting in and of itself. Thanks for the video - I didn't know the doors came off - very helpful!
I ran to the living room to check if we have this same tape deck...and it is! I guess its quite a popular model since I see a lot of posts that claim they have this too. I really like to sound from this but unfortunately I don't have a lot of tapes anymore to use this.
BTW, the sound quality from your tape recordings are great. 👍🏼
It's an old video, but the Dolby circuits need a very well matched input level in order for them to work properly. Adjusting the playback level (*down* to about 510 mV for a 250 nWb/m level tape) using a calibration tape that can be ordered from eBay, a multimeter and the internal pots (RV111,211 for deck A and RV121,221 for deck B) makes the deck come alive for playback and recording.
Nice demo. My favorite dubbing deck was a Realistic SCT-74 from the late 80's that unfortunately died about 15 years later after a lot of use. It didn't have auto-reverse, but it allowed me to set levels and Dolby for dubbing. I didn't like the later dubbing decks like this one that had automatic level control. For normal bias tape like TDK-D or Maxell UR's I recorded or copied with Dolby B on but turned it off for playback to get more high end from the tape.
I recently picked up a realistic stc-72 and it works well. It has more controls than the teac a-109 that I have and records better than it.
I have this. I saw this at a stop and swap in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and took it immediately. It is great.
The audio demo was quite impressive, sounds very good!
I also have this cassette deck since today and it does sound really good. The mechanisms inside this deck are not the best ones i've ever see, but they will do the job.
If there is a tape jammed in this deck you will need to operate by hand the mechanism via the solonoid to release the tape from the mecanism. It's a pain in the ass, but not impossible.
Amazingly watching exactly 5 years later.
Interesting comments here. I "acquired" this deck when my brother passed in 2015. Been using it for three years now. Not sure when he purchased it but I know he had it several years. My only caveat with this (and any) reverse play deck is the mechanical system to accomplish this function. Man, I just don't trust machines! I've never used the reverse mode and the deck has run without problems for me over the last three years. Appears to be an acceptable cassette deck in the quality Sony tradition. That is, as dual well decks go. My main cassette decks are; Denon DRM-800A, Akai GX-f31, Technics RS-M224 and a Nakamichi BX-1. I also have a Teac X-3 open reel deck.
Really nice review, love the music samples.
I've had one of these for almost 18 years, bought it brand new back in the day. I've had the issue of the tape getting stuck as well, and then the deck won't even work, it'll try to release and fail and flash it "-E-" on both counters.
Solution is to open it up and rotate the capstan on the stuck deck *manually* in *reverse* - from the back of the machine you would turn it clockwise. This quickly releases the mechanism. Then you can eject the tape
Not sure what causes it but I've had to start doing it more often lately since I dug it out and started using it more. I only keep one screw in the top cover to make it quick to open it up should I need to. Luckily it's still relatively uncommon and even with heavy use I only find I need to do it once every month or so.
(The ARL button manually turns the auto level on and off, it's better than rotating the level dial to turn it off on a new recording especially if you carefully dialed in the level previously.)
Good review. Just picked one up from the thrift store for $30.
I am a fan of pitch control! So wonderful!
Edwin Cancel II can You Say me how that works?
Josie Cotton an The Blues Image on the same tape? Wild! These Sony transports were very clever, there was a mode wheel that cycled 360 degrees every time you changed modes. And it did it when the drive belt reversed direction with a high speed change of polarity to the drive motor. The drive gear had a secondary planetary gear on it off its axis that when the motor reversed direction the gear would spin the little gear onto the mode wheel and cycle it. Then a cam would follow various slots in the wheel to retract the head, move it into FFW and then cycle around again to raise the tape and play. Thats why they were so clunky, that wheel was turning fast and furious. Too bad the planetary gear carrier was made of nylon and would crack and lose its ability to do its thing. Even the High end TC-K615S had this transport but had heavier cast AL flywheels in place of these flimsy plastic wheels.
Love that you sneaked in a few seconds of Black Box Recorder's facts of life!
I have the model from Amazon! It’s really great! I am using it now for high-speed dubbing on a tape that would not work on any other cassette deck except for this model for some odd reason.
I want your mixtape! Lol. I'm fixing up a pioneer ctw500, got play side perfect, still have some work to do on record side, seems like a simple to work on deck and good sounding.
I have one that cam with all the original paperwork. From 2001.
Still works like a charm! I love all the features it has.
Used one of those gems for 10 years, put in new belts and sold it to and it will likely keep running for many more years. Replaced with a Sony tc wr670 sony makes good every day play back decks.
I've got one of those Sony cassette decks (TC-WR845S) that won't eject the tape and found that removing the top cover and releasing "something" (it was a long time ago), I was able to retrieve my tape. Commenter uxwbill is exactly right in stating that the belts need to be replaced. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.
I'm glad to see your machine is still up and running.
Regards, Tom
I just bought one of these at a thrift store in Winnemucca, Nevada for $5.
All I've done with it so far is plug it in to see that the display lights up, and also I had a look at the heads and pinch rollers (all looked clean).
Should be fun to play with!
Mine appears to have a manufacture date code of 1998.
Loved the demonstration song you used (the first one), it's like one of my all time favourites! :-)
This is one of the best sounding tape decks to come across my work benches. There's a special reason why. ;)
I actually wanted to buy this tape deck but I wen't for the Yamaha KX-W482 because it has Play trim and can record on both Deck A and Deck B. Mine also makes that stupid clunking sound every time it switched modes and the reason is very simple, it uses only a motor and a relay engaged a cam gear to cycle trough the modes of rising the head and switching between play, FF and REW which is a bunch of crap because it will wear down the mechanism much more faster than a 2-3 motor deck, lesson learned for me, however it sounds very nice so I'm pleased with that at leas. Cheers :)
I have a TC-WE425, which is almost the same deck except the 425 lacks the automatic music search feature.
There are some cosmetic differences in that the 425 uses rectangular & square buttons for the tape controls.
I've got the very same Sony tape deck model but, it's from 2002 and got it for Christmas that same year.
I have the same model called TC-WE675 with dual recording on each deck. Still working A1 after purchasing it in early 2002.
I will never get rid of it even if someone offers me $10000. I still have it in pristine condition, with its original box, original wrap, manual. Like new from day 1.
I'd be curious if these models (475 & 675) are able to transfer tapes to MP3 with an audio cord linked to the computer using the Audacity program. The back of this tape deck has two black 2.5 mm output but it doesn't say "Audio in" but "Control A1 II"
The "Control A1 II" is designed to operate with compatible Sony CD players, MiniDisc decks, DAT decks, receivers, and more to allow for synchronized recording. To transfer tapes to a digital file medium, simply connect an RCA to 3.5mm audio cable from the line out to the line in on your computer, and adjust the levels accordingly.
it actually sounds pretty good
I HAVE THIS! I bought this in 2016 for 10 dollars from Goodwill.
Ugh, wish I knew that little secret about removing the cassette doors. After many many years, I had to dismantle the unit and replace the belts. You have do remove the doors in order to do so. Somehow I was able to do one deck without any issue, but the other one, I broke some of the plastic which helps to keep the door latched on. Anyway, it's playing tapes as good as new again, so can't complain too much. 2 of the belts had literally begun to deteriorate and turn into mush. The deck overall does sound pretty decent as long as you are playing good quality, clean tapes.
Sounds good through my headphones.
Cassette tape can sound so great if you use good tape deck. I have second hand Pioneer deck from 90`s and some tapes can sound as good as a CD.
Peter Regoršek can u still get parts for them?
I wonder the same thing. On the other hand, plastic parts can nowadays easily reproduced with a 3d printer, if the specs are right.
You mean better than cds..👍🏾
I own this one! Great player!
I recently got me one of these (the silver one). I like it, it sounds great. And the pitch control is a nice addition.
Not unexpectedly, guitar playing is pretty revealing of wow & flutter, you can subtly detect this at 10:35. It's actually pretty common on most cassette decks. This is a nice-sounding deck for something that's not TOTL. Thanks for posting!
Reminds me a my Sony double deck (TC-WR350Z); found on top of someone's garbage about 6-7 years ago. As found, deck B worked fine; deck A had the head stuck about ½ way round (also a dual auto-reverse). So I take to cover off to find that the belt had slipped off. So after I fixed that & applied power, it clicked home (still working fine to this day). And BTW, I like the song starting around 9:02; have it on a 12".
What? I have followed you long time and I brought this cassette deck used long time ago but only now I found this review! 😅
I have that exact model and it serves me very well.
Flipping of the head is because you're playing in opposite direction that you're fast-forwarding to. This is auto reverse mechanism, so you can play in both directions and thus "rewind" is the same as "fast-forward" and vice versa, depending on which direction is tape playing.
The audio sample was very good
my sony deck tc-we835s is super good it has everything even dolby s
David Piçarra yes the 835s is a good sounding deck. I also have one
Csab I use to have a WA9ES. That was the fully featured dual deck that Sony put out before they quit the cassette game
I hv the higher end TCW675. This Sony is my preferred deck for bedroom music player and radio recorde for a few years now.
Darn shame your original video of your Sony TC-WE475 cassette deck got flagged. I've always loved watching your electronics reviews and videos.
I have one of these! It’s very nice. Great sound and nice features.
Wow, nice stereo effect in two tracks @ 12:40 Even through all the compressions one can get a sense, that there is something to listen to.
I have this tape player and it is great
9:56 X-DREAMS - MARY ANN!!!
RECORDED ONTO THE CASSETTE.
I found a very close model, the TE-WC425, at a thrift shop for $10. It works perfectly, and sounds very similar. I think the only difference is that it doesn't have AMS. Dolby B sounds great on it; it's far too harsh without it on. Dolby C seems to flatten the sound too much.
in terms of dual cassette decks, you might like the Denon DRW-750A for three reasons
1. it has two non-auto-reverse cassette decks with two motors on each deck
2. both decks have a stableization system (how effective it is, i'm not sure)
3. you have Dolby B, C, HX Pro, as well as a manual adjustable bias control
Does it have pitch control?
Wow every single track you played I knew by heart very eclectic and very good
I just purchased a used model on Ebay....Just interested in playing my old high bias cassette tapes
I own 2 of those
The one is made in japan the other one is china made. They both sound very very good
Kevin, I have the TC-WE675. I bought mine around 2004 at Tweeter.
how did you find out what his name was?
sorry for bringing this up!
th-cam.com/video/7JTDn9y7x8I/w-d-xo.html
Had a model similar to this. Sadly catastrophic failure happened where it wouldn't rewind or reverse play anymore. Messed with it too much don't know what I'm doing and then it wouldn't power back on again.
My aunt has a very similar cassette deck, model TC-WE635
Amazing sound.
arl stand for auto record level
I had one of those sony cd, radio, cassette stereo type units and I think the same mechanism was used in those, doesn't sound good when it FF Or RW but it is sturdy
Teac is still producing casette deck, but they support only IEC I and IEC II cassettes and two of three models have only Dolby B.
They are king till now even in digital age..casette should come back totally..I love it totally..recently have started loving more.. can you recommend me best budget deck ?
Most Sony stuff is junk. Rather have marantz or pioneer. Good video
I have a similar tape deck- earlier sony model, and it broke for the exact reason you have been worried about this one breaking- the silly flipping mechanism design.
I believe I saw this at Goodwill today and a Yamaha KX-530 Natural Sound Stereo Cassette Deck. Gonna go back later and pick one of em up, need something to play the few cassettes I got. Just worried about whether about any potential issues.
Based on those samples, might pick this one up though. Wow, man. Might become a cassette man hahahaha
I have one of these and they certainly sound clunky at times, and recently I had a tape stuck in, or so I thought, luckily I didn't resort to trying to force the door open, it must of got to the end properly, not sure I understand that bit.
Great review of this product. What do you recommend for someone like myself who did not buy the last decks made by Sony and now my older unit has developed an issue with the belts going bad? I'd really like to find a like-new Sony unit but so far no luck with eBay or Amazon.
Just a guess but: you open it up and space inside occupied mostly by air and one small board. Rest is on the front panel...
Happy Memorial Day.
The only thing I end up wanting the most out of any cassette deck is AMS
I don't know why but the Dolby B is pretty muffled on most entry to midlevel Sony deck I tested (I never had a high end Sony deck). Maybe I was unlucky, but it's interesting to see I am not alone.
For recording you need a 3-head, but for playback one of these decks are great. I'm currently on the hunt for a simple deck like this so I can spare the tapehead of my "real" deck.
The sony ES 3 heads cassette decks models are the best
Could it be that the head is flipping over because AMS is working?
On most of the decks with AMS or similar technology you have to stop the tape first and then press fast-forward or rewind otherwise it will make an AMS-search.
Is it a big deal that this unit doesn't have auto calibration or a manual bias control? I'm switching to this unit from a JVC-TD-W317 because I want remote control over my tape deck, but I will be losing automatic calibration from the JVC.
Cool video. How does 1D translate into 2001? I have 3C on mine. Just wondering.
I must be wrong but today's music no longer sound like this, I mean from real instrument...
I have purchased one new, in late nineties. But after few years and not many cassetes recorded/played it does not work. It seems belts have gone (displays show "Error" mode, and it does not roll cassetes).. I have HH Scott cassete dect from late seventies and I changed the main belt only once and it still works fine after milion cassetes recorded/played,...
Nice cassette deck. BTW. When you showed the date code on the cassette deck and confirmed it was made in 2001, you just helped me figure out those questionable date codes that Sony puts on their electronics. I've been trying to find out when my Sony PlayStation 2 and Dream Machine were manufactured. My PlayStation 2 is a model SCPH 39001 and it has the date code 2D which would mean that it was made on the last quarter of 2002. And my Sony Dream Machine is a model ICF-C2W (probably an 80s Dream Machine by the looks of it) and has the date code 8B probably made on the second quarter of 1988. But my question is do the letters on the date codes go by quarters of the year like A,B,C, and D?
FallOutRob2005 That is my best guess -- the letter represents quarters of the year.
I did some research a few nights ago and it appears that the letters go from A to D to represent the quarters of the year. Since there are 4 quarters in a year, I guess Sony used letters like A,B,C, and D.
I bought that same floor model at the same place around the same time.
I listened the cassette you played it as a demo, and it sounds great so what will do better a high end cassette; it will do better than this? I have five cassette decks which are not high end, they sound fantastic when I copy from Reel-Reel.
Sounds really great.
Just got this today at Goodwill for $10 replacing an old Technic deck that had cassette A broken... What does dc servo controlled motor mean??? Thank you for the great review video...
DC servo is the way the motor maintains its speed.
Thank's for the quick response... I thought it was more along the lines of a direct drive system but I see they are totally different terminologies...
Bought this at Value Village for $10, several years ago. It makes beautiful tapes on good tape. Playback is good, except for Chrome tapes, always have to turn the dolby off, both sides both directions, chrome sucks. It also won't fast forward or rewind on either deck, just a lot of clunking. sometimes pulls a couple seconds and then stops. When a tape gets stuck, I have to take the top off and manually force the eject white plastic thingie down to where it should be. Neither side will play when this error occurs Good for $10, but I would be pissed if it acted this way new back 22 years ago. If it develops any more weirdness it will go out with the bag of electronics to be recycled!
Probably just needs new belts.
This exact model is in my closet in the original box. I don't know if it still works - it's been sitting in there for years.
you should test it:)