Crown tape handling isn't an issue for audiophiles who don't shuttle backwards and forwards at all. Like you, I keep my tapes tails out. So all the machine has to do is rewind and then I play the tape through to its end. The pack on the take up side is as flat and tight as anyone needs.
I think the crown sounded more richer and the piano cleaner, having said that though, this is all digital I hear :) I had the tandberg td 20A and found contrary to what has been said was quite violent with the tape and the power of rewind made me think it could stretch the tape, didn't notice that though but a bit of a beast and the capstan motor on mine became unglued internally so made a knocking noise so I sold it rock bottom price :( only to find out later it was an easy fix!
That is interesting, because to me the rewind is definitely gentle. Regarding the sound - I too feel the Crown has more rounded, fuller sound, but to me those are the variations within an "Excellent" range. For instance, if you took two same model machines you would definitely observe some differences in their sounds. On top of that it is entirely possible you would prefer the unit A on some music, and the unit B on different kind.
+1 for comments on the TD20 deck tape handling. I used to own a TD20SE and two of the Tandberg Cassette decks, 440a, 3014a. I was quite proud of owning all the Tandberg decks, until all 3 started developing operational issues. I quit running 1 mil tape on the TD20 since I did stretch a few tapes on the 20. It did not have the smoothness of a Japanese deck. The 3014 and 440A were absolutely excellent sounding decks. Among the best I had ever heard from a cassette. Sonically on par with the famous Dragon. But neither had the Dragon's reliability or durability. The 440A was in the Tandberg service center more frequently than in my rack. The 3014 was also a regular visitor to the service center. The 440a was so frustrating to own it nearly went for a swim in my pool several times. One of the happiest days of my life occurred when I sold all three decks for great losses.
I'm a Crown guy so I would automatically chose the Crown. That being said, I do wish it had just a bit better tape handling, even some simple tension arms to take up the slack at high speed winding. I end up using my fingers as long as my arms don't get tired. :) One of the other tricks I have found to for keeping the tape steady during fast wind was use NAB hubs that better center the reels. The original Crown hubs with the expanding spring, while very sturdy, where terrible at making the reel perfectly centered on the hub. The Teac hubs are a bit better but the best ones are the ones that you have to mount with the tape reel, rather than mount to deck first then mount the reel to.
@@Foxbat9000 I have a set from my B77. They don't accommodate the torque pin on the Crown's reel table so they are not compatible. Unless you're talking about a different type?
@@Foxbat9000 No, I tried that. There is a large spring held in tension right at the location of the where the torque pin needs to go. It damaged the drill bit and caused the hub to separate sending the top cap and spring flying across the room. The pieces are only held together by a bit of glue to bond the plastic.
For switches on my Tandberg TD20A SE I had issues on my switches, but I had good success cleaning my switches with Zippo lighter fluid and then adding the smallest drop of NyOil. Most switches are somewhat self-cleaning (rubbing makes a better contact but scrubbing away oxidation) and those switches on the left might just need exercising in the same way.
That seems to agree with my observation that the failure of the latch is related to sticky dust accumulation that prevents the latch from moving back and forth, in which case some cleaner might help. It did in my case.
It's not fair to compare two such fantastic analog devices on a low resolution digital platform. Maybe I am biased from knowing both deck pretty intimate. But I hear much more colouration on the crown and also a tendency to distort piano and other standing tones.
In many cases, for many people, this is exactly true, but there are others among us who can do their own service, or at least some minor repairs. I personally do not buy the "Needs Service" or not working machines, but there are people who do.
@Foxbat9000 However there are many machines for which there are no parts available even if one has the capability of restoring them. Tandberg is one of them.
@@meshplates Yes, of course... and that should be a big consideration when choosing the model. This is the area where the models such as the B77 shine.
You should go on Tapeheads.net - there are many service/repair technicians there, who might be able to help you obtain a nice serviced machine. Be forewarned - such a machine will cost more, because of the time and effort they put into it, but should be a good investment.
IMHO, the Crown is the winner. Very good sound indeed.
Crown tape handling isn't an issue for audiophiles who don't shuttle backwards and forwards at all. Like you, I keep my tapes tails out. So all the machine has to do is rewind and then I play the tape through to its end. The pack on the take up side is as flat and tight as anyone needs.
I think the crown sounded more richer and the piano cleaner, having said that though, this is all digital I hear :) I had the tandberg td 20A and found contrary to what has been said was quite violent with the tape and the power of rewind made me think it could stretch the tape, didn't notice that though but a bit of a beast and the capstan motor on mine became unglued internally so made a knocking noise so I sold it rock bottom price :( only to find out later it was an easy fix!
Oh no!
That is interesting, because to me the rewind is definitely gentle. Regarding the sound - I too feel the Crown has more rounded, fuller sound, but to me those are the variations within an "Excellent" range. For instance, if you took two same model machines you would definitely observe some differences in their sounds. On top of that it is entirely possible you would prefer the unit A on some music, and the unit B on different kind.
+1 for comments on the TD20 deck tape handling. I used to own a TD20SE and two of the Tandberg Cassette decks, 440a, 3014a. I was quite proud of owning all the Tandberg decks, until all 3 started developing operational issues. I quit running 1 mil tape on the TD20 since I did stretch a few tapes on the 20. It did not have the smoothness of a Japanese deck. The 3014 and 440A were absolutely excellent sounding decks. Among the best I had ever heard from a cassette. Sonically on par with the famous Dragon. But neither had the Dragon's reliability or durability. The 440A was in the Tandberg service center more frequently than in my rack. The 3014 was also a regular visitor to the service center. The 440a was so frustrating to own it nearly went for a swim in my pool several times. One of the happiest days of my life occurred when I sold all three decks for great losses.
I'm a Crown guy so I would automatically chose the Crown. That being said, I do wish it had just a bit better tape handling, even some simple tension arms to take up the slack at high speed winding. I end up using my fingers as long as my arms don't get tired. :) One of the other tricks I have found to for keeping the tape steady during fast wind was use NAB hubs that better center the reels. The original Crown hubs with the expanding spring, while very sturdy, where terrible at making the reel perfectly centered on the hub. The Teac hubs are a bit better but the best ones are the ones that you have to mount with the tape reel, rather than mount to deck first then mount the reel to.
For no-wobble hubs you can also try the original expanding Studer/Revox ones, they grab very well.
@@Foxbat9000 I have a set from my B77. They don't accommodate the torque pin on the Crown's reel table so they are not compatible. Unless you're talking about a different type?
@@steevf Yes, that's the type I was referring to... bummer... could they be drilled? I might look later.
@@Foxbat9000 No, I tried that. There is a large spring held in tension right at the location of the where the torque pin needs to go. It damaged the drill bit and caused the hub to separate sending the top cap and spring flying across the room. The pieces are only held together by a bit of glue to bond the plastic.
For switches on my Tandberg TD20A SE I had issues on my switches, but I had good success cleaning my switches with Zippo lighter fluid and then adding the smallest drop of NyOil. Most switches are somewhat self-cleaning (rubbing makes a better contact but scrubbing away oxidation) and those switches on the left might just need exercising in the same way.
That seems to agree with my observation that the failure of the latch is related to sticky dust accumulation that prevents the latch from moving back and forth, in which case some cleaner might help. It did in my case.
It's not fair to compare two such fantastic analog devices on a low resolution digital platform.
Maybe I am biased from knowing both deck pretty intimate.
But I hear much more colouration on the crown and also a tendency to distort piano and other standing tones.
That is why I mentioned it, I did not want this to be about a comparison, more just a chance to enjoy two interesting machines in their elements.
Hard to tell much. As far as buying a R2R goes, being able to buy a fully restored machine is the essential thing.
In many cases, for many people, this is exactly true, but there are others among us who can do their own service, or at least some minor repairs. I personally do not buy the "Needs Service" or not working machines, but there are people who do.
@Foxbat9000 However there are many machines for which there are no parts available even if one has the capability of restoring them. Tandberg is one of them.
@@meshplates Yes, of course... and that should be a big consideration when choosing the model. This is the area where the models such as the B77 shine.
@@Foxbat9000 Agreed.
Where can I find a decent reel to reel player? Absolutely nothing good on eBay 🤔
You should go on Tapeheads.net - there are many service/repair technicians there, who might be able to help you obtain a nice serviced machine. Be forewarned - such a machine will cost more, because of the time and effort they put into it, but should be a good investment.