1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Bought this deck cheap for dolby s

Discussion in 'Cassette Decks' started by Radio Raheem, Mar 19, 2017.

  1. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,951
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    uk
    Brutus442 likes this.
  2. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,717
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Malibu, CA
    I thought that Dolby negates the idea of analog sound: I am re-recording all my Dolby C cassettes from my younger days on Nak deck off Linn Sondek w/o Dolby. When I want Perfect Sound Forewer I have CDs/SACDs/HiRez garbage...
     
  3. Brutus442

    Brutus442 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    473
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Toronto
    I don't even know what "s" is in the Dolby world?

    I've heard the B,C and HX Pro but never S
     
  4. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,951
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    uk
    That makes 2 of us my friend, dolby s is a cutback version of dolby SR aparently which the professionals use, my search for a deck with dolby SR returned no results, i had heard of dolby s back in the 90's but to this day iv never had a deck with it
     
    Brutus442 likes this.
  5. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,951
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    uk
    i wouldn't worry to much about it, if you're happy as you are carry on, it's just dolby is one of my obsessions
     
  6. nickeccles

    nickeccles Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    641
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Littlehampton West Sussex
    Dolby S arrived too late for the cassette format :(

    Usually found on high end decks it was supposed to be the end of tape hiss forever................

    Everyone has their own preferences - I still use Dolby B to record & no Dolby on playback! If you use a good chrome or metal tape you can push those level meters nice & high leaving a nice low noise floor! Dolby C sounds too 'pumpy' for my liking!

    Dolby S of course needs a compatible deck to take advantage if played elsewhere!

    Dbx was another system widely incorporated into Technics cassette decks in the early 80's - It gave mixed results but offered a crazy dynamic range of around 103 db I seem to recall......... :)

    Will be curious to hear what you think Reno!
     
    Brutus442 and Radio Raheem like this.
  7. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,717
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Malibu, CA
    @nickeccles thanks for the tip! I will try it on my next tape. I always used Dolby C, did not think twice about it. Now that I play tapes mostly on my "barbecuing" boombox I switched to no Dolby at all. One benefit of being 30 years older is that I can buy whatever I want instead of borrowing CDs/LPs from friends.
     
  8. nickeccles

    nickeccles Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    641
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Littlehampton West Sussex
    Jorge I get amazing sound from CD to tape (direct input to my Technics cassette deck) & especially older songs now of course in digital sound resulting in hearing many songs properly for the 1'st time on the analogue cassette :wink:
    It is often a revelation on a good boomer or Walkman & makes me very happy to hear in such good quality!
    Dolby B has always been my choice as it has constantly delivered on playback with no Dolby - Don't record too low a level though, you will be greeted by too much hiss & obviously a low output level!
     
    Radio Raheem likes this.
  9. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,717
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Malibu, CA
    It defies my reasoning skills but I also prefer the sound of cassettes recorded from CDs to the original CD sound. My Wadia SACD player oversamples all CDs but somehow oversampling does not do it for my ears
     
  10. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,951
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    uk
    To me cassette has a warmer sound jorge, cd just dosen't do anything for me and everywhere i go im greeted with jumping cd's which drives me bonkers, iv done some reading up and dolby S is compairable to dolby b, they say you can play dolby b cassettes using dolby S.

    Im not sure why i bought this deck, just for fun i guess because i don't record anything these days, my preferance is dolby c because of that pumpy sound but this means the recording isn't correct iv never recorded using any dolby and like dolby c for all the incorrect reasons
     
    Brutus442 likes this.
  11. TooCooL4

    TooCooL4 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,914
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    UK
    You can get pumping on Dolby for a number of reasons, one Dolby miss-tracking two playing Dolby C back with no Dolby engaged or Dolby B engaged.
    Recording with Dolby B and playing back with out Dolby B is just artificially boosting the high frequencies.
    I personally don't use Dolby.
     
    Nak D, Radio Raheem and nickeccles like this.
  12. TooCooL4

    TooCooL4 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,914
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    UK
    Basically you are saying Tape has no high frequencies and CD has no low frequencies? This is what makes music sound warm or cold.

    I disagree with you, Tape is not warmer it’s the equipment. If the equipment is doing it’s job properly i.e. not adding or taking away from the music, if the music is cold or warm then it will sound that way on any format.

    I don’t know where this myth came from “Analogue is warm and Digital is Cold” this is auteur rubbish.
     
    Strangelove and subcode like this.
  13. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,951
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    uk
    used to know someone with a profesional recording studio with hundreds of thousands worth of gear and he said the same thing to me last year, so go figure, analog is just as clear as cd too but i guess i'll never find out for certain as i just hate cd with a passion lol
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2017
    nickeccles likes this.
  14. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,951
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    uk
  15. nickeccles

    nickeccles Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    641
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Littlehampton West Sussex
    3 Dolby S decks???? lol

    Quite Extraordinary!! :lollegs: :lollegs: :lollegs:
     
    Brutus442 and Radio Raheem like this.
  16. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,717
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Malibu, CA
    Glad that we are back to bolts'n'nuts!! When I want my sensibilities checked and crucified I talk to The Boss: she never fails at that...
    Dolby S being hi-end does not ring with me: Nakamichi never bothered. HarmanKardon and Pioneer are the only companies I could find to fall for S.
    My Question: what is The Best deck with Dolby S???
     
  17. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,951
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    uk
    im no expert when it comes to dolby S jorge but this deck might be one of the best, i just wouldn't pay this much mate

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aiwa-XK-S...455046?hash=item25d2161f06:g:CJwAAOSw5cNYmWys

    You would Need to ask walkman archive about decks mate he knows everything there is to know and has an extrordinery high end deck collection
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2017
  18. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,717
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Malibu, CA
    Yeah, at these prices one can get professionally restored/calibrated Nak deck!!!
     
  19. walkman archive

    walkman archive Administrator Staff Member

    Messages:
    1,883
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Barcelona
    Radio raheem, this question about decks should be placed at the decks subforum, not here. I'll move it.

    Regarding the main question, I think 2-head decks are for those who don't need high quality; to me anything below 3-head is useless. The last one you bought is the only one that matters, and it's a very good deck.

    Dolby S apperared circa 1991 or so and was the latest attempt to make cassettes sound like CDs. It never took off because cassettes were dying because of the CD and MD. I have 4 decks with it and it's good to share mixtapes with others that want dolby, because it's much less prone to show problems if mistracking or mismatch internal dolby levels.

    Hard to know. I haven't done tests with all my decks but the SONY K909ES does show strange behaviour with it. I have to try with my TEAC 8030S, AIWA S9000 and the Pioneer CT-93. I don't record with Dolby usually, and almost never with S.
     
    Brutus442 and Radio Raheem like this.
  20. Radio Raheem

    Radio Raheem Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,951
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    uk
    First deck here the aiwa, Dolby S is compairable with dolby C it has a slight pumpy sound of which i like it also adds slightly more bass of which i don't need but the extra low bass is there it is also slightly compairable to dbx but dbx amps up the sound to much for my liking and again adds slightly more bass.... i have so many dolby systems now im not sure which one id use, my faves are sti'll dolby c and i like dolby S my least favourites are dbx and dolby b....all this playback was done on pre recorded cassettes with dolby b.

    If i was ever to record it could be a whole different story but i don't record tapes these days, there ya go lads
     
    Brutus442 likes this.

Share This Page