I've had a most enjoyable weekend so far comparing playback ability between my newly-acquired D6 and my faithful old D3 and favourite TC-D5M. The D6 was a great find as even though it's not in the best cosmetic condition, technically and sonically it's tip-top. But I wanted to compare it to my (somewhat portable) TC-D5m and (eminently portable) D3 to see if there were any obvious audible improvements, caveats or downsides. The conclusion I came to is one I should have predicted to be honest; in that they all sound great in their own particular way. Not better or worse...just different. The D5M is just rock solid and never fails to impress in terms of ability every single time. If 'dependability' was an applicable byword for this device then it would feature in every single review. You can literally throw anything at it and it will sound great - almost like a Nakamichi Dragon. The D3 has similar characteristics albeit with a different sound signature, due I suspect to its amorphous head. If the D cell batteries of the TC-D5M were busy charging then the D3 would be the next Walkman I would turn to. Enter my recently purchased D6. What a lovely surprise it's been to discover its sonic capabilities. I have a beautiful 'refreshed by Deb64' D6C which sounds amazing but this goes a step further. The sound is more mature, more resolving and more engaging, due I suspect again to that amorphous pointy head. Deb64 was the instigator of the D6 itch I've been trying to scratch for the past 2-3 years ever since she imparted her preference for this particular model. After listening back to some recordings of the first 2 Nick Drake albums recorded to Type II and IV cassettes I now concur absolutely with her opinion. When a device can capture my attention for 6 hours straight then there must be something special going on. I used a range of headphones and amplification during the listening session and settled on my Fiio E12 and Sennheiser HD-565's with one of my own UPSPOCC headphone cables as the preferred ideal combination. Happy days.
Looking great! I only have the D6C (early) and D3 recording devices, fully restored though. For playback I do actually prefer the D3, the output is more to my liking. As is the device size, VU meter and battery status display. Happy to see these units in a ‘competition’.
Does anyone have or know where I can get hold of a +P1.4 x 3.5 screw for the bottom cover of my D6. Sadly it came with this screw missing and it's wreaking havoc with my OCD I pulled apart some old broken cameras to see if I could retrieve one from them but no cigar. I spotted Marions Mihokm's bag of spare Walkman screws on his fixyouraudio store but it doesn't list the screw sizes specifically, only the lengths, so I'm not going to order this on the off chance one might fit. Marion if you read this it would be handy to have a list of specific screw sizes including thread and P classification in your ad I also spotted a set of spare screws for a D6 from a seller in the US who is asking a wholly reasonable $5, but with a quite unreasonable $114 for postage. grrr I noted in the service manual for the D6 that the nomenclature for the screw is '+P1.4 x 3.5' yet for the D6C it becomes 'P1.4 x 3.5' without the '+' prefix. Any significance/difference? D6 D6C
The ones from Marian do contain a screw that will fit (with pan head). Alternatively you can order here a set of M1.4 x 3 or M1.4 x 4 (I think both will work): https://www.ebay.com/itm/183101617934 And I think your autocorrect has "corrected" wrongly. The guy's name is Marian, not Marion. Seen this happening in many instances even with my name, but most people don't notice it.
Thanks Valentin. Sorry but can you confirm absolutely that these screws correllate exactly to the thread pitch of the original Sony screws? Sony uses a 'P' prefix where the ones in your ebay link are standard 'M' prefix. The difference in nomenclature usually indicates a different thread pitch or depth or material in my experience - I come from a Nuclear engineering background, where everything is design-checked-approved 7 times! I will also message Marian and thanks for his name spelling correction.
I'm pleased to hear that you're enjoying the D6. There are a few sellers on Ebay who can supply the M1.4 screws for the casing. A 4mm length screw will be fine. I think the sound of the D6 could be due both to the head used and a better Dolby chip (but without Dolby C). Also, the line out is fed directly from the Dolby chip on the D6, whereas it is routed through a line amplifier on the D6C.
Yes, I confirm the thread pitch is the same on the ones from fixyouraudio. The "P" used in the service manual most likely indicates it uses a pan head and not a countersunk head. As for the ones on ebay, I did use them (on DDs, which have the same thread pitch) and I believe there is only one thread pitch available on these type of screws anyway. EDIT: To be even more clear, on DDs I used the M1.2 as the M1.4 head will not be flush with the case. Both have the same thread pitch, the M1.2 fits a little bit loose but works just fine in the end (on DDs). On D6C the screw heads are the larger type, those that correspond with M1.4. I mention the DD ones, cause I never seen ones with small head but M1.4 thread diameter (which is what is originally fitted on DDs). Of course at the end of the day, it is up to you to choose, but I don't think it's worth spending $114 on shipping for what I consider to be the same screw (or same functionality at least).
Thanks Deb, that's also very interesting to learn about the line-out signal path and clarifies (in part) the different sound signature to that of the D6C. Thanks for the clarification Valentin.
FWIW and for anyone searching for similar screws I now have 50 pieces of M1.4x3 screws coming from China after ordering from aliexpress for just over 1 European Euro including postage! Bonkers. I don't know how they do it! Let's see if they actually turn up however..... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...100bdf016523108994661559e0825!66702152888!sea
Swapped a new capstan belt into the D6 this evening. The original one was okay but it looked past its prime. A fairly straight-forward procedure after watching a few Youface vids and reading the manual. Webspareparts.com supplied the belt which is proving to be a very fine example indeed as the W&F has dropped from an already not too shabby 0.07%RMS to a very respectable 0.05%RMS! The D6 just got a little bit better. Pre belt change Post belt change
I have an impression that you may have changed the motor position and that is what has changed the W&F, not the belt. That belt is not driving the capstan, but the takeup reel assy. The holes of the motor screws are larger than the screw threads (both on D6 and D6C), specifically for ajusting the position. This position does have a pretty significant impact on W&F. As a recommendation, all the rubber parts should be replaced, not just that belt. There is the capstan ring that will get the unit to run noisy when rubber gets hard and the 2 idler tires: small one can cause low takeup torque, while large one influences the FF/REW torque. For people interested, Marian Mihokm is selling a high quality replacement rubber set: https://fixyouraudio.com/product/sony-wm-d6-cassette-player-walkman-complete-rubber-set/ As for the units mentioned, my favourite is the TC-D5M by far. I will state some aspects that I like about it and its sound (which are more technical): - it has a very low self-noise (to this contributing both the head and the amplifiers); - it has a TYPE III position (I'm a fan of TYPE III cassettes); - has an extended frequency response (20Hz - 19kHz with TYPE III and TYPE IV cassettes); - powerful headphone amplifier; - needle VU-meters; - low distorsion; Only disadvantage is it's large and quite heavy to be truly portable. On second position I would place the WM-D6, which has the same head as TC-D5M. I don't have one in my collection yet, but it is on my list. On third position I would place the WM-D3, which although it does sound good, it has much more self-noise than the others. D3 also has much more limited frequency response, especially noticeable on bass (can be solved by a mod). Good thing about it is it's the most portable of them all.
Ah! Of course it's not a capstan belt - the capstan is driven by the motor wheel on these things of course! drrp I do notice that it's become a little less noisy than it was before although there is still a perceptible external-sounding 'oscillation' on playback. Deb64 has very kindly agreed to refresh it for me as she did with my D6C, but I'm currently just in the process of enjoying using and bonding with it. While it plays and sounds great I'll sit on the next refurb steps for a little while. Valentin, your sentiments with regards to the D5M echo my own. It's the one device in my collection that I knew I would be really saddened by on the occasion that it stops functioning. It gets used on a more or less daily basis and usually just moves around the house or garden with me, sometimes in the car on long journeys. I was overjoyed however to have recently found a 2nd absolutely mint D5M with case and strap for a great price which now serves as a backup in case the main D5M ever fails. It looks like it has never been used (in anger at least) as there are absolutely no scratches, marks or any sort of imperfections on the case and functions perfectly. There is also none of the telltale detritus buried in those cheese-grater style function keys! It now sits in a box, in a cupboard and gets 'exercised' about once a month. Hopefully it will outlast me
I do like the leather case you have for your D5M, that one is rare to see in such good condition. And the device itself is also in mint condition. As for them going bad, the unfortunate part is no complete rubber set is available for these. Idlers and capstan ring are starting to degrade (on some being beyond any repair). Only the belts are available for this device. There is a new capstan ring that someone has made, but it's made from natural rubber instead of synthetic and has non-uniformities, rendering higher W&F than original. I do hope Marian will one day make a rubber set available for this one as well, cause those will be much needed in the near future. Technically they are needed already, but now many can be sanded as they're not hard as plastic.
