Hello everyone!

I have been in search for a good cassette player for quite some time now. After several years and lots of money I've come to a conclusion that not all things are made for the same purpose and for the same people. I have had a whole bunch of Sony, Aiwa, Panasonic and other players out of which a few lived up to my expectations. I have seen the DC2 on ebay couple of times but the prices they reached on auctions were ridiculous... and then it happened. I was given an old, not very stylish but heavy and rugged machine. It said "walkman DC2" on the frontplate. It also said "quartz-locked capstan servo" and "amorphous head". After doing some research, I have realized that THAT is what a good tape deck should have. Unfortunately, my happiness didn't last very long because the mechanism has developed a problem.

In playback, ff or rew mode, you can hear a slight clicking sound from within. Also, the sound tends to wow a little at the same moment the clicking is heard. I've been told by some it is a common problem among the WM-DD line of players - the center gear is made out of thin plastic material and has a limited life-span. I have been told it can be fixed and some have done it.

Before DC2 I had a DDIII. Basically the same but no dolby-c and the amorphous head. It had the same problem. I tried to fix it but ended up breaking it... I have no experience and no tools to do this. It is a real shame since the DC2 is by far the best player I have ever heard with sound that delivers on transparency, detail and is neutral to my ear. The sound seemed very dependable so to speak- something you can always go back to and discover the flaws in other equipment. In terms of sound it destroys every other portable player including my NH1 md-player, all Ipods and even the D25 discman

So, is there anyone who could fix my walkman? You would be generously compensated of course or I could compensate you in another way (some other portable device). Whatever you prefer.

Alternatively, if this problem cannot be fixed, is there a way you could somehow buy a DD series walkman that works and then put the amorphous head from the DC2 into it? I really like this head since it seems that it is what makes the difference. It is what made DC2 sound so livlier than even the DDIII and not to mention the rest

Thanks to all!
Toni
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what you have been told sounds very correct. i may add that the best sound is in the ear of the beholder. alot of players use that same head and i would say they are very common in the higher end old sony's. that geer part is no longer made but a few people salvage one from a wm-33 which were sold mainly in europe. i,personally, don't know anyone who does the repair or what they charge. good luck anyway...

I have a DC2 and agree that it is certainly one of the top players ever made... also a DD9 by Sony. AgentOrange in UK has the ability to repair the DC2 dont know if he has part or willing to but PM him. He is one of the most technically capable members on this forum. Good luck

Okay guys thanks a lot! I will contact him... I hope he does it because this is one excellent machine. In portable sense it outperforms every other unit I have heard. That includes md and cd players as well. And that is why it breaks my heart to see it like that.

I just contacted AgenOrange... I sent him a pm but instead it opened a private chat area... is this suppose to happen? Anyway, I really hope he does that? I just need this one so much... all other are secondary. I'd trade them all for this one.

Tuna, I'll answer your PM here if I may.

The cracked main wheel on all Sony DD units (minus WM2) is a constant pain to all of us. What's happening with these units is that the plastic the main gear wheel is made of very slowly contracts with time & therefore is forced to split around it's steel spindle. It's this 'split' which causes the noise you hear.

To make matters worse, spare parts are next to impossible to find. They do turn up from time to time but very infrequently. Yes, I can fix it but without this part I have nothing to fix it with. I used to have a few new wheels but this lot have prized them from my grasp over time.

My advice to you is to do exactly what Rerooted says & look for a newer model with the same part. In most cases the wheel is intact but it's not a given. Look on ebay.de for DD-30 or DD-33 units, ask them if the unit 'clicks' when in play mode & if not then bid. These units go for around 10Euros so by far the cheaper option.

The DC2 is about the only DD unit worth bothering with (Oh, and the DD-100) so you should spend time fixing it. If you do find a donor, please feel free to get it delivered to me & send your DC2 & I'll put them together for you but it's quite a simple task & a good way to learn about your unit.

!!!Wow!!! Thank you very much!!! I will get on ebay right away and find something. I just saw a DDIII. The person said it has anew gear inside and that it doesn't click. Thank you very much again. I will contact you when I get one. The DC2 still works but I don't wanna run it not to damage the other components inside. You guys are great!

Ha I found a few DD33s and one DD22. I am not sure about the DD11. Wasn't that some scaled down version of the DD2. Whatever it is, it will be sacrificed for greater good.

Tempted to suggest you stick to DD-30 & 33 as any others are just too old to have a wheel which will last. Also, avoid the DD-11 & 22, these are completely different units inside.

let me add just 2 tidbits on the optimistic side. i have 1 wm-d3 and 2 wm-f5's all of which click about the same. the wm-d3 i use mostly for recording streaming music to cassette tape. even with the broken gear i have taped about 50 90 minute tapes with no problem and it's the best sounding recording i can get out of all my analogue sources. the 2 wm-f5 sport models just keep ticking along and the black one i have had about 2 years with no problems and good sound. i do not like to run them on ff or rew. though. i also have 2 nonfunctional wm-f5's one of which is in the box and in mint condition but with the passage of years the plastic just shrunk and split very badly enough to jam the mechanism. now it's just a radio and a decoration. hang in there as there are alot of players out there in the world waiting to be found.

Good point, it's worth noting that players with this 'click' should sound just as good as they ever did, the issue is purely mechanical & you shouldn't hear the 'click' through the headphones. Another point is that due to the expansion of the wheel, the circumference is fractionally larger which to the trained ear can be heard.

Thanks guys! But I can hear the tape wowing at the same time it clicks so that can't be good, can it? Also, I am not so lucky... the DDIII died few hours after it started clicking which I found very odd and then later on when people told me what the problem was, Itried to repair it. I have this gear wheel in my hand right now and it is broken just as you described.

Now, I have found a DDIII and the DD30 on ebay. DDIII said the guy has a new gear which was installed a few months back and has run a few hours since then. However, he didn't say who repaired it, just that it was repaired by an authorized person (quote). The DD30 is supposed to run perfectly smoothly with no clicking of any kind. What do you huys think, what should I get? Or should I just get them both and see which one runs better with no clicks?

Hi, can I just suggest something: Have you tried to glue the plastic cog back onto the metal part? If the contraction is not too big (the space between is enough for a gear tooth) you may be able to glue it down so to "join the gap"? I guess you may need to file it down a little. Just a thought since you are going to dispose of the part anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by kkzeder:
Hi, can I just suggest something: Have you tried to glue the plastic cog back onto the metal part? If the contraction is not too big (the space between is enough for a gear tooth) you may be able to glue it down so to "join the gap"? I guess you may need to file it down a little. Just a thought since you are going to dispose of the part anyway.

I think I know what you mean but with my previous DD3 experience I am not going to try that. Too risky for me to open up the DC2. I have the DD3 in front of me and I was just thinking how it was foolish for me to try to repair it.

ya,,,i've had that feeling more than once...

Hey guys! like I said, I never had much luck with walkmans and this just proves it - in a long string of misfortunes my DC2 now doesn't work. It makes sounds, I guess the motor is running but the tape doesn't move. The reels don't move even when there is no tape inside. And that happened just few hours after it started clicking really badly, just like with the DD3. Hopefully one auction on ebay offers a DD30 which is supposed to run perfectly smoothly ends today and I will be able to get it.

quote:

Originally posted by Tuna:

I think I know what you mean but with my previous DD3 experience I am not going to try that. Too risky for me to open up the DC2. I have the DD3 in front of me and I was just thinking how it was foolish for me to try to repair it.

...and not many get it right the first time right? :-D Ah well, its pretty easy to bust the gear wheel, particularly after its been running on the brink for a while.

It sounds like your DC2's gearwheel finally jammed up. Its not too good to keep running them and give extra stress to the plastic.

Good luck with your bidding!

Thanks but I lost the bid. Went for 55 euros (!!!) which is ridiculous. Yeah I know I was stupid. It took my dire straits sony metal-xr with it... What can I say... I never learn. I tried to repair my old Panasonic S15 and broke it.

I still have a shot at getting the DDIII which is supposed to have a new gear which was installed a few months back and has run 3-4 hours in total since then. What do you think? (AgentOrange said I should get a DD30 or a DD33, I tried but was outbidded) but this DDIII has the new gear anyway. That is all I need if I understand you guys, right?

Hey guys! I won the auction for DDIII with the new gear installed for 122,50$. It is basically new and without scratches but it is pricey. Now I have a dillema... or sould I say a trilema.
1. I can refuse it and get negative feedback
2. pay for it and use it
3. pay for it and take the gear out and put it into the DC2... which would mean I payed the gear itself a ridiculous amount of money.
I just don't know. Is there a way you can take the DC2 head out and put it into the DDIII? I'd lose dolby-c then however. Oh why can't I just be happy with a minidisc... less money and oh yeah, they actually work.

if it working nice like they said i would pay for it and use it. most of the rest of them are still carrying there broken gear and you have a nice fresh player with a part that will last a good long time. let us know how it sounds...