is there anybody out there who can give me some good advise on what type of demagetizer i should use on the cassette players i have. on ebay they seem to be priced anywhere from a few dollars to almost 100.00. are the china ones priced at 11.00 worth it and will they get the job done. i can't recall a good discussion on this topic going back to when it started...thanks...

Greetings, rerooted.

I guess most AC mains wand type demagnetizer would do, as long as it matches your voltage because most of the cheaper ones are simply a coil connected to the mains! I guess the cheaper ones may have an undocumented duty cycle, which you may want to be aware of so not to burn the thing up!

All we want is some magnetic field that is strong enough and switches quickly enough to mess up the magnetism. With your household AC mains, at 50/60 Hz, how can you go wrong?

Because the hard alloys cassette heads are made of, I'd reckon it take some gauss to demagnetize them. However, note that even "weak" head degaussers which are housed in cassette shells, using a single 1.5V button battery stepped up using switch mode still work somewhat to an extent. And one that runs off AC mains most definitely should work better, plus you still have the advantage of pulling away the wand gradually, and you don't need to play the deck, which could damage the preamplifiers (BUZZZZT!!!).

If you already bought a cheap one (like I did) try it against a screwdriver. If it pulls hard on it and makes it vibe at 50/60 Hz, thats good enough. You're not aiming to use this in a big deck with a big head (a reel-to-reel) right? I guess then a cheap one is enough (expensive ones like these often come with a gauss meter.)

thanks much for the info. i haven't purchased one yet. i just need one for the little ones as i rarely use the larger unit. the 11.00 ones have a plastic cap which you actually touch the head with the point. i would imagine they have some brief instructions on how to best use it. it really is an interesting subject which i should read up on in the internet. thanks very much.....

I have had this Nakamichi Demagnitizer since 1981 bought it with my LX-3 cassette deck. It is the Rolls Royce of demagnitizers IMO. Can still get on Ebay but a bit pricey sometimes though you can get lucky if no one bids. No model number on it think Nak only made this one model for many years.
I have operating instruction.

Here is original instructions believe model is a DM10.

Hello Rerooted my friend! I have an TDK HD-30 head demagnetizer cassette. All it takes is that you put it in your deck or walkman and press play. Then you press stop after 4-5seconds and that's it. It's simple and fast and the results are really good. The demagnetization head has a protective cover so it will not damage the heads. I paid about 25& for it 5 or 6 years ago.

I think I'd like one of those.

Me too! , for my microwalkmans!!

I remember having the TDK one years ago. If you forget to mute your player before you used it, it use to make a high pitch noise through you speakers. I gave it away.

I just use a hand held one like the Nakamichi now.

i have one coming from ebay which was a but it now under 20.00. i am looking forward to giving it a go. none of my players has had a treatment except the regular cleaning. i need to return my koss ktx-pro headphones that has lost power on one side. now to test out there lifetime guarantee.right now i am using the set which were original to a wm-20. they are not bad at all.

For the people looking for the TDK tape head demagnetizer look here http://cgi.ebay.com/Cassette-C...17831#ht_1167wt_1167

i also do use one of those tdk-cassette-jobs and am extremely satisfied with its performance.
yep, yo do have to be carefull with the high pitch it creates, but what stops you from switching your deck to source while demagnetizing, or - just a suggestion - unplug your walkmans headphone...

YYES!!! Guys, before you press play on the equipment, turn the volume down to the minimum. It might damage your speakers if you don't do it. As for cassette players, unplug the headphones.

Also, a note for autoreverse walkmans. Some cassette players such as my panasonics or Sonys wind the tape slack automatically when you insert a cassette. During that time, the head lifts up activating the demagnetization cassette. With these walkmans you don't have to press anything. It activates the demagnetization without pressing play. It is not a problem however and you don't have to worry about it.

The HD-30 has a built in speaker and a LED so when it is activated, the speaker produces a high-pitch tone and the LED lights up inicating that the demagnetization is in progress.

Please, follow these simple rules. I don't wanna see you destroying your speakers or your high-sensitivity headphones.

I think this is the simplest way to demagnetize your deck's heads. It cost me 25 $US so if you can find it for a good deal, it might actually be the best 25$ you ever spent on sound improvement. The cassete uses a small battery like they put in quartz watches. It's cheap and available everywhere. The battery lasted me about 5 years!

Live long and prosper everyone

i just got it in the mail today. on some players there was no difference in sound. but i would say about 80% sounded like a totally different and new player. i couldn't believe i was listening to some old sony sports i have. it was more than well worth the money to experience what your music should sound like. some of the instruments became alive which they weren't before. the paino sound came alive in the mix and before it was muted. the only problem i had was on 2 cassette players which were a bit hard to get a clean swipe because of the size of the opening. i look forward now to doing it as i switch from player to player.

well here it is 8 days later and i am still on the job. i guess i've done about 50. in between i listen to the fresh and new sound for at least an hour. there is a tremendous difference on well over half of them. it seems like the sound has gotten crisper and sharper to me. only on a very few do i have a tough time getting it on the head. i think thats where the cassette type would come in handy. right now it's back to this fun job.

hi john,,i'm lovin that demagnitzer you recommended. almost done except the ones in boxes...

i am finally done...what a difference that little tool makes. probably the biggest difference were the ones in the oldest and worst condition. the one that really sticks out in my mind was an old late "80" beat up aiwa. i was almost ready to pitch it as it is worn quiet a bit and sounded "horrible". it's a black model HS-T60. right now it really sounds like one of my best players. i cleaned the head and the rollers also which were bad. i went through 2 Q-tips before i was finished. i even noticed a difference with my wm-7 which now sounds like my wm-d3.

Hello Rerooted!

Can I ask what do you use to clean the heads and the pnch rollers? Is there a special cleaning liquid for rubber for example? I know there are liquids for heads but alchocol is just as good, but rubber is a diffrent thing.

I clean the roles with spit and fingers. Are thereafter again as new.
But pscht….do not tell please other people

i have been using q-tips and alchol for everything. i haven't had any problems in the 4 years i have been doing it. i had one person who told me to use 100 proof drinking alchol and i tried it and it also works well. there was also something i read a good time ago which a person said to use acetone if the rubber on the surface is very dried out. i tried it and it did seem to work okay. back to the alchol anyway,, the worst of it comes off after 2-3 tries and then all you see is the clear alchol on the q-tip with no black or brown residue left.

i may try the spit and fingers. this is quite alot of acids in siliva which is why most illnesses go thorough the nose or eyes.

quote:

Originally posted by renzgi:
I clean the roles with spit and fingers. Are thereafter again as new.
But pscht….do not tell please other people

Only the rubber role is in such a way to clean.
Afterwards the head,spindle and the rubber role with alcohol alchol on the q-tip are to be cleaned.
I never touch the head with the finger.

quote:

ecisely about idiots, who use to clean the heads of their decks with their saliva and fingers. The first time I saw that I was h

You guys are pulling my leg, aren't you?

Also, Rerooted, how come your tips are clean after you do it 2-3 times? I use dozens of tips for each walkman and I always am surprised at how much residue is left on them. Also, cleaning the pinch rollers is often a much bigger improvement than cleaning the head? It makes no sense to me...

hi tuna,,,some times the rubber rollers are really bad on old and very used players. each q-tip has 2 sides so that gives you one clean side for each of the auto-reverses rollers. i take another fresh one and repeat the process. usually after 2 passes the gook is usually mostly gone and your q-tip will be pretty clean and dirt free. as far as the heads go that is a different story. if you lived in a house where people smoked a good deal it will leave a nicotine coating on everything which it will remove. also i live near the ocean and the salt in the air coats everything. it can be very hard on exposed electrical components. i can see it leave a light haze on the heads of players which have not been used in a good while.

I need one for my microcassetterecorders!

i'll bet that nice older one you have would really make it play better. it's that old sony,,i think it's finished in blue.

quote:

You guys are pulling my leg, aren't you?

Concerning me, I am not pulling anybody's leg. I tell you a fact. Now, if for you it is absurd, kinky, insane, etc., that is something that you of course are free to consider.

quote:

Originally posted by kanamaster:

quote:

You guys are pulling my leg, aren't you?

Concerning me, I am not pulling anybody's leg. I tell you a fact. Now, if for you it is absurd, kinky, insane, etc., that is something that you of course are free to consider.

LOL no! It's not insane or kinky. It is just crazy to me to spend money on something that can be done with saliva LOL. I will try it for sure. I just wanted to make sure you guys were serious and not let me post the thread on a miraculous cleaning method by saliva and then make fun of me Okay, I will try it.