I did bay this cassette deck a year ago fully working, got new belts, installed my self , it works and records very well. For me what's impresses me about it is Sony's tuning tape procedure, like it very much 🙂 thank U for your chit chat 🙂
Another fine video gents. Great to see Jez again. Shame you couldn’t find a comfortable sofa to fit all three of you. You’ve gone instead for the three naughty boys waiting in the corridor outside the headmaster’s office look. Shame you couldn’t get Mike a beer, that’s just mean!
I have this same deck that I paid something like $10 for at a thrift store some 15 years ago. It worked beautifully for a while before declining and eventually eating tapes. I almost got rid of it but decided wisely to store it in the hopes of eventually getting it restored.
had a cheeper Sony Deck in 1999, with dolby S , at the time I was my method of making mix tapes for the car, from mainly cd,s & radio shows , my Vinyl deck was being upgraded too being able to afford 70's turntables which were better than my philips stacker system from mid 80's , was around 2003 i bought a philips cd recorder .
Heya, It's Joe Hockin again (the HI Fi Fo Fum/Geddy guy...I hope something comes of that) I would love to see a Majik lp 12 with a radical fitted. My Radikal made such a mammoth difference it would be interesting to see what it would do in isolation from its lofty brethren. Love your stuff...really...really it's so joyful.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane guys. I used to own an Akai GX52 back.in the day.No Dolby S,but the overload margins and headroom were really good. TDK AR could be pushed really hard for a ferric tape and represented good value for money.Without wanting to sound too geeky (if I can avoid it?😊) ,that tape had a high retentivity meaning bass levels could be recorded pretty high before distortion set in. I used to enjoy making mix tapes and if I wanted to push the boat out a "super metal" might come into play.Those TDK MA-XG were really good,Sony's own metal master in it's ceramic case was arguably the best.Maxell's metal vertex was a gorgeous looking and performing tape. The good old days. When did Phillips DCC come out again?
hi,i got AiwA gear, did bought akai gx52 brand new back in 1988. Was no bad at all. Now is cassettecomeback era and got 3 decks from AiwA. 640 and 660 and 770-slimline 1983--86. They are soo exellent recorders,and tons gizmoes in 770,auto demag, data system-autocal. Love AiwA, but everybody has their own flavour. Cheers,happy taping. But remember--hometaping kill music industry!! (old warning back ina day,remember?)😆
I have one of these slowly gathering dust in a cupboard at home. I do remember it being truly excellent when I was using it regularly, but I don't play cassettes anymore.
Grangemouth's finest! Saw them live several times, in the early years. Still trying to decide whether Treasure or Victorialand is their best album. What do you reckon, Adam?
I have a version of this deck minus the Dolby S I purchased back in the 90's. the record and playback heads were both in one head because of the lack of windows on cassettes. Unfortunately it doesn't work anymore. I have had many cassette decks over the years and I find that they all have about a 10 year life span.
@@MrVinylista it´s a good deck i had also the 680ZX it had automatic azimuth control or similar like the Dragon who i think it was poorly built it lasted 7 monthes in my hands this using only well made cassettes or eaasy on rotation , not demanding too strenght from the engine
I remember the TC-K661S coming out and all the buzz around it but then way back in February 1997 I read a review in quaint english magazine called Hifi World by a D. Price extalling the virtues of the Sony MDS-JE500 MiniDisc and bought that instead. Seeing I blame him for my over 700 recordings on that format, he can do a Hifi Riff on it next! ;) Currently running a Aiwa AD-F850, Yamaha KX393 (The bestest cheap deck then)and Yamaha KX 500 with remote cassette decks.
Yes I started using minidisc back in 1992 with the MDS-102... and had a minidisc car radio too. Now I'm thinking of putting a Sony CD-player with a USB stick and 6- Minidisc changer control, paired with a Pioneer Dolby C cassette deck back in my 1998 Opel, would fit the period.
Interesting, the intersection of hi-fi and auto enthusiasm, which in the US also includes firearms. They all push the buttons for tech-heads that appreciate art, form and functionality. Couple of questions: what are "mini-discs" ;-) ...? never 'a thing' in the US. What's with the Spuds beer? With all those great UK brews.... Spudweiser? Anyway, long live the Compact Cassette! The engineers took the Philips dictation grade form factor and polished that stone until they turned a sow's ear into a silk purse. By the mid-70, the cassette could stand proud next to its LP and R-2-R brethren, in providing hi fidelity sound in a super portable package. Bravo, indeed!
I've the almost identical looking - but in the day cheaper - Sony TCK-511S (also a three head machine, but two motor rather than three). When functioning, it certainly made the sweetest recordings with Dolby S engaged but, alas, it's turned into a tape - muncher. I was about to turf it but you gents have inspired me to put it in for a bit of techno jiggery-pokery.
I used to have one of these. The 3 head design was very useful but is of no use if the amp didn’t have a proper monitor loop. Many still don’t - I’m looking at you Exposure, why don’t you include a proper monitor function in your tape loops? Anyway, it was a great unit, but I preferred not to bother with the Dolby NR especially as most of the tapes were for use in the car, which didn’t have Dolby S.
We need to launch a Bring back the Tape Monitor campaign as it is so useful. Who wants to have to go round the back and unplug things every time you want to record something?
Yep, some new amplifiers have a record in and out “tape loop” (eg Exposure 3510) but no monitor function, so you cannot connect a tone control should you feel the need to (for low level listening adjustment)
What would be really useful, is if someone could recommend the best places to get a cassette deck serviced/repaired in the UK...........................👍
I suggest you phone around your local specialist hi-fi dealers. If they don't do cassette deck servicing - and some, surprisingly, still do - then they may well know somewhere.
I have a lot of cassette decks, and have to wonder why they have come back? My favourite is a Alpage AL300, that is essentually an Alpine Al 80, I have 2 AL 90's too, all those need to be recapped at least. The cassette deck is the most difficult thing to get back to what it was. Still the Sony ES series was up there with the Technics and Akia stuff. I have loads of self made tapes, on Maxell, TDK, Nakamichi, Sony, Teac etc. cassettes, which I still use. CD's were much better, but a vinal recording onto a tape at the day could be tweeted to exactly how you liked it. Thanks for review, respect.
Nice collection! I would not compare an AL-80, (although it does have stunning looks and a unique light-bar Vu meter) with the AL300 though. Big difference in construction quality and the transport in the AL-80 is not as good. It also had the very badly implemented first version of Dolby C which was essentially two Dolby B IC's cascaded. It was (and still is) unusable for playback of cassettes recorded on decks with later versions of Dolby C with one IC like the AL-90. ever tried playing a cassette recorded with the AL-90 on the AL 80? I have three AL-85, two AL-80 and an AL300.
I had the Yamaha ES dual 3 head deck from that era, can’t remember the model but it was the next step down from the top. The top of the line had wood side panels and mine didn’t. It was a great machine.
I am an avid cassette deck collector with over 30 3 head cassette decks. Yamaha did not make ES decks, Sony did. Yamaha made NS (Natural Sound) decks and neither brand ever made a dual 3 head cassette deck. My guess is you owned a Sony TC-WR909ES or a TC-WR99ES. They were dual decks with wood sides but not 3 heads. 3 heads enables real time monitoring. Aiwa made a dual cassette deck with one side having 3 heads.
@@professorvoluck9311The first wage packet I ever owned was used in Tottenham court road, where I bought a C85, M85, T85 and KX1200 tape deck. Sadly I found the KX1200 to be a frustrating machine to use. It was inconsistent with its playback of other pre-recorded tapes although you could make very good dbx recordings on it. I ended up with a Sony TCKA 6ES, which, although was not quite as sonic as the recordings made on the Yamaha, was a far more consistent and reliable performer with pre-recorded material.
depending on the country as the reference was released with diferent specifications , the model they re-released with the 611 reference become later the TC-K920 QS with same deck but to start always a Pioneer as they since the midle-range are far superior to others , maybe not the best, but to start Pioneer will sound better than others in the same price range
Gentlemen, such a pleasure to watch your videos (my favourite channel). Relaxed, funny and informative, as it should be! After hearing a looooot about Rush, I have to say, Mike Evans, the best Canadian band from the 80's is definitively Saga, not Rush! Best regards
OK hello from NYC. I can't find a serviced vintage at a good price. I see some NAK. at very high-price. Lower end ones I don't want. Some site have decks like these on some that badly need servicing. Nothing in few specialist local shops left here right in NYC other that high-end. So, had my vintage NAD 6300 (required visits to 2 local shops to get it done 'right') late 2023 and early this year. Pricey repair. Centers said the mechanism was one use in Nakamichi. Can get great sound, but the controls are awkward round buttons which take take a bit of time to push in to activate. Negate some benefit of the 'soft touch'. E Bay? No.
It would be great to hear a little more technical information as audio quality can be somewhat subjective - for example, this deck has a bias adjustment, how wide is the frequency response? How good is the wow and flutter and why ?
Mike doesn't like me reading out measured performance - he looks like he's going to fall asleep when I do it! Just go do a Google search, you'll soon get the vital statistics.
I had a Kenwood Dolby S cassette deck which was a better sounding machine than the Sony 611 I owned before. What Hi-Fi never did a review on the Kenwood.. Good Show chaps👍
Hi fellas! Good to see you still maintaining those high production standards! You're like Renault!! The Sony TC-K611S was a good deck that brought many things together in a package that wasn't too expensive. Still, for someone interested in getting into cassettes for the first time, I'd recommend the TC-K511S instead. It doesn't have closed-loop dual capstan mech and motorized well door meaning there's less to go wrong. All of these will be 30 years old and so, simplicity is a good thing. Still, all the things that make the 611 a good deck are also present in the 511 - fully adjustable manual calibration and Dolby S. I'd like to ask you if there are plans to make a Mini Disc video in the future? You spoke of your fondness for the format but if I'm not mistaken, you haven't reviews an MD deck yet or a portable yet. All the best!
@@Hi-FiRiff Hi David! There were references to MD in your previous videos - I believe it was the Christmas Special 3-parter - but to the best of my knowledge, you never reviewed an MD deck or a portable. In any case, it would have been a long time ago anyway so why not just do one? :) Cheers!
@@Hi-FiRiff I was delayed getting here today! Had a few quality decks since the 70’s, Nakamichi, Sony, Aiwa, Technics and Pioneer covers most of them. Sold my Pioneer CTF950 a year or so back as finding someone to service these items is only going to get more difficult!
I have the Sony TC-K511S which is pretty much identical, including Dolby S and it sounds fantastic when recording in Dolby S on a quality Chrome or Metal tape. If anyone is considering a cheaper way to see the benefit's of Dolby S check out the Yamaha KX-580 of which I have two. They are only 2 head decks but they sound just as good, have automatic tape calibration and go for a lot less than the Sony Dolby S decks.
The KX-580 is a good deck, I just don't like the metal casing which Yamaha used, now it's starting to show corrosion because they used the cheapest black varnish that they could find.
"Oh stop it!", as Kenneth Williams used to say! We thank Jes for being a great sport. Arsing around on RUclips videos is harder than it looks, and he's done great. Hopefully he'll come back again soon.
Have never been a fan of What Hifi but I did enjoy Practical Hifi back in the early 80s, if anyone out there remembers. All my copies, about 40 I think, were destroyed courtesy of my girlfreind at the time. If anyone has any copies from the 80s, I'd very mush like to know.
I have two of these in non working mode. They were great when new and the Dolby S was excellent. The weak point is ultra cheap motors. Had one replaced and it eventually failed yet again. The other one failed as well. In terms of durability, it’s not very good unfortunately.
This episode brought tears to my eyes because I threw away my Yamaha before shifting to my new apartment 6 years ago and it was rarely used precisely because of the transition from tape to CD and cassettes fell out of favour in the early 2000. Walkmans were fast disappearing and rewritable CDs sealed the deck's fate. Only some weeks ago, I purchased my very first turntable and relishing the moments of analog playback. There must be a resurrection of tape again!
Ha ha. I have a pile of What Hi-Fi magazines. I keep them near the toilet just in case I run out of paper. I stopped reading What hifi after a friend told me a story about a UK company that was distributing a German amplifier manufacturer. They approached what Hi-Fi for a review and was told that a favourable review would depend on the amount of money they wanted to spend on advertising (as to how greatly it would influence the review) 🤬
You will probably notice that we don't do unfavourable reviews, not because we are paid, but because it's much more fun talking about products we like, and there are plenty of those to choose from. Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff That's why I'm here. I much prefer to hear people talking about the products they like and why they like them, rather than the products they don't 👍😎
Great point. If I remember correctly, a handful of late 1980s Nakamichi, Kenwood, Sony and Pioneer car stereos had Dobly C, but none that I know of had Dobly S.
Dolby S was offered by Aiwa, Denon, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Pioneer, Sony (a lot) and Yamaha for decks only. There were never any car radios made with Dolby S. When Dolby S hit the market the majority of cassette car radios did not even have Dolby B anymore. And Dolby C was offered to a small number of top of the line car radios (Alpine, Nakamichi Panasonic, Pioneer come to the mind) in the period from1989-94.
Il TC-K611S non e' il top della sony,pero' ha una buona capacita di suono e caratteristiche tecniche piu che soddisfacenti,conosco il suo suono.bel modello
Hardly! I’ve rediscovered mine and have been amazed at the sublime sound. Also the mystique of the cassette itself which is a masterpiece of design. I still prefer a CD recorder at this point but a well maintained cassette deck of quality sounds awesome if the tapes have been properly recorded.
Thanks,sony is a good gozmo. I love AiwA more. And thanks about your video about early 80s mirackle deck,adf-660 !! I got it and also bigger sibling,adf-770. I think their soo good recorders,noneed for dobly s. Or what u guys think?? Even on tdk-d,it sounds brilliant still. But thanks guys and as always,Happy Taping !! greets from finland.
@@RyanChoo AiwA did have much cooler design also than sony and others,like slimline decks ,1983---86. They looks soo futuristic,blderunner style,even. So 80s!!
Yes got one of these ..fully refurbished and works great ...plays and records really well ..good times..What Hi Fi award winner 1993..
I did bay this cassette deck a year ago fully working, got new belts, installed my self , it works and records very well.
For me what's impresses me about it is Sony's tuning tape procedure, like it very much 🙂 thank U for your chit chat 🙂
equal to others, not sony exclusive and alçso not the best at same price when new
Another fine video gents. Great to see Jez again. Shame you couldn’t find a comfortable sofa to fit all three of you. You’ve gone instead for the three naughty boys waiting in the corridor outside the headmaster’s office look. Shame you couldn’t get Mike a beer, that’s just mean!
I love cassettes I have over 1000 and 5 tape decks. I shall be buying this.
😮
@@Zimmy_1981 i thought 48 was already too much
@@RUfromthe40s lol fr
‘Very nice knob feel’ is the very reason I love HiFi Riff 😂
Filth!
I have this same deck that I paid something like $10 for at a thrift store some 15 years ago. It worked beautifully for a while before declining and eventually eating tapes. I almost got rid of it but decided wisely to store it in the hopes of eventually getting it restored.
Plenty of videos on RUclips on how to get the mechanism out, and replace the belts etc.
Have a 🍺 on me Mike, poor you! Another good episode. Good to see Jez again.
3 for the price of 1 this evening! 3 Heads! Cheers Lads
What a bargain 😅
had a cheeper Sony Deck in 1999, with dolby S , at the time I was my method of making mix tapes for the car, from mainly cd,s & radio shows , my Vinyl deck was being upgraded too being able to afford 70's turntables which were better than my philips stacker system from mid 80's , was around 2003 i bought a philips cd recorder .
Heya,
It's Joe Hockin again (the HI Fi Fo Fum/Geddy guy...I hope something comes of that) I would love to see a Majik lp 12 with a radical fitted. My Radikal made such a mammoth difference it would be interesting to see what it would do in isolation from its lofty brethren. Love your stuff...really...really it's so joyful.
Entertaining and informative as ever, Chaps. Good to see Jes with you again 👍👍👍
We were rather hoping to get one up on him by talking about a format which was before he was born.... that clearly failed!
Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff 😂 a valiant effort, Mike, a valiant effort!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane guys. I used to own an Akai GX52 back.in the day.No Dolby S,but the overload margins and headroom were really good. TDK AR could be pushed really hard for a ferric tape and represented good value for money.Without wanting to sound too geeky (if I can avoid it?😊) ,that tape had a high retentivity meaning bass levels could be recorded pretty high before distortion set in. I used to enjoy making mix tapes and if I wanted to push the boat out a "super metal" might come into play.Those TDK MA-XG were really good,Sony's own metal master in it's ceramic case was arguably the best.Maxell's metal vertex was a gorgeous looking and performing tape. The good old days. When did Phillips DCC come out again?
hi,i got AiwA gear, did bought akai gx52 brand new back in 1988. Was no bad at all. Now is cassettecomeback era and got 3 decks from AiwA. 640 and 660 and 770-slimline 1983--86. They are soo exellent recorders,and tons gizmoes in 770,auto demag, data system-autocal. Love AiwA, but everybody has their own flavour. Cheers,happy taping. But remember--hometaping kill music industry!! (old warning back ina day,remember?)😆
I have one of these slowly gathering dust in a cupboard at home. I do remember it being truly excellent when I was using it regularly, but I don't play cassettes anymore.
I had one - and what a fine sounding deck it was! Sadly it died, and was sold for parts.
Seriously waiting for the VU meter episode ;)
Worthy callout to Liz Frazer and Cocteau Twins, still a regular and fave listen today.
Grangemouth's finest! Saw them live several times, in the early years.
Still trying to decide whether Treasure or Victorialand is their best album. What do you reckon, Adam?
@@MrVinylista It's a tough one, but Victorialand has some shockingly beautiful tracks, so I'll run with that :)
@@adampoll4977 Yep, me too. Only took me about 40 years to decide!
I have a version of this deck minus the Dolby S I purchased back in the 90's. the record and playback heads were both in one head because of the lack of windows on cassettes. Unfortunately it doesn't work anymore. I have had many cassette decks over the years and I find that they all have about a 10 year life span.
I have many fond memories of cassettes in the day - modest Aiwa, mostly. Physical media have their charm.
ur memories are modest,not any AiwA.
I still like cassette I’ve a luxman , Sony , and Nakamichi
Ah, it's a Sonny with Dobbly S on it! Now that must be good! 😂
not that much
Fun video. I had a Nakamichi 700 deck back in the day...
the only i didn´t sold from my father was the 700ZXL it works perfect and also looks good
@@RUfromthe40s I still have my Nak 600. Love it!
@@MrVinylista it´s a good deck i had also the 680ZX it had automatic azimuth control or similar like the Dragon who i think it was poorly built it lasted 7 monthes in my hands this using only well made cassettes or eaasy on rotation , not demanding too strenght from the engine
I remember the TC-K661S coming out and all the buzz around it but then way back in February 1997 I read a review in quaint english magazine called Hifi World by a D. Price extalling the virtues of the Sony MDS-JE500 MiniDisc and bought that instead.
Seeing I blame him for my over 700 recordings on that format, he can do a Hifi Riff on it next! ;)
Currently running a Aiwa AD-F850, Yamaha KX393 (The bestest cheap deck then)and Yamaha KX 500 with remote cassette decks.
Great choice - the MDS-JE500 was the first decent sounding MiniDisc machine, to my ears!
Still using my MiniDisc machine on a daily basis, too.
Yes I started using minidisc back in 1992 with the MDS-102... and had a minidisc car radio too. Now I'm thinking of putting a Sony CD-player with a USB stick and 6- Minidisc changer control, paired with a Pioneer Dolby C cassette deck back in my 1998 Opel, would fit the period.
Interesting, the intersection of hi-fi and auto enthusiasm, which in the US also includes firearms. They all push the buttons for tech-heads that appreciate art, form and functionality. Couple of questions: what are "mini-discs" ;-) ...? never 'a thing' in the US. What's with the Spuds beer? With all those great UK brews.... Spudweiser?
Anyway, long live the Compact Cassette! The engineers took the Philips dictation grade form factor and polished that stone until they turned a sow's ear into a silk purse. By the mid-70, the cassette could stand proud next to its LP and R-2-R brethren, in providing hi fidelity sound in a super portable package. Bravo, indeed!
Love this rift harking back to the 1990' when I had this actual So-knee not Son-e 😂😂😂 tape deck 😀👍
I've the almost identical looking - but in the day cheaper - Sony TCK-511S (also a three head machine, but two motor rather than three). When functioning, it certainly made the sweetest recordings with Dolby S engaged but, alas, it's turned into a tape - muncher. I was about to turf it but you gents have inspired me to put it in for a bit of techno jiggery-pokery.
Happy Thursday folks
I used to have one of these. The 3 head design was very useful but is of no use if the amp didn’t have a proper monitor loop. Many still don’t - I’m looking at you Exposure, why don’t you include a proper monitor function in your tape loops?
Anyway, it was a great unit, but I preferred not to bother with the Dolby NR especially as most of the tapes were for use in the car, which didn’t have Dolby S.
We need to launch a Bring back the Tape Monitor campaign as it is so useful. Who wants to have to go round the back and unplug things every time you want to record something?
Yep, some new amplifiers have a record in and out “tape loop” (eg Exposure 3510) but no monitor function, so you cannot connect a tone control should you feel the need to (for low level listening adjustment)
What would be really useful, is if someone could recommend the best places to get a cassette deck serviced/repaired in the UK...........................👍
I suggest you phone around your local specialist hi-fi dealers. If they don't do cassette deck servicing - and some, surprisingly, still do - then they may well know somewhere.
@@MrVinylista thanks
Brilliant cassette deck
This is a good deck. Very good. However, it lacks mechanically. At least the flywheel is not plastic, like in 461S.
Ive still got my cr1 nakamichi😊
A nice little deck - largely overlooked now, sadly.
I have a lot of cassette decks, and have to wonder why they have come back? My favourite is a Alpage AL300, that is essentually an Alpine Al 80, I have 2 AL 90's too, all those need to be recapped at least. The cassette deck is the most difficult thing to get back to what it was. Still the Sony ES series was up there with the Technics and Akia stuff. I have loads of self made tapes, on Maxell, TDK, Nakamichi, Sony, Teac etc. cassettes, which I still use. CD's were much better, but a vinal recording onto a tape at the day could be tweeted to exactly how you liked it. Thanks for review, respect.
Nice collection! I would not compare an AL-80, (although it does have stunning looks and a unique light-bar Vu meter) with the AL300 though. Big difference in construction quality and the transport in the AL-80 is not as good. It also had the very badly implemented first version of Dolby C which was essentially two Dolby B IC's cascaded. It was (and still is) unusable for playback of cassettes recorded on decks with later versions of Dolby C with one IC like the AL-90. ever tried playing a cassette recorded with the AL-90 on the AL 80?
I have three AL-85, two AL-80 and an AL300.
I had the Yamaha ES dual 3 head deck from that era, can’t remember the model but it was the next step down from the top. The top of the line had wood side panels and mine didn’t. It was a great machine.
The wood panels made it sound better 😸
@@jdekong3945 Certainly more natural and organic.
@@chefren77 no grain...
I am an avid cassette deck collector with over 30 3 head cassette decks. Yamaha did not make ES decks, Sony did. Yamaha made NS (Natural Sound) decks and neither brand ever made a dual 3 head cassette deck. My guess is you owned a Sony TC-WR909ES or a TC-WR99ES. They were dual decks with wood sides but not 3 heads. 3 heads enables real time monitoring. Aiwa made a dual cassette deck with one side having 3 heads.
@@professorvoluck9311The first wage packet I ever owned was used in Tottenham court road, where I bought a C85, M85, T85 and KX1200 tape deck.
Sadly I found the KX1200 to be a frustrating machine to use. It was inconsistent with its playback of other pre-recorded tapes although you could make very good dbx recordings on it.
I ended up with a Sony TCKA 6ES, which, although was not quite as sonic as the recordings made on the Yamaha, was a far more consistent and reliable performer with pre-recorded material.
depending on the country as the reference was released with diferent specifications , the model they re-released with the 611 reference become later the TC-K920 QS with same deck but to start always a Pioneer as they since the midle-range are far superior to others , maybe not the best, but to start Pioneer will sound better than others in the same price range
Gentlemen, such a pleasure to watch your videos (my favourite channel). Relaxed, funny and informative, as it should be!
After hearing a looooot about Rush, I have to say, Mike Evans, the best Canadian band from the 80's is definitively Saga, not Rush! Best regards
Thank you. I don't think Mike will ever agree with your last comment, though!
Totally agree! Please keep mixing hi-fi gear with bikes, cars and beer. Greetings from Portugal!
OK hello from NYC. I can't find a serviced vintage at a good price. I see some NAK. at very high-price. Lower end ones I don't want.
Some site have decks like these on some that badly need servicing. Nothing in few specialist local shops left here right in NYC other that high-end.
So, had my vintage NAD 6300 (required visits to 2 local shops to get it done 'right') late 2023 and early this year. Pricey repair. Centers said the mechanism was one use in Nakamichi. Can get great sound, but the controls are awkward round buttons which take take a bit of time to push in to activate. Negate some benefit of the 'soft touch'.
E Bay? No.
I have one in the loft, owned since new, but sadly mothballed for the last 18 years or so. I shall be bringing it down this afternoon.
Check the belts haven't went to mush before doing anything with it!
It would be great to hear a little more technical information as audio quality can be somewhat subjective - for example, this deck has a bias adjustment, how wide is the frequency response? How good is the wow and flutter and why ?
Mike doesn't like me reading out measured performance - he looks like he's going to fall asleep when I do it! Just go do a Google search, you'll soon get the vital statistics.
I had a Kenwood Dolby S cassette deck which was a better sounding machine than the Sony 611 I owned before. What Hi-Fi never did a review on the Kenwood.. Good Show chaps👍
Hi fellas!
Good to see you still maintaining those high production standards! You're like Renault!!
The Sony TC-K611S was a good deck that brought many things together in a package that wasn't too expensive. Still, for someone interested in getting into cassettes for the first time, I'd recommend the TC-K511S instead. It doesn't have closed-loop dual capstan mech and motorized well door meaning there's less to go wrong. All of these will be 30 years old and so, simplicity is a good thing. Still, all the things that make the 611 a good deck are also present in the 511 - fully adjustable manual calibration and Dolby S.
I'd like to ask you if there are plans to make a Mini Disc video in the future? You spoke of your fondness for the format but if I'm not mistaken, you haven't reviews an MD deck yet or a portable yet.
All the best!
Good points, thanks. I am amazed that we haven't done a MiniDisc episode. That can be arranged, quickly!
@@MrVinylistaThat would be lovely! Please do! Cheers!
@MrVinylista I'm sure we recorded one ages ago!
Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff Hi David! There were references to MD in your previous videos - I believe it was the Christmas Special 3-parter - but to the best of my knowledge, you never reviewed an MD deck or a portable. In any case, it would have been a long time ago anyway so why not just do one? :) Cheers!
@@antunkatona5674 Yep, will do soon.
Brought my first pair of speakers after reading the riview by what hi fi celestion LS7
Afternoon Gents👍👍
Afternoon KJBB
Different time today... David suggested "crackerjack" time.
Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff I was delayed getting here today! Had a few quality decks since the 70’s, Nakamichi, Sony, Aiwa, Technics and Pioneer covers most of them. Sold my Pioneer CTF950 a year or so back as finding someone to service these items is only going to get more difficult!
Is this The Grand Tour for hifi?
It could be if Amazon gave us £10 million to raise our game!
Are you 3 playing a drinking game with your Doblie! Dolby and Sonie Sony pronunciation ? 😂
I have the Sony TC-K511S which is pretty much identical, including Dolby S and it sounds fantastic when recording in Dolby S on a quality Chrome or Metal tape. If anyone is considering a cheaper way to see the benefit's of Dolby S check out the Yamaha KX-580 of which I have two. They are only 2 head decks but they sound just as good, have automatic tape calibration and go for a lot less than the Sony Dolby S decks.
The KX-580 is a good deck, I just don't like the metal casing which Yamaha used, now it's starting to show corrosion because they used the cheapest black varnish that they could find.
Today we are treated to a cameo from The Hamster, who joins James May and his trusty sidekick David.
BTW, true audiophiles read Stereophile magazine
Am I James May in this scenario?
Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff You are James May in ALL scenarios. The voice gives you away.
Pizza Earth
Haha, that's priceless... I am strangely flattered.
Mike
Is it just me, or does Jez look like he's been driven up onto the moors between two amiable heavies...
"Oh stop it!", as Kenneth Williams used to say!
We thank Jes for being a great sport. Arsing around on RUclips videos is harder than it looks, and he's done great. Hopefully he'll come back again soon.
Agreed. Keep him coming back - he's a welcomed addition to the Riffs.
There's nothing like a three header with nobs on the side...
😅
Ouch! 😂
Have never been a fan of What Hifi but I did enjoy Practical Hifi back in the early 80s, if anyone out there remembers. All my copies, about 40 I think, were destroyed courtesy of my girlfreind at the time. If anyone has any copies from the 80s, I'd very mush like to know.
More knob jokes please!!😂😂
I have two of these in non working mode. They were great when new and the Dolby S was excellent. The weak point is ultra cheap motors. Had one replaced and it eventually failed yet again. The other one failed as well. In terms of durability, it’s not very good unfortunately.
brits drinking buds love it
David's house, so must have been on offer somewhere!
Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff It was, but you didn't need to say that.
Yamaha KX-580 SE anyone?
This episode brought tears to my eyes because I threw away my Yamaha before shifting to my new apartment 6 years ago and it was rarely used precisely because of the transition from tape to CD and cassettes fell out of favour in the early 2000. Walkmans were fast disappearing and rewritable CDs sealed the deck's fate. Only some weeks ago, I purchased my very first turntable and relishing the moments of analog playback. There must be a resurrection of tape again!
@@RyanChoo 👍👍👍
@@RyanChoo Buy a TC-K611S while you still can, and make mixtapes from your vinyl! They're still not very expensive at all in the UK.
@@MrVinylista I am thankful that at this point, accessing these options is viable financially... I will definitely look around for a great deal!
Ha ha.
I have a pile of What Hi-Fi magazines.
I keep them near the toilet just in case I run out of paper.
I stopped reading What hifi after a friend told me a story about a UK company that was distributing a German amplifier manufacturer.
They approached what Hi-Fi for a review and was told that a favourable review would depend on the amount of money they wanted to spend on advertising (as to how greatly it would influence the review) 🤬
You will probably notice that we don't do unfavourable reviews, not because we are paid, but because it's much more fun talking about products we like, and there are plenty of those to choose from.
Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff That's why I'm here. I much prefer to hear people talking about the products they like and why they like them, rather than the products they don't 👍😎
Another one is coming out later today on a brilliant CD player from 1987 which even David had to borrow!
Mike
At least in US, NAK never made an Dolby S. Did any cars have a Dolby B, C switch? Anyone in a car have Dolby S.
Great point. If I remember correctly, a handful of late 1980s Nakamichi, Kenwood, Sony and Pioneer car stereos had Dobly C, but none that I know of had Dobly S.
IIRC Dolby S was late to the parade so many manufacturers didn't get to adopt it before the format became "obsolete"😢
In all my years of cassette recording and playback (with TDK SA tapes) I never once used any form of dolby..................
Dolby S was offered by Aiwa, Denon, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Pioneer, Sony (a lot) and Yamaha for decks only. There were never any car radios made with Dolby S. When Dolby S hit the market the majority of cassette car radios did not even have Dolby B anymore. And Dolby C was offered to a small number of top of the line car radios (Alpine, Nakamichi Panasonic, Pioneer come to the mind) in the period from1989-94.
@@middleman9183 Me too, apart from Dolby HX.
Il TC-K611S non e' il top della sony,pero' ha una buona capacita di suono e caratteristiche tecniche piu che soddisfacenti,conosco il suo suono.bel modello
Exactamundo!
I have an equivalent Sony deck it has Dolby S I have it in case someone needs a tape transfer to a CD
400$ to start listening to tapes? I recommend a nakamichi bx-100 over this any day. It will only run you 100$
I'm emigrating!
Mike
Had a K-411S,2 head deck,very poor tape transport,lots plastic parts,sound great between breakdowns.
Worst problem of all decks are the azimuth head alignement ..... make me soooo angry !!!!!!!!! All different from deck to deck....
I don’t have good luck with Sony products
Cassette decks suck!! Pointless trash in 2024! 🗑️👎
Said by someone completely missing the point 🙄
😂
Recording a vinyl record to cassette can sound sublime!
Hardly! I’ve rediscovered mine and have been amazed at the sublime sound. Also the mystique of the cassette itself which is a masterpiece of design. I still prefer a CD recorder at this point but a well maintained cassette deck of quality sounds awesome if the tapes have been properly recorded.
Thanks,sony is a good gozmo. I love AiwA more. And thanks about your video about early 80s mirackle deck,adf-660 !! I got it and also bigger sibling,adf-770. I think their soo good recorders,noneed for dobly s. Or what u guys think?? Even on tdk-d,it sounds brilliant still. But thanks guys and as always,Happy Taping !! greets from finland.
Personally, I loved the Aiwa walkman more than Sony's. With Bass Boost, wow... Sublime!
@@RyanChoo AiwA did have much cooler design also than sony and others,like slimline decks ,1983---86. They looks soo futuristic,blderunner style,even. So 80s!!
@@artsimannisto5659 The design and layout was very funky - streets ahead of any other machine and great sounding.
@@artsimannisto5659 I am going to tear again... 😂