Cassette deck/CD seperate for Yamaha RN-500 amp

Bob George

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Hi there

Recently purchased the above amp to go with a technics 1210

I quite fancy a cassette deck to go with it, and maybe a CD seperate. More so the cassette. I'll be doing this on eBay or the like as I don't have a huge amount of cash to play with.

The thing is, a good few of the cassette decks I have looked at state they only work with certain types of amp. What should I be looking for to ensure compatibility with my amp?

Oh, and anyone with any bargains that would like rid of them, let me know

Thanks
 
The thing is, a good few of the cassette decks I have looked at state they only work with certain types of amp. What should I be looking for to ensure compatibility with my amp?

If you could post some links to the tape decks you have looked at that might help.

I don't know anything about the RN-500 but it looks as though there are two line level RCA "record" outputs on the rear of it. I imagine that you would select one of these with the select knob on the front and this would connect your current input to the selected output.

Most tape decks will have at least a single RCA input and a single RCA output. The tape deck input is where you feed the signal of what you want to record, this will usually come from the "record" output on your amp . The tape deck output gets plugged back into one of the line level RCA inputs on the back of the amp so that you can use it for playback.

I would have thought that most tape decks with RCA input/output sockets (that would be the majority unless you are looking at ancient kit which might have DIN plugs) would work OK with your amp.

I have an old Technics RS-TR474 that I don't use any more. You would be more than welcome to it.
It is a little bit scratched and scuffed but works fine. If you don't find anything better and fancy it, you can have it for the price of the postage.

Someone is flogging one on amazon here...
Technics Cassette deck RS-TR474 Mark II Dolby B C HX: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Specs and a brief review here ...
Technics RS-TR474 Manual - Stereo Double Cassette Deck - HiFi Engine

Good luck in your search and I hope you find what you are looking for.
 
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The thing is, a good few of the cassette decks I have looked at state they only work with certain types of amp. What should I be looking for to ensure compatibility with my amp?
The only restriction I can think of is if they were originally part of one of those stack systems that connect with a proprietary cable. Any standard deck with phono connections will be compatible.
 
If you could post some links to the tape decks you have looked at that might help.

I don't know anything about the RN-500 but it looks as though there are two line level RCA "record" outputs on the rear of it. I imagine that you would select one of these with the select knob on the front and this would connect your current input to the selected output.

Most tape decks will have at least a single RCA input and a single RCA output. The tape deck input is where you feed the signal of what you want to record, this will usually come from the "record" output on your amp . The tape deck output gets plugged back into one of the line level RCA inputs on the back of the amp so that you can use it for playback.

I would have thought that most tape decks with RCA input/output sockets (that would be the majority unless you are looking at ancient kit which might have DIN plugs) would work OK with your amp.

I have an old Technics RS-TR474 that I don't use any more. You would be more than welcome to it.
It is a little bit scratched and scuffed but works fine. If you don't find anything better and fancy it, you can have it for the price of the postage.

Someone is flogging one on amazon here...
Technics Cassette deck RS-TR474 Mark II Dolby B C HX: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Specs and a brief review here ...
Technics RS-TR474 Manual - Stereo Double Cassette Deck - HiFi Engine

Good luck in your search and I hope you find what you are looking for.
Hi there

That's a very kind offer, are you sure given that someone is looking for over £100?

I'd be glad to take it if you don't want anything for it.
 
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Cassette Decks are extremely rare today. I think you can still find some but the selection is very limited.

Pyle, Tascam, and Similar still make them, but they are indeed rare.

Though there should be many in the Used market, assuming you can trust the seller.

Tascam CD-A550

PyleHome - PT659DU - Home and Office - Digital Tuners - Speaker Selectors - Sound and Recording - Digital Tuners - Speaker Selectors

I saw this last one in the USA for $90, so don't let the Retail Price scare you off. Though I'm not finding it in the UK/EU.

Here we go -

Pyle PT659DU Dual Stereo Cassette Deck with Tape USB to MP3 Converter: Amazon.co.uk: TV

/Pyle-Home PT659DU Dual Stereo Cassette Deck w/Tape USB to MP3 Converter | Thompsons

PYLE PT659DU PRO Dual Cassette Deck with MP3 Conversion

This deck would also give you the option to convert all your cassettes to Digital Music Files.

I had to search long and hard just to find those examples.

CD Players are much easier to find and at very decent prices -

Denon DCD520AE CD Player - Superfi

Yamaha CDS300 CD Player - Superfi

Denon DCD720AE CD Player - Superfi

Marantz CD5005 CD Player - Superfi

If you shop around, you can find better deals -

DENON DCD520Black CD Player

DENON DCD720AESilver CD Player

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO TOPAZ CD5 V4Black CD Player

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO TOPAZ CD10Black CD Player

Again, Cassette are extremely rare.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
Hi there

That's a very kind offer, are you sure given that someone is looking for over £100?

I'd be glad to take it if you don't want anything for it.

Well like I said, you would need to cover postage but hopefully that would be under £10.

The deck is currently in my attic. I will dust it down, check it is all working OK and post some pictures on this thread to give you a feel for the condition. I bought it 2nd hand on Ebay more than 10 years ago. Never missed a bat but I didn't use it much.

If you are still interested and haven't found anything better by then, I will package it up and we can organise shipping. If nothing else it will give you a chance to verify that your amp does indeed work correctly with a "normal" tape deck at relatively low risk.

I suspect some of the decks mentioned by BlueWizard and Eagle 123 might be better specs than this one. I don't think this Technics was particularly hi end, but solid and reliable it was.
 
Well like I said, you would need to cover postage but hopefully that would be under £10.

The deck is currently in my attic. I will dust it down, check it is all working OK and post some pictures on this thread to give you a feel for the condition. I bought it 2nd hand on Ebay more than 10 years ago. Never missed a bat but I didn't use it much.

If you are still interested and haven't found anything better by then, I will package it up and we can organise shipping. If nothing else it will give you a chance to verify that your amp does indeed work correctly with a "normal" tape deck at relatively low risk.

I suspect some of the decks mentioned by BlueWizard and Eagle 123 might be better specs than this one. I don't think this Technics was particularly hi end, but solid and reliable it was.
Thanks mate, I'll drop you a PM in a bit. I'm looking at a couple on eBay, but I overspent on my amp etc after moving house so it may be ideal. Thanks for posting
 
Looks like a good amp. What speakers are you using, out of interest?
 
I also have a pair of BX2's in my attic! Think they are great speakers for the £. I expect the BX1's are excellent too.
 
Well like I said, you would need to cover postage but hopefully that would be under £10.

The deck is currently in my attic. I will dust it down, check it is all working OK and post some pictures on this thread to give you a feel for the condition. I bought it 2nd hand on Ebay more than 10 years ago. Never missed a bat but I didn't use it much.

If you are still interested and haven't found anything better by then, I will package it up and we can organise shipping. If nothing else it will give you a chance to verify that your amp does indeed work correctly with a "normal" tape deck at relatively low risk.

I suspect some of the decks mentioned by BlueWizard and Eagle 123 might be better specs than this one. I don't think this Technics was particularly hi end, but solid and reliable it was.
Thanks mate, I'll drop you a PM in a bit. I'm looking at a couple on eBay, but I overspent on my amp etc after moving house so it may be ideal. Thanks for posting
 
I also have a pair of BX2's in my attic! Think they are great speakers for the £. I expect the BX1's are excellent too.
They are. Think the bass would have merited the extra, but space wise I couldn't do it. Next move, will get something nicer haha
 
Cassette Decks are extremely rare today. I think you can still find some but the selection is very limited.

Pyle, Tascam, and Similar still make them, but they are indeed rare.

Though there should be many in the Used market, assuming you can trust the seller.

Tascam CD-A550

PyleHome - PT659DU - Home and Office - Digital Tuners - Speaker Selectors - Sound and Recording - Digital Tuners - Speaker Selectors

I saw this last one in the USA for $90, so don't let the Retail Price scare you off. Though I'm not finding it in the UK/EU.

Here we go -

Pyle PT659DU Dual Stereo Cassette Deck with Tape USB to MP3 Converter: Amazon.co.uk: TV

/Pyle-Home PT659DU Dual Stereo Cassette Deck w/Tape USB to MP3 Converter | Thompsons

PYLE PT659DU PRO Dual Cassette Deck with MP3 Conversion

This deck would also give you the option to convert all your cassettes to Digital Music Files.

I had to search long and hard just to find those examples.

CD Players are much easier to find and at very decent prices -

Denon DCD520AE CD Player - Superfi

Yamaha CDS300 CD Player - Superfi

Denon DCD720AE CD Player - Superfi

Marantz CD5005 CD Player - Superfi

If you shop around, you can find better deals -

DENON DCD520Black CD Player

DENON DCD720AESilver CD Player

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO TOPAZ CD5 V4Black CD Player

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO TOPAZ CD10Black CD Player

Again, Cassette are extremely rare.

Steve/bluewizard
Forgot to thank you for this post BW, extremely helpful as always!
 
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Got the RS-TR474 out the attic, dusted it down and checked it out.

Unfortunately I only had one tape as my wife threw all our audio tapes out. Except one of religious music that she particularly liked!

However using that tape I was able to verify that both decks playback satisfactorily.
In fact using my old AudioLab 8000a and BX2's I was rather surprised at just how good it sounded.

If you go for it, I hope that you get similar results with the RN-500 and BX1's.

Unfortunately I don't have a blank tape so am not in a position to test the recording functionality, but last time I tried it worked absolutely fine.

Pictures attached. There are a few scratches on the top on the box but they don't look that bad. I have tried to show these in the photos. Also tried to show how to wire up the tape deck by taking photo of the back of the amp. The 8000a supports two tape decks. From the look of the sockets on the back of the RN-500 I think that it also supports two tape decks, so you will need to decide which output to use. I think it would be the one of the ones labelled 2 REC or 3 REC. I would guess that you connect the PB socket on your amp to the output socket on the tape deck and the REC socket on the amp to the input socket on the tape deck but you had better check the RN-500 user guide to confirm.

Absolutely no hurry on this. Take your time have a look around and see what is available, you might find something that is better or suits your needs more. If you want to proceed PM me and I will get postage costs for you. You will be doing me a favour if you take it as I have far too much junk in my attic!
 

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Got the RS-TR474 out the attic, dusted it down and checked it out.

Unfortunately I only had one tape as my wife threw all our audio tapes out. Except one of religious music that she particularly liked!

However using that tape I was able to verify that both decks playback satisfactorily.
In fact using my old AudioLab 8000a and BX2's I was rather surprised at just how good it sounded.

If you go for it, I hope that you get similar results with the RN-500 and BX1's.

Unfortunately I don't have a blank tape so am not in a position to test the recording functionality, but last time I tried it worked absolutely fine.

Pictures attached. There are a few scratches on the top on the box but they don't look that bad. I have tried to show these in the photos. Also tried to show how to wire up the tape deck by taking photo of the back of the amp. The 8000a supports two tape decks. From the look of the sockets on the back of the RN-500 I think that it also supports two tape decks, so you will need to decide which output to use. I think it would be the one of the ones labelled 2 REC or 3 REC. I would guess that you connect the PB socket on your amp to the output socket on the tape deck and the REC socket on the amp to the input socket on the tape deck but you had better check the RN-500 user guide to confirm.

Absolutely no hurry on this. Take your time have a look around and see what is available, you might find something that is better or suits your needs more. If you want to proceed PM me and I will get postage costs for you. You will be doing me a favour if you take it as I have far too much junk in my attic!
PM Sent
 
Well discovered a load more tapes. Including about half a dozen unopened blank tapes. The one religious tape that my wife didn't throw out, she wanted me to digitise so she can have it on Sonos. So I have just been doing that and managed to get pretty good quality digital file recording from the RS-TR474 so that bodes well.

How are you getting on with your hunt for a CD player?
Would you believe it but I found an audiolab 8000 CDE in the attic with the Technics!

This was almost brand new when I bought off ebay but there was a problem with the tray mechanism and it almost drove me crazy so I abandoned it. (Actually forgot that I had it until I went looking for the tape deck and discovered it!). I was a bit hacked off as I paid quite a lot for it (for ebay 2nd hand!). I didn't appreciate the difference between the 8000 CDE and the 8000 CD at the time. The CDE is a lower quality budget model.

If you persist and get the CD disk into the tray, the play back seems OK and some people thought quite well of them ...

Audiolab 8000CDE CD Player | AVR Importers/Distributors

AUDIOLAB 8000CDE - Opinions?

I will take the lid off to have a closer look at the mechanism, could be that it is a simple fix.
If it is a simple fix, I probably wouldn't be giving this away as I paid more for it than the technics tape deck. If the tray can be fixed easily I will put it in the classifieds. Hoping to get the technics parceled up and posted off in the next couple of days!
 
Last edited:
Well discovered a load more tapes. Including about half a dozen unopened blank tapes. The one religious tape that my wife didn't throw out, she wanted me to digitise so she can have it on Sonos. So I have just been doing that and managed to get pretty good quality digital file recording from the RS-TR474 so that bodes well.

How are you getting on with your hunt for a CD player?
Would you believe it but I found an audiolab 8000 CDE in the attic with the Technics!

This was almost brand new when I bought off ebay but there was a problem with the tray mechanism and it almost drove me crazy so I abandoned it. (Actually forgot that I had it until I went looking for the tape deck and discovered it!). I was a bit hacked off as I paid quite a lot for it (for ebay 2nd hand!). I didn't appreciate the difference between the 8000 CDE and the 8000 CD at the time. The CDE is a lower quality budget model.

If you persist and get the CD disk into the tray, the play back seems OK and some people thought quite well of them ...

Audiolab 8000CDE CD Player | AVR Importers/Distributors

AUDIOLAB 8000CDE - Opinions?

I will take the lid off to have a closer look at the mechanism, could be that it is a simple fix.
If it is a simple fix, I probably wouldn't be giving this away as I paid more for it than the technics tape deck. If the tray can be fixed easily I will put it in the classifieds. Hoping to get the technics parceled up and posted off in the next couple of days!

Great, thanks

I'm looking at the the list of CD players Blue Wizard posted and I'm leaning towards the Yamaha CDS300. Seems to tick the boxes for my price range, and if it performs like the amp, I should have a great player for the money. Given I can get it in silver, it will be very aesthetically pleasing enough for my wife too!

I had a look at your Audiolab 8000cde, that looks very nice piece of kit. Out of curiosity, what does your main setup consist of?
 
My current setup is listed in my signature however things are constantly evolving as time and funds allow!
 
Just a post to thank arb70sok for his kind offer, a credit to the forum. Many thanks!
 

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