2. vintage
  3. 181567-68726

Pioneer CT-F1250 Cassette Deck - Please help

In my desperate search for a good cassette deck, I just got Pioneer CT-F1250.I also have Yamaha K 850 and Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2, both 2-head. I really like an idea of using a deck, which i consider much easier and convenient than managing with turntables and LPs while the difference is SQ can be not that much. 

Cosmetically, CT-F1250 looks very good, mechanics also seem to work fine. The problem is in SQ though, there is an obvious luck of middle and hight frequencies, dynamics and soundstage are not good as weel, sometimes the sound just almost disappears accompanied with a strong distortion (at the beginning the left channel was just silent, after a few minutes of use the sound appeared and remains stable).There no comparison with Nakamichi CD 2 (the Yamaha is out of order now), in mid-high frequencies and soundstage as well.<This is surprising as  Pioneer CT-F1250 is supposedly a much better deck. I have a quite limited time to return it, but before doing so, I, of course, would like to know if the problem can be settled somehow (service/repair). The heads look fine, but I suggest, that if the problem is with the head(s) then this is just hopeless (replacing the heads seem to me unrealistic). Can the luck of mid-high frequencies be caused by other things (like capacitors etc.), or it is most probably  that the heads  are no more good? 

Thanks in advance for your input! 

 

128x128niodari
niodari's avatar
niodari OP
299 posts
 

I also suggested that it should not be the heads, in fact they look quite good. I cleaned once again all the interior parts that i could access without disassembling the deck and tried to calibrate bias, level and equalizer according to the manual. Bias and level calibration worked well, i was not able to calibrate equalizer. I have no test type. I don't know what precisely helped but the deck now works almost well. Sometimes I need to stop and play again and mids and highs return. Even though it is not functioning 100%, i can already hear a superior type of reproduction it gives. In fact, it is difficult for me to say whether I like more a CD or cassette reproduction with this deck, CD is cleaner but the cassettes give somewhat more analog realist sound. Given this and that this is one of the most good looking (if not the most good looking) decks, i decided to keep it. 

@garryfreeman , thanks for your post. I have now a better idea what things need be arranged. 

ericvm
37 posts
 

Sounds like a capacitor discharging in the circuit. You can try and leave it on for a few days and see if that helps the old caps. It's worth trying. Remember some of these old vintage gear have not been fired up electronically for years apon years. It's worth trying, It's worked for me.

niodari's avatar
niodari OP
299 posts
 

Thanks for the advice. It is worth to try.

This Deck sounds and also records surprisingly good (when it works properly). To me, the sound is often more pleasing than CD and even LP equivalent. 

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