Cassette Deck??

besides nakamichi and revox decks since they are the high end among decks, you might want to try to get a hold of a TASCAM 122 MK 2 or similar deck. It's a pro deck. It's a great sounding and recording deck. You can adjust pitch like you would a turntable. It was originally a 1250 deck, but you might get lucky and get it under $500. Another deck I owned that was well made is the AKAI GX 70. Pioneer made some real good decks as well. A deck that uses cobalt/amorphous heads with at least 3 heads are the best made. How good your deck sounds is based on the types of heads are used. That is why nakamichi and revox are well noted!

You might find that after many years the sound has deteriorated. The metal particals on tape will over time go back to there normal alignment. I have noticed this on all the tapes I ever made with my NAK 680ZX. After so many plays and just sitting around (even after 1 year)you can tell a big difference when you play the LP again and listen to an older tape you made with the same LP. They might be fun to listen to. Recording studios usally go thru a special process to keep the master tapes from deteriorating.
Joe Nies

I just picked up an old Marantz cassette deck at an estate sale. Had to buy some new belts to install in it, and for about 20 bucks I'm set. I only had 1 cassette tape so I went to Goodwill and picked up a surprising variety of great music to listen to for 59 cents each. Some sound excellent, others very compressed. It was fun going through the process, and it will now go to the basement system for an occasional listen. It may be stone age fodder, but it put a smile on my face.

Great comment, Abucktwoeighty! I have been advocating that
same experience on most "cassete-oriented" threads, but I
always get blasted for it. Many believe that vinyl is the
only analog medium worth exploring. They're wrong! As you pointed out, thrift stores sell cassettes cheap.Rasputin's and Amoeba (SF Bay area) also routinely blow them out at 4/1$. Many are brand new, and sound like it. I bought a
still-sealed cassette of Sinatra's "Nice and Easy" album and it made me realize how right I have been about the
sound of a well-recorded cassette on a Nakamichi deck.

How many of those decks can you still get parts for. I don't believe the Revox uses belts, and the way it's built will keep it in spec for a long time. Can anyone comment on the Revox?