2. cables
  3. 152687-101473

So I gained a few pounds and that lost love!

My casual dress coats from 15 years ago no longer fit me. Yes, I have grown more around than up. I would rather spend my money on audio related expenses than a new suit. Went to the local Goodwill and found 2 retro sport jackets. Pretty cool. $7.99 a piece. A little dry cleaning and good to go. While there, I find a Sony tape deck. Aha moment! My Grateful Dead bootlegs have been sitting nicely stored for the last 15 years. Not listened to once. $12.99 for the deck. Needs some cleaning, plug it in, everything seems in fine order. What the heck. Let's do this. Heck of alot lot risky than an $800 Nakamichi. Set it up and wow! Not talking about the quality of the sound. Talking about putting on a side that flow seemlessly for 90 minutes as only the Dead and a few others could do. 
So this is my question. In the end, it is an 80s tape deck. It can only be so good. I have made relatively economical cable and power cord upgrade purchases over the last year. Have been sticking with Morrow and Schmitt Custom Audio. Been very happy with those purchases. Clearly better than stock cords or Monster cables. 
However, does it make any sense to spend a couple hundred dollars to upgrade RCA cables for an 80s Sony tape deck? I highly doubt it will make any difference. I suspect that I should just enjoy this alternative source for what it is and let sleeping dogs lie. Anyone out there ever contemplate this?
ricmci
atdavid
736 posts
 
Or does an expensive pair of shoes and slacks change the fact it is a $8 sport coat? 


Do you really think $200 of cables is an appropriate way to upgrade a $13 tape deck of middling quality? If you want people to tell you it is, this would be the place for that. If you want someone to say that in no world is the cable the weak link ....
teo_audio
2,197 posts
 
It was not always a $8 sport coat. At one time it was probably a $400 sport coat and it very likely retains the qualities of the $400 sport coat.

The suggestion, if a cable is the item of choice... is to consider a used cable for the used deck. At a price range that might be more appropriate for the scale of possible improvements at hand. Who knows.

The big problem is that used old decks, unless evaluated and serviced... can fail at any time, due to old belts, parts and whatnot.
atdavid
736 posts
 
And that $13 tape deck was once a $200 tape deck, and those $200 speakers were once state of the art $1200-$1500 speakers. A $200 cable is not going to turn a discarded Sony into a Nakamichi, and the simple act of buying those speakers isn't going to imbue them with 30 years of technical advances no matter how many people like their colorations.
1988eldorado
37 posts
 
Why polish that t*rd with Hermes silk when you can use a paper towel?
jnorris2005
185 posts
 
Watch out, Millercarbon is back to shilling snake oil!

No, expensive cables on an '80's era cassette do not make sense.  Especially if this is one of those dual-deck Dolby C abominations.  Let the dogs lie.
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