The dbx noise reduction system is based on a compression/expansion principle, and the tapes will sound awful if played back without the proper decoding. The only catch is that if you record a tape encoded with dbx, then you need to play it back with a dbx decoder. This is a big improvement over the 10db provided by a Dolby B noise reduction system. Generally speaking, with the exception of some of the early decks, Teacs have withstood the test of time, and have some common, easily repaired faults covered in the ‘pros and cons’ section below.Īs technology progressed, a number of the higher end Teac decks had built in dbx noise reduction, which improved the signal to noise ratio by about 30-35db. It’s a tough call on who sold the most consumer tape decks, Sony, Akai or Teac, as I see about equal amounts of them in for service and for sale. The capstan motor drive, by and large, was belt drive, again, with a few exceptions. Teac was an early adopter of the three motor transport design, meaning that the reel motors were direct drive (with a couple of exceptions), and the transports were therefore relatively simple and reliable. The earliest Teac deck I’ve seen is a 7” stereo tube Concertone made by Teac, and then when Teac became popular in the US in the late 1960s, I’ve serviced a ton of the 4010/6010/7010 models and beyond. (for the record, I have never seen a Teac TD-102) This writeup will concentrate on Teac, the consumer/stereo division, and Tascam, the recording studio/Pro audio division of reel to reels.Īnd a secondary write-up, with additional information: To start with, Wikipedia has a good summary of the origins of Teac and Tascam. Here’s the summary on Teac and Tascam reel to reel tape decks, based on servicing these decks for the last 40+ years.

Trailblazer tapedeck