Serviced and Calibrated 3 Head tape deck, Dolby S, by Sony.

Please note if you buy a non calibrated deck you will end up paying more on Chromium Dioxide or Metal tapes to get the right sound. Also the belts can go on these after some years especially if they have been stored in a warm room. I have both serviced it and calibrated it so it will perform as it should and new belts have been fitted.

This deck had the following service:


1. New Belts installed
2. Partially Lubricated with synthetic Lube
3. Azimuth Adjusted and set in place
4. Output Levels set to 0db
5. Recording Levels adjusted to Balance L & R channels
6. Adjusted motor speed using a calibrated tape to 3000Khz and checked via a frequency analyser app.
6. BIAS Calibration on both L & R channels.
( For Bias, I used a Normal Tape by RTM, you can buy one on Amazon if required as seen on last photo( not included on the sale ). I set everything 12 oclock( middle ) so when you record with such a tape the input BIAS matches the recorded Output Bias so basically what comes in the deck matches the recorded output in both volume as well as tone. This way you don't need very expensive tapes to create great recordings. I spend nearly 15 minutes per deck doing this using my BeyerDynamic DT770 headphones.

You can see on the video you can hardly hear any difference between Monitor and Tape. You still have more manual adjustments if needed from the front knobs to match your tape's characteristics. If you use Dolby S, you can make almost CD quality quite recordings with minimum hiss.

I do recommend NORMAL TYPE tapes. Do not use type II or Metal ones, they are very expensive and adding extra treble you do not need.

It comes with a basic remote control that will operate the following functions:

Cosmetically it is in good condition. There are some marks underneath the deck as in the last photo.

 
( I have a few 3 head decks for sale, all calibrated and serviced )

FEATURING:

  1. 3 Head Tape Deck
  2. 2 Motor Transport
  3. Auto Calibration Button
  4. Remote Control
  5. Dolby S
  6. Fine Adjustments( Level, Balance, Bias )
  7. Search 1, 2 , 3 etc songs forward or Backwards


Side Note...

I have been fascinated with 3 head tape decks since the early 90s and I was sure that you can get a perfect sound from them creating
high quality recordings if you spend the time adjusting the player to specific standards using the internal pots on the motherboard and your ears!. Every deck I heard did not impress me so I had to find a way to make it work for me by correctly calibrating them. I could not get the perfect recording with Dolby B or even C so I was glad Sony introduced Dolby S into their decks something that almost reduced hiss to a minimum and allowed me to finally have a clear crystal sound on my home studio recordings. Most tapes that you buy nowadays are new old stock that might have sat in a warehouse for 20 years but I have tried new stock such as this RTM tape( not cheap ) with incredible results. 

My next project is to use this RTM tape with reel to reel cassette inserts...I just need to invest in a splicing and glueing tape mechanism.



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This Sony TC-K500S 3 Head Cassette Tape Deck is a great addition to any home audio system. With its SERVICED & CALIBRATED state, you can rest assured that you'll be getting high-quality sound from your cassettes. The deck comes with new belts, ensuring that it's ready for years to come.