Advantages: Great sound quality, good set of features, three heads Disadvantages: No remote control
Many people seem to think that cassette tapes, and analogue audio in general, have had their day. For me though, I have so many cassettes that converting them to a digital format is impractical, and buying CD copies or paying to download them, too expensive. Unfortunately, the quality of cassette decks in most mini-hifi systems these days is very poor - the cynic in me wonders if this is a deliberate ploy to stimulate sales of CD recorders and other more "hi-tech" gadgetry.
Hence, I bought this machine for the grand sum of £10 second hand. I believe it retailed for under £100 new, though I suspect it has been discontinued now.
I will begin with the playback side of things. When I first started using this machine, I suddenly found myself listening to lots of old pre-recordedcassettes I had not dug out for years. OK, so they were ...
Advantages: Takes regular sized audio cassettes, double-time recording, inexpensive model Disadvantages: Needs to be used close to sound-source, a bit bulky for some tastes
I always wanted a dictaphone as a child. Largely, I admit, for slightly dubious reasons (i.e. I wanted to plant it in my big sister's bedroom and find out if she was talking about me.) Many years on, as a student, I finally received one as a birthday gift so that I could record important lectures. This certainly did come in handy during those classes that, however hard I tried to stay alert, had me head down and drooling on the desk within minutes.
The Sony TCM-200DV Cassette-Corder (or 'dictaphone' to you and me) is a fairly basic model compared to some products on the market - but it does what it says on the tin and it does it to a perfectly acceptable standard.
The machine is silver (with a charcoal grey back panel and battery compartment) and weighs in at 171g - it's roughly the same size as a cassette-playing personal stereo ...
Advantages: Variable recording time, mains compatible Disadvantages: No tape counter
I paid about £35 for this cassetterecorder, which may be better described as a dictating machine.
The machine is attractively packaged, having a black and silver case and weighs about 275g. It measures approx 11cm by 4cm by 9cm, taking a standard cassette size, as opposed to the micro ones. This should mean that the overall quality is better but you pay for the size and bulk of the thing. It's as heavy, and the same size, as your average Walkman.
The voice operated recording (VOR) works fine and the sliding switch on the front to vary the recording time gives 'Normal' and 'Double', effectively doubling the amount of recording time you can use. The microphone is a built-in electret condenser mic and is mono. Again, this does the job as an effective dictating machine but not alot else.
The Record button is at the side but above ...
Product Information for "Sanyo Cassette recorder" »
Audio system
Sound Output Mode
Mono
Speaker system
Speaker(s)
1 x mixed channel - built-in - 200 mW
Cassette system
Type
Cassette recorder
Control Type
Mechanical
Cassette Capacity
1
Supported BIAS Types
Normal
Response Bandwidth
400 - 4000 Hz
Signal-To-Noise Ratio
30 dB
Features
Cue and review controls
Connections
Connector Type
1 x headphones ( mini-phone mono 3.5 mm )
1 x microphone ( mini-phone mono 3.5 mm )
Manufacturer's product description
Sanyo offers TRC-3680 compact mini cassette recorder is ideal for on-the-go usage. It offers quick record/quick review feature and provides audible end-of-tape signal in record mode. The recorder includes easy-to-operate slide control for Record and Playback. Cue and review functions allow for quick location of recorded materials. LED Record/Battery Level indicator displays the recorder status.
