Need advice on buying a tape recorder

Ello~
i've been looking around trying to buy a tape recorder that has a good enough sound quality but i'm not really sure what to look for in the way of features. The kind i'm looking for would be one that can record fuzz free, or with less fuzz then most. that you can record lectures with on a normal (not micro) tape. i'm actualy going to be using it for sending tape letters to friends... kind of the same concept though ^_^.

anywhoo, what feature should i look for in a tape recorder that will get me good sound quality? *lol* you can tell i'm new at this (recorder shopping), but if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them.

thanks

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Originally Posted by mahogohney

Ello~
i've been looking around trying to buy a tape recorder that has a good enough sound quality but i'm not really sure what to look for in the way of features. The kind i'm looking for would be one that can record fuzz free, or with less fuzz then most. that you can record lectures with on a normal (not micro) tape. i'm actualy going to be using it for sending tape letters to friends... kind of the same concept though ^_^.

anywhoo, what feature should i look for in a tape recorder that will get me good sound quality? *lol* you can tell i'm new at this (recorder shopping), but if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them.

thanks

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Sounds like you haven't been involved with tape recorders for many, many years. They've evolved considerably over the years to where today, just about ANY cassette deck you can buy is capable of excellent performance - especially for recording speech as opposed to recording Hi-Fi music.

The only other advice that I can offer would be to NOT pay more than a minimal amount for a deck. The reason is that paying a higher price will only yield more features and possibly SLIGHTLY better performance when recording music - not better build quality. Also, be advised that recording sound on magnetic tape is a technology that's in decline, and it won't be coming back!

Hope this helps you

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Originally Posted by woodman

Sounds like you haven't been involved with tape recorders for many, many years. They've evolved considerably over the years to where today, just about ANY cassette deck you can buy is capable of excellent performance - especially for recording speech as opposed to recording Hi-Fi music.

The only other advice that I can offer would be to NOT pay more than a minimal amount for a deck. The reason is that paying a higher price will only yield more features and possibly SLIGHTLY better performance when recording music - not better build quality. Also, be advised that recording sound on magnetic tape is a technology that's in decline, and it won't be coming back!

Hope this helps you

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*lol thanks for the advice. I've never really had the need for a tape deck until now, but it's good to know it wont be going flakey on me ^_~.

Buy a used cassette deck with microphone inputs. (It'll probably have to be at least 15 years old to find one with mike inputs.)

You will need a tape recorder that can operate on both batteries so that you can record lectures and on AC power to conserve batteries when you are home making audio letters. Be aware that when you record a lecture, all of the echoes of the lecture hall will get picked up by the microphone so try to sit as close to the lecturer as possible or if he uses a PA system, as close to one of the speakers as you can get.

I like Radio Shack 14-1123 which usually sells for $70 but is sometimes on sale for $50. It's been around in various versions for many years and seems rugged, light weight, has a built in speaker, microphone, but you can use an external mike or telephone pickup coil. The sound is fine although I wouldn't recommend it for recording musical concerts but for voice it is just what I need. Similar versions I've used also has an automatic level control so you don't have to worry about adjusting the mike level and jacks for earphones, external mike, power, even an on off switch. It also has built in voice actuated start stop so that you don't waste tape when the lecturer is not speaking for a while. It uses a standard audio cassette.

i have two recommendations for you.....

marantz professional has a new flash card recorder that records directly onto a media card that you can plug directly into your computer and transfer your files into your computer..... really cool!.... but not cheap.... about $800 street price

http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1582

marantz also carries a professional line of portable cassette decks that many field reporters use for interviews... they are very durable and built very well..... the pmd201 goes for about $200...

http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.a...8&SubCatID=174

cheers!