Tape Guide (Q and A) (Feb. 1972)

Compatibility

Q. I own a Heath AJ-33A stereo tuner and AA-22 stereo amplifier. I am considering purchasing a TEAC A-4010S tape deck and two Pioneer CS-88 speakers. Will these new components be compatible with my present system?

-Thomas P. Ross, APO San Francisco, Calif.

A. I see no reason why your proposed purchases should not tie in properly with your present equipment. In the case of speakers, let me add that choice depends not only on quality and reputation of the speakers but also very much on the individual hearing characteristics and preferences of the listener. In other words, I am saying that you should never buy speakers without listening to them first. (Probably this advice applies to other components as well, but perhaps not as strongly.)

Potpourri

Q. I would appreciate it if you could answer some questions that have been bothering me for some time. (1) Is there any advantage to recording at 15 ips rather than 7 1/2 or 3 3/4 ips? Any disadvantages? (2) Is there any disadvantage to recording music at 1 7/8 ips? (3) When tape becomes old, will crosstalk or distortion occur? Will the tape become brittle, crack, and tear easily? (4) Is there any difference in recording from one machine to another by use of a DIN jack rather than lines from the line output or speaker socket to the line input? Are DIN jack sockets standard on all machines? (5) How does a tape manufacturer rate the amount of feet of tape on a reel? For example, on a box marked 3600 feet, the end tab of the tape lists 2900.4 feet, and there isn't even this amount on the reel. (6) Will a long line from an amplifier or turntable to a tape recorder decrease the quality of the recording compared with a short line? What about a long line from the amplifier to the speakers? (7) When playing my 4-track tape recorder I hear a type of noise in the speakers that sounds similar to surface noise on some records. What could be the cause of this, and how can it be corrected? Could the recorder be recording the noise of the motor on the tape?

-Robert Nelson, Pasadena, Calif.

A. (1) At high tape speeds one gets better frequency response, lower noise, less distortion, and less wow and flutter than at low speeds. (2) The answer to question one also applies to question two. (3) I don't believe that crosstalk and distortion are a function of tape age. Some tapes, particularly acetate, will deteriorate physically. (4) I can't see that the type of jacks employed will affect recording quality. Usually the quality of the signal obtained prior to the speakers is better than the signal at the speaker leads. DIN jacks are not standard on U.S. machines. (5) A 7 1/2-in. reel holds 1200 feet of conventional tape, 1800 feet of 1-mil tape, and 2400 feet of 1/2-mil tape. I suspect an error in the marking on your box, and perhaps on the tape tab. (6) A long line from the signal source to the tape recorder input can result in treble loss, unless the source is of low impedance (about 1,000 ohms or less). A long line from a power amplifier to the speakers may result in a slight loss of power. If you are using #16 or heavier wire, the loss and its consequences (some increase in distortion because the amplifier has to work harder to make up the loss) are apt to be insignificant unless you appreciably exceed 100 feet. (7) You may be hearing noise produced by the electronics of your tape recorder--so-called modulation noise which occurs only in the presence of an audio signal, owing to physical and magnetic irregularities in the tape. Or the noise may be reproduced noise from records which you have copied.

Meter Pegging

Q. Does it hurt to peg the VU meter once or twice (for example by accidentally turning up the volume)?

-Laird Brown, Dayton, Ohio.

A. VU meters are built to stand considerable overload, assuming they are true VU meters rather than some other kind of meter supplied with a VU scale. A true VU meter can continuously withstand a voltage five times as great as that required to drive it to 0 VU; and it can withstand for 1/2 second a voltage 10 times as great as that required to drive it to 0 VU.

(Audio magazine, Feb. 1972; Herman Burstein)

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