Onkyo TA-R401 Auto-Reverse Cassette Player/Recorder

Onkyo was truly a household brand in the 1980s.  Associated with excellent quality and reasonable prices, the company leveraged its unique Japanese history as a speaker manufacturer to wiggle its way into every facet of consumer listening. In 1991, cassette tapes were still at the top of the hifi audio market.  New technologies were being used to the cassette format to improve signal quality and reduce "hiss," to a point where cassette recordings were sometimes referred to as superior to their LP counterparts.  Of course, CDs changed all of that, but cassettes are making a comeback today as they allow for a special "analog" recording platform for small, lesser-known artists.

The TA-R401 is a single-well, auto-reverse cassette player/ recorder with Dolby B, C, and HX-Pro noise reduction. The drive mechanism powered by dual motors, one for playback and the other for FF and RW. The playback motor is servo controlled to the best possible speed accuracy.  The 2-head unit auto biases for Normal Type I, CRo2, and Metal tapes.  And the horizontal LED signal strength meters provide an easy to read and lively visual display.  Recording and playback quality are both excellent from this unit.  It has also been fully cleaned and serviced by our tape-head specialist, Tom B. 

$149 (plus applicable shipping and/or MA sales tax)