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br>br>I bought this unit in the hopes of converting some old cassette tapes to digital format and saving them. The unit couldn't handle noise reduction features (such as Dolby B and C) on older cassettes, and the digitized output via the USB port sounded warbly (as if it were being played underwater). Rewinding takes an eternity (with longer cassettes, the drive motor appears to be working overtime), and two-thirds of the time is spent rewinding. 90-minute recording I experimented with one-minute cassettes. It ate the first two self-recorded cassettes, but it recorded single cassettes. The "B" door and buttons appeared to function properly, and it performed admirably in commercial situations. When a cassette was loaded, the "A" door would not close and the push buttons would not stay engaged right out of the box. The buttons on this unit are mechanical rather than electronic, and the quality of the assembly was poor.
MARANTZ PROFESSIONAL PMD 300CP PORTABLE
br>br>Secondly, the tape drives, rollers, and heads are no better than those found in a much less expensive portable cassette player. br>br>First, the tape drives, rollers, and heads are no better than those found in a much less expensive portable cassette player (my Sony Walkman was far superior). I don't think I've ever made a 1-star review before. br>br>Avoid using this cassette deck (as well as Ion and Pyle). This does not bode well for Gibson fans now that ImMusic has acquired the company. You're getting a low-cost, rebranded product that wasn't designed or engineered by Marantz and only bears the Marantz name.
MARANTZ PROFESSIONAL PMD 300CP PROFESSIONAL
br>br>In other words, when you buy something branded with the Marantz Professional badge, you're not getting a Marantz or Marantz quality. The build quality is mediocre, and the ejection mechanism is painfully slow. The sound quality during playback and recording was poor, with a lot of wow and flutter. br>br>And how does this deck look? This isn't ideal. side, you'll notice that each deck has the same layout). The specs are identical, and InMusic charges more because of the Marantz name's value, but you're getting a rebranded Ion, which is a rebranded Pyle, and pretty much every other cassette deck currently available on the market (put the decks side by side). What's the difference between a Marantz Professional cassette deck and an Ion cassette deck? In the neighborhood of $40.
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As a result, while Marantz and Denon continued to design and sell mid- and high-end home audio equipment, InMusic designed, manufactured, and rebranded low-cost, entry-level equipment under the Ion and Marantz Professional brands. InMusic purchased the Marantz Professional and Denon Professional brands from Marantz. ) ) I'll most likely put this unit in a bedroom or office for "casual" listening and continue my search for a better unit.ĭ made his debut in the year 2014. (In some cases, this may be a good thing. You won't be able to compare what you hear from this unit to what you heard from your old hi-fi system. You will be disappointed if you use the 300CP to play your old cassette tapes. However, I must inform any potential buyer that if, like me, you are purchasing the PMD-X, there are a few things to keep in mind. The system I now use to listen to music is far more accurate and powerful than the one I proudly displayed in my first apartment, revealing more detail as well as flaws. My ears may have become accustomed to hearing fairly antiseptic "digital" sound after listening to 300CP. br>br>To be fair to Marantz, I haven't listened to some of the cassette tapes I tried in the PMD-100 in a long time. Because it's lightweight and has a cheap, "plastic-like" finish, it doesn't seem like it'll last very long. The unit appears to be poorly constructed as well. Similarly, this machine allows you to switch between "Normal" and "CrO2" in terms of playback bias, but neither sounded particularly clear or faithful to the originals in my opinion. I was also unable to select the newer Dolby HX format (despite the fact that I don't have much material encoded in this manner). You can't use Dolby B or C noise reduction settings on cassettes recorded with these older technologies, for example. I understand that some of it isn't exactly "audiophile" quality, but it should still be enjoyable to listen to, right? The PMD-related issue br>br> The problem with 300CP is that it severely restricts both noise reduction and playback bias. But the main reason I bought this device was to be able to listen to music from my old cassette tapes, which contain irreplaceable material from the past (yes, stuff recorded before most of the readers were born, in the 1970s and 1980s).
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Yes, it can play cassette tapes and record to new cassette tapes (if you have any on hand). As others have stated, this cassette deck is not what one would expect from a reputable brand such as Marantz.
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