(Part 2) Best products from r/cassetteculture

When you are looking at replacement earpads, Sony used to charge $35 and there were no third party replacements, but I can recommend these third party earpads in the wrinkled style, the smooth style I just tried this year and I'll stick with the wrinkled pattern. You got a great price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SIK5TQO/

Yep! Pretty straightforward mod. You desolder the trim pot, then solder three wires to the pads where the trim pot was. After that, solder the other end of the three wires to your potentiometer and you're done as far as the sound's concerned. For usefulness/cosmetcs, I cut a hole in my Walkman case to run the wires out, then poked a hole in the side of an Altoids tin, sanded away the rough edges, and threaded the other end of the wires through. Then I drilled a hole in the top of the Altoids tin big enough to get the potentiometer shaft to fit through and spin freely while still being snug. When I was sure of that, that's when I soldered the wires to the pot. Then I hot-glued the pot into the backside of the tin's top lid (it's too small to glue to the tin bottom), being careful not to cover any wires or pads, closed the lid, put down the numbered dial position circle thing (with some gorilla glue to make sure it'd stay in place), and finally put the potentiometer's knob on. Here's the exact pot I used and the Ouija Altoids tin.

The reason I don't trust my handiwork is I didn't have a Dremel for the Walkman case hole, and had to use wire-cutters to snip off bits instead. I sanded it down a little, but I could've done a better job. I'm worried it'll cut the wires over time. The wires themselves are also pretty long (about 18") and prone to tangling. The length is enough that I can keep the Walkman on a belt-clip while holding the Altoids tin at waist-height, but I mostly use it on my desk, so it's pointless. If I make another, I'll halve the length and add a few bands to keep the wires straight and tangle-free.

Unfortunately, there is a torn ribbon cable that connects the tape head to the board. I might try to replace it with wires, but it has 8 conductors!

Otherwise it's got some nice features, like speed control and reverse play. The built-in speakers are also fun.

Amazon product page here.

If money's not too big a concern, and learning how to repair old tape decks doesn't sound like something you have time for- in other words, if the investment of money is easier than an investment of time, you might try and track down one of these. I have a couple, and they work fairly well, eliminating adapters and other such stuff. You just make recordings right onto a thumb drive.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Tascam+CD-A580

https://www.amazon.com/AD-850-Cassette-Player-USB-Recorder-Karaoke/dp/B073R46MDF

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TASCAM-CD-A550-220V-ONLY-AC-CORD-TYPE-CD-CASSETT-DECK-RECORDER/263277529678?hash=item3d4c904a4e:g:ZUoAAOSwZW5Z7jNU

Tascam/Teac are reasonable quality. Marantz at one point made some good things, don't know about the modern ones. like the PMD-300CP. I'm not married to the brand- or any other brand- so am open to hearing about other recommended decks, But there are some brands I've been told to stay away from, namely Io and Pyle. If there are good new decks made by them which don't have a tin-can sound quality, again am open to hearing about it. I just get the sense that Cypher25 is asking as someone who'd understandably like to avoid a steep learning curve as part of digitizing these memories.

In case you're like me and intimidated by some of the maintenance/repairs you might have to do on the older thrift store decks being suggested by others I've had some luck with some recent amazon purchases.

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-CFDS70BLK-Cassette-Boombox-Audio/dp/B01DUF3UVC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1494607670&sr=8-4&keywords=sony+boombox+cassette - I love this one because it looks almost exactly like my first Sony boombox I got in '91. There's a pretty extensive review of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV7gXNZRQnA

https://www.amazon.com/PTTCSM70BT-Bluetooth-Turntable-Recording-Cassette/dp/B00J5XPLTI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494608974&sr=8-3&keywords=pyle+turntable+cd+cassette - this is my main stereo right now. the turntable leaves a lot to be desired but the tape decks are nice. only complaint i have is the decks open a bit slow but that's pretty minor.

Stay away from all the side loading single button decks on Amazon. I started having problems with the one I had after a month.

There are bluetooth transmitters for 3.5mm jacks on Amazon for pretty cheap, just plugging one of these into a better player and pairing your headphones to it seems like a much better alternative.

"Rob Sheffield's fav tapes in 2014" would be more accurate, seems he is making this an annual thing. Seems to stick to only punk/noise rock but interesting and cool nonetheless. Agree about the $5 thing. I think $7-8+ is fine if it's say, a well-made limited chrome tape, but unfortunately it's usually not the case. I still think seeing albums like Madvilliany or Flaming Lips last year for $10+ was silly. Or this nonsense.

That's a really broad question; you're doing a good job, here, by asking specifically for what you need help with. Sadly "how do I get the belt on there" has a broad answer - you just have to keep disassembling until you see a way through.

I really don't mean to be snarky or rude.

"Water based solutions to clean the inside" where did you get this strange notion?

For general cleaning, use 99% isopropyl.

For contacts and switches, use Deoxit.

Basically - if you have specific questions, then people can do their best to help you. There isn't any "HERE'S HOW TO FIX OLD TAPE DECKS" guide out there.

I bought the belt kit for my Sony deck from eBay. I tried searching for your model number but couldn't find anything specific... I'd take it apart and see what the belts look like. I'm guessing they're flat belts, in which case an assortment like this one would be a bargain (I paid more for 4 belts than this whole assortment cost).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HZFE95Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_n0z1Cb5MFEPMM

Best way is to buy a quality cassette deck - there are a ton of options, google around

From there, try to find some sort of audio-to-USB connector/adapter (best audio results will be straight from the white/red audio connectors) or if you can't find a USB adapter, use a red/white to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter & plug it into your PC's microphone-in port, and it should work. Then use a program like audacity to receive the recording

EDIT: I'm thinking something like this

I'm not sure about the quality on this one specifically, but it'll look something like this so definitely look around online

personally I would get a 35mm to RCA cable like this one and plug it into the line in at the back of your deck. No need for separate mic headphone jacks. But yes, your iphone should work great for this purpose!

If you're looking for cassettes you can still buy new, the Sony HF and the Maxell UR are your best bet. They're perfectly fine for recording onto, not the greatest tapes in the world obviously but they get the job done.

I think walmart sells Maxell UR's in store as well, if you want to buy them in person.

I'm gonna let you in on my little secret this little thing from Martha Stewart has saved me countless hours Mini Scoreboard best $10 I have ever spent.

I highly recommend picking up one of these mini perforators. It makes your folds much cleaner and prevents wrinkling. I also use a ruler to make sure the lines are straight when I'm perforating.

http://www.amazon.com/Tonic-Studios-806-Rotary-Perforator/dp/B000641G9Y

Walkman

I just got this one. I like it. Super cheap. Plays tapes fine.