Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: TEAC AD-800 Tapedeck by zomax

Model:	AD-800
Category:	Tapedeck
Suggested Retail Price:	$250
Description:	Compact Disc Player/Reverse Cassette Deck with USB Playback and Recording
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available

Review by zomax on August 15, 2010 at 20:07:26
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for the AD-800

I was looking for a compact and low-price cd player for my second system. When I saw this model, I was intrigued by not just the tape deck but also the ability to record directly to USB from either the tape deck or a line in. Here are my impressions after a few days of playing/recording:

CD playback was adequate -- about what I was expecting for a player of this price-range. Several cds that gave the previous player I was using (a 10 year old Panasonic portable cd player) skipping problems sailed through on this player with ease.

Tape playback was surprisingly good. Rush Chronicles and Nirvana's Nevermind, both of which have been sitting around gathering dust for 15 years sounded crisp and surprisingly dynamic. It's also great to be able to operate the tape playback using the remote.

Recording: My mother-in-law had asked for a digital recording of her Edith Piaf records, so I thought I'd try that first. (Since she's given me some excellent Beatles, Miles Davis and other great records, it's the least I can do.) I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to operate the recording functions by remote -- no more running over to mark the track or stop recording! (Obviously, you have to go over to drop the needle on the turntable, but otherwise, it can all be done by remote).

After the recording was finished and I played back the recording from the USB on the TEAC (it can also play the MP3s on the USB stick), I realized that some of the track markings were off -- apparently you have to hit the button immediately when the prior song ends. This is annoying (especially when you're trying to record Edith Piaf where its seems like every other song just when you think it's over she comes roaring back for one last refrain). This is not an issue when recording tapes, however, as the player conveniently pauses the tape playback while the track marker is being set and resumes playback when it is set (though I have not tried recoding to tapes).

Second drawback that I realized when playing back the MP3s on my computer through headphones: 128kbs does not cut it. Edith actually sounded fairly good (probably given that the original recording already sounds like it's am radio), but after I recorded some Nirvana, there was no ignoring the telltale wishy washy cymbals of low-rez digital. Unfortunately 128kbs is the only option -- this will obviously be a deal-breaker for anyone looking to make serious digital recordings of their analogue sources.

Still for someone looking to make digital recordings of a record/tape collection for someone who's not a serious audiophile, it would be a great option. Also, I plan to experiment with buying a $25 USB stick that has a built-in mp3 player. This way I can just record and not have to transfer anything, then use the cheap mp3 player when I'm jogging or somewhere where I don't want to worry about losing my iphone and am not overly concerned about the sound quality.

Product Weakness:	-MP3s are limited to 128kbs<br>-slow to mark tracks while recording vinyl<br>-no digital output
Product Strengths:	-ability to create MP3s from analogue to USB stick<br>-ability to operate recording functions by remote<br>-solid cd playback<br>-excellent tape playback<br>-ability to adjust recording level/pitch<br>-headphone jack and headphone volume level

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Topping TP31
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): TEC TC-754
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Music Hall MMF-5/Shure VNMxR/Jico SAS Stylus
Speakers: Triangle Titus ES
Cables/Interconnects: random
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Edith Piaf; Nirvana; Rush
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Topping TP31
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	TEC TC-754
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Music Hall MMF-5/Shure VNMxR/Jico SAS Stylus
Speakers:	Triangle Titus ES
Cables/Interconnects:	random
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Edith Piaf; Nirvana; Rush
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner