Technics RS-B100: Massively Dynamic Premium Cassette Recorder! 

Errata corrige: 1) amorphous heads are surely long-life heads but the name actually indicates the fact that the metal is crystal-less, amorphous, i.e. without a shape. 2) Dynamic range with dbx isn't 96dB but 110dB (at 1Khz)!

The Technics people made some SERIOUS decks, I'm a proud owner of an RS M85MKII. I've had mine recapped with blackgate caps (now RIDICULOUSLY priced), and I'm in another QUADRANT! 👍

Well, I bought that cassette deck in 1985 after listening it together with the reel to reel and the honeycomb monitors at the Plaza Carolina's Mall in PR , Technics' Showroom...I got it since then with the 8066 Equalizer, etc, etc...they are in pristine condition, and it have been used for recording professional samples no more than 60 times...I use a very special metal tape from TDK with a metal frame with almost no friction, as per it's Service Manual reach 110db in the dbx mode...indeed a very good deck that rivals the Nakamichi's Dragon and the Revox at those golden years...a pleasure to see a passionate review. My respects...

I am 53 yrs old, and grew up with cassettes and 8-tracks, unfortunately no turntables. The machine that I lusted after when I was in my late teens/early 20s was the Nakamichi Dragon, but a CR-7A will do nicely. In the end, bought an Akai GX-52 (lusted after the GX-92) which served me (very) well till the early 2010s.... It's a pity the skill to record PROPERLY on analog cassettes is a dying art. In my days, it is a necessary skill. Good video.... keep the skill alive! PS: I still have a Nakamichi Demagnetizer (AC powered) and a TDK cassette-shaped demagnetizer.... Happy days.....

Even normal bias cassettes (preferably TDK) recorded on a deck like this is jaw dropping in sound! And making a normal bias tape for friends will sound great on their "lesser" tape players! But "high bias chrome" and "metal" tapes are close to MASTER quality on a deck of this caliber!

I have had a Technics RS-6 Tape Deck since 1984. It is part of my first mid-size sound system, as a gift from my parents for my 15th birthday. Since then I have never stopped using the DBX system to record my tapes. I have never used Dolby noise reducers as they are useless and lacking in quality. Until now and since then the cassette player has never failed. Luckily in case the mechanism fails, I can continue to use it as a decoder since it has the "DBX Disc" function. Although I won't be able to use it to record, I will be able to listen to already recorded cassettes, since I can use another cassette deck as a source and use the cassette deck with DBX Disc as a decoder. I have tested it and it works perfectly. Long Live DBX. God Save the DBX!!!

WOW!!! Diana Krall sounds sweet! Frequency Response: 15Hz to 25kHz (Metal tape) Signal to Noise Ratio: 92dB (DBX) 800 Euros now on ebay. After that 2000 Euros LOL! The problem with those great machines is that after all these years need professional care - recap- cleaning - regrease - relube. Not so many technicians know what to do with them any more. And if the full logic microcontroller is dead that's it...

I own a Technics RS-M253X (3 Heads, Amorphous Heads, dbx & Dolby B&C, from 1984) - I had it serviced once back in 2005 and it's still phenomenal - a metal tape with dbx is glorious.

I have two sets of RS-6 with dbx that I bought in mid 80s. I bought them because I had digital drums and synthesizers with sample sounds with higher dynamics. With dbx I can retain the same dynamics when recording and playback. The RS-6 is a compact design meant to be stacked as a hi-fi system. I still have them both and still working.

Wow, that deck sounds so good!

According to the datasheet of a Technics RS-B965 deck, if we record without or with Dolby NR B or C, the recording level (for normal and Type II cassettes) should be at the Dolby sign, it is +3dB. For metal tapes, +6 dB is allowed. Using dbx, for normal and TypeII cassettes peak can be +5dB and for metal tapes it can achieve +8dB. These values are only for the peaks! At this deck, the APRS button (some kind of peak hold) is very useful to find this peak amplitude.

Interesting, just found out a Denon deck that I picked for ridiculously cheap has amorphous heads. We all learn new things every day! 👌

I have a technics RS-M255x 2 head deck, I recorded using DBX on a maxell UR 90, the sound is absolutely amazing, forget dolby S, DBX is a whole new world even with cheap and nasty tapes

Awesome video! This is so amazing C-Cassette Deck! 😆

What a nice Deck.. so sophisticated piece.. love it. I also much love tape deck sounds vs digital.. the character is so unique, espc my nak600 and sony 177sd.. they have bold mid sound, and nit harsh in high freq. I record by self with type II cassettes, and it produce low noise without dolby set up.. my nak610 preamp really help me in set up tone and input/output balance.. viva tape decks!

Super cool deck! I have a Pioneer deck with DBX and it makes phenomenal recordings. I wish DBX had caught on, I would love to have a collection of pre-recorded tapes encoded with it.

As a dealer back then...making me cry...

Thanks for sharing this demo. I have an RS-B965 that I purchased last year and could never workout how to calibrate it correctly, although I never really did much research on how to either. This was a very informative video you did on the process and this morning first go I was able to calibrate mine correctly for the tape I was using. Thanks.

EXCELLENT DECK indeed. I have a Technics RS-B965 (the "best Technics cassette deck ever constructed" according themselves), which has dbx system along with HX Pro headroom extension system, 3 heads and DIGITAL DD Quartz Lock Closed Loop Dual Capstan and a lot of features, top of the line in 1991 (Digital Reference Series). And also a RS-T80R double auto reverse double recording cassette deck, also with dbx, from the same year of the RS-B100. Your model is the only top of line cassette deck from Technics with the dbx disc system.

Great Video.. Another new user and subscriber to your channel. I've got the RS-BX808 in my setup which I've had from new, and it still sounds great even now.

17:45 Darn that's nice. It sounds like Dianna is right in the room with you. Like a small jazz club.

Absolutely loved this video! I am, have always been, a "Tape Deck" man within the world of superior analog Hi-Fi. I was born in 1970 & grew up during the Golden Age of Hi-Fi Stereo. Although I started out a Pioneer fan(still love my old Pioneer decks, receivers & monitors) there were different brands & models I wanted to acquire since I was in grade-school because my cousin had them or my friends. A few yrs ago I acquired a Technics RS-M45 which is technically one of Technics' "Compact" decks or "Bookshelf" decks as it's dimensions are smaller than the avg decks of the era. But, this very attractive silver-face deck has Direct Drive & is Metal Tape capable. It is of the 2-Head variety so, I use it strictly for playback only thru a strong, restored 1977 Kenwood KA-7100 Integrated Amplifier now pushing over 70wpc & utilizing two separate power sources, one for each channel giving this beautiful, rich, full sound with a pair of 1982-83 Sansui S-917 3-Way floor monitors which are in amazingly perfect condition. So, that is my cassette deck rig & I have to say I love my Technics RS-M45 deck & would never part with it and it's got me looking for more Technics decks. Love this vid and am now subscribed to your channel. Looking forward to more Tape deck vids & I'll be back to tell about my "Recording Rig" & my JVC TD-V661 3HEAD Tape deck.

Can’t go wrong with technics they are the best of the best for decks for me

I love the new intro, it has my open reel deck AKAI GX-635D featured as well! nice.

What a beautiful technics tape deck classic nice bro 👍😎🔥🔥

mid'80's was a great time ...., and it looks like humanity regressing... if compeer it to tape recording...

It's a Nakamichi-breaker for sure ! Absolute amazing deck. What a sound! You are a lucky man!

Wow. I never knew his would be such a good deck. Judging by the model number I assumed a very low end low spec model. I owned a lot of Technics decks, including a RS-B555. A good DD deck, unfortunately only 2 heads.

Hi and congrats again mon ami...the Technics? she's a bella! one need only compare what you just played on even the restricted u tubescale with other transmissions to still hear the difference. Miss Kralla sound's as if she's here with me...in the evening...Guido, what (ha) have you DONE! Magnificent, thank you my friend.

I used this Technics deck to play back some of my dbx encoded cassettes. Night Ranger's Sister Christian - especially the gated drum finale - sounds epic on this deck.

Ok...now you've gone and done it! You've made me want to get my Tascam 112R MKII re-belted! THANK YOU!! Hoping it won't cost me a grip! Cheers, and thanks for the great videos!!

Guys, I'm listening with my cheep desktop speakers and once the Diana Krall started I was surprised how good it sounded. I had an RSM275x back in the day, I think it was an earlier model top of the line Technics tape deck and I wish I still had it. sigh!

Definitely in my top 5 wishlist.

I have the RS-B85 - not Quartz lock but still incredible. Best sounding deck I have owned. Of course would love the Quartz lock but the wow and flutter is still incredibly low on this unit .

Hi from the USA. Keep up the good work.

thank you for this....fantastic film

I have Pioneer CT-S740S in perfect condition which I buy new in shop 1995. I love him and I say myself that I never sold him. I've had a lot of offers to sell, but it's at my place today and it plays perfectly. In these days it cost me 880 DM (Deutsche Mark), I have a bill still today in archive.

Having the RS-905, i can confirm, if you don't found out, that the dolby indicator, as mentionned in the manual is the limit recording gain when using dolby. It seems that the dolby add a little head room but i would avoid going after this end only at this level for peaks values, because after that you start analog compression! The best sounding is got at -10db loudness range (RMS signal gain), I did the error in my last mixtape, i used 0db + db peaks with a -3db loudness range, and they seems a little compressed!!!

Got myself one today at the thrift store. my jaw hit the floor when i saw the price $50. my smile was ear to ear walking out that front door. it does need a new belt/idler wheel, but if i play 60 length tapes, itll play with some encouragement.

I have a nakamichi cassete deck 1 and iam very happy. Sounds great and with Dolby C you got a very good dynamic range.

Excellent !

Technics Was the best Manufacturer In Tapes decks At that period I was enjoying Recording tapes Because the clarity of the sound Dynamic was exceptional Compare to other machines

Great information!

Sounds incredible. Even over U Tube

I owned a high end Akai and Denon 3 head decks back in the day, while they maybe a little less on specs as this nice Technics model, I always had a quality recording for home or car, I now have nice used Tascam with 2 heads that comes close to what I had, it plays my store bought cassettes and vintage home recordings nicely. Good video! Tascam 102 mk ll has 25hz to 19khz , my Akai and Denon DRM 800 went beyond that, but not quite where your Technics is.

I love this!!! And I love TECHNICS😀🤘❤🔥

Lovely piece of deck

I have a single dbx vinyl, the dave brubeck you have there. I recorded it to my Proton 740 desk with no noise reduction onto a Maxell XL-IIs tape. My jaw dropped when I played it back with dbx enabled on the deck. 🤤

Great job

Amazing Video, I am going to look into DBX now, I'm a fan

I had a Harman Kardon HK1000 which could be calibrated for Dolby-levels. There was a test signal similar to what you show here but only one around 400 Hz I think. At that time (mid seventies) cassettes (brands) were rather different and this calibration was quite necessary to get the treble right. Later cassettes became better standardized and this was not as necessary anymore. I think the Dolby symbol may be a trade mark only or maybe show the level to which Dolby should be calibrated

The best beast cassette deck made by Technics!

Wow, that was great. And no Auto-tune either! Thanks.

I used to be obsessed with 'biasing' tapes - but when I compared some tapes I made on a really basic deck - I found that listening is more important than biasing. Sometimes pushing levels (or the opposite) has more satisfactory results - play around with it, you may find the same thing. You'll never achieve perfection with a cassette -so have fun ! DBX is really amazing though - love it - too bad it wasn't standard so you can play the DBX tapes in your car.

I had a Technics dbx deck back in the day, I loved it. Finding one now at an affordable rate can be tricky. However I did find a Luxman dbx K106 which I'm eager to test. There were dbx car cassette units for sale back in the 80s too, they were cool.

Technics also made excellent reel to reel machines with quartz locked isolated loop drives

Un altro bellissimo video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An amazing piece of gear. Believe it or not I sold it in the early 2000... What a shame... I do not if you already did but the community of music lovers would greatly benefit from a video explaining how good actually cassettes can sound! The main cognitive bias is that people used to relegate tape-cassette within a second (or even third...) class realm: cheap recorders and even cheaper tape!

Great Deck ✌️

I have a RS B33W which is of the same era as this but way, way down the line in terms of cost. My deck does have dbx and amorphous heads also though. I did pay just £25 for it (about €40). It runs very well and never had any issues with it, ran fine from the day I bought it in 2022.

Very good information and your voice like best teacher to teach student subject easy adopte aur mind and lisean to long long time Thanks

Excelente ANA(DIA)LOG, te puedo decir que tuve la oportunidad de usar una de esta y la verdad que quede sorprendido de su rendimiento, y nada de hablar del DBX, si grabas con DBX el sonido es magistral y e Rango Dinámico extraordinario, lo malo es que no lo vas a poder escuchar en todos lados. Soy fanático de los Deck, de hecho tengo tres, Un TASCAM 122 MK2, Un PIONEER CT-F950 y un Technics RS-M260, los tres son tres cabezales, pero para mi el mejor es el TASCAM, aunque el PIONEER graba y suena muy bien, El Technics también graba y suena muy bien también. En cuanto a Nakamichi te puedo decir que probé la DRAGON y me pareció muy buena al igual que la CR-7A y la ZX-9, son muy buenas en grabación y calidad de sonido, ahora en durabilidad mecánica no lo se. Probé un REVOX B-215 y muy bueno también y bueno, lo que hace de este Deck sea famoso es que posee motores directos y no usa correas, lo que hace que no requiera mantenimiento.

The Dolby symbol on the meter is there to indicate that it is recommended, that if your recording level is below that point, it is recommended to use Dolby on your recording to suppress audible noise. Recording louder than that, it's less of an issue. (but noise still very noticeable on fad in and fade out of the songs of course.

Dude, love the new intro!

Woah that's some good quality audio

You really should check out the Denon 790R 3-Head cassette deck with Dolby S. 20hz-20khz @ 90DB SNR with metal tape. Unfortunately my ex-wife sold it for $50 in a garage sale.

Tuyệt Phẩm Reel ❤

I have a TEAC V2RX cassette deck from that same era. I bought it new and with 3 heads and DBX my recordings sound great. It does need belts now and I am going to have to find someone who can refurbish it without killing me with the cost. I still have a 12 volt DBX decoder and Concord cassette player from my 86 Mustang. It sounded great in the car!

Hi everyone This is top notch cassette deck.I owned RSB 405 which had DBX as well but 2 head machine. This 100 version from Technics is is without doubt best cassette deck from company in all time.Calibration allow You get the maximum from any cassette.And source tape switch let control it in real time.Thanks for review.At the moment still I owning Denon DRM 710 and enjoy music from cassettes.

The Dolby symbol is just and indication at when the Dolby will not be in effect, when you record pass the Dolby symbol, the signal is loud enough and there is no need for noise reduction anymore, we can not perceived the hiss, rememeber that Dolby is an algorithm of compression, and the lower the signal recorded will be, the more it will acts, that's why when you listen cassettes that have been recorded in Dolby B but without Dolby at playback, on the fade out at the end of the songs you can hear the hiss and all the high frequencies become boosted

I wish they would make this cassette player again...

Before I watched, I was telling myself they need dbx Surprise, sadly the most overlooked technology of the 80s.

Nakamichi Dragon gold my beer 😎 great Technics deck.

Brilliant, This masterclass is amazing. Would you mind a quick thought for this model Yamaha Natural Sound KX-800U? Best.

OK, now I get it. At first I thought you were saying that ALL music was born analog. Something in my mind said, "How can that be? Doesn't my digital synthesizer make music?" Then I noticed your most recent videos say, "Music was born analog." which could mean music, when discovered by man, was analog, which makes sense. Hey, analog or digital in it's creation, I love the music. However, I do prefer to play it back on an analog device, if possible. I remember my Technics system with cassette deck, turntable and integrated amp and receiver. Then came Yamaha and I made the switch and then came McIntosh and I made the switch...and so on and so on. Still have the Yamaha dual cassette deck, but Technics has disappeared...for the time being that is. Thanks for the review.

I have an amazing Sony TCD 5 M from like 1976 It was built in the pro division and sounded as good as a nakamichi . It needs new belts but the motor is still running, looking for a shop that will work on it.

I had the Technics RS-M253x back in 1984. It was a similar 3 head deck to the b100 with the AX head. Arguably prettier ;-) That AX head is definitely the best part of the deck. As for DBX … which was common on nearly all Technics decks back then …. after awhile of use, you will find its shortcomings. The only weak spot for the deck was no auto or manual azimuth on PB for purchased tapes like some of the Nak decks.

Dolby C was amazing for cassette tapes

I just have my parents old Technics RS-B33W as secondary tape deck for some dbx tapes.

To properly adjust the record bias on tape decks without a 12.5 KHZ signal I use a pink noise generator with built in spectrum analyzer , so on 3 head machines I input the pink noise then adjust the bias for a flat high frequency response with the spectrum analyzer. I usually use CrO2 tapes and find that the bias setting changes with different brand tapes. I only use Metal tapes if the source has an exceptionally wide dynamic range like some classical recordings do. My machine a JVC does have DBX but does not have the option of using is just as a DBX decoder for vinyl , if I were to find vinyl with DBX ( haven't yet) I would have to record it without DBX then play it back with DBX enabled. I never use DBX because my other tape decks do not have it and I find that Dolby C offers adequate noise reduction , vastly superior to Dolby B.

Excellent video again 👌I have a technics m270x with dbx tape and disc which I picked up for an excellent price from ebay. After taking it apart and cleaning and lubrication it sounds excellent. It is also direct drive like to rs-b100 but not quartz locked. What tapes do you think are best for recording with dbx?

Indeed it was a good deck. Purchased it new around 1986 I believe. The cost was 8,000 Finnish marks (=US$1,600). I sold it in 2004 (brand new condition with original box, service manual, etc.) for $250 I believe. Little did I know how much it is worth 15 years later... I remember this model has a factory flaw that causes it to occasionally make band salad. I heard there is a fix for it...

It would be neat to directly compare DAT to this dbx tape deck. I wonder if most people would prefer the analog. I think it would be a fun test.

sweet I scored a RS-B78R at a goodwill for 30$ I am happy

OMG, it sounds so good! THAT'S IT, I'VE HAD IT! ...this 30 IPS reel to reel Diana Krall master tape is going right in the trash!

The presentation of the Technics RS-B100 player is perfect! It brings back fond memories of the '80s. Regarding dbx products, an uninitiated question (let's say): how much would it be worth these days to invest in a graphic equalizer, in your opinion, in a DBX IEQ-31 for example?

I have the Technics RS-B965 Cassette Deck, which is fully modified with the recommendations talked about on tape heads.net. Upgraded with the excellent ANT4066 switching ICs from Alex, OP Amp swaps & PSU recap. I have to say it blows away my high end Naks, Sony ES's and all the others I have in terms of sound quality on playback and recordings. Even my 1985 dbx recordings I made on metal tapes sound like I've never heard them before. Outstanding deck but nearly all the Technics high end decks sound great. I also have the RS-M253 3 head deck with amorphous heads (unmodified) sounds superb.

Great video. I recently got a RS-B555 at a thrift store for 20€. Nothing like this beast, but how would you rate it and what kind of performance can i expect?

Thanx for a very thorough video. Deck looks and sounds great. I have recently resurrected RS-B965 and planing mods. Do you know if Alex from A.N.T. Audio does mods on customers decks?

Like I’ve said before frequency response is not just dependent on the cassette recorder or for that matter the signal to noise ratio. A lot of this depends on the recording level and of course the source being recorded.😊

Amazing is the right term

I have a Technics RS-B605 Deck that also makes excellent recordings. It's just a two head deck but has couple different features from the RS-B100. it features a Class AA recording Amplifier and HX Pro Headroom Extension along with Dolby B, C and DBX. I have been recording cassettes since the format became available on the market. I have had at least a dozen or more different decks over the years from Teac to Nakamichi's and in between. My Technics RS-B605 Deck has to be the best sounding of all of them. The dynamic range of the sound is constant and flawless. The earlier decks with DBX had a slight, I would call a "pumping" sound effect to them, not this deck! I would say if you can find the RS-B605 Deck or the above deck, grab it also!

Excellent detailed and to the point review. The 70s and 80 were indeed the time where the art of building state tape decks reached it’s heights ( and with no distortion….). Subscribed….

Nice deck and good 3 head cassette decks can sound surprisingly good but their are tradeoffs to using DBX as it is a very intrusive noise reduction system that is very sensitive to calibration and is not very forgiving to reverb and ambiance tails as it tends to struggle to resolve them smoothly. Dolby A is the gold standard of noise reduction but was never offered on consumer gear. Dolby S is also very good but was introduced at the end of the cassette deck era making it somewhat rare. Also frequency response on cassette decks were measured at -20db and a 23k top end is nothing more than marketing hype. In the real world even the very best cassette decks will start rolling off at around 16k even with metal tape.

DD on the meter means that this is an absolute max level of recording with dbx turned on, after which distortions raise dramatically. Usually, it's -3-4dB comparing to a normal level.

I have a Technics RS-B465. Need to give it a deep clean and service.

Actually tape decks around 1k new from the end of the eighties are better than those top decks from the early eighties. The reason behind this is the audio cd,which hightens the demands on SN-ratios and THD considerably.

Nakamichi Dragon which I had for many years was the absolute King. ,After 12 years went to a Nakamichi Dealer in Singapore they serviced it for free no charge.

The Dolby Mark stands for the Point where the tape hiss is not noticeable anymore it's "hidden" under the music. The Dolby Circuit doesn't need to work over there. Also the Mark is for Adjustment. If you have a Test Tape for Calibration of the Dolby Level it needs to be set up to this point. There are different types of level meters (VU and Peak) and every manufacturer used different values for there Scales because analog audio has no "absolute maximum" like Digital, where everything over 0 dB gets clipped. 3 dB at one Tapedeck Scale might not be 3 dB at another, and also the Dolby Mark is not always at the same Value although both scales mean the same. There are a few Tapedecks which have a Calibration Computer System that can calibrate their Level Meters on the parameters of the used Cassette, so that the highest Point (under 3% THD for example) is always at the same mark on the scale, because as you noticed it depends on the cassette how high you can level it without distortion. The highest dynamic doesn't always mean it reaches the highest level on the Level Meter. It can have more hiss than other tapes, which doesn't reach the highest point, so the dynamic range can be less, although the level is higher. It's a very complex thing! Also Companders like Dolby or dBX just work right if the tape is calibrated perfect to the tape deck. The higher the dynamic range of the used companders are, the heavier the artifacts will if you play without or at a wrong calibrated recording. Dolby B always was a good compromise for compatibility because Dolby B Recordings always sound good played even if it's turned off, so worse dynamic range but less artifacts. Also Dolby C is acceptable. Recordings with dBX or HighCom sound very ugly when it's turned off.

What i want to know is what reel to reel is that one in the background it looks very nice!