Marantz SD 1000 - A Rare Dual Speed Cassette Deck!

This late 1970s Marantz stereo cassette deck is unusual in that it has tape speed selection. During the "golden years" of stereo cassette decks in the late 1970s, manufacturers were looking to differentiate themselves by providing enhanced sound quality features like 3 heads and metal. And a higher speed option might indeed attract consumers used to having this feature on reel to reel decks. A faster-moving tape means higher quality in theory. In older reel-to-reel machines, you could hear the difference. Much later, in VHS recorders, you could also see the difference.... Reel-to-reel consumer machines (like the Sony here: https://youtu.be/mY-wMiai7eI ) offered 7 1/2 ips, 3 3/4 ips, and 1 7/8 ips speeds. Cassettes were introduced with 1 7/8 ips -- which was the WORST speed from the reel to reels! This Marantz SD 1000 stereo cassette deck allows you to record at 3 3/4, doubling the speed to (in theory) produce higher a quality recording. However, dual speed ultimately failed in the marketplace as new type types, better heads, and other electronic features negated the need for it. Or, does having to select a speed add a level of inconvenience that cassette users were unwilling to accept? At the end of this video, we do an A/B speed test of two recordings of the same piece of music. This was sent from the tape deck into the computer and recorded as a WAV file. I can't tell much difference. Maybe it would be better with a quieter classical recording? Or maybe it was just hype? What do you think? Leave a comment...

00:00 - Intro
00:32 - Dual Speed Cassette Decks Were a Thing!
00:56 - Not all SD 1000s were dual speed
03:05 - Speed switch has a control cable
03:50 - Belt replacement
04:40 - Comparisons to Other Decks and Conclusion
06:30 - Sound Quality Comparison

Here is the Pioneer CT-F650 featured in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Bf5Yb-ymU

Here is a playlist of our other "Old Technology" Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvdr2fcSSucd6hFidGPdOIOYVkEqTTeoA

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