WOStantonCS100
24-10-2011, 21:33
Hopefully not a duplicate thread...
I recently revisited this idea and pulled out a Panasonic PV-9662 Hi-Fi vcr from behind the television in the den. It was literally caked with dust. :o That's not usually how I store gear; but, I'll explain that later. After a good cleaning, I hooked it up in the main system. I inserted an old vhs tape I had long ago recorded some music on. Wow! Now, I remember why I had started to go down this road. I even made the recording in LP mode (which started to disappear from some units as a recording speed by the time vcr's were in decline). No tracking glitches (annoyingly shifting back and forth from linear to hi-fi). This quite amazed me as 1) the original recording was made without the obligatory video feed and 2) I picked up this unit, which is nothing special by any means, for under 10 pounds at a local thrift.
I remembered then that I had gotten frustrated with my luck a while back when I put it behind the television. Although it sounded good, it did not come with a remote and it was impossible to set the input selection and speed without one. This is not uncommon to consumer decks of the time. The prosumer decks were much better in this regard and included a bunch of nice features, like ALC bypassing, allowing one to manually set independent left and right audio record levels. In order to make this a functional recorder I was going to have to get a remote control. Fortunately, it was easy enough to score one from the internet. Now, that I think about it. The remote cost me more than double what the unit cost me! :lol: Ahhh, this crazy music/audio gear fetish...
I have now made several recordings (from vinyl). If one knows how VHS Hi-Fi works, you know noise reduction is so not necessary. Nevertheless, I made recordings with and without the dbx Type II NR engaged. All the dbx seemed to do was to lessen tape hiss already present in the master tapes and subsequently pressed into the vinyl. Hmmphh. That's actually kind of cool. Head switching noise was so low that the only way I could hear it was to crank the volume up full blast during "silent" sections. If program material was playing at the time, I would be deaf now and probably without windows and a wife. Because the universal player is on a rack shelf adjacent to it, I do now run a direct video feed from it to the vcr. Since, neither the universal player video output or the video input of the vcr would otherwise be used, it works out perfectly. The universal player has a screen saver which pretty much assures a video signal will always be recorded along side the audio and, as I understand it, should increase tracking stability.
The only real concern is the noise of the actual vcr. Many consumer vcr's were/are quite noisy. This one is certainly noisier than my reel to reel decks; but, this can be easily overcome by using cans or leaning on the volume a bit harder, since I usually listen at very moderate volume. This would be a non-issue if I had a fancy rack with a glass door. If one doesn't mind the whole "FM" thing (my ears don't), this is a pretty cheap way to make excellent sounding analog recordings. (20Hz - 20kHz / +90dB SNR)
Having said all this, I do understand the "nay-sayers". I've had buggered vcr's and they were a nightmare; came with all the usual annoyances people run into when doing this sort of thing. Trust me, I know. But, a half-way decent machine, a good cleaning (not with a "cleaning tape"... ...taking the cover off and manually cleaning the drum and the tape path) and attentive setup payoff. I'm quite pleased I didn't put those 20 or so vhs audio recordings I made in the bin!!
Many of the original recordings were made on a Samsung unit set to LP speed. This unit was borrowed by a friend "and returned broken". :steam: Later, I got a JVC; but, it broke a week after the warranty was up. I've had Sony's that didn't last long, either. I tried a Magnavox bought from a thrift shop cheap that had all the trimmings; but, it broke after a few plays. At present, we still have a Mitsubishi in the bedroom, a working JVC in the den and now two Panasonic's for the main system. It's continues to be a journey. But, late at night when I'm listening to the music... ...it's worth it. :)
Yes, I am certifiable.
What are your experiences?
I recently revisited this idea and pulled out a Panasonic PV-9662 Hi-Fi vcr from behind the television in the den. It was literally caked with dust. :o That's not usually how I store gear; but, I'll explain that later. After a good cleaning, I hooked it up in the main system. I inserted an old vhs tape I had long ago recorded some music on. Wow! Now, I remember why I had started to go down this road. I even made the recording in LP mode (which started to disappear from some units as a recording speed by the time vcr's were in decline). No tracking glitches (annoyingly shifting back and forth from linear to hi-fi). This quite amazed me as 1) the original recording was made without the obligatory video feed and 2) I picked up this unit, which is nothing special by any means, for under 10 pounds at a local thrift.
I remembered then that I had gotten frustrated with my luck a while back when I put it behind the television. Although it sounded good, it did not come with a remote and it was impossible to set the input selection and speed without one. This is not uncommon to consumer decks of the time. The prosumer decks were much better in this regard and included a bunch of nice features, like ALC bypassing, allowing one to manually set independent left and right audio record levels. In order to make this a functional recorder I was going to have to get a remote control. Fortunately, it was easy enough to score one from the internet. Now, that I think about it. The remote cost me more than double what the unit cost me! :lol: Ahhh, this crazy music/audio gear fetish...
I have now made several recordings (from vinyl). If one knows how VHS Hi-Fi works, you know noise reduction is so not necessary. Nevertheless, I made recordings with and without the dbx Type II NR engaged. All the dbx seemed to do was to lessen tape hiss already present in the master tapes and subsequently pressed into the vinyl. Hmmphh. That's actually kind of cool. Head switching noise was so low that the only way I could hear it was to crank the volume up full blast during "silent" sections. If program material was playing at the time, I would be deaf now and probably without windows and a wife. Because the universal player is on a rack shelf adjacent to it, I do now run a direct video feed from it to the vcr. Since, neither the universal player video output or the video input of the vcr would otherwise be used, it works out perfectly. The universal player has a screen saver which pretty much assures a video signal will always be recorded along side the audio and, as I understand it, should increase tracking stability.
The only real concern is the noise of the actual vcr. Many consumer vcr's were/are quite noisy. This one is certainly noisier than my reel to reel decks; but, this can be easily overcome by using cans or leaning on the volume a bit harder, since I usually listen at very moderate volume. This would be a non-issue if I had a fancy rack with a glass door. If one doesn't mind the whole "FM" thing (my ears don't), this is a pretty cheap way to make excellent sounding analog recordings. (20Hz - 20kHz / +90dB SNR)
Having said all this, I do understand the "nay-sayers". I've had buggered vcr's and they were a nightmare; came with all the usual annoyances people run into when doing this sort of thing. Trust me, I know. But, a half-way decent machine, a good cleaning (not with a "cleaning tape"... ...taking the cover off and manually cleaning the drum and the tape path) and attentive setup payoff. I'm quite pleased I didn't put those 20 or so vhs audio recordings I made in the bin!!
Many of the original recordings were made on a Samsung unit set to LP speed. This unit was borrowed by a friend "and returned broken". :steam: Later, I got a JVC; but, it broke a week after the warranty was up. I've had Sony's that didn't last long, either. I tried a Magnavox bought from a thrift shop cheap that had all the trimmings; but, it broke after a few plays. At present, we still have a Mitsubishi in the bedroom, a working JVC in the den and now two Panasonic's for the main system. It's continues to be a journey. But, late at night when I'm listening to the music... ...it's worth it. :)
Yes, I am certifiable.
What are your experiences?