PART 2 .....After having spent more than six months ripping out my hair from having to take back the unit to an authorised repair centre here in Italy for that ''power glitch'' I wrote in my previous review, I cannot have the fortune in having the unit here at home with me......I'm in constant battle eith TEAC Italia because according to a Mr Agostini at TEAC they cannot find the problem!!!! I have also recieved an e-mail from somebody who owns 2 of these decks and is experiancing the same problem as I am......do any of you have a problem with the deck as I have??? if so PLEASE tell me what the problem was so I can communicate those clowns at Audiotest at Modena/Italy!!!!!!!!

biuld, sound quality, heavy ''clonking'' controls, looks

for me absolutly none

well......what can i say...i've been using (and still am)a Revox B215 tape deck which to ME, is probably only surpassed by the Nak Dragon (which is what I was looking for but out of production some time now and very rare to find used)....in thoery. Although the B215 is over 17 years old and STILL going like a train it is still the tape deck yet to be surpassed. The V8030s sound is very ''vinyle-like''.very detailed and precise.....with a sweet ''valve-like'' sound. Build is top notch 100%, nice and heavy with that goergous looking front brushed aluminiom front panel.....I bought this monster used from a Rock Musician here in Italy, but it has a small minor technical problem (while ON and playing, it makes small contact in which it goes off-on by itself, according to a technician it is only a small power glitch) and will be repaired free tomorrow......the V8030s is replacing my beloved Aiwa Excelia XK007 which ''died'' some time now.... for me (i could be wrong) matches in all aspects a decent nakamichi....not that pathetic looking Nakamichi DR10, which compared to the Teac, seems like an overpriced lump of plastic.....the Teac for what it is deserves to be given a higher price compared to other so called ''decks''....

Similar Products Used:

Revox B215 Excelia XK007.............and others

Recording quality, ease of use, build quality, and a cool little remote to boot!

Only that it is cassette, which is more of a critique of the medium than this particular deck.

As a kid growing up in the late 70's and early 80's, I would read Stereo Review, High Fidelity and Audio magazine. Back then, it was as much fun to check out the advertisements as it was to read the equipment reviews. (Especially in Stereo Reviews case) At what I would consider to be the height of the cassette medium, the offerings from Nakamichi, Eumig and Tandberg were incredible to look at, and incredibly priced for the time. Kenwood,Pioneer, and Denon had some great ones too. Being just a kid, all I could afford was a top loading Teac A-170s. A good deck for its time, even though it only had regular Dolby NR which I never used. Better to put up with hiss than listen to music that sounded like it was being played through a pillow. Years later and now in my mid 30's, I saw this baby on E-Bay. No reserve, and no competition-just how I like it! I snapped it up and waited for it to arrive. I was impressed! This deck is built like the ones I lusted after when I was a kid, only better. It's simple to use, I never had to consult the manual for anything other than how to adjust the bias, and it records much better than any mini disc or CD recorder I have ever used. Period. I don't hate digital either, folks. I'm just telling it like it is. Using the better TDK and Maxell Chrome blanks, I made copies of the Beatles Original Masters recordings from the 1st album to the last that were excellent. I A/B'd these tapes with copies I made from a friends CD recorder, and there is no comparison. One thing that has me a little curious is Dolby S. I was under the impression that it would be significantly better than Dolby C. It was anything but. True, the cassetes sound better encoded in S and played back on B, but encoded in C and played back in C I think is still the way to go. I know cassette is on the outside looking in these days, but this deck has been a 1st class trip down memory lane for me, and I must say that it is still the best way to archive valuable recordings from a sonic stand point. Also, I love its build quality, which is more substantial than many home theater power amps and receivers I see on the shelves these days.

Similar Products Used:

Teac, Denon, Nakamichi, Tandberg.

Because of having so many problems over the years trying to make audiophile- quality cassette recordings, I have been unwillingly transformed into somewhat of a recording enthusiast as well.
I've gotten pretty fastidious over setting bias, recording levels, and using premium tape in my quest for near-cd quality sound. I was not able to achieve this with my first few decks-- a three-head JVC, a premium three-head Technics, and an Onkyo TA-6510 (3 head).

The Onkyo was the best of the three, a basic three-head, dual capstan model with pretty decent sound, and a good value at around $300. The TEAC, however, is a really nicely done premium cassette deck (TEAC's flagship model). Setting bias and levels is very easily done with a nice calibration system. Now that I can finally fine-tune these levels accurately, the resulting recordings sound great on any other properly aligned cassette head system! No more 'pumping' or oscillation of the high frequencies! No more dolby mis-tracking!

I was somewhat suspicious of the addition of dolby S, thinking that it just might be another dbx (dbx was not compatible with any other NR systems, and now a dead format), but it sounds great, and because it is backwards compatible with dolby b, is now the default NR of choice for me.

The unit is also solidly built (over 20 lbs) with a thick brushed aluminum faceplate. The transport seems rock-solid, and wow and flutter is undectectable. Features include: three-head cobalt amorphous, closed loop, quartz locked dual capstans, 16 segment peak-hold FL meters, CD-direct RCA inputs, FR 20-21k+, W/F .022% WRMS. With metal tape, I could not distinguish between CDs, and certainly not MDs! The unit also comes with a small remote for basic functions.

For serious recording enthusiasts, I have to say that MDs seem to have many compelling strengths vs. cassettes, and are my choice for future recording. With the TEAC V8030-S, however, I can be assured that my cassette recordings will sound as good as my CDs and MDs, and for the first time, I have faith that the recordings that I am making are TOP NOTCH.

One caveat: although the cassette well is backlit, the window is pretty small and it is difficult to view how much tape remains.

Five stars for a very high quality, fine piece of equipment.

I would like to add that before finding this deck, I was desperate enough to consider buying TEAC's TASCAM 122mk2 professional studio recording deck at over 1500 dollars. I can't imagine it, however, sounding meaningfully better than the V8030-S.

Without question the best cassette deck I have owned. OVer the years, I have used the NAK CR-7a, the 680zx, the ZX-7, the CR-4a; and various aiwa and sony decks and there is no comparison. The CR-7a is a great deck but the teac is in another league completely. Great build quality, great cosmetics, and with Dolby S, quality comparable to the best digital recorders. It's a shame it is no longer made. Without exaggeration, THE LAST CASSETTE DECK I WILL EVER BUY!!

I've had several hours to evaluate this deck since taking delivery a few days ago. It is simply said a superb piece of gear as one would expect for this kind of coin. Build quality, cosmetics and feateures are the best I've ever seen in a cassette deck. Wow and flutter undetectable. Very smooth, detailed sound. Dolby S a great backward compatable feature. This model won't be available much longer but according to an individual in the technical department at Teac, there are a very small number remaining. Get what probably will be the last great cassette deck made but prepare to pay! 5 stars without hesitation.

I had this deck for a few days,bought new from J&R Music World for $700.Here is my opinion about it.Build quality:5 stars.Significant cons: not made in Japan.Sound quality: using its own calibration system is a quick, easy way to adjust a tape prior to recording BUT the copy was not even close to the original! Another deck (3-head Sony,purchased also from J&R) performed much better in this respect,although neither the copy obtained with its calibration was nearly identical with the original,but it was closer than Teac's.And this at a much lower price! Anyway,to be fair I must say that calibrating the tape by ear the Teac deck provided copies absolutely non-discernible from the original, wonderfully detailed and dynamic!Better than other similarly priced or lower priced decks. However,defective or not,its calibration system is a feature that doesn't work as it is supposed to but it's paid for,so I would rather go for a more minimalistic deck with fine bias and 3-head capability so the sound can be adjusted by ear---THE most sensitive tool---and you pay,basically,only for sound quality.So I sent the Teac back because of its improper calibration system, inferior to the Sony's, I kept the Sony for making tapes for my car and I'll buy a minimalistic deck such as the Nak DR-10. As for Teak 8030:
-build quality *****(minus 1/2 because it's not made in Japan and another 1/2 because of its calibration system believed to be defective by the manufacturer but probably it's not).I believe that this actuall is the way this deck is,as a result of no listening tests during the manufacturing process,whatsoever!
-sound quality:*****calibrated by ear; ***1/2,calibrated using its own system.
-overall rating: **** Any new comments will be appreciated.

I AGREE COMPLETELY WITH THE REVIEW OF v8030S. IT IS AT LEAST AS GOOD AS THE TANDBERG 3014 AND NAKAMICHI LX5, BOTH OF WHICH I OWN. I BOUGHT THE TEAC 8030 BASED ON A REVIEW FOUND IN THE FANFARE MAGAZINE. SINCE THEN I RECOMMENDED IT TO ANOTHER FRIEND, HE BOUGHT ONE TOO.
EROL

Good, solid perfomer, 3 heads, direct connection to CD player, Dolby S.

Not so accurate calibration system.

It is a nice tape deck, much better than the Sony TCK661 I have owned previously. However it's overall performance and sound of recordings can not be compared with the sound of a good CD or record player due to the restrictions in the dynamic region of cassete. Only when using a first class tape, like the Sony Metal Master or equivalent, the recording comes very very close to the original source.
Overall if you plan to record mainly from CD, a good CD recorder will be a much better choice but if you want to make vinyl recordindgs then the TEAC will provide much better results.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Akai, Aiwa