JVC TD W254 Tape Decks

JVC TD W254 Tape Decks 

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-8 of 8  
[Feb 04, 2007]
Jon
AudioPhile

Strength:

It works. I have no idea how old the unit is, but upon direct comparison between commercially-released music that I had on both cassette and cd- the tape speed on both sides of the deck were identical to the cd. This unit wasn't treated lightly either, so- rugged? Maybe...

Weakness:

Jury still out...

Yeah- can't beat the price...

Don't ever pay full price for stuff, that's what I say. I got my deck at a Goodwill store yesterday for 5 bucks. Cleaned it up, plugged it in, and I'm back into the process of transferring tapes to CDR.

Here's my advice. Go to thrift stores *a lot*...

If you see a halfway decent looking piece of audio gear, and the price is right- don't worry about whether it will work or not. Just grab it. What's the worst case scenario?

You're out 5 bucks...

Similar Products Used:

Many, many cassette decks of various makes and types.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 07, 1999]
Leigh
an Audio Enthusiast

I have the 354, the model above this one, which includes pitch control and a microphone jack. For the most part this deck is fine, and since I also have a JVC 5 disc changer, recording via compulink is easy. However, deck A seems to lack the dynamic range of the recording deck, deck B. I clean both decks around the same time, but some of the higher frequencies are lost with playback on deck A. I'll try using a head demagnetizer and see what happens. Paid $189 for this deck about a year ago, and I think that it was pretty much worth it. As far as features go, it's great.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Jun 27, 1999]
Steven Keeney
an Audio Enthusiast

I've had this dual cassette deck a year and a half and have had no problems. I also have JVC RX-664 receiver and the remote works both units with Compu Link. The units are also styled the same so they look great together. I have recorded some albums and the tapes come out very clean. This unit has HX Pro for recording and it works great. About $150.00 at Circuit City.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Jul 30, 1999]
Jack
an Audio Enthusiast

Just replaced a 23 year old Sankyo tapedeck with the JVC254 because of the above recommendations...I primarily use the tapedeck for making copies of CDs for my car...The quality of the new recordings is very good...That quality of recording is very near the actual CD...My cost $144.00...So for the money, I don't know how you could go wrong...

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Sep 02, 1999]
Nathan Crowell
an Audio Enthusiast

I had the TDW-354, but I got rid of it. Why? It broke many times, too many too count. So I got another one which also broke several times. I loved the mic jack and features, along with the adequate sound, but both 354s crapped out on me so much I became very unhappy with JVC. Thank goodness for extended service plans. I now have a Harman Kardon deck, which sounds fantastic, works great, but sadly has no mic jack or song search. Buy this deck if you like living on the edge. I was sorely tempted to blow my 354a into many small pieces, but maybe you will have better luck. I hope so. 4 stars for features, 0 reliability makes an average of 2. Good luck!

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
[Apr 12, 1999]
Ben
an Audiophile

I've owned this tape deck for a little over two years, and it has never failed me. JVC's Compulink makes recording from any source very easy and convienent. It is a step below the TD-W354 which has microphone jack, but at the time, the extra money was not worth it to me. The only drawback that I found was with the use of a remote in running the tape deck. This problem may only be in the remote that came with my reciever, but tape B always takes preference over tape A. For example. . .if you have just one tape in the player, side A or B then playback will work just fine. But if you have a tape in side B and A, tape b will always be controlled by the remote and you have no control over tape A. This has not been a problem though because I rarely have two tapes in it at once. Like I said though, I probably should be complaining about the remote that came with my reciever, RX-318. . .not the tape deck.
If you are looking for a simple, yet very effective way to record and play your cassette collection. . .this is the way to go!!!

If I remember correctly, I paid in the area of $150 for it.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Jul 26, 2000]
sixtox
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

excellent build quality, great sound

Weakness:

none

This is the only component cassette deck I have ever owned and it continues to perform flawlessly after 3 years. I don't use it much, mostly to record tapes for the car or to make copies of CD's for friends, family, etc. The quality of the recordings are very good, especially with metal tape. I've seen the latest model, TDW-354, on ubid recently and highly recommend it.

Similar Products Used:

none

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 02, 2000]
Thad Taylor
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

The unit I have has pitch control. Low on other features, no auto reverse. Relatively good recordings for such a cheap deck.

Weakness:

No durability. Springs went out after a year of heavy use. Not worth repairing.

You get what you pay for. This was a waste of money. If you're a heavy tape trader or musician, this deck will not last. For the casual listener who makes copies occasionally and wants a deck to supplement their stereo, it might not be bad.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
Showing 1-8 of 8  

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