Best Q8 ever built?

[aquadad]

Hello,

What would be a good Q8 deck to shop for on eBay? Wouldn't necessarilly need to be a recorder. I would be more interested in it's ability to play any tape and the sonics (relatively speaking).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Q-Eight]

Honestly, I get REALLY good sound out of my cheapo Miida Quad deck.
My Technics 858 is really good sonically, but the motor is weak and has a tendancy to drag. I have another Panasonic that would probably be good if it wasnt' so noisy.... I'm sure it needs to be recapped.

Best all around deck though, good transport abilities and good sound, go with the Panasonic. They're still quite affordable too. I paid $28 for mine.

 

[bizmopeen]

You know what? I like my Miida as well. If it weren't for a slight warble I need to try to look at (new belt?), it might sound the best out of all the decks I've got.

I also agree on the Panasonic; that's the one I go to for playback most times. Served me well over the years.

 

[aquadad]

You know what? I like my Miida as well. If it weren't for a slight warble I need to try to look at (new belt?), it might sound the best out of all the decks I've got.

I also agree on the Panasonic; that's the one I go to for playback most times. Served me well over the years.

Hello,

Interesting about the Miida. The only thing on eBay right now is a stereo receiver that looks very much like it could have been made by Sansui from the front and back and even the cabinet. Coincidence or not? Anyway here's a link. Check it out for yourself: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Vintage-Miida-Receiver-model-3140_W0QQitemZ9727317513QQcategoryZ50596QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Do their Q8's ever show up on eBay?

 

[bizmopeen]

Hello,

Interesting about the Miida. The only thing on eBay right now is a stereo receiver that looks very much like it could have been made by Sansui from the front and back and even the cabinet. Coincidence or not? Anyway here's a link. Check it out for yourself: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Vintage-Miida-Receiver-model-3140_W0QQitemZ9727317513QQcategoryZ50596QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Do their Q8's ever show up on eBay?

Hmm...interesting. Perhaps one of the Sansui experts can chime in here.

And, yeah, Ebay is where I got my Miida Q8 player. It looks pretty cool and went for cheap...

 

[Q-Eight]

I got my Miida for free from a Stereophile friend. He didn't want it! haha, a new belt and a cleaning later and I was very impressed with it. It looks el-cheapo but doesn't have any humm, motor buzz or anything normally associated with the cheapy tape decks.

 

[The Quadfather]

I suspect the best construction quality would have to go to the Akai CR80DSS which uses a beefy AC motor similar to the ones they used in their reel machines. It has a weakness though, the chips they used were prone to going noisy. Fortunately these chips are still availlable, if not a bit hard to find. Good sounding deck. It will also record and if you have good tape, it will yield a playback from that recording that rivals that of a reel to reel. However, these decks were not equipped with a Dolby-B noise reduction system, which was a popular option on many decks. They mostly didn't need it, but a few Q8 tapes were recorded in Dolby-B. It's a shame they didn't make it with their glass ferrite heads. But mine still has a good head in it without too much wear. I reckon I ought to tune it up and play it more, but the tapes have gotten so hard to keep in playable condition. We all know about the mad dash to the eight track machine with the music speeding up as the tape winds around the capstan. I might take that on as a project after I get my CD-4 demodulators up to par.

The Quadfather