Cassettes are making a big return and Tascam 202MKVII dual deck is up to the task.
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Tascam 202MKVII is an easy-to-handle, good sounding dual cassette deck for professional use but it will serve you well at home too. It can also serve as a reliable audio storage or backup solution for authorities like police departments or civil defence thanks to the proven long-term stability of tape and the additional option of USB output for digital backups on a computer. The unit offers excellent sonic performance due to a wide frequency range.
Both decks in the 202MKVII can record, so you can actually make two masters of the same source at the same time. RTZ function and a repeat playback feature are provided, and you can increase or lower the pitch and tempo while playing back for Karaoke or sports applications. A microphone input on the front panel makes spontaneous recording (solo or mixed with a line level source or a cassette) convenient. There is also a pre-listening function that helps you preparing the next song on one deck while the other deck is playing.
And of course, you can use the two decks for cassette dubbing at normal speed. If you still value audio cassettes as a reliable and inexpensive recording medium, the Tascam 202MKVII is a modern, practice-oriented solution at a truly affordable price. When using the 202MKVII with two cassettes and its “Special” playback mode, you can listen to a tape with headphones while the other tape is playing back via the line outputs. This allows you, for example, to cue to the next track without interrupting the current playback.
In “Normal” playback mode, both decks’ playback signals are output from the line outputs and the headphones output in parallel as usual. Moreover, both decks have a “Return to zero” button which allows you to quickly locate to the counters’ zero positions. Not only can you mark the beginning of a cassette – you can also mark the beginning of a song or any other important point on the cassette, for example. The 202MKVII offers a switchable noise reduction that can be used to reduce hiss during cassette playback. It is most effective when used with cassettes recorded with Dolby B noise reduction. ■
