reubensm
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
Not too many of you may be familiar with European brands or their sound profiles so thought I'll share my findings while listening to my recently overhauled Grundig CF5500-2 (claimed to be audiophile form internet articles) 3-head Cassette Deck.
History!
FM coaltrain put out a post on HFV introducing some equipment which he was came across. These included a vintage Grundig 5000V amplifier and its matching Grundig CF5500-2 cassette deck from the early 1980s. Interestingly the equipment was stored away and hence, not in working condition. He was giving these away, provided someone would show up in Bangalore to collect them. When I came across his post, I was interested straight away as I have owned a Grundig Mono Cassette Deck during my school days and as little as it was (and despite being Mono), could blow away some of the production-line Japanese decks of the mid-1980s. I was aware of the typical European build quality and performance. I waited for a while and when I saw that these did not have any takers, thought I'll indulge just for the sake of restoring the gear (for fun's sake and to relive the old times when I was an active DIYer and Restoration nerd). Went over to Bangalore and collected these (coaltrain was fantastic and helped transport these to my location. FM Santhosh was fantastic as well and helped me get these on the bus, safely). The only expenses incurred was to actually transport these in addition to the trip expenses (had some other gear to carry as well anyways).
Lets take a look!!
Back home, my brother and I took a closer look at the equipment. He is very good at fixing mechanical issues while I concentrate on the electronics. Back in the day, we got hold of the Grundig Mono Cassette Deck due to a mechanical issue that could not be resolved by the usual local technician. My brother walked in and out of shops over a week, searching for a cog-wheel which looked similar and finally got one which was used as a substitute. That deck was back in action and served us well. Back to the current story, we decided to tackle the amplifier first and hence the deck was on the sidelines. One weekend, just to take a look inside, we opened the deck and were shocked to find that everything inside looked untouched but stale from many years of storage. We connected up the deck and attempted to make it play which it did with a lot of crackles and hum, and terrible speed (slow with high wow and flutter). Also the auto-stop mechanism, pause and head-release mechanism was not working properly (was intermittently functioning). It was clear, we were going to need spare parts yet again (the most difficult part of any restoration) and possibly a new mechanism.
The start!!
Got a german manual online and had the important parts translated using google translate.
First move on the machine was to carefully dismantle the deck and take out its PCBs. We superficially cleaned the top and bottom of all PCBs (did not use isopropyl alcohol as the PCBs were not that dirty or corroded)
The next step was to take out the mechanism and digital counter. The mechanism needed some serious repair. Identified that the main drive belt had stretched a bit and was sagging, hence needed replacement. We studied the functionality of the mechanism and realized that the different lever moments were controlled by a electromagnet. This is the very first time we came across this concept. We soon found out that this electromagnet assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The main drive motor (capstan) looked soiled and its spindle did not move freely. Guess it was on the way to stalling and again would need replacement. I sat down with the electronics and painfully went through the caps and semiconductors (lots of transistors on there), noticed that 2 filter caps and 2 transistors in the power-stage had given way, probably when we tested the deck before dismantling it.
Spares!!
This was a problem, had to scout part availability, equipment with similar parts, faulty equipment for sale, etc. Got some leads from various internet sites and luckily managed to locate faulty equipment having the same parts, with sellers in Germany and Russia. The process of procurement took over 4 months as the parts were shipped to a friend in the United States and then hand carried back to India (shipping directly to India usually causes customs hassles and is more expensive, so avoided this). The eventual cost of these spares was:
Original Replacement Belt: 5 euro
Electromagnet based servo controller assembly: 33 euro
Main drive motor: 11 euro
Power supply replacement transistors: 11 euro
Power supply capacitors: 8 euro
The cost mentioned above includes shipping and packaging charges (at the time, was just over Rs.4500/-on my credit card statement)
Back in Action!!
The spares were duly received and replaced; the mechanism was completely cleaned and greased (used molybdenum based grease, usually used by Thorens). The faulty caps and transistors on the PSU were replaced, put back the wiring and got the deck up. Did the calibration using my Nakamichi DR3 for speed/pitch reference.
Did some short term listening and the deck sounded truly magnificent. The erase head and record/playback twin head is in pristine condition and so is the pinch roller. Speed/Pitch is accurate and the functionality superb. All functions work perfectly (this deck has a load of them). An interesting addition on the deck is a Mic input. Checked this as well with a dynamic mic and it was working. The LED level indicator assembly is so well designed that one can view the display even from a top angle. Kept the deck aside and thought Ill sit down with it over the weekend to do some serious recording/playback.
I have a day job with a major global corp and have little or no time for hobbies these days, however the interest drove me and my brother to staying awake, sometimes till 4 in the morning to get this done.
Last Weekend!!
Decided to do some serious recording and playback and check out the functionality/sound quality and over all performance. The following were used:
Tape used: TDK D 60, Type 1 Normal
Source: Marantz CD63 MkII (not my SE version)
CD: Ah Via Musicom - Eric Johnson (1990)
Preamp: NAD 106
Cabling: Python (RCA-RCA)
Recorded the same album on my NAD DR3 with Dolby-B and played it back fully, recording was brilliant, as expected with the NAK, Im very used to the NAK sound.
Then played back the same recording on the CF5500-2, now heres the surprise. Could not find much of a difference between the sound of the NAD and the CF. The only notable difference was that the CF sounded a tad brighter than the NAK but otherwise, it was a neck to neck race, based on the NAKs recording.
The next step was to re-record side-b using the CF (from track-1 on the CD) just to have 2 comparable sides with the same tracks recorded on the 2 decks. First of all, noticed that the break of music at the end of side of both sides of the cassette was similar which meant the speed/pitch of the NAK and CF were perfectly matched (at-least to the human ear). Ran a check on the tape-monitor function while recording and I must say, having a 3-head deck is a super-advantage as you can actually hear what is being recorded on the tape. Awesome!!
While making the recording on the CF, we used Dolby. On playback again, the side recorded on the CF was as good as the NAK with a tad of additional presence (compared playback on both the NAK and the CF). Now, sat back and listened to the CFs recording and here are my first impressions. The tonal balance of the recording was duly impressive. Johnsons guitar sounded very original and dynamic and the timbral detail was great. The overall sound was bright but not aggressive at the same time. Overall, I enjoyed the side recorded on the CF, a bit more than the side recorded on the NAK which sounded a bit laid back.
Conclusion!!
Overall, the performance has been very exciting and its a great deck for both playback and recording. Has a whole host of features, even the line output level for playback can be controlled. Also has a microphone input. For recording, the levels are fully controllable, at individual channel level as well as overall (has a master volume control for this). Hence, with the tape monitor feature activated, one can listen to the recording and get the levels on each individual channel, right.
But after the listening session, and everyone being impressed by this very colorful personality (my wife calls it a Christmas tree as it has a lot of panel lighting), I love its sound but Ill stay with my NAK DR3, as a NAK was one of my must-haves, from my younger days.
Here is a stock picture:
Not too many of you may be familiar with European brands or their sound profiles so thought I'll share my findings while listening to my recently overhauled Grundig CF5500-2 (claimed to be audiophile form internet articles) 3-head Cassette Deck.
History!
FM coaltrain put out a post on HFV introducing some equipment which he was came across. These included a vintage Grundig 5000V amplifier and its matching Grundig CF5500-2 cassette deck from the early 1980s. Interestingly the equipment was stored away and hence, not in working condition. He was giving these away, provided someone would show up in Bangalore to collect them. When I came across his post, I was interested straight away as I have owned a Grundig Mono Cassette Deck during my school days and as little as it was (and despite being Mono), could blow away some of the production-line Japanese decks of the mid-1980s. I was aware of the typical European build quality and performance. I waited for a while and when I saw that these did not have any takers, thought I'll indulge just for the sake of restoring the gear (for fun's sake and to relive the old times when I was an active DIYer and Restoration nerd). Went over to Bangalore and collected these (coaltrain was fantastic and helped transport these to my location. FM Santhosh was fantastic as well and helped me get these on the bus, safely). The only expenses incurred was to actually transport these in addition to the trip expenses (had some other gear to carry as well anyways).
Lets take a look!!
Back home, my brother and I took a closer look at the equipment. He is very good at fixing mechanical issues while I concentrate on the electronics. Back in the day, we got hold of the Grundig Mono Cassette Deck due to a mechanical issue that could not be resolved by the usual local technician. My brother walked in and out of shops over a week, searching for a cog-wheel which looked similar and finally got one which was used as a substitute. That deck was back in action and served us well. Back to the current story, we decided to tackle the amplifier first and hence the deck was on the sidelines. One weekend, just to take a look inside, we opened the deck and were shocked to find that everything inside looked untouched but stale from many years of storage. We connected up the deck and attempted to make it play which it did with a lot of crackles and hum, and terrible speed (slow with high wow and flutter). Also the auto-stop mechanism, pause and head-release mechanism was not working properly (was intermittently functioning). It was clear, we were going to need spare parts yet again (the most difficult part of any restoration) and possibly a new mechanism.
The start!!
Got a german manual online and had the important parts translated using google translate.
First move on the machine was to carefully dismantle the deck and take out its PCBs. We superficially cleaned the top and bottom of all PCBs (did not use isopropyl alcohol as the PCBs were not that dirty or corroded)
The next step was to take out the mechanism and digital counter. The mechanism needed some serious repair. Identified that the main drive belt had stretched a bit and was sagging, hence needed replacement. We studied the functionality of the mechanism and realized that the different lever moments were controlled by a electromagnet. This is the very first time we came across this concept. We soon found out that this electromagnet assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The main drive motor (capstan) looked soiled and its spindle did not move freely. Guess it was on the way to stalling and again would need replacement. I sat down with the electronics and painfully went through the caps and semiconductors (lots of transistors on there), noticed that 2 filter caps and 2 transistors in the power-stage had given way, probably when we tested the deck before dismantling it.
Spares!!
This was a problem, had to scout part availability, equipment with similar parts, faulty equipment for sale, etc. Got some leads from various internet sites and luckily managed to locate faulty equipment having the same parts, with sellers in Germany and Russia. The process of procurement took over 4 months as the parts were shipped to a friend in the United States and then hand carried back to India (shipping directly to India usually causes customs hassles and is more expensive, so avoided this). The eventual cost of these spares was:
Original Replacement Belt: 5 euro
Electromagnet based servo controller assembly: 33 euro
Main drive motor: 11 euro
Power supply replacement transistors: 11 euro
Power supply capacitors: 8 euro
The cost mentioned above includes shipping and packaging charges (at the time, was just over Rs.4500/-on my credit card statement)
Back in Action!!
The spares were duly received and replaced; the mechanism was completely cleaned and greased (used molybdenum based grease, usually used by Thorens). The faulty caps and transistors on the PSU were replaced, put back the wiring and got the deck up. Did the calibration using my Nakamichi DR3 for speed/pitch reference.
Did some short term listening and the deck sounded truly magnificent. The erase head and record/playback twin head is in pristine condition and so is the pinch roller. Speed/Pitch is accurate and the functionality superb. All functions work perfectly (this deck has a load of them). An interesting addition on the deck is a Mic input. Checked this as well with a dynamic mic and it was working. The LED level indicator assembly is so well designed that one can view the display even from a top angle. Kept the deck aside and thought Ill sit down with it over the weekend to do some serious recording/playback.
I have a day job with a major global corp and have little or no time for hobbies these days, however the interest drove me and my brother to staying awake, sometimes till 4 in the morning to get this done.
Last Weekend!!
Decided to do some serious recording and playback and check out the functionality/sound quality and over all performance. The following were used:
Tape used: TDK D 60, Type 1 Normal
Source: Marantz CD63 MkII (not my SE version)
CD: Ah Via Musicom - Eric Johnson (1990)
Preamp: NAD 106
Cabling: Python (RCA-RCA)
Recorded the same album on my NAD DR3 with Dolby-B and played it back fully, recording was brilliant, as expected with the NAK, Im very used to the NAK sound.
Then played back the same recording on the CF5500-2, now heres the surprise. Could not find much of a difference between the sound of the NAD and the CF. The only notable difference was that the CF sounded a tad brighter than the NAK but otherwise, it was a neck to neck race, based on the NAKs recording.
The next step was to re-record side-b using the CF (from track-1 on the CD) just to have 2 comparable sides with the same tracks recorded on the 2 decks. First of all, noticed that the break of music at the end of side of both sides of the cassette was similar which meant the speed/pitch of the NAK and CF were perfectly matched (at-least to the human ear). Ran a check on the tape-monitor function while recording and I must say, having a 3-head deck is a super-advantage as you can actually hear what is being recorded on the tape. Awesome!!
While making the recording on the CF, we used Dolby. On playback again, the side recorded on the CF was as good as the NAK with a tad of additional presence (compared playback on both the NAK and the CF). Now, sat back and listened to the CFs recording and here are my first impressions. The tonal balance of the recording was duly impressive. Johnsons guitar sounded very original and dynamic and the timbral detail was great. The overall sound was bright but not aggressive at the same time. Overall, I enjoyed the side recorded on the CF, a bit more than the side recorded on the NAK which sounded a bit laid back.
Conclusion!!
Overall, the performance has been very exciting and its a great deck for both playback and recording. Has a whole host of features, even the line output level for playback can be controlled. Also has a microphone input. For recording, the levels are fully controllable, at individual channel level as well as overall (has a master volume control for this). Hence, with the tape monitor feature activated, one can listen to the recording and get the levels on each individual channel, right.
But after the listening session, and everyone being impressed by this very colorful personality (my wife calls it a Christmas tree as it has a lot of panel lighting), I love its sound but Ill stay with my NAK DR3, as a NAK was one of my must-haves, from my younger days.
Here is a stock picture:
Last edited:
