Tandberg 3014A Vintage Cassette Deck - Minty and Complete - Serviced

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General:
Tandberg is known for some incredible cassette and reel to reel decks. The 3014A is easily one of the best ever made by the Norwegian company, and in my opinion one of the top three ever made.

We rarely get this model into the shop as it had low production numbers compared to the top of the line Nakamichi Dragon and CR-7A decks. 

Firstly, this tape deck is constructed beautifully. Every single button and knob is made out of metal and feels incredible to operate. The brushed front panel is also a standout and looks amazing at any angle. There is very little plastic inside and out, and the fit and finish of all the components is exemplary.  

Noteworthy features include: three heads for real-time record monitoring, dual capstan, Dolby B+C noise reduction, and a variable output.

Also very impressive is its manual record azimuth adjustment which is visible at the left side of the cassette well. Only a handful of cassette decks allow this type of adjustment and it's very useful. 

One special thing also to mention this deck are the extremely fast rewind and fast forward functions. Possibly the fastest any of us in the shop have ever seen on a cassette deck!

Most importantly this cassette deck was serviced in house. An absolute must for reliability and performance for vintage tape decks like this. 

Included with the tape desk will be its box, remote (rare), and the owners manual.

Essentially a complete kit as it left the factory which is uber rare. 

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Very minimal wear visible. Brand new Walnut side panels. Overall super good condition.

SkyFi Technical Notes:
This 3014A was serviced in-house including belts, bulbs, cleaning of all controls, setting VU meters, aligning the tape path, cleaning and aligning heads, cleaning bearings, lubrication, adjusting record and playback levels, and setting tape bias for all three types.

Recording was tested with Type II and Type IV tapes with great results. Both VU meters were disassembled and lubricated which is a chronic issue with all 3014s. The VU meters are accurate but one is slightly slower in response time than the other. The Remote was cleaned and received a new battery and testing to ensure proper function.

Brand Background:
Tandberg was an electronics manufacturer located in Norway. The company began in the radio field, but became more widely known for their reel to reel recorders as well as cassette decks.

Connections:
RCA inputs and outputs

General Sound:
Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:
Unit, remote, manual and power cord.

Packing:
Original Manufacturers Packing

Specs:
Type 
3-head, single compact cassette deck

Heads 
1 x playback, 1 x record, 1 x erase

Noise Reduction 
B, C

Frequency Response 
18 Hz to 23 kHz (With Type IV metal tape)

Signal to Noise Ratio 
74 dB (Dolby C)

Wow and Flutter 
0.06%

Total Harmonic Distortion 
2%

Input 
100mV (line)

Output 
0.7V (line)

Dimensions:
17.13" W x 6.54" H x 13.78" D

Weight:
21.6 lbs.

Approximate Age:
1983

Link to Manual:
Click Here

Recommended Cables:
Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Testing Process:
First steps are performed to determine if the unit is a candidate for our full restoration process, or if it's just in need of a light service.

We perform a basic functionality test to ensure proper playback, fast forward, and rewind. We look for smooth operation of the motors, transport engagement, and associated rolling parts.

We then do an internal physical inspection to ensure the belts and rubber consumable parts are up to spec.

Internal components are checked to make sure there are no signs of heat stress or damage, particularly in the power supply section. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR.

A light service will involve replacement of belts and rollers, external cleaning of heads, mechanism and boards, and basic record and playback tests.

A full restoration will often include disassembly of the drive system and replacement of all consumable and wearable parts including pinch rollers, belts, brakes, and bearings. We then clean, lubricate, and re-assemble the drive and perform basic mechanical alignment to ensure proper tape path and head alignment.

Final calibration will involve adjustment of the playback, erase, and record heads, along with optimization of the bias for a specific tape type. We do this with the aid of a Sound Technology 1510A tape deck analyzer plus a Nakamichi T-100 Audio Analyzer with reference calibration tapes.

Final listening tests are performed while monitoring with our reference Grado HP-1 headphones and a variety of factory and custom reference recordings We find that there is no better system for critical listening on tapes than with headphones, especially when comparing a live feed to a recorded feed.