Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    I should add that this adapter had a cassette-lookalike at the end
    of the cable and you inserted that into the cassette player...

    
    Andy,
    	  there was a brief discussion in the CARBUFFS file about it,
    	  and it seems like a pretty cheap'n'nasty device.  I was
    	  going to get one until I saw what CARBUFFS said..!  Mind you,
          I'd rather get a few cheapo cassettes nicked from my car than
          a bunch of muchos-expensive (in comparison at least) CD's anyway. 
    	  I dunno 'bout you but when I'm driving I don't think the
          quality of an in-car CD player would be worth the money, too
    	  much wind-rush, tyre-roar, and body-boom (as "Which?" magazine
          is so fond of calling it...!)  I find cassette-recordings
          of my CD collection to be more than adequate.
                                                             
                                                          Ian!
    

    This has been mentioned elsewhere in this notesfile.  Service
    Merchandise (various locations around New England) has a Recoton model
    for about $20.  One end plugs into the headphone jack of the CD player,
    and the other, encased in a dummy cassette, into the car stereo. 

    The Recoton CD-20 for about $20 (or less) seems to be the one everyone
    carries.  I have one and it works quite well, but note that it doesn't
    work in Pioneer car stereos.
    					Steve

    The CARBUFFS used to have it but it was yanked out by Mr. Moderator.
    It is either in this conference or in AUDIO (or VIDEO or CONSUMER)...
    Oh never mind!
    
    I have one made by Recoton and it works as advertised. I paid about
    $15.00 on sale at SM.  It is also available at Leechmere.  As noted
    earlier, it will not work with Pioneer model. (I believe because the
    Pioneer models come with some fancy Auto-stop mechanism). The adopter
    cassette does not have any mechanical parts and nothing moves. 
    
- Vikas

    Re: .5
    
    The "tape hubs" in the adapter cassette DO move.  I think they have
    to to fool most decks EOT detection.
    					Steve

    Re/ .6:
    
    Gee, the Recoton one I have doesn't have any tape hubs.  The spindle
    just turns freely in the hole in the casing, which avoids any EOT
    sensing.

What kind of sound quality do these cassette adapters have?  Does it 
sound better than a well-recorded cassette, or is it just a convienence
not to have to record your disks?

Just asking...

    My experience with trying out the Recoton adapter at home through
    my cassette deck, and switching back and forth between tape and
    CD, was that the sound was very good, but lacking at the high and
    low end - not too surprising.
    
    In the car, the sound is surprisingly good - a bit
    more so than a quality tape recording made from a CD source.
    
    Overall, I prefer the convenience of cassettes, but if you already
    have a portable CD player, it's worth the minor investment to
    try it out.  Frankly, I had more trouble with the power adapter
    than I did the cassette adapter!
    					Steve

    Sony supplies these adapters with some of their portable decks (mine
    is a D7dx). Although I plug my unit directly into my car amp (Carver)
    I have tried it on my wife's concord cassette deck an it sounded
    better than a good tape but not as good as direct conn. 
    
    You decide!   Marty.  digital in Ca.

    Listening to tapes I made of the Fresh Aire CDs in my car, I
    suddenly realized a big advantage that a car CD player has over
    a good quality tape: the total absence of wow and flutter!  It was
    painful at times to hear the flutter in the tapes, though it may
    have been exaggerated due to the cold.
    					Steve

         Re: .10
         
         Yep,  I used to connect my Sony walkman directly on a
         Alpine Booster-Equalizer (before, I connected it my stereo
         amp.). This booster has a high impedance input, for use with
         some special Alpine equipment. A bit of a hack to find out
         the good wires, but it worth (and works), and sound is GREAT !
         
         If you ask in any shop, they would say : "Don't !". But
         as far as I remember my electronic courses, there is no risk. 
         
         I plan to buy a Technics portable CD player (SL-XP7) to connect
         it to my booster, but port. CD's  are too much expensive,
         here in France. BTW, if someone has any proposals ...

         This a cheap solution, and you don't get the risk to have
         your equipment stolen.
         
         
         Pierre.

re.11

On a recent trip to Tahoe, I took along my portable CD and Sony adaptor
which came with it.  I listened to a recording of Mozart's Clarinet
Concerto in A, K622.  The almost perfectly linear quality of the
CD brought out the beauty of the solo passages in the Mozart. I
think it would have been very painful to listen to the same recording
on cassette because:
	- even good car stereos have a certain amount of wow and flutter, and
	- the roughness of the road produces a few jolts to the casette 
	  as well which causes even greater distortion.

Now I gotta figure a way to stop it from skipping.  Encase it in foam rubber?

AAA