[forkstriker4]

Originally Posted by LEDZEPZOSO

DAT tapes are almost like the old cassettes of yesteryears, so your unit will have wear on the heads and transports. The thing is most homes DAT units are made sturdy and should last well over 1000 head hours. They are not like the portable DAT players. I never fast-forward or rewind on my portable deck and have had gears on the transport break a couple of times in the last couple of years.


If you purchase one from ebay try to buy from someone that knows a little bit of history on the unit. I have seen pawns shop welling DAT players and they have no idea if the unit even works or not. At least with most personal sellers it is a unit that they have used in the past.

I'll put the hours on the heads into consideration then. Thanks!

Originally Posted by tilomagnet

Tascam decks (the DA-30 in particular) were quite the standard in studios for a long time and therefore there are lots of these decks around with a ton of hours on the heads. Tascams are said to be much more durable than Sonys, the Sony consumer DATs are mostly crap and often broke down while still under warranty. The few really well build and durable Sony DATs are very expensive (DTC-2000 etc.).

I've got a Tascam DA-20 MkII, which is the little brother of the DA-30. Bought it a few years ago and it has worked like a charm. If you are only planning to transfer some DATs I can really recommend the DA-20. It doesn't have all of the additional features of the DA-30, which you do not need anyway for transferring . It is a nice durable deck and can be had for a lot less than a DA-30. And it does have coax out as well of course.

I guess I'll be looking for Tascam DA-20s, DA-20 MKIIs, and DA-30s. They all seem well suited for my needs.

I must ask again... Does anyone have any opinions on Panasonic DAT (Digital Audio Tape) decks?

Thanks for the input, everyone!