3600-XD
1974 Tandberg 3600 XD
Tandberg 3600 XD
Test Report
While a feature-packed modern recorder is a joy to use, things such as
auto-reverse and auto-stop, remote control and synchro-heads do cost
money, often representing a considerable part of the total cost. Yet such
features contribute little, if anything to the final sound quality.
But it is a truism of marketing that controls and switches sell, and sound
quality is often a second thought; so, frequently, the stereophile with a
modest sum to spend finds the recorders in his price range are heavy
on convenience features and “just acceptable” when it comes to sound
quality.
One place you can find what our listening panel termed “superb sound”
for a modest price, is in Tandberg’s new model 3600XD 7-inch reel-to-
reel tape deck. Priced at about $600, the 3600XD offers little in the way
of “cute” operating convenience features, but the final sound quality equals or surpasses that of some of the
best studio equipment we’ve used.
The capstan end-play stabilizer doesn’t look like much, but it goes a long way towards providing rock-steady
tape handling. Extensive use of precision tape-guides and an unusual tape-wrap roller (which forces the tape
into the guides and play-head) produces one of the finest tape-to-head contacts we’ve found; tape-contact
losses are essentially non-existent.
The sound quality starts with the tape transport, a one-motor mechanically-operated device, essentially the
same mechanism Tandberg has used for many years. Except for the record interlock, all functions are
provided by a joystick control: Forward, Fast Forward, Rewind and freewheel. The Freewheel mode releases
the reel brakes and the capstan pinch roller so the user can thread easily, or hand-cue the tape when editing.
Now, a mechanical mechanism is not usually noted for outstanding tape handling, but that’s where the
Tandberg 3600XD takes a different direction, as evidenced by a wow and flutter of 0.05% at 7.5 ips and
0.08% at 3.75 ips. Firstly, the tape path is essentially precision machinery; the heads use a spring-loaded
centre-pivot mounting such as found on the finest of studio recorders and, typical of studio recorders, the
azimuth adjustment is a LARGE binder-head screw. Should you receive a tape that is not in standard
alignment you can easily adjust the 3600XD’s alignment for optimum sound (best highs) – and then just as
easily restore the heads to standard alignment. Secondly, the tape guides are also the studio-recorder type,
factory-set for a precise tape path. Finally, we find the capstan itself has an end-play stabilizer, something not
even found on most studio machines. This stabilizer prevents shaft drift, and is evidenced by rock-steady high-
frequency reproduction from a pre-recorded tape very slightly out of standard alignment. (Normally, the highs
would drift in and out with a “whisper,” or short-wave-type fading effect.)
Fact is, this machine is among the finest we’ve seen with regard to tape-to-head contact – evidenced by
essentially zero dropouts from tape-contact losses.
file:///P|/9105%20werkdirectorie/Manufacturers,%20Manuals/Tapedeck/tests/9160CMTAN-REV-3600xd.htm (1 of 3)1-11-2003 11:03:35
Loading...