Grundig Fine Arts CCT-903 Cassette Deck Review

Autoreverse, two-speed tape copying, and both Dolby B and Dolby C noise reduction are the most notable features of the Grundig Fine Arts CCT-903 cassette deck. Designed to make cassette copying as convenient as possible, the CCT-903 houses two separate tape transports in a single case and provides the connections and level setting for deck-to-deck dubbing at the touch of a button. Since both transports are bidirectional, it is not necessary to turn cassettes over for side two.

Deck A in the CCT-903 is a playback-only unit. Deck B provides both recording and playback facilities, although since the same head is used for both functions, it is not possible to make instant comparisons between the signal input and the taped result. In both decks when the tape direction is reversed the head assembly is physically rotated by 180 degrees. This positions its left- and right-channel head elements properly for the side two tape tracks, which are, of course, recorded in the opposite direction and along the other tape edge.

Mechanically, the two tape transports are nearly identical. The chief difference between them is that in Deck A the autoreverse mechanism is triggered by the physical end of the tape, whereas Deck B has an optical detector that “sees” through the translucent leader and provides a much more rapid turnaround. Both transports embody a single-capstan drive design and use a belt-coupled DC motor. (There is a second capstan for each transport, but it is engaged only for reverse-direction drive, not to create a dual-capstan, closed-loop system.) A second motor controls the head assembly and brakes.

The tape type in use is sensed when a cassette is loaded, and the bias and equalization are set automatically. The cassette wells are not illuminated and do not provide label visibility, but they have a mirrored back that enables the user to see how much tape remains on a side. The cassette-well door panels are not removable which makes it awkward to clean and degauss the heads.

Record levels are indicated on an eight-segment-per-channel fluorescent display, which is calibrated from +6 to —20 dB. The indicators read 0 dB with our IEC standard-level tapes, but since the minimum display increment is ±3 dB precise level setting is not possible. A three-digit fluorescent counter, calibrated in arbitrary units, can be switched to read the tape position in either deck. A memo (memory) button permits rapid relocation of a specific place on a tape during fast-forward or rewind. Either deck can be set to play both sides of a cassette sequentially, either once or continuously, and an AUTO position is provided to play both sides of the tape in Deck A followed by both sides of the one in Deck B.

A master control and two individual-channel controls are used to set recording levels, and there’s a rear-mounted playback-level control. Record levels are automatically set in either the single-speed or the double-speed dubbing mode, but to monitor the tape in Deck A properly the relevant Dolby system should be selected. The front-panel headphone jack has its own level control. Besides Dolby selection, switches are provided for defeating the FM-multiplex filter and for timer activated operation.

Overall, the Grundig Fine Arts CCT-903 measures 18-3/4 inches wide, 4-1/2 inches high, and 14 inches deep, and it weighs a little over 18 pounds. Price $899.

Comments

The Grundig CCT-903 is the first dubbing deck that we felt performed well enough to be seriously considered as part of a home taping system. It is well equipped with recording and playback features, and it is built extremely well considering all the moving parts it employs.

Listening to prerecorded tapes as well as tapes we recorded and copied on the CCT-903, however, did confirm most of the problems we found in our measurements. Wow-and-flutter, while not audible as distinct pitch variations, produced an overall graininess, a somewhat edgy-sounding quality in the upper midrange, and a lack of focus and depth in the sound image. Although hiss was not a problem, response at the extreme high frequencies was perceptibly lacking when compared with that of our reference deck. We could not judge tapes either recorded or dubbed on this machine to be fully satisfactory sonically.

We were, however, pleasantly surprised to find that the high-speed copying mode lost very little more in the way of high-frequency response than the normal-speed copying mode, and it even added slightly less wow and-flutter.

If your purpose is copying tapes for use m the car, of course, these considerations may mean very little, but they do, in our judgment, debar the CCT-903 from consideration as an audiophile’s main home deck. This is not to say that the CCT-903 is not an adequate music source for noncritical listening; it is a fair performer, better than other dubbing decks we’ve encountered. But to my mind, in terms of both detailed, high-quality sound and dollars spent, the cost of its conveniences is rather high.

Audiophile-quality dubbing decks are still a dream for many of us, but the Grundig CCT-903 is evidence of how good some of today’s decks can be, and it bodes well for the future of this type of product.

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