Cable decision for tape conversion

[Erlehacker]

My family has a huge collection of audio tapes. Most of these tapes are anywhere from 1 to 25 years old (just a rough guess), so keep this in mind. I have recently been trying to preserve them on CDs. To do this, I have 2 choices: Use a modern tape player and a 3mm jack to hook it up to my sound card, or use an 80s-ish tape deck with RCA composite cables, amplifier, and converter. Which one would would give me better quality? (Remember the age of the tapes)

 

[JohnK93]

My guess is that given the age of the tapes, they are not great quality, so I'm not sure you'll notice a difference between the two methods you listed. Sorry I don't have a more definitive answer, but I would try a section of tape using both methods and see if you notice a difference. If I had to chose, I would think the modern tape player would provide better quality than the older tape player. Modern tape decks often have improved noise reduction settings and cleaner heads, as well as independent motors for each of the spools of the tape, which prevents tears in the tape from jerky start/stops.

Let us know how you make out.

John

 

[blue_dragon]

theres a far solution

you can also try to install a tape player on your pc
but i would go with the 3.5mm STEREO using a modern tape player and the line in/mic input on your computer