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Onkyo TA-RW255: Review

Posted to Audio Components 2009-11-08

The Onkyo TA-RW255 cassette deck is a dual auto-reverse model that features high speed dubbing and continuous play. It can copy both sides of a tape automatically using the dual auto-reverse feature, and continuous play allows you to listen to both sides of two tapes, one after the other. The unit also features record level controls, CD synchro recording and repeat play.

Additional features of the TA-RW255 include Dolby B and C noise reduction, an electronic counter and an informative fluorescent display. The unit also features Onkyo's RI (Remote Interactive) remote system, which allows the user to control all of their Onkyo components with one remote control. The unit uses two motors and three tape heads. Frequency response is 20Hz-17KHz using metal tape and wow and flutter is 0.08%. The unit has a signal to noise ratio of 58dB.

Rating:

4.0 out of 5

Value

If you still have a lot of music or other audio on cassette tape, the Onkyo TA-RW255 is an excellent value for the money. One would expect, with the demand for cassette tape decks being low, that the unit would be expensive, but the street price is actually quite reasonable. In fact, a deck with these capabilities would have sold for much more in the heyday of cassette tape music storage. The unit has a good build quality, excellent specifications, and can produce clear, hiss-free recordings.

Features

The TA-RW255 has most of the features you would want in a cassette deck. The dual auto-reverse tape units make this a very versatile deck for copying and dubbing, and the continuous play feature is a nice bonus. The Dolby noise reduction helps keep noise to a minimum, and the deck has a number of useful editing features such as the ability to insert blank space between songs. The RI remote system is excellent if you own other Onkyo components - the remote is ergonomically designed and easy to use.

Summary

If you are in the market for a new unit to replace that aging cassette recorder, the Onkyo TA-TW255 is one of the best on the market (and there aren't that many on the market at all). It has all of the features that became standard back when cassettes were king, and is available at a surprisingly low price. The RI system allows easy integration with your other Onkyo components. All in all an excellent offering from Onkyo.

Pros

Dual auto reverse tape deck
High speed dubbing
Continuous play
Repeat play
Dolby noise reduction

Cons

There are no cons for this product