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Dead DA88: what to do with it?


Philip Perkins

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The transport and heads on my DA88 have become unreliable--intermittent.  The electronics and etc are all fine--1 owner, not used on location much etc.  It doesn't make economic sense for me to pay what Tascam or etc wants to service a 16 bit machine, and the shipping for the thing would be expensive (having it packed, it's heavy etc).  So it sits--in the way.  So what should I do? Take it to the dump and pay the toxic waste fee as though it was a computer?  Leave it out on the curb?  No school etc wants to mess with a non-functioning machine...

Philip Perkins

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When you say the "transport and heads have become unreliable," what does that mean exactly? Glitches? Transport shuts down? Bad sound quality?

If you don't want to put a few hundred bucks into a repair (given that used machines are selling for $500 or less on eBay), maybe it's best just to sell the machine "as-is" here or on eBay, and tell people it's a parts machine.

--Marc W.

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Guest Eric Lamontagne

Head cleaning tape usually smartens up my DA78 error rates. Check for drum head time in system menu. Try fresh tape, a different brand or a different supplier?

Eric Lamontagne

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When you say the "transport and heads have become unreliable," what does that mean exactly? Glitches? Transport shuts down? Bad sound quality?

If you don't want to put a few hundred bucks into a repair (given that used machines are selling for $500 or less on eBay), maybe it's best just to sell the machine "as-is" here or on eBay, and tell people it's a parts machine.

--Marc W.

What that exactly means is that it can't record or playback without lots of digital hits and dropouts.  I've been thru 3 sets of heads in this machine so I know the symptoms very well.  And the repair is not a few hundred dollars, it is more like $700 once shipping is added in. I had no luck trying to give the thing away locally, it will be interesting to see if anyone wants it badly enough to pay the shipping.  It seems to me that the parts people would  want would be the ones that have failed...  (I've already been thru the whole head cleaning drill many times with it.)

Philip Perkins

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