Harman Kardon TD262 User manual

TD262
TD212
Ultrawideband Linear Phase Cassette Deck Instruction Manual
Magnetocassette a phase lineaire et bande ultralarge Manuel d'utilisaiion
Ultrabreitband Phasenlineare Kassettendecks Bedienungsanleitung
Piastra a cassette a banda ultra ampia e fase lineare Manuals di istruzioni
Bredbands kassettdack med linjar fas Bruksanvisning
Ultrabreedband Lineaire Fase Cassettedecks Handleiding voor de Eigenaar
harman/kardon

Safety Precautions
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL
SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO
USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVIC¬
ING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
h
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within
an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user
to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous
voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may
be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral tri¬
angle is intended to alert the user to the presence
of important operating and maintenance (servic¬
ing) instructions in the literature accompanying
the appliance.
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE
TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
I. Read instructions — all safety and operation instructions
should be read before using the cassette deck.
2. Retain instructions for future reference.
3 ■ Heed warnings — all warnings on the cassette deck and in
its operations instructions should be adhered to.
4 . Follow all instructions.
5. Water and moisture — do not use the cassette deck around
water, for example near a swimming pool, sink or in a wet
basement.
6 ■ Ventilation — The cassette deck should be situated so that
its location or position does not interfere with its proper
ventilation.
7. Heat — The cassette deck should be situated away from
heat sources such as radiators, fireplaces, stoves, electric
popcorn poppers or other appliances that produce heat.
Also avoid prolonged contact with direct sunlight and
extremely low temperatures.
8 > Always use the correct AC voltage - Always connect
the power cord to a domestic mains outlet. Never
connect the unit to an outlet supplying a higher voltage.
This may create a fire hazard.
NOTE FOR CUSTOMERS OTHER THAN CANADA
This unit is supplied with a voltage selector enabling
selection between 220V and 240V on the rear panel. If
the selector is not set to the local voltage, set the
selector to the correct voltage with a screwdriver before
connecting the power cord to a mains outlet.
9 • Power cord protection — Power supply cords should be
routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or
pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying
particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience recep¬
tacles and the point at which the cord exits from the ,
cassette deck. Also never pull or stretch the cord.
Cleaning — Do not use volatile solvents such as alcohol,
gasoline, benzine etc. to clean the cassette deck cabinet.
Use only a clean dry cloth. If you must use a wet cloth,
wet only the cloth lightly with water.
I
i
Object and liquid entry — Care should be taken so that
objects (including excessive dust) do not fall into the unit,
and that liquids are not spilled into the inside of the
cassette deck.
2

Abnormal smells — If abnormal smell or smoke is
detected, immediately turn the cassette deck power OFF
and pull out the power cord. Contact your dealer or
nearest Harman Kardon Service station.
Damage requiring service —The cassette deck should be
serviced by qualified service personnel when:
A. The power supply cord or the plug have been
damaged; or
B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the
cassette deck; or
C. The cassette deck has been exposed to rain; or
D. The cassette deck does not appear to operate normally
in performance; or
E. The cassette deck has been dropped or the cabinet
damaged.
14 . Servicing — The user should not attempt to service the
cassette deck beyond those means described in this manual.
All other servicing should be referred to qualified service
personnel.
FOR CUSTOMERS IN THE UK
Your unit is supplied with the flex which will have either two
or three wires, so the following items should be observed to
guarantee safety:
THREE CORE FLEX
WARNING: THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED.
IMPORTANT. The wires in this mains lead are coloured in
accordance with the following code:
Green-and-ycllow : Earth
Blue : Neutral
Brown : Live
As the colours of the wires in the mains lead of this apparatus
may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying
the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:
The wire which is coloured green-and-yellow must be
connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked by the
letter E or by the safety earth symbol ♦ or coloured green or
green-and-yellow.
The wire which is coloured blue must be connected to the
terminal which is marked with the letter N or coloured black.
The wire which is coloured brown must be connected to the
terminal which is marked with the letter L or coloured red.
TWO CORE FLEX
IMPORTANT. The wires in this mains lead are coloured in
accordance with the following code:
Blue : Neutral
Brown : Live
As the colours of the wires in the mains lead of this apparatus
may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the
terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:
The wire which is coloured blue must be connected to the
terminal which is marked with the letter N or coloured black.
The wire which is coloured brown must be connected to the
terminal which is marked with the letter L or coloured red.
FOR CUSTOMERS IN CANADA
The AC plug is a polarized plug, so the following item should
be taken into consideration.
CAUTION : to prevent electric shock, do
NOT USE THIS (POLARIZED) PLUG WITH AN
EXTENSION CORD, RECEPTACLE OR OTHER OUTLET
UNLESS THE BLADES CAN BE FULLY INSERTED TO
PREVENT BLADE EXPOSURE.
This apparatus has been produced to comply with directive No. 76/
889/EEC (CISPR 14).
3

TD262/ TD212 Controls
Thank you for choosing Harman Kardon.
You now own a superb piece of high fidelity equipment. Used
properly, you are about to begin thousands of hours of cassette
recording and playback enjoyment.
While you are probably no beginner when it comes to high
fidelity components, we nevertheless ask you to read and
carefully follow the instructions in this manual to insure a
successful partnership between you and your new Hannan
Kardon Ultrawideband Cassette Deck.
Actual hook-up instructions begin on page 7.
NOTE: The TD262 includes several additional features not
found on the TD212. These features are noted in the panel
description and operating instructions. For example:
13. Rec Mute (TD262 only)
The following is a short explanation of the operating controls
and features on the front panel of your Harman Kardon
cassette deck.
To load a cassette tape, press the EJECT (1) button and the tape
compartment door will open. Press inward on the cassette
tape compartment door to close it.
The tape counter (2) allows you to locate a particular place
on a cassette. Press the RESET (3) button to set the counter
to 000.
Next to the red POWER (4) indicator are green and amber LED’s
to show whether DOLBY B (5) or DOLBY C (6) noise reduction
circuits are on. Other red and green LED’s are used to display
RECORD (7) and PLAY (8) modes.
A series of green and red LED’s (9) are used to register right
and left recording input levels as well as playback levels. This
display reacts almost instantly to musical peaks and provides
more useful information than mechanical meters.
This large rotary knob (10) is used to control input levels to the
TD262 / TD212 during recording.
Some recording sources, particularly phonograph records and
FM stations, often provide slightly more input to one channel
than the other. When the Peak Level Display indicates a
constant imbalance between left and right channels, the
BALANCE CONTROL (11) may be used to correct the problem.
This is an especially useful feature of your new Harman
Kardon cassette deck. Although the BIAS/EQUALIZATION
switches (19-21) provide the proper bias setting for three main
types of cassette tapes, brand and formulation of cassette tape
still requires a slightly different bias adjustment for maximum
wide band performance. Using the BIAS FINE TRIM (12) and
step-by-step instructions farther on in this manual, you can fine
tune the TD262/TD212 exactly to the tape you are using.
The BIAS FINE TRIM control has no effect during playback.
This button allows you to automatically insert a blank space
while recording a tape. Simply press REC MUTE (13) for as long
as you wish the blank space to last. When you release it,
recording will continue.
Press ■ (14) to stop the cassette deck’s tape transport while in
any mode.

o II (15) is the TD262/TD2 1 2 ’s RECORD/PAUSE button.
When it is pressed, the cassette deck switches to record mode,
the REC indicator lit up and PLAY indicator blinks at the
same time, and input to the deck is displayed on the Peak
LED Indicators, but the tape does not advance. While in this
mode, you can adjust the INPUT LEVEL and BALANCE
controls before actual recording. You can also pause at any
time during recording by pressing it once.
> (17) begins playback or recording.
« (16) is used to quickly rewind the tape. To rapidly wind
the tap & forward , press » (18). To stop REWIND or FAST
FORWARD, press ■ .
Three different types of cassette recording tapes may be used
with the TD262 / TD212. Each of these tape formulations
requires different electronic settings within the cassette deck.
METAL (19) should be used when recording metal formulation
(Type IV) tapes. This type of tape, which affords the widest
frequency response and lowest noise levels, will not record
properly on any other setting.
Cr0 2 (20) is for Type II tapes. These are often referred to as
High Bias, 70 u s or chrome tapes (Cr0 2 i s the chemical formula
for chromium dioxide, one of the components originally used
in Type II cassette tapes).
LN (21) should be pressed if you are using a Type I tape. These
are also referred to as Normal Position, Low Noise, ferric
oxide or simply 120 u s tapes.
If you are unsure as to which setting to use for a particular
brand of cassette, consult the information packed with the tape
or your Harman Kardon dealer.
If you wish to return to a particular point on the tape, mark it
by setting the tape counter to 000 at that point.
To return to the same point, depress the MEMORY (23) button
and then press « , The TD262 will then automatically
rewind, and stop at the point on the tape which corresponds
to 000 on the tape counter.
5

Dolby noise reduction is an extremely effective method of
reducing background hiss on tapes. The TD262 and TD212
incorporate both Dolby B and Dolby C circuitry. Dolby B
reduces tape hiss by about lOdB. Dolby C is approximately
twice as effective as Dolby B, reduces noise over a wider
frequency band and improves overall high-end tape response.
When pressed, the NR (24) button engages the Dolby B & C
noise reduction systems.
The TYPE (25) switch selects the noise reduction system to be
used for recording or playback.
NR BUTTON TYPE BUTTON
RESULTS COMMENTS
OFF
NO EFFECT NR OFF
• For playback of tapes which have not
been encoded with Dolby B or C NR'.
ON
OUT
DOLBY B
• For playback of tapes recorded with
Dolby B 1 2 .
• During recording, encodes the tape in
Dolby B.
ON
IN DOLBY C • For playback of tapes recorded with
Dolby C 3 .
• During recording, encodes a tape in
Dolby C.
1. A Dolby-encoded tape played back without noise reduction
decoding will sound “bright” due to boosted treble
frequencies.
2. A tape which has not been recorded with Dolby NR, will
sound muffled and “dull” when played back with noise
reduction decoding on.
3. Unsatisfactory sound will result if you attempt to play back
a tape recorded in Dolby C while the TYPE button is set to
Dolby B, and vice verse.
This circuit is an input filter which should only be used when
making cassette recordings of FM broadcasts while employing
Dolby B or C noise reduction. Special inaudible signals that
are part of FM stereo broadcasts can interact with Dolby NR to
cause audible interference and distortion which are noticeable
only during playback after it is too late to correct.
Always set the MPX FILTER (26) button to its ON position when
making Dolby-encoded recordings from FM. The circuit has
no effect during playback.
Press this switch to turn the power to your TD262 / TD 212 on.
Press again to turn the power off.
The Harman Kardon TD262 includes special Dolby HX Pro
circuitry. This is NOT a noise reduction circuit. Nor is it a
“record/playback” system which requires separate encode and
decode circuits. Its putpose is to gain even more high
frequency performance out to tapes you record.
Even though your TD262 may be set to the optimum bias for a
tape (using the BIAS/EQUALIZATION and BIAS FINE
TRIM controls), extremely high treble signal levels can still
cause the bias to momentarily overload, causing audible signal
degradation and distortion. Until Dolby HX Pro was devel¬
oped, the only alternative was to reduce overall input signal
levels, which potentially increases signal-to-noise ratios.
*Dolby noise reduction and HX Pro headroom extension manufactured under license from Dolby
Laboratories Licensing Corporation. HX Pro originated by Bang & Oiufsen.
“DOLBY”, the double-D symbol [ jC 1 and “HX PRO" are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories
Licensing Corporation.
6

T D 2 6 2 /
T D 2 1 2
Set-Up
Dolby HX Pro eliminates this problem by monitoring the
signal level and constantly adjusting the bias so that the deck is
always recording optimally. Not only is signal quality
significantly improved, but recording headroom is also
dynamically extended. Bets of all, it requires no special
playback circuitry, so you can make a tape with HX Pro and
enjoy the benefits in your car, with a portable cassette player,
or when playing the tape on a friend’s cassette deck.
There is no button to turn on Dolby HX Pro. Because it is
compatible with any cassette deck during playback, it operates
automatically when you make a recording with the TD262.
Figure 2 TD262 Rear Panel
Save all packing material from your new Hannan Kardon
cassette deck. While the box is quite large and may be a
nuisance to store, it is essential for shipping if you move or
should the unit ever need repair.
Also be sure to fill out the customer profile card and save your
sales receipt in a safe place. It is necessary to establish the date
on which your warranty begins, and as proof of ownership in
the event of something drastic such as fire or theft.
The TD262 /TD212 is fully shielded and may be placed on top
of or under other stereo components, provided that its 3/8 -inch
“feet” provide sufficient clearance for the cooling needs of the
component below.
The cassette deck’s inputs and outputs are connected to the
TAPE MONITOR connections of your preamplifier, integrated
amplifier or receiver using the hook-up cables provided.
If you are using external signal processing components such as
equalizers, dynamic expanders or surround sound processors
which are now connected to your TAPE MONITOR loop, you
have two choices.
If your pre-amp/integrated amp/receiver has two tape monitor
loops and you do not wish your new cassette deck to interact
with any components connected to TAPE MON. 1, connect
the deck to TAPE MON. 2.
Connect the TD262 / TD 212 to the TAPE MON. loop
provided on the last outboard component.

Stereo Receiver
TD 262/TD212
Figure 3
1. Make sure that power to both the TD262 /TD212 and your
pre-amp/integrated amp/receiver is turned OFF.
2. Connect one set of hook-up cables from the TD262/TD212’s
INPUT sockets to the appropriate TAPE MONITOR OUT¬
PUT on your receiver/pre-amp/etc. It may be identified as
REC or OUT, depending on the component.
3. Connect the other set of hook-up cables from the TD262 /
TD212’s OUTPUT sockets to the appropriate TAPE INPUT.
This may be labeled IN, PLAY or MON.
During hook-up, take care to match left and right component
plugs with the left and right input jacks on the cassette deck.
Common practice is to treat the red plug as right and the greyl
black/white plug as [eft.
Upon completion of the audio connection, proceed with
connection of the power cord into the appropriate outlet.
If tape is slack inside the cassette shell, it can cause jamming
and possible destruction of the tape. Before playing or
recording, insert a pencil into one of the cassette shell hubs and
wind it until all the slack iis taken up.
1. Make sure the TD262 / TD212 is turned on.
2. Depress the EJECT button, insert the tape with the open
side of the cassette shell downward and close the cassette
compartment door.
3. Select the proper BIAS/ EQUALIZATION setting.
4. If the tape is encoded in Dolby B or C, use the NR and
TYPE buttons to turn on the proper noise reduction circuits.
5. Press > .
1. After loading a tape into the TD262 / TD212, set the BIAS/
EQUALIZATION, NR, and TYPE switches to their proper
positions.
IA. Set the BIAS FINE TRIM to its center position (or refer to
the next set of instructions on how to adjust bias to match a
particular tape formulation.)
IB. If you are recording from FM, make sure to turn on the
MPX FILTER.
2. Press o II (REC/PAUSE). The red REC indicator lit up
and PLAY indicator blinks at the same time.
3. Play a section of the program to be recorded which is loud,
i.e. has a wide dynamic range with ample bass and
midrange.
8

4. Set the INPUT LEVEL knob until regular musical peaks
register uo to OdB with occasional peaks registering as high
as +3db'.
5. Press > to begin recording.
6. During recording, watch the Peak Level Indicators to make
sure that regular peaks do not exceed +3dB'.
• To insert a momentary blank space, press REC MUTE (TD
262 only).
• To pause during recording, press o ii (REC/PAUSE). Press
> (PLAY) to continue recording.
• To stop recording, press ■ .
1. W hen using metal tape formulations with Dolby C noise
reduction, it is possible to record occasional musical peaks
as high as +5dB. To determine if saturation distortion has
occurred while recording at higher levels, reset the counter
to 000 during recording, then later rewind the tape back to
that point and play back that section.
This is a simple way to fine tune your cassette tape and deck.
It uses interstation tape hiss as a test source. The BIAS FINE
TRIM control is rotated in increments each time the Tape
Counter advances 10 units. Then, when listening to playback ,
you can use the Tape Counter to determine which BIAS FINE
TUNE position provided the best frequency response.
Please note that the BIAS FINE TRIM control has less effect
with metal tape than with LN or CrC )2 tapes.
1. Make sure that the NR button on the TD262 / TD212 is in
the OUT position (off).
2. Select the proper BIAS/EQUALIZATION setting to match
the tape type being used.
3. Rotate the BIAS FINE TRIM control as far as it will go to
the left (hi cut). We will refer to this as the “7 o’clock”
position, since it corresponds to that position on a clock
face.
4. Set your receiver/pre-amp/integrated amp’s SOURCE
selector to TUNER.
5. Turn off any MUTE and SEEK features on your tuner (or
tuning section of a receiver) and tune between stations until
you hear only loud hiss (interstation noise).
6. After loading a blank cassette into the deck, press » to
advance toward the middle of the tape.
7. Press ■ (STOP) and then o ll (REC/PAUSE).
8 . Set the INPUT level control until the Peak Level Meters
read -3dB.
9. Reset the Tape Counter to 000.
10. Press > to begin recording.
11 . When the Tape Counter reads 010, quickly rotate the BIAS
FINE TRIM control clockwise to the “8 o’clock” position.
12. When the Tape Counter reads 020, rotate the BIAS FINE
TRIM control to “9 o’clock”.
13. Continue this operation until the Tape Counter reads 80 and
the BIAS FINE TRIM knob has been rotated fully clock¬
wise to the right as far as it will go (hi boost).
14. Press ■ and rewind the tape back to the point
where the tape counter reads 000.
15. Select TAPE MONITOR on your receiver/pre-amp/etc.
Turn up the volume to a relatively high level or plug in a
set of headphones and listen through them.
16. Press > on the TD262 / TD212.
17. While watching the Tape Counter, listen to the interstation
FM hiss. At each 10 tape counter units, the treble quality
of the hiss should change slightly. Compare it with “live”
interstation noise by pressing the TAPE MONITOR button
in and out. When the playback hiss and the “live” hiss
sound very close to the same, note the numbers on the Tape
Counter. These correspond to the BIAS FINE TRIM ad¬
justment for the particular tape you are using.
040 040 040
Figure 4 Adjusting Bias-Fine Trim
If you wish, you may repeat the test making adjustments just in
close proximity to what seems to be the optimal setting. This
can further fine tune bias adjustments, although past a certain
point, minute changes will be hard to detect.
You should repeat this test again each time you change brands
or formulations of cassette tape.
All cassettes are provided with an erasure protection system. It
consists of two small tabs covering square holes on the back of
the cassette shell. When these small plastic tabs are removed,
it is impossible to re-record the cassette.
Thus you can protect a recorded tape form accidental erasure
by prying these tabs off with a small screwdriver.
If you wish to use an erasure-protected cassette again for
recording, simply cover the holes with adhesive tape.
After replacing a tape in its case, store it in a location well
away from direct sunlight, high temperatures and excessive
humidity.
Be especially careful to avoid placing a cassette tape near
television sets or loudspeakers where magnetic fields may
partially erase the tape.
Do not use old cassettes that no longer smoothly pass the tape
from reel-to-reel. They may jam or otherwise provide unsatis¬
factory performance.
9

APPENDIX ! — Troubleshooting
Tape heads and transport. Even the smoothest high quality tape
sheds particles onto the record and playback heads. This
build-up eventually causes loss of sound quality and increased
wear on tapes.
One option is to purchase a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and
some long-handled cotton swabs. Slightly dampen a swab in
alcohol and gently scrub the surfaces of each tape head. Then
dampen another swab and clean other exposed internal
mechanical parts which are close to the TD262 / TD212 tape
heads. Repeat this process after every 30 tapes.
The other option is to purchase a commercial tape head
cleaning kit which contains fluid and special cassettes with
cleansing tape inside. Follow the instructions included on them
and discard them when recommended.
Gradual magnetization of tape heads is another problem which
can cause degradation of sound. Record heads are intended to
impart a magnetic field, but not to be magnets in themselves.
Likewise, a playback head is supposed to react to the magnetic
field in a tape, but not to be magnetized itself. Unfortunately,
both record and playback heads CAN and DO gradually pick
up a residual magnetic field themselves. So does the capstan
and other tape guide parts. The result of this gradual magneti¬
zation is that any tape pulled past a magnetized head picks up
extra noise from the residual field and at the same time may be
slightly erased! Not only will new tapes have poorer sound
quality when recorded, but older tapes’ sound quality can also
be degraded.
The solution is a tape head demagnetizes Two styles are
available, handheld and cassette-sized. A handheld demagnet¬
izer plugs into a wall socket and is much more effective since it
can generate a stronger de-magnetization field. However, it
has to be used VERY carefully or it may do more harm than
good. Before you invest in one, consult with your Harman
Kardon dealer. Also read the instructions which come with the
unit carefully and make sure no recorded tapes are anywhere
near the demagnetizer when it is turned on.
A battery-powered demagnetizer in the shape of a cassette
reduces the danger of improper use. You simply insert it and
let it do its job. If you choose this type, make sure to use the
cassette demagnetizer as frequently as is prescribed in the
instructions which come with it.
External Surfaces. When cleaning your TD262 / TD212, avoid
the direct use of dusting sprays, abrasive cleaners or caustics
(such as dilute ammonia window cleaning solutions). Use only
a mild soap and water solution, applied to a soft cloth, rather
than sprayed directly onto the component.
Once again, thank you for choosing Harman Kardon. We wish
you many happy years of cassette recording and playback
listening enjoyment.
Checking these possibilities first may save you time and effort
getting your unit serviced. Your Harman Kardon dealer will
also be able to answer questions and help you discover the
problem.
No light Irom any cassette deck indicators.
1. Deck is not plugged into wall socket.
2. Wall socket or extension cord is faulty. Check for poor
connections and /or blown fuse.
No sound when PLAY is pressed.
1. The tape is at its end. Rewind it.
2. Sound is not recorded on the tape. You can determine this
by checking the LED PEAK INDICATORS. They will flash
if there is music recorded on the tape.
3. Other components in the signal chain such as preamplifier
and power amplifier are not turned on.
4. The SOURCE and/or TAPE MONITOR selector on your
pre-amp/integrated amp/receiver is switched incorrectly.
5. The tape deck is connected incorrectly. Double check that
the TD262 / TD212’s OUT connectors are attached to the
TAPE IN sockets on your receiver, etc.
6. The hook-up cables are internally broken. Replace them
with new ones.
Cassette deck does not record.
1. Erase-prevention tabs are removed from the cassette.
Change the tape or cover the holes with adhesive tape.
2. Cassette deck is connected incorrectly to the pre-amp/
receiver/etc.
3. Cassette deck INPUT LEVEL control is set to the “0” far
left position.
4. The hook-up cables are internally broken. Replace them
with new ones.
10