Tandberg TCD-300 (circa 1973)
The TCD-300 was Tandberg's pitch to get reel-to-reel loyalists onto cassette. The ads ran in several audio magazines in late 1973 and went after "people who wouldn't own anything but a reel-to-reel machine". The deck was sold as a high-end option for listeners who had long written cassette off as a compromise.
Almost everything that survives comes from that ad campaign. So the specs below are Tandberg's own published claims, not independent lab measurements. The company stated a signal-to-noise ratio of 54 dB without Dolby and 62 dB with Dolby noise reduction. Frequency response was given as 30-16,000 Hz (DIN) using chromium dioxide tape, and wow and flutter as 0.15% WRMS. The large illuminated peak-reading dB meters stood out, since they were an unusual touch for a cassette deck of the period.
The TCD-300 launched alongside two new reel-to-reel machines, the 9000X and 3300X, which suggests a coordinated model refresh. Tandberg's advertising in Audio (November 1973) and High Fidelity (November 1973) ran the same copy. HiFI-Stereo (December 1973, p.11) carried the detailed specification list. No confirmed production years, original retail price or service documentation have surfaced in the available record.
Known specifications (from period advertising):
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 54 dB (without Dolby), 62 dB (with Dolby)
- Frequency response: 30–16,000 Hz (DIN, CrO₂ tape)
- Wow and flutter: 0.15% WRMS
- Dolby noise reduction
- Large illuminated peak-reading dB meters
- Format: Stereo cassette deck
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