Tascam CD-701
A broadcast CD player built like a rack component, with a linear-motor transport and a RAM buffer that could make it start on a dime.
Overview
The CD-701 is a professional compact disc player from Tascam, and it was never meant to sit on a bookshelf. It measures 220 x 130 x 490 mm and weighs 9.5 kg. That is deep rather than wide, and heavy for a single-disc player. It was built on the assumption that it would live in a studio or broadcast rack alongside a control unit and remote. The front panel handles 8-cm and 12-cm discs. The pickup is a Sony KSS-151A optical assembly with a laser output of 0.2 mW or less at the objective lens and a wavelength of 780 nm ±20 mm.
The transport and the control architecture are what separate the CD-701 from a consumer deck. The pickup is linear-motor driven, a mechanism that favors cueing speed and positional accuracy over cost. Tascam's own documentation gives an audio rise time of virtually zero seconds with the optional BU-1 RAM buffer installed, and 0.3 seconds without it. The RAM buffer is the headline feature. It lets the player output audio the instant a start command arrives, instead of waiting for the laser to lock and the disc to spin up. Access time is rated at less than 2 seconds.
The digital section is standard first-generation CD: 16-bit linear quantization at a 44.1 kHz sample rate, with a playback frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Tascam rates the playback frequency response at 20 Hz to 20 kHz, ±1 dB. Signal-to-noise ratio is specified at 96 dB (IHF A-weighted), distortion at 0.008% at 1 kHz at maximum level, and channel separation at 90 dB at 1 kHz at maximum level. Those are respectable numbers for the era. The service documentation confirms the distortion figure, setting the adjustment limit at 0.008% or less.
The output section is where the broadcast intent shows. The line output is a balanced XLR connection at +4 dBm into 600 ohms. It is internally adjustable between 0 and +8 dBm via trim pots on the audio board - VR102 for the left channel and VR202 for the right. Tascam set them to center for +4 dBm before shipping. The monitor output is a 1/4" stereo unbalanced jack at 0 dB into 10 kohms, and the headphone output is a 1/4" stereo jack rated at 4 mW maximum into 8 ohms. There is a separate headphone level control. The monitor output level is fixed, and the manual is explicit that it is not changeable. A jumper on the audio board, labeled S1, can be set to make the XLR outputs hot in both ON LINE and MONITOR modes. Tascam calls this "Single Cue." In a broadcast chain it lets you hear what is going out without repatching.
The rear panel carries the connections you would expect from a professional deck: XLR outputs, a digital out, the 1/4" phones/monitor jack, a DIN 8-pin remote connector, a D-sub 25-pin connector for the control unit, and an IEC 3-wire AC inlet. Power consumption is 23 W. The CD-701 was sold in multiple voltage configurations: 120 V AC at 60 Hz for USA and Canada, 240 V AC at 50 Hz for the U.K. and Australia, 220 V AC at 50 Hz for Europe, and a general export version covering 100/120/220/240 V AC at 50/60 Hz.
Cue level is switchable between -72, -66, -60, and -54 dB. That is a broadcast feature - it sets a specific low-level audition point for cueing without disturbing the main output. The player also supports an optional pitch control function through the BC-7 and RC-701 accessories, with a range of ±6% and a step resolution of 0.1%. The RC-701 remote adds its own headphone output at 1 W maximum into 80 ohms and a monitor output at 0 dB into 10 kohms. Its connectors include a D-sub 25-pin audio in, a D-sub 25-pin player unit connection, a D-sub 15-pin accessory port, and an IEC AC inlet. It draws 30 W and weighs 5.0 kg. Cueing accuracy on the RC-701 is specified at 1 frame, which works out to 13.3 milliseconds. Baud rate is switchable between 1200, 2400, 4800, and 9600 bps.
The smaller RC-7 remote control unit measures 212 x 37 x 150 mm and weighs 1 kg. It is the compact companion to the CD-701, distinct from the larger RC-701.
Tascam's service documentation shows how much adjustability is built into the machine. Beyond the output level trims, there is VR301 on the mechanism board for tray speed. Turn it clockwise and the tray opens and closes faster, counterclockwise and it slows down. The BU-1 RAM buffer installs by plugging a card into a connector on the main board and fastening it with a supplied bracket. Focus offset, focus gain, and tracking gain all have their own adjustment procedures and test points.
The CD-701 shares its model number with the RC-701 remote, which can be confusing when searching for documentation or parts. The manual covers the CD-701, RC-701, and RC-7 together. The parts lists distinguish between main PCB assemblies for serial numbers 40000 and below versus higher than 40000, so there were production revisions over the model's life.
The documentation says this is a Class 1 laser product, designed and manufactured according to FDA regulations under the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968. Tascam's safety instructions warn against removing the protective housings. They also note that use of controls or adjustments other than those specified may result in hazardous radiation exposure.
The CD-701 is not a consumer CD player with a rack handle bolted on. It is a purpose-built broadcast machine with balanced outputs, a linear-motor transport, switchable cue levels, and an optional RAM buffer that eliminates start latency. The trade-offs are the usual ones for professional gear of this vintage: a deep chassis that will not fit a standard consumer shelf, proprietary remote connectors that are hard to source, and a laser assembly that is now decades old. The Sony KSS-151A pickup was used in several machines of the period, which helps slightly with parts availability. Anyone considering one should assume the transport may need attention.
The CD-701 does not have the cult following of some broadcast CD players, and it does not have the simplicity of a consumer deck. What it has is real broadcast functionality: balanced outputs, cue level switching, RAM buffer capability, and a transport designed for fast, accurate access.
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