TEAC 970X (circa 1989–1991)

The Teac 970X — usually written V-970X in dealer advertising — was a three-head, three-motor cassette deck from the late 1980s. The surviving record on it is thin: no service literature or owner's manual has surfaced in the Archive, and production years are not firmly documented. What exists is one substantive magazine review and a trail of dealer ads that still listed the deck in late 1991.

Audio (January 1989, p.128) ran an equipment profile with the manufacturer's specifications: frequency response of 25 Hz to 17 kHz on Type I tape, extending to 19 kHz on Type II and 20 kHz on Type IV, and signal-to-noise ratios of 70 dBA with Dolby B, 80 dBA with Dolby C, and 92 dBA with dbx — so the 970X carried a full complement of noise reduction. The same review singled out the muting system for its flexibility and called the status displays among the best the reviewer had seen, and it described the optional RC-311 remote with buttons for CPS, Auto Monitor, Intro Check, Start Memo, Stop Memo, and counter clear — all the convenience features you'd expect on a deck aimed at the top of the line.

By October 1991, Wisconsin Discount Stereo was advertising the V970X at $455, describing it as a three-head, three-motor deck with Dolby B/C, HX Pro, and a closed-loop capstan (Audio, October 1991, p.205; HiFI-Stereo, October 1991, p.103). That ad copy is the main confirmation of the transport architecture. What's missing are published lab measurements beyond the maker's claims, and a clear sense of how long the model stayed in production.

• Type: three-head stereo cassette deck
• Transport: three motors, closed-loop dual capstan
• Noise reduction: Dolby B, Dolby C, dbx; HX Pro headroom extension
• Frequency response (manufacturer spec): 25 Hz–17 kHz (Type I); to 19 kHz (Type II); to 20 kHz (Type IV)
• S/N (manufacturer spec): 70 dBA (Dolby B); 80 dBA (Dolby C); 92 dBA (dbx)
• Period dealer price: $455 (late-1991 ads)

eBay Listings

TEAC V-970X Stereo 3-Head Cassette Deck (Untested) USED from

$489

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