Onkyo TARW 490 Owners Manual

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Artistry in Sound
ONKYO.

TA -R W490

Stereo Cassette Tape Deck

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0 Congratulations on your purchase of the ONKYO TA-RW490 Cassette Tape Deck.
OPlease read this manual thoroughly before making connections and turning power
on. 0 Follow these instructions to obtain optimum performance and maximum
listening enjoyment from your new TA-RW490. 0 Please retain this manual for future
reference.

Contents

FEATURES. ...........................................
IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS.
PRECAUTIONS ............ . .....
SYSTEM CONNECTIONS ......
FRONT AND REAR PANEL FACILITIES..
COMMON MODES OF OPERATION
SPECIAL MODES OF OPERATION
HANDLING CASSETTE TAPES
OWNER MAINTENANCE.
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE ..
SPECIFICATIONS ..................

Libb'mioio-A

..10
..1O

Features

0 Computer Controlled Double Recording and Playback Quick Auto-Reverse Cassette Drives
Both cassette drives on the TA-RW490 provide quick auto-reverse operation for both recording and playback.
You can record on each drive independently, record the same source on both drives at once, record from a
single source on one cassette afterthe other. or copy from one cassette to the other.

0 Double Real Time Counters
Each of these real time counters is capable of elapsed time and remaining time indications, displayed in
minutes and seconds.

0 Full Synchro Dubbing
A microcomputer coordinates operation of the two cassette drives when transferring material from one tape to
another.

I Dolby 8-0 and HX PFlO for Superior Sound Quality
In addition to the Dolby B and C noise reduction systems, the TA-RWAQO is equipped with Dolby HX PRO, a
system that helps prevent tape saturation and allows a tape to record a wider dynamic range.

a Direct Music Search on Both Drives A and B
This convenient feature lets you skip directly to any selection up to 15 ahead or 14 behind current location.

0 Single Repeat
0 Mic Mixing Dubbing
0 Full Repeat Play of Both Sides of Both Cassettes

0 Integrates with Onkyo Remote Controlled Hi-Fi Systems

WARNING IThe lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within

"TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK. DO NOT an equilateral triangle. is intended to alert the user

EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE To RAIN on MOISTURE." '0 the presence 0' Uninsulaed dangemus
voltage" within the products enclosure that may
n be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
CAUTION electric shock to persons.
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER (OR BACK). NO USERSERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL."

O The exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and maintenance
(servicing) instructions in the literature

in Sir or ELECTRIC suocx accompanying the appliance.

DO NOT OPEN

es

CAUTION

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Important safeguards

1. Read Instructions - All the satety and operating instructions should be
read belorelhe appliance is operated.

. Retain Instructions - The salety and operating instructions should be

retained tor tulure relerence

Heed Warnings - All warnings on the appliance and in the operating

instructions should be adhered to

. Follow Instructions - All cpmting and use instructions should he

lollowed.

Water and Moisture - The appliance should not be used near water 7

for example. neara bathtub. washbowl. kitchen sink. laundry tub in a wet

basement. or near a swimming pool. and the like.

Carts and Stands - The appliance should be used only with a can or

stand that Is recommended by the manufacturer.

7. Wall or Ceiling Mounting - The appliance should be mounted to a wall
or ceiling only as recommended by the manufacturer.

a. Vent' tinn - The appliance should be situated so that its location or

position does not lnterlere with its proper ventilation. For example. the appliance

should not be situated on a bed. sofa. rug. or similar surface that may block the

ventilation openings; or. placed in a bulllrirl installation, such as a bookcase or

cabinet that may impede the flow otair through the ventilation openings.

Heat - The appliance should be situated away trom heat sources such as

radiators. heat registers, stoves. or other appliances (including amplifiers) that

produce heat

Power Sources - Theappllance should be connected to a power supply

only of the type described in the operating instructions oras marked on the

appliance.

Grounding or Polarization - Precautions should be taken so that the

grounding or polarlzetion means at the appliance is not deleated

Power-Cord Protection - Power-supply cords should be routed so

thatthey are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or

against them. paying panlcular attention to the cords at plugs. convenience

receptacles and the point where they exit from the appliance

Cleaning - The appliance should be cleaned only as recommended by the

manulaclurer.

Nonuse Periods - The power cord at the appliance should be unplugged

from the outlet when lett unused tor a long period ollirne.

Object and Liquid Entry - Care should be taken so that objects do not

tall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.

Damage Requiring Service - The appliance should be serviced by

aualilied service personnel when:

A. The powerrsupply cord or the plug has been damaged; or

B. obtcots have fallen or liquid has been spilled intothe appliance; or

C. The appliance has been exposed to rain: or

b, The appliance does not appearlo operate normally or exhibits a marked
change in performance: or

E. The appliance has been dropped or the enclosure damaged.

Servicing - The user should not attempt to service the appliance beyond

thal described in the operating instructions. All other servicing should be

relened to qualified service personnel

10.

11.

12.

13.
14.
15.

16.

17.

Pmutions
-

1 . Warranty card
The serial number is written on the rear panel of this unit.
Copy the serial number and model number onto your
warranty card and keep it in a safe place.

Deck locatlon

0 Do not use or leave in direct sunlight or in other places
subject to high temperature and humidity. The unit should
also not be left in potentially hot places such as near
heating appliances. Excessive heat and moisture can lead
to internal damage and serious malfunctions (this also
applies to cassette tapes). The recommended ambient
temperature range is 50 to SS'C.

0 Avoid damp and dusty places and locations prone to
vibrations.

0 Be extremely careful with the recording/playback heads.
Clean and demagnetize them regularly but under no
circumstances should magnets or other metals be used
anywhere near the heads.

0 This unit is extremely sensitive to magnetic fields. so do not
use near large speakers or other devices which generate
magnetic fields.

0 Hum may even be induced by magnetic flux leakage from
the power transformer in certain amplifiers. Therefore. this
unit should also be kept clear of the amplifier.

-2-

0 Do not remove the cabinet case. If any of the internal parts
are handled. there is a considerable danger of electric
shock.

Cassettes to avoid:

I Cassettes with poorly formed cases that rattle during
rewind and fast forward.

0 Low cost cassettes with no guide roller or pressure pad
spring should never be used for stereo.

0 0-1 20 cassettes -- because the tape and the coating are
extremely thin. distortion levels are high and the auto-
reverse function may not operate properly. Also. even a
slight stretching of the tape will make It suscepllbie to being
caught up in the pinch roller and capstan.

0 Endless tapes. if used for a long period of time. can
overheat.

o Dolby noise reduction and HX PRO headroom extension
manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories
Licensing Corporation. HX PRO originated by Bang and
Olufsen. Dolby," the double-D symbol and HX PRO" are
trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.

0 Recording of copyrighted material for other than personal
use is illegal without permission of the copyright holder.

System connections

All connections should be made with the power OFF. Hook up to
the amplifier:

RI
REMOTE
CONTROL

Integrated Amplifier

E

@000 H 1

To tape playback
or auxiliary To recording
input terminals terminals
in l. .h
m

Remote control cable from an
Onkyo receiver bearing the
"Flt" mark

For playback trom deck

For recording on deck

Microphone jack

Although microphones in the 200 ohm-10 kohm impedance
range are quite acceptable. those in the 600 ohm-10 kohm range
will give the best results.

Headphone jack
Dynamic type headphones with a rated impedance in the 8 to 200
ohm range are recommended.

Remote control jack

For remote control operation, connect this lack and any Onkyo
receiver bearing the RI mark using the remote control cable
included with the receiver. (Record/pause. forward play. reverse
play. stop. fast~lorward and rewind operations can be
accomplished via remote control.)

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RESET : Elapsed Time Reset Button
0/" : Rec/Pause Button
« : Rewind Button
I STOP : Stop Button
» : Fast Forward Button
4 REV : Reverse Play Button
P FWD : Forward Play Button
Remote Control Jack (RI REMOTE
CONTROL)
IE Line Out Jack (LINE OUT (PLAY))
[3] Line In Jack (LINE IN (REC))
Common modes of operation

Check once again that all connections have been completed
exactly as indicated in the connections diagram and then turn the
power on. After turning power on. no operations are possible until
the O PAUSE indicator has stopped flashing on and off. This
deck holds two cassettes at once. Both Deck A and Deck B are
capable of quick auto-reverse playback and recording

Inserting Cassettes

1. Depress EJECT button [2]] to open the Deck A cassette
holder and EJECT button to open the Deck B
cassette holder IE.

2. Insert cassettes with the exposed tape facing down and the
side to be played facing outward.

3. Close the cassette holder.

Tape Playback

Tapes can be played back using either DeckA or Deck B.

1. Set the DOLBY NR switch E to the proper position for the
tape to be used. Tapes recorded using Dolby B or C NR
should be played back with the DOLBV NR switch in the B or
0 position. as appropriate. Tapes recorded without Dolby NR
should be played back with the DOLBV NR switch in the OFF
position.

2. Set the REVERSE MODE switch to the desired tape
transport mode. See the Reverse mode switch section on
page 9 for details.

3. Press the b FWD or 4 REV play button depending on
which side of the cassette you wish to listen to. The O PLAY
indicator will light. The Peak Level indicators @I will light
during playback showing the strength of the recorded signal.

4. The auto-stop mechanism will automatically stop tape
transport (depending on the tape transport mode) it a tape is
played through to the end. To stop playback at any other
time. press the l STOP button. After tape transport has
stopped and the Peak Level indicators IE have gone out.
press the EJECT button to open the cassette holder and
remove the cassette.

Fast Forward and Rewind

Press the » button to wind the tape rapidly from left to right and
the « button to wind ittrom right to left. The tape will stop when
the I STOP button is pressed or when the end of the tape is
reached (via the auto-stop mechanism).

Recording

Both Deck A and Deck B are equipped for recording. The

following three recording arrangements are possible.

(A) Recording a single cassette using either Deck A or Deck B.

(B) Recording the same program on two cassettes
simultaneously using both Deck A and Deck 8.

(0) Recording on two cassettes consecutively using first Deck A
then Deck B.

(A) Recording a Single Cassette Using Either
Deck A or Deck 8.

The following instructions assume that Deck A is being used.

1. Insert a cassette with the side to be recorded facing out.
Before inserting the cassette. confirm that the erasure
prevention tabs are intact (see page 10). If one or both of the
tabs is broken off. recording on the sides with the missing
tabs will not be possible.

2. Set the REVERSE MODE switch El to the desired (( 2) or
( 2)) tape transport mode. See the Reverse mode switch
section on page 9 for details.

3. Set the DOLBY NR switch IE to the B or 0 position if you
want to make a Dolby NR encoded recording.

4. Press the elapsed time RESET button to return the tape
counter to [0:00] so you can index the recording for future
reference. (The REMA mode cannot be reset.)

5. Set the INPUT LEVEL control knob to the center position.
Press the 0/ button. The tape will not move. but the
Peak Level indicators Q will show the level of the signal
being received through the LINE IN iack r

6. While watching the Peak Level Indicators. adjust the INPUT
LEVEL control knob to the proper position. (The Input levels
for the left and right channels are adjusted simultaneously.)
Use the UH INPUT BALANCE control knob to adjust the
balance between the left and right channels. Refer to the
Setting the Proper Recording Level" section for instructions.

7. Confirm again that an input signal Is being received (the Peak
Level indicators should light) and then press the > FWD or
4 REV play button to begin recording.

a. The auto-stop mechanism will stop tape transport
automatically when the end of the tape is reached (depending
on the tape transport mode - see page 9L To stop recording
before the end of the tape, press the I STOP button. To
interrupt recording briefly, press the 0/" button.

Notes:

1. This deck will not commence recording it you press the
0/" and > FWD or 1 REV buttons at the same time.
To begin recording, first press the 0/" button to put the
deck Into the rec/pause mode, then press either the D FWD
or 1 REV play button as appropriate.

2. Do not switch off power while recording (or dubbing). If the
power is switched off. the cassettes cannot be removed
from the holders.

(B) Recording the Same Program on Two
Cassettes Simultaneously Using Both Deck A
and Deck B.

The signal received through the LINE IN jack IE] is recorded on

both cassettes.

1. Insert the cassettes with the sides to be recorded facing out.
Before inserting the cassettes, confirm that the erasure
prevention tabs are intact (see page 10). if one or both of the
tabs is broken off. recording on the sides with the missing
tabs will not be possible.

2 Set the REVERSE MODE switch IE to the desired (( I) or
( 2 )) tape transport mode. See the Reverse mode switch
section on page 9 for details.

3. Set the DOLBV NR switch IE to the B or C position ifyou
want to make a Dolby NR encoded recording.

4. ' Press the elapsed time RESET buttons El and to return
the tape counters to [0:00] so you can index the recording for
future reference. (The REMA mode cannot be reset.)

5. Set the INPUT LEVEL control knob to the center position.
Press the 0/" button. The tape will not move. but the Peak
Level Indicators IE will show the level of the signal being
received through the LINE IN jack I.

6. While watching the Peak Level indicators. adjust the INPUT
LEVEL control knob to the proper position. (The input levels
for the left and right channels are adjusted simultaneously.)
Use the LIR INPUT BALANCE control knob III to adjust the