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Harman/Kardon hardly needs any introduction. They produced a wide range of components, most often in the commercial segment, but also in the upper mid-range and high-end classes.

Over time, they refined their know-how based on solid circuit design, with good engineering solutions, but also with cost-cutting on the components used—especially after moving production to China. It is simply a shame that some good ideas fail to remain long-lasting due to cost reductions—but unfortunately, many manufacturers seem to follow the logic of “Why should your amplifier last more than a few years? Buy a new one.” Ah… maybe there is no amplifier on offer anymore—buy something else instead. What does it matter if you like sedans? SUVs are fashionable now; adapt.

Over the decades of its business operations, Harman/Kardon acquired several different companies, and some of them were immediately set back by the same approach—for example AKG, where longevity and long-term support were pushed into the background.

But enough complaining about how things are no longer as good as they used to be—let’s see what kind of deck we are dealing with here. The 4000 series appeared in 1991 and remained on the market until around 1994. It consisted of the models TD4200, TD4400, TD4500, TD4600, and TD4800. All were two-head decks except the TD4800, and it—along with the model below it, the TD4600—also featured Dolby S.

What is particularly interesting is that the prices of these units were by no means low: the TD4800 cost as much as 2,800 DEM, the TD4600 was priced at 2,000 DEM, and the TD4500 around 1,500 DEM, which was exceptionally expensive for two-head recorders.

To help you, dear deck enthusiasts, better understand the price relationships, here is a list of some cassette decks that could be purchased for a similar amount:

Sony TC-K990ES – 1,600 DEM
Sony TC-K909ES – 1,300–1,400 DEM
Aiwa XK-009 – 1,500 DEM
Aiwa XK-S7000 – 1,400 DEM
Yamaha KX-1200 – 1,600 DEM
Pioneer CT-979 – 1,200 DEM
Nakamichi CR-3E – 1,600 DEM
JVC TD-V1010TN – 1,300 DEM

When you look at this list, all of these are very, very good decks, some of them belonging to the very top category or being flagship models from their respective manufacturers. All of them feature far superior mechanisms compared to the TD4500, and most also have luxurious chassis construction several classes above it. Let me note—although you surely already know—that every deck on this list is a three-head design, while the TD4500, as mentioned, is a two-head deck.

If you were to ask me whether I would choose practically any cassette deck from this list over the TD4500, my answer would be yes—at least based on appearance, build quality of the chassis, and the transport mechanism used. Compared to the TD4500, some of these stand out dramatically, such as the monstrous JVC TD-V1010TN, the beautiful Pioneer CT-979, or the equally good—or even better—Sony TC-K990ES. And all the others mentioned certainly deserve due respect as well.

This raises the question of whether the TD4500 has any real arguments to justify its high price at all—and if so, in what way. Today, the TD4500 is a very rare deck in Serbia, as are all models from the TD4xxx series, with the exception of the TD4200, which was the entry-level model and can be found from time to time. The price the TD4500 currently achieves on the used market represents only a fraction of what is being asked for models with similar original list prices from other manufacturers. Whether buyers lack sufficient understanding of cassette decks, fail to appreciate it, or simply find it unattractive—anything is possible.

But this works in my favor—I bought it from a dear acquaintance for a symbolic sum (Dušan, thank you very much), which made me even happier :).

I remember that, many years ago, I conducted a comparative test of six top-tier cassette decks, and the results were, to some extent, surprising. In that context, I ultimately placed the TD4800 just below the Nakamichi CR-7 in the final ranking: the sound of both was technically identical and flawless, but the CR-7 had slightly more emotion, while the TD4800 was clinically clean. Considering the difference in price and—I’m sure—the significant cost of licensing and implementing the Dolby S circuitry in the TD4800 (a first-generation deck with the Dolby S system), this represented a major success for Harman’s deck.

On top of all that, the design of the entire Harman series—including the TD4500—was modern and futuristic for its time: rounded, with few protruding buttons, yet almost boring, with only a handful of controls that you have to consciously learn by their position and the labels printed on them. Some of them are even placed illogically—for example, the counter reset button.

However, what I never liked about this series is the front panel, which is entirely plastic. Not a gram of metal. Somehow completely inappropriate for that price category. But someone decided it should be that way.

Unfortunately, cost-cutting is not limited to the front panel; it is also clearly reflected in the quality of the mechanism. The Harman/Kardon TD4500 uses a relatively modest ALPS transport. More precisely, within the entire series the only model with a slightly better transport is the TD4800, the top model—but even that one still falls far below what its price class would suggest, and far, far below the Sankyo mechanism used in the Harman/Kardon CD491.

The aforementioned ALPS transport in the TD4500 is identical to those used in cheaper Pioneer, Yamaha, and Technics decks—for example, the Technics RS-B405 or RS-B465. Even the models above them, the RS-B555 and RS-B565, although based on a fundamentally similar mechanism, featured a direct-drive main motor. In this case, we are dealing with a dual-motor solution, but the main motor is belt-driven, a standard DC motor, with a flywheel of rather modest mass and without any signs of additional balancing.

It should be emphasized that not all versions of this ALPS transport are the same: I have seen some with smaller (thinner) and others with larger (thicker) flywheels. In the TD4500, the flywheel is slightly better and resembles the one found, for example, in the Onkyo TA-6511 deck, which is larger than the flywheel used in the TA-6211 model. So… slightly better than the most basic implementation—but only marginally so.

One advantage is the simplicity of maintenance: only a single belt and one standard-sized pinch roller, both of which are easy to replace once the transport has been removed.

I must admit that for years I wondered why manufacturers did things the way they did—and eventually came to the conclusion that electronics had probably become inexpensive, while the cassette deck mechanism remained the more costly component, especially as production volumes declined over the years.

And what they saved on mechanisms, they compensated for with more advanced electronics. Taken as a whole, these decks tended to have higher wow and flutter, but they generally sounded good or even excellent, and overall this resulted in a solid final outcome.

After the TD4xxx series, Harman introduced the next lineup consisting of three models, featuring horizontal cassette carriers and horizontal cassette loading. The first two (TD420 and TD450) shared identical mechanics, while the TD470 was equipped with the latest generation of higher-quality transport, featuring a dual-flywheel closed-loop system and three motors. Similar mechanisms were also used in decks such as Yamaha’s last three-head model, the KX-690, Onkyo’s last high-quality three-head deck, the TA-6711, as well as the same manufacturer’s mini deck, the TA-611.

Although robust and well-built at first glance, certain cost-cutting measures implemented in later years caused serious problems for this transport—but I will not go into details here.

Technically speaking, what sets the TD4500 apart from the crowd of other two-head decks is its electronics and the record/playback head. The head is amorphous, which Harman referred to as isotropic. In addition, much of the electronics is implemented using discrete circuitry—that is, conventional transistors instead of standard or specialized integrated circuits. This approach allowed for greater flexibility in engineering and circuit design, meaning that the final result was not limited by the performance constraints of integrated circuits themselves.

The TD4500 also uses the last generation of Sony Dolby B/C circuitry (CXA1332S), which is important because in 99% of cassette decks the signal passes through the Dolby circuit regardless of whether Dolby is engaged or not (exceptions include, for example, the JVC TD-V1010 and a few other decks).

Another feature that sets the TD4500 (and TD4600) apart is that they are two-head decks equipped with built-in oscillators for manual calibration of recording sensitivity to a specific cassette type, as well as built-in bias calibration. The procedure is not as straightforward as on three-head decks (including the TD4800), but it does produce results.

Unfortunately, the instructions covering the calibration process are quite unclear—arguably even inaccurate—and I am not entirely sure how the manufacturer originally intended this system to operate.

The feature set offered by the TD4500 represents a clear departure from earlier series and is quite extensive:

• Display dimming

• Activation of meter weighting (response mode) to help set the optimal input signal level, emphasizing high-frequency content and preventing tape saturation

• Intro Scan – each track is played briefly

• Multi-track search in either direction

• Memory and repeat playback

• And most importantly: bias and sensitivity calibration using built-in tone generators

The display is two-color and features peak meters with peak hold, offering 12 segments per channel. The scale ranges from –30 to +8 dB, but the resolution around 0 dB is not particularly fine: there are only five segments in the –3 to +3 dB range (–3, –1, 0, +1, and +3 dB). Still, it is sufficiently usable.

The counter operates in pseudo–real time, with large, easy-to-read digits and is quite decent overall. What bothered me, however, is the position of the counter reset button, which is awkwardly placed in the lower row of buttons extending from the display, instead of being closer to the counter itself. This makes it somewhat inconvenient to use when recording tracks one by one and wanting to reset the counter at the beginning of each track, in order to have a reference point for returning in case a recording fails.

An infrared remote-control sensor is also present.

As for drawbacks, I would point out that the Harman TD4500 does not even have backlighting for the cassette compartment, which is a great pity and an unnecessary cost-saving measure.

I know you might ask: so what is this all about—why am I even writing about such a device?

The essence lies in the sound. The TD4500 features excellent electronics that compensate for most of its shortcomings, at least to a significant degree. This means that if you want a good recorder and playback deck and are not interested in the “wow” factor—nor buying a deck to show off to friends—the TD4500 can be a winning combination.

As I have already mentioned, I have never in my life seen an expensive cassette deck with such a cheaply made front panel. It is simply sad. Beneath the cassette carrier there is a copper foil sticker, in the area where the heads are located, presumably intended to provide some additional shielding from external electromagnetic interference.

The internal chassis, however, is better. The entire front panel, including the logic electronics and display, is mounted behind a metal partition that is an integral part of the chassis and nicely separates it from the audio electronics (although the driver circuits for the reel motors are also located on this board). On the left side of the deck there is another large board housing the power supply section.

The transport can be removed by first taking off the front panel with its associated electronics, then unscrewing the four screws that hold the mechanism, allowing it to slide forward. I appreciated that the transport is not attached to the flimsy front panel, but directly to the chassis.

I had the idea of buying a Technics deck from the RS-B series, which uses the same type of mechanism but with a direct-drive motor, but the mechanism swap isn’t exactly 1:1, so I abandoned that plan—for now.

THE SOUND

How would I describe the sound of the TD4500? Its overall character is similar across the range, from the cheapest TD4200 to the most expensive TD4800 model.

The sound of the TD4500 can be described as perfectly articulated, clean, detailed, and dynamic. For cassette enthusiasts, this is both a blessing and a curse—much like tube amp fans who claim they cannot listen to transistor amplifiers (although this is not necessarily about the technology itself, but that’s another story).

The TD4500 really delivers what the manufacturer advertises as “CD Transcription Technology,” producing a sound that closely resembles a CD player, with precision and no perceptible blurring. This will appeal to some listeners, while others may find it too clinical. Technically speaking, the TD4500 is neutral, and by definition, it is a perfect recorder and playback deck—but at the same time, it lacks the “sweetening” or softening of sound that many other recorders offer. The Dolby HX Pro implementation here is one of the better ones I’ve heard, and the deck has virtually no issues with sibilance.

What I also appreciated was the quality of playback of tapes recorded on other decks. Although the TD4500 lacks a “play trim” option for adjusting high frequencies during playback (like some NAD and Yamaha decks) and does not feature a FLEX system like Pioneer machines, its reproduction of others’ recordings is excellent overall: clean, dynamic, detailed, and emotionally expressive. Truly commendable.

It’s simply remarkable how, in my personal opinion, the TD4500 sounds better than the top model of the next series—the TD470. Regardless, it should be noted that the TD4500 was made in Japan, while the TD470 was not, so it is possible that differences in the types of passive components used played a role.

CONCLUSION

It seems to me that, with the exception of the TD4800, all models in the mentioned Harman/Kardon cassette deck series have been largely neglected and forgotten on the market—almost completely unjustifiably. At the same time, I would say that the Harman/Kardon TD4500 was overvalued, considering the build quality of everything except the electronics.

I cannot shake the feeling of regret that this machine was not equipped with a higher-quality mechanism, only a “good enough” one—if even that—and that the chassis was not made with more metal and less plastic. The design itself is not particularly remarkable either.

Yet, the TD4500 belongs to the high tier of cassette decks in terms of sound and can stand shoulder to shoulder with any of them. It is also one of those devices I could live with—which means recording and listening to tapes without (much) regret for not having a higher-end model, except out of sheer curiosity. Today, for a small amount of money, the TD4500 delivers the maximum. Its build is not on the level of, for example, Kenwood’s KX880 series or some others, but sonically it belongs to a noticeably higher category.

It’s up to you to decide what suits you best… and I still haven’t figured out what our house cat is trying to tell me, but it seems she likes the TD4500 :):):).

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