Technics RS-B405 Stereo Cassette Deck

The Technics RS-B405 is a stereo cassette deck with Dolby B and C and DBX noise reduction, it was introduced by Technics in 1986 and discontinued a year later.

The main features of the Technics RS-B405 are: 2 heads, electronic tape counter with 3 digits, manual tape type selection with support for normal, chrome and metal tapes, belt driven single-capstan transport.

Typical front loading cassette deck with the cassette compartiment located on the left side of the deck. Tape eject is operated mechanically and the cassette needs to be placed with the side to be played facing forward in the cassette well.

Level meters used on the RS-B405 are generic digital peak reading meters with multi-color indication to provide visual saturation level of tape. Full-logic transport controls used on the RS-B405 let it respond to the slightest finger contact for fast and effortless transport function selection.

Dolby C-type used in the RS-B405 provides 20 dB of noise reduction above about 1,000 Hz, fully doubling the amount given by B-type. Dbx Type II found in the RS-B405 is a simplified version of the Type I noise reduction system. The dbx Type II system was designed to be used with systems with limited bandwidth such as cassette based recorders and also uses a simple 2:1:2 compander to reduce noise.

To make live recordings this deck has 2 microphone inputs to connect microphones with a jack connector. For undisturbed listening a jack connector for a pair of stereo headphones is supplied. Connection to other audio components for plaback can be achieved by a RCA cable and recording from a source by a RCA cable.

• Microprocessor Logic Control System