I'm a CRAIG! Exploring the IMA CRAIG PS2000 cassette tape recorder stereo system.

[BHFanaticoSiljak]

I have IMA Craig a company model: ps 1000 8-track!!!

Works perfect,i find this in my garage and i dont know where this come from...

Any one know if this models are good,because i cant find any on ebay or other webside.

I tested and works perfect,and cosmeticaly cindition is perfect...any one know the price or year if this model?

Also i find 1000 pc brand new sealed elvis presley 8-track tapes....

[thecrystalcauldron]

A scarily good machine and sound.

Thanks as always for an interesting demonstration and restoration.

[clydesight]

@thecrystalcauldron

Thanks for your comment!

When I opened the machine and found that exposed fuse holder, I thought, "oh, no, no no!" But it was an easy fix and now it sounds very nice and is safe to operate.

[raymondleeleggs]

I'd replace the speaker with realistic duo cones!

[Lachlant1984]

Do you think the pause affecting the fast forward was a design flaw on the manufacturer's part, or do you think somebody modified the unit so it would work like that?

[clydesight]

@Lachlant1984 The pause affecting the fast forward was part of the original design. They needed to disengage the drive wheel from the take up spindle in play, and since that mechanism also controlled the fast forward, there was no way around it. They must have assumed no one would press pause during a fast forward.

[Lachlant1984]

You know, high quality stereo clock radios are still available today, they're not all cheap little things that sound like crap, I have a Sangean stereo clock radio with a CD player in it, it also plays MP3's. I'd say it's smaller than this one and the speakers are side mounted, but boy does it sound good, it's also got a traditional analogue clock face below the LCD readout. What country was this IMA/Craig stereo system made in?

[clydesight]

@Lachlant1984 The Craig was made in Japan. A lot of today's stuff comes from China, and they are doing some remarkable things. They have some amazing cassette recorders, but you can't get them in the US!

Enjoy your unit, if it sounds good to you and gives you satisfaction, then it is worth the money and serves you well.

[Lachlant1984]

@clydesight Can you give me some examples of good quality tape records made in China that you speak of in your comment? Oh I've been enjoying my Sangean since I got it in February this year, my unit was made in China as everything is this days, but that doesn't bother me too much. This Craig brand unit certainly is pretty unique, I've seen plenty of cheap clock radio tape units that are nowhere near as good as this one.

[Lachlant1984]

I've just been reading the dialogue between you and coolbluelights, I agree with them, that is, I'd like to see videos on your channel about audio devices from the 80's as that's when I was born, I get your points about keeping those devices etc, but still, if you upload more videos of stuff from the 80, even from the early 90's, I'd be really happy to see that.

[clydesight]

@Lachlant1984 Some of the stuff I review is from the 1980's. There are a couple of Sony machines from the 80's, and I did have a nice Rad Shack stereo deck that I must re-post from the 1990's as well. Also I have a Panasonic red cassette machine from the early 1980's. But my focus is on the 1960's stuff, it was unique and has special meaning for me.

[Lachlant1984]

@clydesight OK fair point. Actually I remember your videos of the red Panasonic portable tape recorder, I also remember the video you did on the little Realistic stereo cassette deck. The old 60/70 machines are certainly very interesting, the designs the manufacturers used were very unique as well, but like today's stuff there were plenty of good and bad eggs as yon and CassetteMaster have pointed out. I belive CassetteMaster had a HORRIBLE little shoebox unit that was simply terrible.

[coolbluelights]

lol every time someone's been in either a tape deck or an old radio the repair jobs are always really crappy and we have to fix their screw ups! that is a cool unit! I know you mostly like 70s and older tape recorders, but would you ever start reviewing 80s boomboxes? those are my favorite^^

[clydesight]

@coolbluelights Thanks for your comments!

I did a video on a couple of boomboxes, but people didn't like them because they felt the technology was too new. They seem to be okay with the Sharp radio cassette red "boombox", but that's about it. These things also take up too much room!

I'd love to review everything I can find, but i have to limit my collection to things I can practically store and maintain. Sorry!

[coolbluelights]

@clydesight oh no problem :) the older technology does have its charm^^ I just like 80s boomboxes because I grew up in that time ;)

[clydesight]

@coolbluelights

Sure. It's what we knew, what helped us grow.

There are avid collectors of the Walkman type machines, collectors of Boomboxes, Radio collectors... technology is an integral part of our lives.

Will current tech be as sought after (or work) 40 years from now? Who knows...

[coolbluelights]

@clydesight I seriously doubt current tech will be sought after in 40 years... maybe computers, but most other stuff is just garbage, and/or is so small it's just not repairable by the average do it yourselfer. I just hope they don't do away with cassette tapes entirely because they remain the most user friendly recording media out there!

[clydesight]

@coolbluelights

YES! Cassettes should remain viable, they are an excellent recording medium. They are still very popular in Asia and Europe, but in the US, not so much.

With an MP3 player, there is nothing much too repair. The tiny switches can't be worked on and the rest is all chips. Plus the stuff is so tiny it takes a robot to solder them together!

So I agree, in 40 years, most of this stuff will be dead history. But who knows what NEW wonders will take their place?

[CorgiConnect]

Wow, nice one!! The looks of this unit scream "I'm from the seventies" for sure!!

Thanks for sharing.

[clydesight]

@CorgiConnect

Thanks for your comment. The "silver fingers" type of tape control is SO seventies! That design was used a lot back then by all the makers. There is a wonderful Hitachi cassette deck that uses this style of control. Very clever machine.

[Pentium100MHz]

The back cover looks like the cover that should be on the back of my tube radio+record player :)

[clydesight]

@Pentium100MHz

Yes, that cover is to protect you from accidental shocks. If you don't have one, you can make something out of corrugated cardboard. This is especially true if you have pets! You want to be safe and you want them to be safe.

[Pentium100MHz]

@clydesight Well, the radio is in such a position that reaching something that's supposed to be behind the cover is almost impossible without moving the radio.

But I was surprised by the fact that a much newer device uses the same style of case and cover.

[clydesight]

@Pentium100MHz

Safety never goes out of style! What is the unit that you have? Most stuff today is made out of plastic. I am thinking that maybe some of the Crosley "retro" stuff might have real wood cabinets.

[DrCassette]

This is a very nice unit! I like the way it looks. Today's alarm clocks are looking so cheap compared to this one :)

...and they have no cassette deck!

[clydesight]

@DrCassette

Thanks! Yeah, I know what you mean!

I got an alarm clock radio iPod-MP3 speaker dock thing. Absolutely terrible! Looks cute, works AWFUL, (it can't even pull in a radio station properly, tinny, low volume, junk) and it's going back for a refund!

[netsurferx1]

Shockingly good output quality on this unit! Most impressive!

[clydesight]

@netsurferx1 Thank you, it does have very fine sound.

[6452ss]

What is FM mutliplex?

[clydesight]

@6452ss

That's the older term for FM stereo. It refers to the way the stereo signal is generated. There is a stereo encoder at the radio station and the receiver has a stereo decoder built in. Google the term to learn more.

[cosmicordering1]

Ah, if only they made them like this now! Be Cosmic, ☸ڿڰۣ—☸ڿڰۣ—

[clydesight]

@cosmicordering1

Thanks. I think there are good products today too but the styling is different. Still some of today;s stuff looks ultra cool. I love blue LED lights (I do not know why).

[CoolDudeClem]

Now this is what I call a "clock-radio", even though it's much more than that with the inputs and outputs and of course, a tape deck. I'm suprised at how well this built and how good this records, Craig/Sanyo really outdid themselves when they deigned this. It's a good thing you had a look inside with that fuse not being held down in any way, what were they thinking?

[clydesight]

@CoolDudeClem

Thanks for your comment. They did a very good job except for not putting a separate phono selection on the function switch. That one is confusing. I remember this machine got good reviews when it came out and was considered much better than competing units.

That fuse may have been bolted down at one time, but it was free floating when I got it, plus the transformer was running hot, so I simply replaced them with what I considered to be a safer solution.

[legOldtimer]

Was that a expensive 'wakeup-clock' in that time?

Thanks for showing us.

[clydesight]

@legOldtimer

HI,

Not sure what it sold for at the time, so cannot comment on pricing. It was really sold as a "stereo system", and I think the clock was a feature for folks who wanted a fancy alarm clock. I remember seeing ads for this in the 1970's.

[legOldtimer]

@clydesight Thanks for the info!

[clydesight]

@legOldtimer

You're Welcome, thanks for watching!

[Felix2417425]

Very nice and interesting unit!

[clydesight]

@Felix2417425

Thanks!

[Lachlant1984]

Wow, units like this put your average cheap $10 clock radio to shame and eat it all over again. You say Craig is owned by Sanyo, I don't believe the Craig brand was sold here in Australia, but assuming this unit was sold here in Australia it most likely would have been branded as a Sanyo. I know there were other units like this one made by Tandy for instance. Didn't you restore a unit like this about a year ago? What fun to be woken up in the morning by your favorite New Order tape.

[clydesight]

@Lachlant1984

Thanks for your comment. I know CRAIG was a Sanyo brand because of other machines that printed: "Craig by Sanyo" on the case. BUT, CRAIG could be an American distribution name. Sanyo made a LOT of mechanisms for other companies as well. Tandy often bought from Sanyo and others and had their brand put on the units.

Yes I did a SEARS clock radio a bit similar last year. I have to re-post that video

[interfacewebcast]

Neat little machine! I love all-in-one units like this. They made a bunch through the years but many were horrible quality. You found a good one and brought it back to life. Great job! :) JC

[clydesight]

@interfacewebcast

Thanks! There was plenty of junk sold in the old days, just as it is today!

[ToastmachineIdiot]

The sound on that thing is a little better than what I expected for a DC bias unit. At least it wasn't horrible at handling sibilance.

Not a bad machine.

[clydesight]

@ToastmachineIdiot

This is an AC bias machine, not DC bias. The coils are on a special board.

[SamuraiClinton]

Craig products are not really the best examples of electronics.

[clydesight]

@SamuraiClinton

Craig does not have a great reputation, yet many of their machines are of fine quality, and more than that, they have stood the test of time.

[cassette26]

Very nice unit, very good quality indeed! High quality sound recording and building with metal parts. And the wood cabinet. Is that going to be your bedside stereo? My bedside unit is the mono GE alarm clock radio/DC bias cassette recorder.

[clydesight]

@cassette26

Thanks for your comment!

This will be the workshop stereo. I have a really cool SEARS cassette clock radio for my bedroom. I had a video but I have to re-do part odf it that got messed up. It will be coming back to YouTube soon.

What's with GE anyway? They seemed to champion the concept of DC bias! Gosh, with a name like GE, you'd think they might want to put some quality into their stuff.

Anyway, I hope you like your GE unit, even with the DC bias.

[cassette26]

@clydesight Yeah, they use DC bias waaaaaay too much.

[umajunkcollector]

@clydesight Did not gE originate with Tom Edison? He was the DC guy!

Nicoli Tesla was the AC guy, and he was Tom's rival. We can thank Tesla for AC bias.

[clydesight]

@umajunkcollector

Thanks for your comment.

The modern world owes a great debt to Nicola Tesla, he was a true genius, if somewhat eccentric. We can also thank Westinghouse for supporting him, and boo JP Morgan for ruining him.

The lessons of history.

I love the SyFy show "Sanctuary" where they cast Tesla as, of all things, a vampire!