Victor TD-V931 (1989) – High-End 3-Head Cassette Deck

 

The Victor TD-V931 (1989) stands as one of the brand’s last true high-end, sound-quality-oriented cassette decks. After years of relying on a right-side cassette door and single-capstan transports, Victor fully embraced the three-head, dual-capstan standard—first in 1987 with the TD-V711, then perfected with the TD-V931. A highlight of the TD-V931 is its exceptional vibration suppression. Victor engineered a massive “ARKBASE”, combining a dense wood-fiber board with a thick steel plate for a total mass of around 5 kg. The transport and inner chassis were rigidly mounted to this base, isolating the recording, playback, power supply, bias oscillator, and input sections into independent blocks. An airtight, motor-driven cassette door with rubber sealing further reduced external vibration, while a half-shell stabilizer ensured the cassette shell itself stayed firmly controlled. The TD-V931 uses a true three-head architecture with independent record and playback heads. Victor combined fine-amorphous material with Sendust Alloy for excellent high-frequency response and long-term durability. PC-OCC wiring minimized transmission loss, and a Sendust two-gap erase head completed the system. Its closed-loop dual-capstan mechanism—built on a die-cast aluminum base—delivers improved tape stability, reduced modulation noise, and excellent mechanical precision. Capstan drive is handled by Victor’s signature pulse-servo direct-drive motor, with additional steel reinforcement on the motor PCB to damp vibration. Victor equipped the deck with two CD direct inputs, including a low-impedance “CD Fine Direct Input” designed to maximize high-frequency extension and reduce distortion. The recording amplifier uses a high-S/N DC servo design with low-noise FET stages, improving S/N by 3–4 dB (low range) and 1–2 dB (high range). A 210 kHz bias frequency—exceptionally high for a three-head deck—ensures clean recording even on metal tapes. Dolby B/C and HX PRO are included, but the deck’s clean signal path and NR defeat mode allow high-performance recording even without noise reduction. A direct signal path switch shortens the audio route for maximum purity. A heavy OFC-wound transformer and large-capacity capacitors provide a low-impedance, noise-resistant power supply. Gold-plated I/O terminals, REC calibration for level/bias, FL-display OFF, auto-monitor switching, and a wireless remote round out the feature set. In hindsight, the Victor TD-V931 represents the company’s last truly uncompromised cassette deck—a final showcase of Victor’s expertise in vibration control, head technology, and precision transport engineering.

Specifications:

3-head: Recording: Amorphous x 1 | Playback: Amorphous x 1 | Erase: 2 Gap Sendust x 1

Motor: For capstan (pulse servo DD) x 1 | For reel (DC) x 1 | For mechanism drive (DC) x 1

Wow and Flutter: 0.022%WRMS

Frequency response: Metal 15Hz to 21,000Hz (-20dB recording)

Dimensions: 435W x 152H x 333D mm

Weight: 13 kg

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