D01057520B CD-A550/CD-A750 Compact Disc Player/Reverse Cassette Deck OWNER'S MANUAL
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1 Read these instructions. •• Do not expose this apparatus to drips or splashes. 2 Keep these instructions. •• Do not place any objects filled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus. 3 Heed all warnings. 4 Follow all instructions. 5 Do not use this apparatus near water. 6 Clean only with dry cloth. 7 Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ªª CAUTIONS ABOUT BATTERIES This product uses batteries. Misuse of batteries could cause a leak, rupture or other trouble. Always abide by the following precautions when using batteries. •• Never recharge non-rechargeable batteries. The batteries could rupture or leak, causing fire or injury. •• When installing batteries, pay attention to the polarity indications (plus/minus (+/–) orientation), and install them correctly in the battery compartment as indicated.
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS This product has been designed and manufactured according to FDA regulations “title 21, CFR, chapter 1, subchapter J, based on the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968”, and is classified as a class 1 laser product. There is no hazardous invisible laser radiation during operation because invisible laser radiation emitted inside of this product is completely confined in the protective housings. The label required in this regulation is shown at 1.
Contents 1 – Introduction........................................... 8 Main Features ................................................. 8 Items included with this product.................... 8 About this manual........................................... 8 About trademarks........................................... 9 Precautions for placement.............................. 9 Beware of condensation ................................ 9 Cleaning the unit.............................................
Contents 7 – Recording Cassette Tapes...................38 12 – Specifications..................................... 49 Preparing to record ...................................... 38 Selecting the reverse mode...................... 38 Turning Dolby NR ON and OFF during recording................................................... 38 Selecting the recording source................ 38 Recording....................................................... 39 Recording mute function ........................
1 – Introduction Thank you very much for purchasing a TASCAM CD-A550/750 Compact Disc Player/Reverse Cassette Deck. Before using your unit, please read this manual carefully so that you will understand the correct operating procedures and be able to use all its functions fully. We hope that you will enjoy using this product for many years to come. Please keep this manual for future reference. You can also download a digital copy from our website (http://www. tascam.com/).
1 – Introduction •• Additional information is presented as necessary in sections with “TIP,” “NOTE” and “CAUTION” labels. Tips suggest ways that the unit can be used. Notes provide additional explanation and describe special cases, for example. CAUTION Cautions are instructions that must be followed to avoid possible injury, equipment malfunction or damage to CDs or cassette tapes.
1 – Introduction sticky residue from stickers, etc. Such discs could become stuck in the unit or cause it to malfunction. •• Never use commercially available CD stabilizers. Their use could make disc playback impossible or cause the unit to malfunction. •• Do not use cracked discs. •• Do not use specially shaped discs, including heart- shaped, business card-shaped or octagonal discs. Using such discs could damage the unit.
2 – Names and Functions of Parts Front panel 11Remote sensor Signals from the included wireless remote control (RC-A550) are received here. When using the remote control, point it towards this sensor. 22POWER button Use to turn the unit’s power ON and OFF. 33Display Shows the transport status, currently selected input source, record and playback signal levels, menus, etc. CD section 44Disc tray Press the OPEN/CLOSE key to open the disc tray and insert and remove discs.
2 – Names and Functions of Parts e POWER ON START switch Turn the power-on start function ON and OFF. (See “Power-on start” on page 43.) r –/+/FOLDER SEARCH keys When in menu mode, use these to make selections and settings. When a data CD is loaded, use these keys while holding down the SHIFT key to change the current folder. (See “Folder playback (data CDs only)” on page 25.) t Ô/Â key Press briefly to skip to the previous track. Press and hold to search backwards.
2 – Names and Functions of Parts / PHONES jack Connect stereo headphones (standard stereo phone jack). ! PHONES knob Use to adjust the volume of the sound output from the PHONES jack. Rear panel @ TAPE INPUT (UNBALANCED) jacks Input for analog source signals (–9 dBu, unbalanced) to record to the cassette tape. # TAPE COMMON OUTPUT (UNBALANCED) jacks These are unbalanced outputs (–4.5 dBu) for the cassette tape playback signal.
2 – Names and Functions of Parts Wireless remote control (RC-A550) 88CD DUB key Press to record (dub) the CD playback sound to a cassette tape. (See “Dubbing a CD to a tape” on page 39.) 99CONT PLAY key Press to turn the cassette tape and CD continuous playback mode ON and OFF. (See “Continuous playback of both the CD and the tape” on page 42.) 0 REC MUTE key Press during recording to put the unit into record ready status after recording about four seconds of silence.
2 – Names and Functions of Parts u A.SPACE key Press to turn the auto space function ON and OFF. (See “Auto space function “on page 32.) i A.CUE key Press to turn the auto cue function ON and OFF. (See “Auto cue function (audio CDs only)” on page 31.) o A.READY key Press to turn the auto ready function ON and OFF. (See “Auto ready function” on page 32.) p MENU key When in standard display mode, press this key to switch to the menu mode, which allows menu items to be selected.
2 – Names and Functions of Parts 33RESUME indicator This appears when the CD resume playback function is ON. 44Text information mode display indicators When disc text information is being shown, ALBUM, ARTIST, TITLE and FILE indicators appear according to the contents. 55MONO indicator This indicator appears when output is set to mono. 66Playback time display mode display When the playback time is being displayed, these indicators show the current time display mode.
3 – Menu This unit uses a menu system to make various settings and use certain functions. Menu structure This unit’s menu system includes the following menu items. Menu No.
3 – Menu 2 Use the –/+ keys on the main unit or the remote control to select the desired menu item. ENTER key –/+ key –/+ key 4 Use the –/+ keys on the main unit or the remote control to select the desired value. The selection takes effect immediately. 5 Press the ENTER key on the main unit or the remote control to return to the standard display. 3 Press the ENTER key on the main unit or the remote control to confirm the selection. The menu item name and currently set value are shown.
4 – Preparations Making connections Headphones Computer Mixer External controller Connecting headphones Connect stereo headphones to the PHONES jack on the front panel. Use the PHONES knob to the right of the PHONES jack to adjust the volume. jacks, while the CD-A550 model has only UNBALANCED jacks. Use the MONITOR switch to the left of the PHONES jack to select the sound that is output through the PHONES jack.
4 – Preparations RS-232C controller (CD-A750 only) Use the RS-232C (9-pin D–Sub) connector for serial control of the CD-A750 with an external editor or controller. See “Using the RS-232C connector” on page 45 for details. Preparing the remote control Installing the batteries Setting the common output signal Set the signal output from the TAPE COMMON OUTPUT jacks according to your operating needs for this unit.
4 – Preparations Considerations for the use of the remote control Adjust the display brightness (DIMMER) •• When using other devices that are controlled by infra- You can adjust the display brightness to suit the operating environment of the unit. •• Operate the remote control within the following range. 1 When in standard display mode, press the MENU key on the main unit or the remote control to enter menu mode.
5 – Playing Back CDs This chapter explains the playback functions of this unit’s CD player. Discs that can be played This unit’s CD player can play the following types of discs. • CD-DA (audio CD) format discs This unit can play commercially available audio CDs and CD-R and CD-RW discs that have been recorded in audio CD format. These discs are called “ audio CDs” in this manual. • CD-ROM (data CD) format discs This unit can play discs that contain MP3 and WAV files.
5 – Playing Back CDs CD playback The following explanation assumes that the necessary connections have been made, the unit’s power is ON and a CD (audio CD or data CD) has been loaded. OPEN/CLOSE key To start CD playback, press the CD PLAY key on the main unit or the remote control. A CD and a cassette tape can be played at the same time.
5 – Playing Back CDs Selecting a track There are two ways to select a track. You can move (skip) to the previous or next track, or you can select a track directly by its track number. In addition, you can skip to the next or previous folder of a data CD. Skipping to the next or previous track Numeric keys (0-9) Press the Ô/Â or ¯/ key on the main unit or the SKIP Â/¯ key on the remote control.
5 – Playing Back CDs Folder playback (data CDs only) By turning folder playback mode ON when playing a data CD, you can set the playback area to the selected (current) folder. Setting the folder playback mode with the remote control SHIFT key FOLDER SEARCH –, + key Press the FOLDER PLAY key to turn folder playback mode ON and OFF and show the current setting on the display. FOLDER PLAY key FOLDER Ó/Á key If folder playback mode is ON, when you skip to a different folder, it becomes the current folder.
5 – Playing Back CDs You cannot skip through folders during playback or when paused if the current playback mode is program mode. CAUTION The following settings are lost when the current folder is changed. –/+ key •• Program •• CALL point ENTER key Playback modes This unit can play tracks using the following four methods (playback modes). Continuous playback (default setting) The tracks on a disc are played back in numerical order.
5 – Playing Back CDs ªª Using the P.MODE key on the remote control 3 Use the –/+ keys to select the desired playback mode (see above). 4 Press the ENTER key to return to the standard display. The selected playback mode is retained even if the power is turned OFF. Programmed playback If you set the playback mode to “PROGRAM” as described in “Selecting the playback mode” above, this unit can conduct programmed playback.
5 – Playing Back CDs •• The same track can be added to the program multiple times. In program input mode, the total program time and the number of programmed tracks is shown on the display. (However, the total program time is not shown for data CDs.) When no tracks have been added to the program, 0:00/00 is shown. Program input mode can be activated by selecting the PROGRAM EDIT item from the menu. (See “Using the menu” on page 17 for details about using the menu.
5 – Playing Back CDs ªª Replacing a track Use the numeric keys or SKIP Â/¯ keys to select the replacement track and press the ENTER key. The selected track replaces the track in the step and the unit returns to program input mode. ªª Erasing a track Press the remote control CLEAR key to remove the track from the program. All following tracks are moved one step forward in the program. Playback time display mode You can set what is shown on the display when in playback time display mode.
5 – Playing Back CDs •• FILE indicator (data CDs only) The file name is shown. When paused •• ALBUM TITLE indicator The album title is shown (when using an audio CD). The folder name or volume label is shown (when using a data CD). •• ALBUM ARTIST indicator (audio CDs only) The album artist name is shown. 2 To return to time display, press the TIME key on the main unit or the remote control.
5 – Playing Back CDs 2 Press the remote control A–B key again at the point where you want to set the end point (B) for the repeat playback section. REPEAT and A–B appear on the display, the repeat section (A–B) is confirmed and A–B repeat playback begins. The A–B repeat playback section cannot span more than one track. ªª Stopping A–B repeat playback Press the remote control A–B key or the REPEAT key. REPEAT and A–B disappear from the display and A–B repeat playback stops.
5 – Playing Back CDs •• The auto cue function cannot be used with data CDs. Turning the auto ready function ON and OFF from the main unit Turning auto cue ON and OFF using the remote control A.CUE key The auto ready function can be turned ON and OFF from the main unit using the menu. (See “Using the menu” on page 17 for details about how to use the menu.) Press the A.CUE key on the remote control to turn the auto cue function ON and OFF.
5 – Playing Back CDs To use the auto space function, the auto ready function must be OFF. The auto space function does not work if the auto ready function is ON. Turning the auto space function ON and OFF from the main unit The auto space function can be turned ON and OFF from the main unit using the menu. (See “Using the menu” on page 17 for details about how to use the menu.) 1 When in standard display mode, press the MENU key on the main unit or the remote control to enter menu mode.
5 – Playing Back CDs The call point is erased after any of the following operations. •• The power is turned OFF •• The disc tray is opened •• The playback mode is changed •• The folder playback function ON/OFF setting is changed •• The folder is changed •• If you press the CALL key when no call point has been set, “No Call Pt!” appears on the main display. •• The call function cannot be used during random playback mode.
6 – Playing Back Cassette Tapes This chapter explains the playback functions of this unit’s cassette recorder. The following explanation assumes that this unit’s power is ON and that a cassette tape with a recorded signal has been loaded with the A side facing forward. Playing a tape Press the TAPE PLAY [Á] key on the main unit or the remote control to play the A side or the TAPE PLAY [Ó] key to play the B side.
6 – Playing Back Cassette Tapes Tape counter TAPE STOP key The tape counter value increases as the tape runs from left to right, and it decreases as it runs from right to left. Tape counter Press the COUNTER RESET key on the main unit or the remote control to reset the tape counter to “0000.” ªª To fast-forward or rewind Press the TAPE or Ô key on the main unit or the remote control. Press the TAPE STOP key to stop fast-forwarding or rewinding.
6 – Playing Back Cassette Tapes RTZ Pitch control The pitch of the sound can be changed during cassette playback. RTZ key TAPE PITCH CONTROL knob RTZ key Turn the TAPE PITCH CONTROL knob on the main unit to the right to increase the playback speed and raise the playback pitch. Turn it to the left to slow the playback speed and lower the playback pitch. The knob has an indentation at the center, which is the position for playback at the standard pitch. The pitch can be raised or lowered by up to 10%.
7 – Recording Cassette Tapes This unit can record to cassette tapes. The following procedures explain how to prepare for recording by setting the reverse mode and Dolby NR and selecting the input and then actual recording. This explanation assumes that the unit’s power is ON and that a recordable (write-protect tabs not removed) cassette tape has been loaded already. the input source. Press the key repeatedly to cycle through the input sources.
7 – Recording Cassette Tapes The CD dubbing function is convenient when recording a CD. See “Dubbing a CD to a tape” on page 39 for details. ªª Stopping recording Press the TAPE STOP key. ªª Pausing recording Press the PAUSE key. Press the PAUSE key again or the TAPE PLAY key to restart recording. Recording After completing the above preparations, set the recording level and begin recording. 1 Press the RECORD key on the main unit or the remote control. This makes the unit ready to record ready.
7 – Recording Cassette Tapes 1 Set "CD" as the recording source. (See “Selecting the recording source” on page 38.) 2 When in standard display mode, press the MENU key on the main unit or the remote control to enter menu mode. CD DUB key 3 Use the –/+ keys on the main unit or the remote control to show "DUB LEVEL?" on the main display, and press the ENTER key on the main unit or the remote control. 4 Use the –/+ keys on the main unit or the remote control to select “VARI.
7 – Recording Cassette Tapes 3 Press the CD DUB key on the main unit or the remote control. Dubbing in the set recording direction begins from that position. TAPE EDIT key You can also select the TAPE EDIT menu item to enter TAPE EDIT mode. 2 Use the –/+ keys on the main unit or the remote control to select the length (in minutes) of the tape being used.
8 – Other Functions Continuous playback of both the CD and the tape This unit can alternately play the loaded CD and the cassette tape. In other words, tape playback starts when CD playback ends and CD playback starts when tape playback ends. TAPE PLAY key Before using the following procedures, load a recorded cassette tape and a CD. 1 Press the CD-TAPE CONT PLAY key on the main unit or the CONT PLAY key on the remote control. CD PLAY key Depending on the key pressed, the CD or tape begins to play.
8 – Other Functions Power-on start Restoring default settings This unit can be set to automatically start playing a CD or cassette tape when its power is turned ON. The unit can also be set to automatically start recording to a cassette tape. The following items can be restored to their factory default settings. You can, for example, connect this unit’s power cord to a timer that controls the power supply in order to make it record or play automatically at a specific time.
8 – Other Functions Mono playback Viewing information about this unit The CD and cassette tape playback signal can be output to mono using a menu setting. Checking versions When the mono playback function is ON, MONO appears on the display. You can check the unit’s firmware version and build number. 1 When in standard display mode, press the MENU key on the main unit or the remote control to enter menu mode.
9 – Using the control I/O (CD-A750 only) Using the RS-232C connector Pin number Function IN/OUT 1 GND – 2 TAPE PLAY REV In 3 TAPE PLAY FWD In 4 TAPE STOP In 5 TAPE RECORD In 6 TAPE REW In 7 TAPE FF In 8 TAPE PAUSE In 9 TAPE RECORD TALLY Out 10 TAPE STOP TALLY Out 11 TAPE PAUSE TALLY Out 12 TAPE PLAY TALLY Out 13 TAPE DIRECTION TALLY Out 14 CD PLAY In 15 CD STOP In 16 CD CALL In 17 CD PREVIOUS In 18 CD NEXT In 19 CD READY In 20 CD FADER START In
10 – Message list Operation messages The following messages are shown on the main display according to the operation of this unit. Message Message lit or blinking Meaning Response Close Lit The disc tray is closing. No Disc Lit There is no disc or the disc cannot be verified. No Files Lit The disc has no files that can be played back. Load a disc that has MP3 or WAV files. No Filename Lit The file name cannot be shown. Text information must be 7-bit ASCII compatible text to be displayed.
10 – Message list Error messages If one of the following error messages is shown, please refer to the Response column and try to resolve it. If this does not correct the problem, please contact a TEAC repair center. CD Drive Message Message lit or blinking Meaning Response Comm Error Blinking Cannot communicate with the CD drive. Please contact a TEAC repair center. Comm Error Lit An error occurred during communication with the CD drive. Please contact a TEAC repair center.
11 – Troubleshooting If you have problems with this unit, please check the following points before seeking repair. If you are still unable to resolve the problem, please contact the shop where you purchased the unit or a TEAC repair center. ªª The power does not turn ON. •• Is the power plug completely plugged into the outlet? ªª The unit does not respond to the remote control. •• Are charged batteries in the remote control? ªª There is no sound. •• Confirm the connections with the monitoring system.
12 – Specifications Ratings ªª Pitch control range ±10% or more CD player ªª Wow and flutter 0.25% (JIS WRMS) or less ªª Compatible disc formats CD-DA (12-cm/8-cm), CD-ROM (12-cm/8-cm) ISO 9660 LEVEL 1/2/ROMEO/JOLIET format (CD-R/CD-RW disc compatible) ªª MP3 playback specifications Audio modes: STEREO/JOINT STEREO/DUAL CHANNEL/MONO/VBR •• MPEG1 Audio Layer III (MP3) •• Sampling frequency: 32/44.1/48 kHz •• Bit rate: 32–320 kbps ªª WAV playback specifications Sampling frequency: 8/11.025/12/16/22.
12 – Specifications Cassette tape section Output impedance: 75Ω ªª TAPE LINE OUTPUT [BALANCED] jacks (CD-A750 only) Analog balanced output Control I/O (CD-A750 only) Connectors: XLR–3–32 equivalent ªª CONTROL I/O [PARALLEL] connector Standard output level: +4 dBu Output impedance: 100Ω ªª TAPE LINE OUTPUT [UNBALANCED] jacks Analog unbalanced output Connectors: RCA pin jacks Standard output level: –4.
12 – Specifications Dimensional drawing TASCAM CD-A550/CD-A750 51
CD-A550/CD-A750 TEAC CORPORATION Phone: +81-42-356-9143 1-47 Ochiai, Tama-shi, Tokyo 206-8530, Japan TEAC AMERICA, INC. www.tascam.jp www.tascam.com Phone: +1-323-726-0303 7733 Telegraph Road, Montebello, California 90640 USA TEAC CANADA LTD. www.tascam.com Phone: +1905-890-8008 Facsimile: +1905-890-9888 5939 Wallace Street, Mississauga, Ontario L4Z 1Z8, Canada TEAC MEXICO, S.A. de C.V. www.teacmexico.
