Hey all;

I've got a Technics tape deck (RS-B18) that is about 20 years old. I had
some problems with intermittent channels (rec and play) and took it apart to
see what I could do. I found a cold solder joint in the signal path and
resoldered it, which (so far, anyway) has fixed the problem.

However, there are a few things I'm wondering about. First, the levels (as
indicated on the meters) are lower in playback than record. IOW, if I record
a cassette with the levels reading around 0, the tape will play back with
the levels at, say -3 or so. It also varies depending on how the noise
reduction and bias is set:

1. No Dolby, CrO2 - levels are pretty much the same
2. Dolby B, Cr02 - levels slightly lower on playback
3. dbx, Cr02 - levels considerably (3 - 6 db) lower on playback
4. any or no noise reduction, Metal - no playback at all (this has been a
problem since I got the deck)

I can post more combinations if need be, but I hope that this will give the
general idea. I also cannot remember if this was the way things were going
before the repair (I think it was though).
Are these type of discrepencies normal, or can/should I adjust things to
equal them out?

I also noticed that the playback was a little dull after the repair (to be
honest, I hadn't used the deck in quite a while, so it may be the way it
always sounded). Would this be a bias setting that I may have inadvertently
moved while repairing? or perhaps it needs some adjustment in another area?

Thanks