What is a Tape Deck?
A tape deck is a machine that is capable of utilizing some type of magnetic tape in order to play back recorded audio. While becoming synonymous with the cassette deck during the decade of the 1970’s, the term was once used to collectively refer to cassette players, the reel to reel tape recorder, and eight track tape decks. Today, the tape deck is usually identified solely with a cassette deck. Home stereo equipment manufactured from the late 1960’s on usually included the presence of a tape deck in the form of a device that would play and record cassette tapes. As console models gave way to the bookshelf style of stereo during the 1970’s, the units were normally constructed with what was known as tri-mode functionality. This meant that the unit included an AM/FM radio receiver, a turntable, and a cassette tape deck. One innovation with the tri-mode stereo unit was the inclusion of two cassette decks in the basic design. The dual cassette deck offered both an extended play and a dubbi
