Review: Philips FC567

Philips. I’ve never been entirely sure of their Hifi equipment. Well, at least until I started modding a old CD player which sounded quite nice after hours of soldering and replacing components. I think it was a CD210, Philips brand of course. After that, I managed to find a CD160. That player turned out to be excellent after modifications, with thanks to the famous TDA1541 D/A converter inside the player.

When I was looking for another CD player to modify, I came across a Philips CD650. It turned out that the same seller also had a tapedeck for sale; a Philips FC567, and it was in good condition. Because my opinion of Philips CD-players improved quite a lot over the last half year, I decided to buy it.

Front view of the Philips FC567

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that this isn’t just an ordinary cassette deck. Apart from the fact that it can handle two cassettes at the same time, and a quite complicated system to electronically memorize up to 15 points on the tape, it’s got something much better. It’s got two capstans in each deck! However, it does look like both capstans are driven by the same engine, which is a slight disappointment. The tape tension is very constant however, and that is critically important. It turns out that only one of the two capstans is used while playing, depending on the tape direction. Many thanks to HTS for pointing this out. :)

Two capstans

In the picture above, you can also see that it is an auto-reverse deck. The erase head and the playback/record head are combined in one unit, which can rotate 180 degrees. To finish it, you’ll find all the features you expect: dubbing at two speeds, continuous play/record, microphone input. A bit like all other cassette decks from the late eighties.

Moving on to the rear side of the machine. A feature which I haven’t seen before is the possibility to change the sensitivity of the input between line and DIN. Apart from that and the RC-5 remote connections, there is nothing out of the ordinary.

Rear side of the FC567

When I first saw the rear side of the deck, I started to suspect that it could be not a Philips machine. You see, Philips didn’t have a factory in Japan, while this deck is supposed to be manufactured there. Also, the font reminds me of older Marantz equipment. Further research learned me that Marantz sold a similar cassette deck at the time: the SD565. Looks exactly the same, with different badge and writing on the front. Also, I found even more solid proof inside:

Philips FC567: Also known as Marantz SD565

The sound

The sound of this particular cassette deck is relatively good, considering the fact that we’re talking about tape. Don’t expect tight-as-a-drum bass or a extremely spacious sound. There is some hiss, but I found only noticed it between songs. Also, using Dolby B or C greatly reduces hiss. But I like recording ‘au naturel’.

When it comes to sound, the biggest issue by far is the headphone connector. It is not possible to adjust it’s volume, and it IS loud. What concerns me though, is the fact that there is some kind of hum on it. This hum gets louder when the deck is (re)winding a cassette.

Recording with this deck is a bit more tricky than I’m used to. Although the peak level meter is very fast and accurate, it’s range is only from -10 to +5 dB in 5 steps. For comparison, an Aiwa 3250 ranges from -20 dB to +10 dB in seven steps. It is only a small difference, but a larger range is useful when recording music with big dynamics.

Overall, the sound is good; but remember why the CD has been invented, and magnetic tape disappeared from the world of hifi. A good CD player beats cassette decks without sweat, no matter which cassette deck you have. Maybe a Revox or a Nakamichi could offer some competition.Those decks are in a different range of prices though, even second-hand.

Conclusion

Great cassette deck, can be bought quite cheaply (I paid €15 for mine, in excellent condition). Build quality is good, buttons feel sturdy. It feels quite floppy when the cover is removed though, but who uses it without top cover anyway? Sounds good, but it isn’t comparable to a proper CD player.

I can recommend it if you’re looking for a good quality cassette deck for occasional usage. However, pay attention to the condition of the heads inside, and don’t pay too much: cassettes are practically gone. Also, remind yourself that these decks have reached a respectable age already; mine dates from 1987 or 1988, and age does matter for electrolytic capacitors.

However, if you occasionally want to listen to your old cassettes (like I do) from back in the days, you will be satisfied with the Philips FC567 (or the Marantz SD565 for that matter). Dual-capstan is especially useful with old tapes, since their pressure pads are likely too soft to apply any pressure to the tape. Having two capstans tensioning the tape solves this problem completely.

Oddly enough, I am utterly unable to find a manual for it. Philips doesn’t have it, and Marantz doesn’t have it either. Strange.