Digital Compact Cassette (DCC)
- CK
- Dec 29, 2018
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 16
Ever seen these machines up close? No? Curious about what they are? Keep reading. :)
Analog Cassette Background
The compact cassette tape, developed by Philips in 1962, served as a medium for music storage. It became one of the most widely embraced music formats for over 35 years, largely due to the popularity of the Boombox and the Walkman. In the mid-1970s, Boomboxes were highly favored among enthusiasts. In 1979, Sony introduced the first Walkman, whose portability, sound quality, and user-friendly design made it highly desirable globally. To date, Sony has sold over 200 million cassette Walkmans.
The Digital Era
In the quest for enhanced sound quality, Philips, Sony, and other broadcasting companies collaborated to develop the Compact Disc (CD). Introduced in the late 1980s, the CD emerged as the digital music medium of choice. It remained the dominant format for music distribution for over two decades until it was surpassed by MP3s and streaming services. In 1992, Sony introduced another format, the MiniDisc (MD), aimed at increasing the portability of music players.
Digital Cassette
During the same period, Philips decided to end its collaboration with Sony and joined forces with Matsushita, the parent company of Panasonic, to develop a magnetic tape-based technology known as Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) to rival Sony's MiniDisc (MD). DCC was not the first digital cassette product on the market; Digital Audio Tape (DAT) had already achieved significant success in the professional audio industry, with many studios worldwide opting for DAT for mastering recordings. Building on the success of DAT and analog cassettes, Philips aimed to establish a new standard that combined the advantages of both formats while introducing additional features. In May 1992, DCC players and recorders were officially launched at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Chicago.
DCC Features
- DCC Player can play analog cassette tapes. Can not record.
- DCC tapes has the exact same width 1/8 in. as analog tapes.
- DCC Player uses stationary head instead of rotating head like DAT to reduce shock and vibration.
- DCC cassette tape can store limited text such as album and track titles.
- DCC cassette tape is fully enclosed inside the case for better protection.
- DCC cassette tapes never require demagnetization because Magneto-resistive heads do not use iron so they do not build up residual magnetism.
- DCC recorders can record from digital sources that use the S/PDIF standard at sample rates of 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz.
- DCC recorders can record from analog sources at 44.1 kHz.
- DCC has a compression ratio of 4:1 comparing to CD.
- DCC has SCMS protection just like DAT for digital copy, Analog copy is not restricted.
- DCC cassette cases are clam-shell style and has opening on one of the short side. It allows the user to slide the cassette tape in and out of the case using one hand. It also allows album art and label to be display on all sides. Because there's no hinge, or any moving parts, the cases are more durable as well.
DCC Discontinued (1992-1996)
Despite its impressive features and CD-like sound quality, the Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) remained largely unknown among people of all ages I encountered. In contrast, while MiniDisc (MD) never gained significant popularity in the United States, it performed well in Europe and Asia, particularly in Japan. This led me to question the reasons behind this disparity. After extensive use of both DCC and MD, I identified several shortcomings. Firstly, MD is more portable than DCC, with both the player/recorder and media being considerably more compact. Additionally, MD allows for faster track skipping, as it does not require rewinding. MD also generally offers better battery life than DCC and provides easier options for editing, removing, and combining tracks. In terms of sound quality, MD is comparable to DCC, with most users unable to distinguish between CD and MD when recorded at the highest quality SP setting using the latest ATRAC encoding. Ultimately, DCC was officially discontinued in October 1996 after Philips acknowledged its poor sales performance.
My Reflections
Every machine or format has its imperfections, and DCC is no exception. However, I was captivated by DCC the first time I used the Philips DCC170 recorder and listened to it. Since then, I have acquired additional DCC players and decks. I have thoroughly enjoyed recording from various sources to DCC, and the sound quality is exceptional. The audio is crystal clear and warm, with high resolution. The bass is punchy yet not muddy, the sound stage is expansive, and the sound imaging is impressive. I also appreciate the thoughtful design of the cassette tape case; it feels like a piece of art when holding a DCC cassette. You truly have to experience it to understand. DCC should be on every vintage music equipment collector's list. I have had a great deal of enjoyment with it and take pride in owning some of these rare pieces. Please visit the gallery if you are interested.
Panasonic/Technics RS-DC10:
Features:
• High-quality digital sound: Tape hiss, wow and flutter, distortion and other such problems have, in principle, been eliminated so that the deck can record and play back material with high sound quality virtually on par with that of CDs.
• Compatible with conventional analog cassette tapes: The deck can play back even cassette tapes which have been recorded using currently available analog input signals. This means that you can make full use of all the music cassette tapes in your possession.
• Digital technology providing a touch of sophistication and greater convenience: The name of the album, names of the tracks and other character information can be displayed for prerecorded DCC music tapes.
• More enjoyment and fun from listening to music: A fresh and original design with plenty of space for the labels has been adopted for DCC tapes. they can be removed from their cases with just a flip of the fingers. the cassette tapes have virtually the same dimensions as conventional tapes, and they are extremely easy to handle.
Specifications:
• Type: digital compact cassette deck
• Track System: 2-channel stereo
• Tape Speed: 4.76 cm/s
• Recording Time: 90 minutes
• Sampling Frequency: 48, 44.1, 32kHz
• Frequency Response: 10Hz to 22kHz
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 92dB
• Dynamic Range: 92dB
• Channel Separation: 80dB
• Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.005%
• Analogue Inputs: 60mV (line)
• Analogue Outputs: 0.5V (line)
• Digital Inputs: coaxial, optical
• Digital Outputs: coaxial, optical
• Dimensions: 430 x 153 x 341mm
• Weight: 8.3kg
• Accessories: remote control
Philips DCC900:
Specifications:
• Year: 1992
• Dimensions: 435 x 140 x 300mm
• Weight: 9kg
• Type: digital compact cassette deck
• Track System: 2-channel stereo
• Tape Speed: 4.8 cm/s
• Recording Time: 90 minutes
• Sampling Frequency: 48, 44.1, 32kHz
• Frequency Response: 20Hz to 22kHz
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 92dB
• Dynamic Range: 92dB
• Channel Separation: 85dB
• Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.005%
• Analogue Outputs: 2.0V (line)
• Digital Inputs: coaxial, optical
• Digital Outputs: coaxial, optical
• Accessories: remote control
Philips DCC170:
Specifications:
• Year: 1994
• Tape recording system: Digital Compact Cassette
• Sampling frequencies: 48kHz, 44.1kHz, 32kHz (selected automatically)
• Coding format: PASC
• No. of channels: 2 channel stereo
DCC:
• Frequency response:
• fs:44.1 kHz: 20 Hz - 20 kHz +0.5 / -1.5 dB
• fs:48 kHz: 20 Hz - 22 kHz + 0.5 / -1.5 dB
• fs:32 kHz: 20 Hz - 14.5 kHz + 0.5 / -1.5 dB
• S/N ratio: >92 dB
• Dynamic range: 108 dB
• Wow and flutter: Quartz crystal precision
Compact Cassette:
• Track format: 4 track 2 channel stereo
• Frequency range: 20 hz - 18 kHz
• S/N ratio (CrO2): > 50 dB
• Digital (Optical) / Line: 3.5 mm jack
• Output:
• Digital output: optical
• Line output level: 1.0V (20 kOhm)
• Phones / Remote: 3.5 mm jack
• Output: max output power: 10 mW + 10 mW (16 Ohm)
• Digital/Mic/Line: 3.5 mm jack
• Input:
• Digital input: optical/coaxial
• microphone input
• Battery: Ni-Cd rechargeable battery:
• Recording time: approx. 3 hours.
• Playback time: approx. 3 hours.
• Recharging time: approx. 3 hours.
• External:
• USA/Canada: SBC 6619/47 120V, 60 Hz
• Europe: SBC 6619/30 220~240V, 50 Hz
• UK: SBC 6619/35 240V, 50 Hz
• Australia / New Zealand: SBC 6619/40 230~240V, 50 Hz
• Other countries: SBC6619/31 120/230V, 50/60 Hz
• Head: 36 channel thin-film head
• Motor: Brushless motor
• Tape speed: 4.76 cm/sec.
• Dimension: (w x h x d) 111.6 x 38.1 x 99.8 mm
• Weight (incl. rechargeable battery) : 420g
Accessories:
• In-ear phones: SBC 3179
• Remote control: SBC 6270
• Rechargeable battery: SBC 6434
• Coaxial cable: SBC 1275
• Mains adapter
• Carrying case
• Hifi connection cable