what does it mean if your cassette deck playback and recording sounds warbly?

That's wow and flutter and if you hear it on all your recording send the deck back it's not working right. If it's just a few it's on those recordings it happens.

"...what does it mean if your cassette deck playback and recording sounds warbly?..."

Your deck sucks worse than the cassette sucks. 

First use some alcohol on a clean cloth to clean the capstan and pinch roller. You do not want to be using alcohol long term but this is just to check and eliminate one possible cause and so for this one time no problem. If when these are perfectly clean the problem persists, and if it is on all cassettes, then the unit is defective. Probably a bent capstan, or a bad pinch roller. Either way, back it goes.

Belt? It’s like 101 on a cassette player..
MC got it... Clean and inspect..
Retention your tape.
Go all the way one way AND all the way the other high speed of course.. It helps.

I like cassette, don’t like the play back to much, though.. :-)

I’ll put one in the playback rack.. Tascam for cassette, Otari for RtR
Both affordable and available..

Regards

Cassettes might need to be fastforwarded and rewound a couple times to loosen them up, especially if they haven’t been used in a while. The casing might be binding up the reels, too.

@edgewound thanks. Ill remember that.

@millercarbon thanks. Ill do that.

I hope it dont have to send it back; it looks great, and plays cds as well. but, i dont want a defective deck.

@russ69 ok man. stop trolling my threads with negative comments. You are being a jerk

Troll?
How does telling truth equate to that?
If you don't want to hear that the deck is more likely to be the problem than the tapes are, just get used to it.
Instead of juvenile name-calling.
Abrupt language is NOT negative.
Why did you buy a new deck anyway?
Hopefully to insure against manufacturing defects. Too high a price to pay for me.

@fuzztone the reason I bought a brand new deck is because i wanted a perfectly working deck. didnt happen

i dont want a moron on my thread dissing stuff I enjoy.

You said something about juvenile name calling; he said "sucks" twice.

I'm the same way with some things. I was looking at a NEW Tascam Cassette. The wife has a slough of her old cassettes. 

A little update too.. It's not your thread.. BUT it's nice to think that, just on loan, kinda', sorta'.

The words are yours right up until you hit "Post You Response".

Regards

Seen the specs and the unit has a pitch control for the tape function. Check what happens when engaged or not. Otherwise what MC said. If nothing changes send it back.

G

"...@russ69 ok man. stop trolling my threads with negative comments. You are being a jerk..."

Sorry but a new deck should not do that, perhaps it should go back for repair/replacement.
EDIT: The problem today with a cassette deck is that most units will be low cost units with low cost drive mechanisms. I hope they can fix your issues because you are still trying to enjoy your cassette collection. 

@petg60 thanks! I’ll do that

@russ69 thanks man. I’m too late to ask if I can send it back, but I hope I can get them to make an acception.

How's the Tascam 202MKVII?

Last time I checked suck is a verb.
Not sure what someone is who thinks it’s an epitaph.

My latest is a almost new Optima double reverse deck. It plays 4 sides consecutively AND smoothly.
$20 bill in a parking lot 5 miles away.

Love it.

@leemurray2007,

There seems to be a pattern with you.  If someone says anything negative about equipment you own, you jump on them.  You did the same thing to me twice on your B&O thread.   Really, who uses B&O in high end?   Most likely no one but yourself.  You then sent me a couple of PM’s still going on about the Beogram TT.   If you plan on staying in these forums, you need to develop a thicker skin. 

@stereo5 the second I saw your big ol reply, I thought "Uh oh, this moron is gonna try to set me straight!"

I hope your new pattern is trying to do that. It'll get funnier every time.

So here's the thing. you have been one of the many people "trolling" my threads; yes, MY THREADS, with stupid comments. 

Why did you wasting your time telling me how cassettes are crappy?
If I like something, I like it. So, instead of ranting about how stupid and shitty my cassettes and decks are, make a personal note about that. Keep your thoughts to yourself.

And honestly, these threads have given me lots of help and info (you did not supply any, of course). So, I plan on staying on here, and ask questions by making threads about audio equipment. 

So, get used to being annoyed with my threads.
That is your problem anyway.

Have fun replying!

I never mentioned a cassette to you as I do not own them.  Do your homework.

My Nack needed new belts

The threads aren’t “yours”, they are open threads on a public forum. If you don’t want any negative replies, stay off the internet. Dismissing the possibility that you’re a very clever Troll, you undoubtedly mean well, but come across as thin skinned and naive. When you post about relatively mediocre equipment on a forum that skews towards higher end equipment what do you expect? Embrace the replies that you find helpful, and ignore the ones you don’t, that simple.

@stereo5  @crn3371  the second I saw your big ol reply, I thought "Uh oh, these morons are gonna try to set me straight!" 

I hope your new pattern is trying to do that. It'll get funnier every time.

So here's the thing. you have been one of the many people "trolling" my threads; yes, MY THREADS, with stupid comments. If I start a discussion, it is my thread. 

Also, you are one of the many people putting rude responses on my threads. So, maybe YOU should stay off the internet.


And honestly, these threads have given me lots of help and info (you did not supply any, of course). So, I plan on staying on here, and ask questions by making threads about audio equipment.

So, get used to being annoyed with my threads.
Get used to seeing my threads with questions about "mediocre" equipment.
That is your problem anyway. 

Let @stereo5 respond. 

@stereo5 @crn3371 I can't wait to see your responses. 

Probably going to tell me something about thick and thin skin again, huh?

Go ahead. I'll just reply right back.

I'm honestly not surprised. I knew there would be some stuck-up audiophiles on this forum. 

@leemurray2007

Still waiting For your reply that I went on and on about cassette decks. Are you delusional or something? I looked through the posts and see nothing from me on that. Still waiting....................

Just because you started a thread does not mean you own it.  Anyone can comment.  Are you over the age of 10 as you don’t act like it. Grow up. 

Leemurray2007,

your posts have been reported

@stereo5 There you go again! You are ignoring my posts and doing anything you can to do so. 

Why are you reporting me? I have not and won't do that to you?

@stereo5 I find it really cheap and thin-skinned to report my posts. You never said anything about what I said except for the thing about cassettes, which I falsely accused you of (sorry). 

But honestly, if you could not be as negative on my threads, that'd be nice. I dont like having arguments, especially over the computer.

I think we should just end our argument right here, and end it with the fact that we were both stupid.

You do not have to respond.

@leemurray2007,

I only reported your posts after I felt your tone got abuseive towards me.  This was only the second time in13 years on the forums I have reported a post.  I don't like doing that, really don't, but I was afraid it was going to escalate further.

I agree we both have to show restraint and I hope this puts the arguement to rest.  I guess we can call it a reboot.  I feel we got off on the wrong foot and hope going forward we can be friends or at least civil to one another.  I am glad you posted as this has bothered me a lot.  Take care.

You too. I'll try to be more respectful when posting.

My apologies.

Thanks for being sincere with your response. I was looking at my past posts and saw that I did have a very negative tone.

Right now is no time to get into an argument with someone, especially someone you don't know.

I respect you and your history on this platform.

Again, my apologies.

Inventor of the cassete tape Lou Otten about vinyl.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/11/lou-ottens-inventor-of-the-cassette-tape-dies-aged-94

---
Ottens, who died on Saturday, had little patience with the renewed popularity of the cassette tape – or even vinyl.

“Nothing can match the sound of the CD,” he had told the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. “It is absolutely noise and rumble-free. That never worked with tape … I have made a lot of record players and I know that the distortion with vinyl is much higher. I think people mainly hear what they want to hear.”
Think he naild it.