Question 1

Can you remove the rack mounts?

Accepted Answer

Yes they can be removed, 2 small Phillips head screws each side.

Question 2

It is my understanding that the mp3 encoder tops out at 128 kbps.  it also is devoid of any flavor of dolby nr.  such a pity on both counts.

Accepted Answer

It seems to record at 128 Kbps, which is too odd for an expensive Recorder Combo of well known and respected Brand. Thought it gets clear details at 128 Kbps, it should really record at 320 Kbps for such an expensive combo. It's heavily overpriced. Knowing this unit has no CD recorder(it's just a player), the main point to acquire this unit for a recording purpose is the USB MP3 recording. At this heavily outdated 128 Kbps, the unit seems close to the category of an MP3 recorder 5-10 times less expensive. That's a shame they have not introduced 320 Kbps MP3 recording. In fact, the recorder of this class sold in this price range should allow the user to select  within the MP3 quality range like from 128 to 320. Also, introducing an alternate format like WMA/FLAC may be a plus. In this price category, the unit could be better overthought being a true contemporary one. I have no idea why they call it a "Professional" series. It's not. It would be shameful for a real sound recording/playback professional needs/occasions. The tape deck doesn't seem to have a great spec as well thought it's not bad. But, going under "professional" series, it could be a 3-head deck with a frequency range somewhere from 20Hz to 20Khz for playback and recording. After all, the unit is Made in China.
I guess everything listed above could be introduced to this unit plus the CD recording capability. Then, it'd be a fine home unit under the price. The real professional grade players and records of studio level are much superior than the innocent real contemporary spec listed above. So far, it seems to be a nice looking unit offering a convenience of a mediocre integrated boombox with no speakers onboard thought. See it to yourself. I take these "modern" approaches as a rip off rather than true professional quality and functionality standards they claim to be in the year of 2021.

Question 3

What quality is the mp3 file when converted from a cassette?

Accepted Answer

It seems to record at 128 Kbps, which is too odd for an expensive Recorder Combo of well known and respected Brand. Thought it gets clear details at 128 Kbps, it should really record at 320 Kbps for such an expensive combo. It's heavily overpriced. Knowing this unit has no CD recorder(it's just a player), the main point to acquire this unit for a recording purpose is the USB MP3 recording. At this heavily outdated 128 Kbps, the unit seems close to the category of an MP3 recorder 5-10 times less expensive. That's a shame they have not introduced 320 Kbps MP3 recording. In fact, the recorder of this class sold in this price range should allow the user to select  within the MP3 quality range like from 128 to 320. Also, introducing an alternate format like WMA/FLAC may be a plus. In this price category, the unit could be better overthought being a true contemporary one. I have no idea why they call it a "Professional" series. It's not. It would be shameful for a real sound recording/playback professional needs/occasions. The tape deck doesn't seem to have a great spec as well thought it's not bad. But, going under "professional" series, it could be a 3-head deck with a frequency range somewhere from 20Hz to 20Khz for playback and recording. After all, the unit is Made in China.
I guess everything listed above could be introduced to this unit plus the CD recording capability. Then, it'd be a fine home unit under the price. The real professional grade players and records of studio level are much superior than the innocent real contemporary spec listed above. So far, it seems to be a nice looking unit offering a convenience of a mediocre integrated boombox with no speakers onboard thought. See it to yourself. I take these "modern" approaches as a rip off rather than true professional quality and functionality standards they claim to be.

Question 4

When recording to usb storage with cassette running does pausing recording on usb yield a new track once paused?

Accepted Answer

Pressing the "REC" button will result in a new file (closing the previous one). I find it easier to just record the whole cassette in one pass and use Audigy to extract the individual tracks. This also lets me enter the meta data for each track.

Compatible Devices	Speaker
Color Name	black
Wireless Comm Standard	Infrared
Batteries Included	No
Batteries Required	No
Brand	TASCAM
Manufacturer	Tascam
Item Model Number	CDA580
Model Year	2017
Included Components	Player
Special Features	CD-R/RW Compatible
Connectivity Technology	USB
Product Dimensions	55.88 x 25.4 x 38.1 cm; 7.26 kg
Item Weight	7.26 kg

Tascam CD-A580 Rackmount Cassette/CD/USB MP3 Player Recorder Combo

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