Digital Tape Decks: A Wait-and-See Approach Is Best : Audio: DAT machines are expensive and lack prerecorded software. A more versatile, cheaper format is on the horizon.

In terms of sound, digital audio tape (DAT) is everything it’s supposed to be. As advertised, this mini-tape does sound as good as a compact disc. Now that machines for playing the tape are finally available at modest prices, consumers should know about drawbacks that may make them think twice about purchasing one.

DAT decks previously were marketed for professionals, at prices as high as $11,000 for the Nakamichi 1000. But last Friday, Sony entered the consumer market with a $950 model, followed on Wednesday by a $900 model. Other decks will be marketed by JVC, Denon and Technics later in the year.

The DAT deck’s biggest plus is that it’s capable of both playback and copying in the digital format, giving it an advantage over CD players, which only play back. But here are some of the reasons that a wait-and-see attitude may be appropriate:

* Price. Although discounts may drop the price of these first units into the $800 range, many people will consider that too high. As with other electronics products, a price plunge is inevitable--perhaps to the $300-$500 range. That’s probably at least a year or two away. The price of the blank DAT tapes--$12 to $18--is another deterrent to DAT’s instant acceptance.

* Lack of prerecorded software. Despite the high price of the decks, DAT might be a big hit among upscale audiophiles if there were precorded software on the market. Right now, though, there are only a few classical and jazz titles available in prerecorded DAT--and the situation does not appear about to change.

Joe Smith, president of Capitol-EMI Music, said that his company has no immediate plans to market prerecorded software and added that, to his knowledge, neither did any other major label. It’s likely that these record companies will avoid DAT until the issue of songwriter and publisher royalties is settled. The National Music Publishers Assn. has complained that its members will be deprived of earnings by people who copy CDs on their DAT decks.

“If you can’t buy the music you like in DAT, that really keeps potential buyers away,” said Ralph Cousino, vice president of technical development at Capitol Records.

* Other technologies. Before the price of DAT decks drop, the technology may have a formidable challenger in the digital compact cassette, or DCC, reportedly due in the next year from Phillips. The advantage of the DCC is that it plays two kinds of cassette--the standard audio cassette and a digital cassette. Consequently, this deck not only offers the advantages of digital sound but also plays cassettes the consumer already has--which DAT decks don’t do.

Though Phillips hasn’t announced price plans yet, Capitol’s Cousino speculated that a DCC deck might cost about $600, because they’re easier to manufacture than DAT decks.

Also on the horizon are tape decks equipped with Dolby S, an exceptional noise-reduction system that improves the dynamic range capability of standard cassettes.

* Possibly having to buy a new CD player. To use a DAT machine to copy CDs, your CD player must have a digital output terminal. Cousino said that most CD players don’t have such a terminal.

* Shortfalls compared to CDs. DAT has some technical advantages compared to compact discs. Unlike fiction-free CD systems, the tape in a DAT deck has to touch the recording head. That friction gradually erodes the sound quality of the tape--which doesn’t happen with CDs. Also, when hunting for a certain cut, CD players allow the owner to skip around much faster than DAT decks.