High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A cassette deck is a type of tape recorder for playing or recording audio compact cassettes. A deck was formerly distinguished from a recorder as being part of a stereo component system, while a recorder had a self-contained power amplifier (and often speakers). Although the two terms are now often used interchangeably, a recorder is typically thought of as a small low-fidelity portable device, while a deck is a sophisticated high fidelity component.