Akai x200d reel to reel tape player playback is a bit high pitch,

The symptoms you describe on your Panasonic RQ-2102 cassette player are indicative of a problem with the playback mechanism, most likely related to the motor or the belt that drives it. Here are some steps you can take to try to fix the issue:

1. Check the belt: Open the cassette player and look for the belt that drives the playback mechanism. If the belt is loose, broken, or worn, it can cause the speed and pitch to fluctuate or the head not to spin at all. In that case, you may need to replace the belt.
2. Clean the playback head: Use a cotton swab moistened with isopropyl alcohol to clean the playback head. Dirt and debris can accumulate on the head and cause playback issues.
3. Check the motor: The motor that drives the playback mechanism may be faulty or damaged. If the motor is not spinning at the correct speed, it can cause the speed and pitch to fluctuate. In that case, you may need to replace the motor.
4. Lubricate the mechanism: The playback mechanism may need lubrication. Use a small amount of silicone lubricant on the moving parts of the mechanism to reduce friction and improve performance.

If these steps don't fix the issue, it may be necessary to take your cassette player to a repair shop for further inspection and repair.

When experiencing sound quality issues with any reel to reel deck, the very first thing to check is just how clean the tape transport system and tape heads are. Thoroughly clean all heads, including the erase head, and all tape transport parts, i.e., the capstan and pinch roller, and the reel drive wheels or belts.
The other possibility is that the tape-to-head tension is too loose. This is a fine-value adjustment--too little tension results in your problem; too high tape tension results in drastically-shortened tape life or tape breakage. If you adjust it yourself, do so in tiny increments until the problem just goes away...then add just a hair more tension. It's like oil filter change instructions, "tighten filter to 1/4 turn beyond hand tight only". It only takes the tension being a tiny bit too tight to wear out or break your tapes.

Forum about your machine - link below.

http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=32552

The vu meters only show that there is an input signal. The meters do not mean the deck is actually recording. If the deck will play a previously-recorded tape, how well does it sound? if the sound quality is muffled or very low, the play-back heads are dirty. If the playback heads are dirty, then the erase and record heads are too. In the tape path, the direction your tape moves from supply reel to takeup reel determines which heads are in which order. Most R-to-R decks play from left reel to right reel. The magnetic heads are in this order, with the the arrow indicating tape transport direction:
Supply Reel moves tape across > Erase head first, then across > Record head second, then across > Playback head. Some machines use the same head for record and playback, but no machine uses the erase head for anything but erasing pre-recorded material on the tape.
First, using tape recorder head cleaner or rubbing alcohol, clean the erase head (the first one the tape moves across) thoroughly with a Q-tip. If the heads are VERY dirty, use a pencil eraser AND the Q-tip. If this head is not clean, it will either not completely or not at all erase the material already on the tape. If the tape isn't erased, you either will get your new recording laid over the top of the existing one and it will sound like gibberish, or the new recording will not be recorded at all, and the original recording is all you will hear. Next, clean the second head the tape passes over. Usually this is the record head. If it is dirty, it will not record clearly or at all the material you are trying to record. Last, if there is a third head (most decks have this), clean it thoroughly as well. This is the playback head, and if it is dirty enough, you will hear nothing, although your new recording may very well have been laid down on the tape. Always clean all tape heads at the same time; in other words, don't just clean one head and not the rest of them. Clean all tape deck heads AS WELL AS the capstan (skinny metal pin that rotates) and pinch roller (the rubber wheel that 'pinches' the tape between itself and the rotating metal pin) thoroughly, rethread your tape through the head array, capstan, and pinch roller onto the takeup reel, and see what happens. If everything is clean and you still don't get any playback of your recording but you do get playback of pre-recorded tapes, then the problem is in the record circuit, and can be anything from faulty input stages to a bad head--deck heads DO go bad, although not often. If this is what happens, you have to take the unit in for repair by a qualified technician.

Utube

Most Reel-to-reel tape decks will slow down as they approach the end of a tape, since the momentum that had built up will have a hard time stopping at the end without stretching the tape (which will distort the sound upon playback)

Akai 1710 Manual - Stereo Tape Recorder - HiFi Engine

www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/akai/1710.shtml

Jun 10, 2014 - Reel size: up to 7 inch reel ... instruction/owners manual English ...Akai Open Reel Tape Decks. Akai 1700 1700 · Akai 1710L · 1710L.

Akai Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorder ' eBay

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eBayShop from the world's largest selection and best deals for Akai Reel-to-Reel ... AKAI Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorder Model # GX255 + 2 Microphones + 30 Tapes.

AKAI Reel to Reel Tape Decks Guide ' eBay

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They are famous for their high quality reel to reel decks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and the ... top of or inside the AKAI Head Cover: X-100D, X-150D, X-165D, 1700, 1710, 1720W, 1800L, ... These models are: 1800L, X-1800SD, X-1810/D, GX-1820/D, and 1800D-SS. ..... User Agreement, Privacy, Cookies and AdChoice.

I would need to know what model you are talking about but could be bad- loose belt, lack of oil and relay contacts that control the motor speed being ressitive.

This could be a head fault? Another possibilty is the preamp stage. You will need to look for something that would take out both channels. Such as an IC.