advice please : reel deck

[aherb]

Hi Gurus, please give me some advices on which reel deck I should look for.

My requirements are :

a. < $300
b. pre-recorded 4 track (stereo) tape playable
c. 10.5" tape
d. reliable/parts easily available
e. excellent sound quality
f. good looking machine

I currently have Tascam-32. but I can't play 4 track tapes.
Pioneer RT-909 seems good candidate to me; any comparisons with that machine are welcome.

[kevinkr]

Take a look at the Pioneer RT-707 auto reverse deck and RT-701 (non auto reverse.) both should be available for less than your available budget if you shop around and/or get lucky on eBay. Both can play 10 1/2" reels with the adaptor, but this does look hoaky - works ok ime.

I'm familiar with both and they seem reliable and good sounding. You could do far worse. (I have several friends that have unrestored ones and they just seem to work.)

Some of the Revox decks like the A77 might be a possibility.

Otaris are not reliable in my very limited experience, and most low end teacs are known for snr problems.

[AuroraB]

I would go for a Revox , but 4-track might be a problem.
Tandberg 10 X was made in a 4 track version, and is indeed a very good recorder, - quite a par with the Revox. I have no idea about availability, though...

(....i have a fully restored Revox A77 half track in prime condition, but if I were to part with it, 300$ is way below limit.... )

[aherb]

What other decks are recommendable if I increase the budget to $400?

[AuroraB]

BTW- what do you really mean by 4-track?
There are two versions - the typical old consumer version, where you flip the tape and play stereo ( the two stereotracks are interleaved on the tape ) -
and the pro or semi-pro versions where all tracks run in the same direction and work simultaneously.

For the concumer 4 track, there used to be lots of them , Akai, Sony, Philips, Tandberg, Teac, Pioneer - most of the larger classical brands had there versions. Teac used to have some good ones. Classical Tandbergs series 3000, 4000, 6000 etc.....
For the semi pro versions that might fall into this category - Tascam, Otari, Ampex ... Tascam 34, 44

As it seems you have older recorded tapes, it might help to know which recorder was used. There might be a minor issue about frequency correction , NAB or CCIR, ( same problem as RIAA correction for vinyl LPs). Some recorder had switchable settings, at least on playback.

To get an idea of what's available, try searching ebay for reel-to-reel tape recorders

[Zero Cool]

The Pioneer RT-909 Is the version that plays 10" reels, the 701/707 decks only 7" reels.

The 909 is a decent deck, but the dual capstan system is belt drive and those belts are getting harder and harder to come by.

Teac decks, have head wear problems and motor problems. finding one today that works well is tough.

Akai home decks, some have the Glass heads that never wear but can chip. not great transports or electronics.

The Technics RS-1500 is a great machine but has a funky threading system with it's isoloop system. makes editing difficult. but they come with 2T/4T heads that are switch selectable. Lots of these decks out there. just about any deck of this vintage should be recapped. The difficult tape handling system makes playback of fragile tapes difficult. and if the tape is on the edge of hydrolisis, you can foget tape moving through this machine.

Otari decks, like the MX-5050 are some very good direct drive decks. I dont know who said they think they are unreliable. studios world wide have used these decks for years. i have owned many and all have been very solid and reliable workhorses. the 5050 decks have switch selectable heads like the RS-1500 above. These are workhorse decks and sound quality is good but not spectacular. The problem is finding one that hasnt been used to death. most of these are Ex-studio or radio station decks and they are BEAT!

I have never liked the Revox A or B77 decks. just never got into them much. Love how the B looks with those cooling tower reel adapters however.

The Studer A800 series decks seem much better, something like an A-812, A-820 etc smooth tape handling, But again these are set up to be pro decks. but 4T heads are available. well worth the cost to set up a used A-820 with a 4T playback head.

The Sony Apr-5002 pro decks are some fantastic machines as well. probably one if not the best deck ever built. Many archivist use these decks. again 2T decks but can be converted to 4T heads are available. these sound OK.

Lastly the Otari MTR-10 decks have great transports and modular electronics. Fantastic decks to roll your own electronics for. these can be had for cheap from just about any studio these days. brakes and various other parts will need work but they are well worth the effort if you are going to DIY the playback electronics as the stock electronics dont sound that great. average at best.

The best deck, but an expensive one is probably an Ampex ATR-102 outfitted with ARIA electronics. But you need a 2nd mortgage to afford one.

[Willi Studer]

You should remember that Revox/Studer and Teac are the only manufacturers still offering spare parts for reel-to-reel decks, if you are looking for a future-proof machine.
For 300 USD, it should not be a big problem to find a decent Revox B77 with four track heads - actually, they are more common than their 2-track counterparts. In reliability, serviceability and sound quality altogether, I think it is not possible to find a better match.

[Thago]

Originally posted by Willi Studer
You should remember that Revox/Studer and Teac are the only manufacturers still offering spare parts for reel-to-reel decks, if you are looking for a future-proof machine.
For 300 USD, it should not be a big problem to find a decent Revox B77 with four track heads - actually, they are more common than their 2-track counterparts. In reliability, serviceability and sound quality altogether, I think it is not possible to find a better match.

I fully agree! I own both Technics 1506 and Revox B77 (2T high speed). The B77 clearly wins on sound quality, and parts are still available. Technics parts however...

[Willi Studer]

Thago, perhaps your Technics needs some care? I also own a 2-track B77 MkII but I have always found Technics RS 15XX sonic winners over Revox A, B and PR. It is a real pity Technics don't have spare parts anymore.