Reel To Reel

[sdman]

Would like to buy an high quality Reel To Reel tape recorder.
Been out of the loop for a long time.
Anybody have any suggestions on make,models?

Sony,Revox,Ampex,Teac,Roberts.

These are the brand names that I remember.

Sam

[geraldfryjr]

Sometimes you can find an Otari on Ebay fairly cheap.
That is were I picked up my MTR-10 and MTR-15.

jer

[sdman]

Was the Otari built in the USA or elswhere?

Not very familiar with the Otari, how does it compare to the Sony's,Tascm's.Revox,etc,etc?

Thanks for the info.

Some of the best sound I ever heard was on an Ampex years ago.

Sam

[saturntube]

Google Tape Project and check out Bottlehead.

They reccomend the Tecnichs RS 1500 series and Otari MR50 I think:

I have listened to a highly tweaked Tehcnichs and it sounds very good, but Ampex ATR 102 is better, if you can get one, look for ATR services.

I am rebuilding an Ampex 350 with the wonderful help of Dave Dintenfass, he is the guy to go for Ampex 350.

[Zero Cool]

The Technics RS-1500 is a very good deck that will play both half track and consumer format 1/4 track tapes! the threading takes some getting used too with the iso-loop system but these decks are loved all over!

The Otari MX-50 decks offer the same type of playback head system but all of the otari decks were designed for broadcast or studio use. solid workhorse decks but leave a lot to be desired as far as playback electronics go.

Ampex ATR-102 decks are probably one of the best decks ever built. stock electronics are ok as again this was a "pro" deck. several people make upgraded electronics for these but these are mega buck decks!

Sony APR-5002 decks, great decks for tape handling. pro deck once again.

Old Teac decks are ok and cheap. head wear is a major concern.

Old Akai decks with the glas x-tal ferrite heads. not great sounding. any deck this old will need work. and the glass heads chip.

Pioneer RT-707/909 decks, a great buy, nice deck. decent sound quality.

Revox decks, finicky but sound great, skip the A-77 and go for the B-77

Studer decks. the all time best tape handlers ever! studio decks but sound great. the A-812 in the studio laydown trolley is awesome!

Old sony decks. troublesome transports. hard to get idler wheels these days.

I guess it is all a matter of deep you want to get into this??

"Speed is just a matter of money....How fast do you want to go?"

[imix500]

There's a 2" machine sitting at work you could prob take for the price of a twelve pack. Still played back fine before we sold all the preamp cards out of it. The 24 analog meters and the heads are probably still worth it though.

[Zero Cool]

Lemme guess, it's an old MCI??

[Irakli]

I suggest to buy one which looks best for you. Let's admit, we are having R2R decks only for sentimental reasons now-days. Without considerable rework you can't make sound quality of 30 yo deck match that of modern DAC+computer combination. There is also an issue of good calibration tapes (which are necessary if you want to make any adjustments). these tapes are VERY expensive.

[TerryO]

Originally Posted by Irakli

I suggest to buy one which looks best for you. Let's admit, we are having R2R decks only for sentimental reasons now-days. Without considerable rework you can't make sound quality of 30 yo deck match that of modern DAC+computer combination. There is also an issue of good calibration tapes (which are necessary if you want to make any adjustments). these tapes are VERY expensive.

We listened to a member's SOTA system a couple of weeks ago using unreleased Hi-Rez HDtracks files, Vinyl and a pair of R2R decks playing Tape Project tapes in 1/4 and 1/2 inch format. Everyone seemed to prefer the sound of Vinyl and Tape over the Hi-Rez files (although they are excellent).

For ultimate sound quality, it seems that tape is still King. For those who need to compromise, digital is most certainly the way to go.

Best Regards,
TerryO

[a.wayne]

Terry HDtracks has the poorest download quality IMO, Agree when right the R2R is SERIOUS and not matched by current digital....

I have a TEAC 6100, 2/4track dual speed, good deck, been reliable over the years and it does not match my standard digital 16/44 or TT. It's in need of a refurbish (electronics) and i plan to do so shortly.

Agree also on the revox/studer revox/ Ampex , suprised on the Technics, never thought they were that great when new, but i guess they are considering the money being spent on them these days, found the Teac's to be the best of the rest way back when ...

Regards,