I came across some Pioneer RT-909's and an Akai 635d for sale. I was leaning more towards the Pioneer RT-909 because I own 2 SX-1980 receivers. Is there anyone who knows which of those two brands may fare the best?
If there are any reel-to-reel enthusiasts out there, I will be very grateful to hear from you.
Sincerely, In The 21st. Century.
If there are any reel-to-reel enthusiasts out there, I will be very grateful to hear from you.
Sincerely, In The 21st. Century.
If the Akai has glass and crystal ferrite heads, I would steer clear of it The glass wears faster than the ferrite and
leaves dimples between the ferrite pole pieces. The only fix is to replace the heads - if you can find any.
Do you have tapes you want to copy to digital or do you expect to record to tape?
G²
leaves dimples between the ferrite pole pieces. The only fix is to replace the heads - if you can find any.
Do you have tapes you want to copy to digital or do you expect to record to tape?
G²
I play with R2R tape and I would probably recommend an RT-909 if you like cool and do not need to play 2 track tapes. Otherwise I would pass on all consumer decks except maybe something like a Technics RS-1500 (expensive!)
I've designed a couple of tape pre-amplifiers for R2R in recent times and find the technology interesting to play with, but equally frustrating. It is a very expensive hobby if you expect to achieve worthwhile results in this format.
I missed the boat for the finer Studer decks because I was not really committed and declined an A80 some years ago because it's unlikely I would have been able to get it down into the basement listening room, and by the same token there isn't enough space. Today even broken ones go for a significant % of my monthly salary.
So I live in Otari world and own four of them. I'm good at fixing them. I would pass on the ubiquitous MX-5050 and aim for an MX-50N, MX-50NII or the MX-55N which is also a great choice but has gotten rare and really expensive. The MTR-10 is another league, but a bit bulky - prices for the moment are reasonable.
Had I pulled the trigger a decade ago when I should have I would have gone for a Studer C37, B62, B67 or A810. These are the machines to aim for if you are really serious about tape, if not an Otari MX-50 will get you a good deal of the way there particularly if you are willing to do a bit of work. The PR99 is a nice deck as well and well worth the effort, but is typically over $5K. All of these machines if "affordable" will need a lot of work, and some of them like the A810 are extremely complicated.
I have a lot of money tied up 2 track open reel tape including recent releases by various suppliers of reissues of older masters, unless you have a lot of money or are extremely capable I strongly recommend you spend your money elsewhere. (Open reel tape is a bottomless rat hole
)
P.S. My daily drivers are a pair of MX-50s and I like them a lot.
I've designed a couple of tape pre-amplifiers for R2R in recent times and find the technology interesting to play with, but equally frustrating. It is a very expensive hobby if you expect to achieve worthwhile results in this format.
I missed the boat for the finer Studer decks because I was not really committed and declined an A80 some years ago because it's unlikely I would have been able to get it down into the basement listening room, and by the same token there isn't enough space. Today even broken ones go for a significant % of my monthly salary.
So I live in Otari world and own four of them. I'm good at fixing them. I would pass on the ubiquitous MX-5050 and aim for an MX-50N, MX-50NII or the MX-55N which is also a great choice but has gotten rare and really expensive. The MTR-10 is another league, but a bit bulky - prices for the moment are reasonable.
Had I pulled the trigger a decade ago when I should have I would have gone for a Studer C37, B62, B67 or A810. These are the machines to aim for if you are really serious about tape, if not an Otari MX-50 will get you a good deal of the way there particularly if you are willing to do a bit of work. The PR99 is a nice deck as well and well worth the effort, but is typically over $5K. All of these machines if "affordable" will need a lot of work, and some of them like the A810 are extremely complicated.
I have a lot of money tied up 2 track open reel tape including recent releases by various suppliers of reissues of older masters, unless you have a lot of money or are extremely capable I strongly recommend you spend your money elsewhere. (Open reel tape is a bottomless rat hole
)P.S. My daily drivers are a pair of MX-50s and I like them a lot.
Well it is one of the few home decks really worth mentioning IMO.. I have an Otari with a similarly checkered history of incompetent tinkering, I'm happy to report - not by me. I've finally got it completely sorted out, but still need to calibrate the record path for the tape I use. (SM900)
I've been tinkering with marrying my outboard tape amp to the older MX-50.
And still working on my nightmare CT-F1000.. LOL I did find some transport parts for it and am waiting for them to arrive. Play works perfectly, record works perfectly, FF and RWD have quit again, but I am not falling for it this time. LOL Once all the parts arrive I'll take it apart again, I even have new pinch rollers that should work. (The originals are slightly less hard than igneous rock, but still work fine to my surprise)
As much as I love tape I really question my sanity.. [No I don't, clearly I have taken leave of my senses] I'm a masochist who enjoys a good challenge.
I'm delighted to hear the RS-1500 is coming along nicely, the owner is one lucky guy to have someone as dedicated as you working on it.
I have an Otari with a similarly checkered history of incompetent tinkering, I'm happy to report - not by me. I've finally got it completely sorted out, but still need to calibrate the record path for the tape I use. (SM900) I've been tinkering with marrying my outboard tape amp to the older MX-50.
And still working on my nightmare CT-F1000.. LOL I did find some transport parts for it and am waiting for them to arrive. Play works perfectly, record works perfectly, FF and RWD have quit again, but I am not falling for it this time. LOL Once all the parts arrive I'll take it apart again, I even have new pinch rollers that should work. (The originals are slightly less hard than igneous rock, but still work fine to my surprise)
As much as I love tape I really question my sanity..
[No I don't, clearly I have taken leave of my senses] I'm a masochist who enjoys a good challenge.I'm delighted to hear the RS-1500 is coming along nicely, the owner is one lucky guy to have someone as dedicated as you working on it.
I am pretty impressed with my A810 which until now I have not posted about here..
I've had it not quite a month, it's been fully serviced, recapped and aligned professionally. I wasn't looking for a project this time, and wanted something relatively unimpeachable as a reference and just to enjoy, my small, stupidly expensive tape collection on.
I ended up nonetheless with a bit of a project, despite it being well packed one of the spooling motor stators slipped to the point where the external rotor (it's a papst motor) could contact the windings. Some fireworks ensued.. The problem was obvious once I got it apart, I do not know whether it was dropped, but there was no damage to anything else. I was able to temporarily fix the motor, and last week replaced it with a good one which I had treated to a new set of bearings from PGN before installation.
As an end of the era deck it's very good to put it mildly.
I've had it not quite a month, it's been fully serviced, recapped and aligned professionally. I wasn't looking for a project this time, and wanted something relatively unimpeachable as a reference and just to enjoy, my small, stupidly expensive tape collection on.
I ended up nonetheless with a bit of a project, despite it being well packed one of the spooling motor stators slipped to the point where the external rotor (it's a papst motor) could contact the windings. Some fireworks ensued.. The problem was obvious once I got it apart, I do not know whether it was dropped, but there was no damage to anything else. I was able to temporarily fix the motor, and last week replaced it with a good one which I had treated to a new set of bearings from PGN before installation.
As an end of the era deck it's very good to put it mildly.
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I also have a Sony TC-KA7ES Japan only 3 head, dual capstan cassette recorder. (BLDC direct drive on take up capstan) I had some curiosity so I bought one just after Christmas. I am somewhat surprised at its performance, enough so that it gets quite a lot of use.
Next is a fixer upper Lyrec 2 track. (no that's not a joke)
Gotta keep entertained.
Next is a fixer upper Lyrec 2 track. (no that's not a joke)
Gotta keep entertained.
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I believe it is, but until I pick it up I am not 100% sure. It's waiting for me to rescue it. It'll be a great project, these machines are exceptionally good sounding.
Good ones should perform about as well as the Studer A810 I think, but I will confess I have not heard one in good running order in a while.
I was always sort of partial to the PR99 but missed that boat. When I had the opportunity to acquire an A810 it was an easy decision.
Me, too. Great engineered and constructed decks. But if you prefer flat wound reels, do yourself a favor and get a Studer.
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Yes, I heard about that this deck performs well. Will be a nice addition and an interesting audio experience. I may try J37 in the future, sounds tubey and is a real Studer.
Meanwhile, A810 must do.
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If you don't want to spend a bunch for a Studer, a Revox B77 or PR99- Mk2 or 3 are great decks. I refurb a bunch of them for folks. If you have money to burn then a Studer, I do a lot of those also. In any of those a recap is a must due to the Rifa and Frako caps that like to fail short and take things with them
The Pioneer 909 is no slouch for a consumer deck either.
Jim
The Pioneer 909 is no slouch for a consumer deck either.
Jim
But if you prefer flat wound reels, do yourself a favor and get a Studer.
Hello Schmitz77,
what are "flat wound reels"?
Sincerely,
Ralf
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