soundfan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 G'day all, I'm putting out some feelers, am considering purchasing a reel to reel recorder.........but solely for the purpose of listening to music. Have long heard how good tape sounds, I have an itch that might need scratching. I've done a little research over the last couple of days, but have some further questions. Sourcing music. Is it easy enough to find music, and is it affordable? Good quality recorders, is there anywhere in Australia to look for them apart from Ebay,Gumtree and the like? Minimum cost to buy a machine that gives excellent results? If I go down this route my budget would max out at 1K tops, but would much prefer to spend less than half that initially. The Revox B77 MK II, are they considered a quality machine? I have sourced one but selling for $750. Plus shipping on that. Lastly, I have pm'ed Fullrange (Paul) who is a fellow Brisbanite with a R2R, have arranged to visit him next week for a listen to his Sony. A lot of questions I know, hopefully some insight can be sent my way. PS: I have read some of the reel to reel threads on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I know nuffin, so take this with a grain of salt: They are supposed to sound terrific, but I dunno. - you seem pretty rapt with your vinyl playback - you have voracious listening habits - you use hi fi to appreciate your music Unless there is music you want that is only on reel to reel (unlikely) I reckon the main thing you will achieve by heading down that path is to split your disposable income across another source (hardware and software). Therefore less to spend on your vinyl rig and records. Fine and fun if you can afford it but is it worth it? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gz76 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 My biggest concern would be sourcing music. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 I know nuffin, so take this with a grain of salt: They are supposed to sound terrific, but I dunno. - you seem pretty rapt with your vinyl playback - you have voracious listening habits - you use hi fi to appreciate your music Unless there is music you want that is only on reel to reel (unlikely) I reckon the main thing you will achieve by heading down that path is to split your disposable income across another source (hardware and software). Therefore less to spend on your vinyl rig and records. Fine and fun if you can afford it but is it worth it? Yes, you raise some good points. Especially in regards to spreading disposable income across another source. And the lack of available music may be a huge minus, seeing that I do like a range of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BATMAQN Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 There isn't a resurgence in popularity in RTR like there is in vinyl (correct me if I'm wrong somebody) stick with the vinyl unless it's purely for collecting value or sentimentality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Yes.. all good points. I do love vinyl a hell of a lot, maybe I am just mesmerised by visions of reels spinning with those nice VU meters lit up on a dark evening. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey d Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Chris, from my understanding, it costs approx 500bills for a very limited edition master tape. I know some people that have gone the R2R route & they share the expense of an original & then copy them. Extremely limited music choice, (and mostly pretty boring from what I see.) I don't know how easy it is to buy new or NOS tapes. They must be out there. Then you could copy your own vinyl, but would it be better? Don't let me discourage you though. They are cool looking machines . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surprisetech Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 If you do go ahead, you'll also need to purchase a good head demagnetizer and use it regularly. No point spending big dough on master tapes and then erasing the high frequencies from them with a magnetized head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallman5353 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I started using reel to reel a little while ago, picked up an Akai GX-620 in barely used condition for just $70 off gumtree came with some 10" tapes too . Since then i have started collecting/using more 7" tapes, mostly 80's basf and maxell ones as imo they are the best vintage ones to get. New tape just isn't worth it and you can get lucky in the classifieds. Hasn't cost me a whole lot to get into and servicing them yourself isn't that hard (ie belts and lube). You sort of create more of an emotional attachment when you maintain em yourself. It is a lot of fun, so much more than slipping a cassette into the deck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 G'day all, I'm putting out some feelers, am considering purchasing a reel to reel recorder.........but solely for the purpose of listening to music. Have long heard how good tape sounds, I have an itch that might need scratching. I've done a little research over the last couple of days, but have some further questions. Sourcing music. Is it easy enough to find music, and is it affordable? Good quality recorders, is there anywhere in Australia to look for them apart from Ebay,Gumtree and the like? Minimum cost to buy a machine that gives excellent results? If I go down this route my budget would max out at 1K tops, but would much prefer to spend less than half that initially. The Revox B77 MK II, are they considered a quality machine? I have sourced one but selling for $750. Plus shipping on that. Lastly, I have pm'ed Fullrange (Paul) who is a fellow Brisbanite with a R2R, have arranged to visit him next week for a listen to his Sony. A lot of questions I know, hopefully some insight can be sent my way. PS: I have read some of the reel to reel threads on the forum. Hi Soundfan, Having just gone down this route my advice is that before you know it your $1k budget will become $10k plus. One would go down this route because of all or some of the following; A) You inherited dad's R2R and tape collection. B) Tape does sound different to CD, Vinyl and digital media C) Your system has evolved to such a state of refinement that you are itching to try something new and $10k could not be better spent elsewhere in the system. D) You want something new to look at and play with E) You want to record performances on tape F) You have inherited some money or got your bonus G) nostalgic for the growing up years with fond memories of dad's r2r machine H) you are great mates with some members who have access to good recordings and can give you copies for free or at circa $100 per copy I) you have the real estate in or around your rack to accommodate an r2r J) have access to a good r2r technician K ) are willing to invest a lot more time and money than you envisaged L) have a loving partner who tolerates or encourages this hobby/disease M) you only live once and want it all! Good luck with your deliberations and audio journey t 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) I ended up purchasing a Pioneer RT 707 deck, and it had been recently serviced prior to my purchase. It arrived a couple of days ago. It really is in near mint condition, and well looked after. I also managed to buy half a dozen pre recorded tapes, all bar one on 7 1/2 IPS tape. And all jazz. And to be honest, I am pretty darn impressed with the SQ of the tapes, and capability of the Pioneer deck, which is limited to 7" reels and tapes recorded at 7 1/2 or 3 3/4 IPS. As a comparison I have a Chess vinyl copy of Ahmad Jamal's: "But Not For Me- Live At The Pershing" on vinyl and now have a 7 1/2 IPS reel tape version. Both sound super to be honest, will have to do more A/B ing to pick a winner. I can only imagine how good a decently recorded 15 IPS reel tape would sound. I also am awaiting a 7 1/2 IPS purchase of the Stones "Sticky Fingers" so it will be interesting to see how it sounds in this format, compared to vinyl. I have also been in contact with another member of SNA, should I feel the need to upgrade to a deck capable of playing 15 IPS open reel tapes. Will wait and see. And no................... I am not looking at this format replacing vinyl as my format of choice. That will never happen. Edited February 16, 2014 by soundfan 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy Audio Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Wow looks fantastic - I really like the shorter height (compared to most) of this player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full Range Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I ended up purchasing a Pioneer RT 707 deck, and it had been recently serviced prior to my purchase. It arrived a couple of days ago. It really is in near mint condition, and well looked after. I also managed to buy half a dozen pre recorded tapes, all bar one on 7 1/2 IPS tape. And all jazz. And to be honest, I am pretty darn impressed with the SQ of the tapes, and capability of the Pioneer deck, which is limited to 7" reels and tapes recorded at 7 1/2 or 3 3/4 IPS. As a comparison I have a Chess vinyl copy of Ahmad Jamal's: "But Not For Me- Live At The Pershing" on vinyl and now have a 7 1/2 IPS reel tape version. Both sound super to be honest, will have to do more A/B ing to pick a winner. I can only imagine how good a decently recorded 15 IPS reel tape would sound. I also am awaiting a 7 1/2 IPS purchase of the Stones "Sticky Fingers" so it will be interesting to see how it sounds in this format, compared to vinyl. I have also been in contact with another member of SNA, should I feel the need to upgrade to a deck capable of playing 15 IPS open reel tapes. Will wait and see. And no................... I am not looking at this format replacing vinyl as my format of choice. That will never happen. Congrats Chris Looks like a nice and well designed unit You are welcome to visit and test those tapes on my player and system to get a comparison 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gz76 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Very nice looking unit. If you don't mind me asking, what does something like that set you back? If you do mind, then just ignore me! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) Very nice looking unit. If you don't mind me asking, what does something like that set you back? If you do mind, then just ignore me! Thanks I paid over $600 to get it here to Brisbane. From a seller in South Australia. They certainly go cheaper on US Ebay and overseas, but they are not common here as far as I am aware. And fortunately for me, it was as described. Edited February 16, 2014 by soundfan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey d Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Nice one Chris. Lovely eye n ear candy. Hope you can find a good range of material to play with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfan Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Nice one Chris. Lovely eye n ear candy. Hope you can find a good range of material to play with it. That's the challenge I am finding at the moment mate. I'm not interested in purchasing tape that others have recorded on, only interested at this stage in retail released stuff. There is a bit of it about, but one needs to put in the work to find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamve Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) Chris. Be warned that a lot of the early pre recorded tape, especially the 3 3/4ips, 1/4 track tape is pretty much siht. In fact a good cassette player often sounds better. There is some good 7 1/2ips 1/4 track available but its getting pretty old and a lot of the tapes have suffered with poor storage, bad handling etc. The pre recorded tapes were mostly done on high speed duplication machines that run at 60 mph. This will tell you a lot about the quality to be expected. Other problems including sticky shed tape syndrome still apply to a lot of these old tapes. Some of the best tapes you will find are indeed the home recorded items where the operator has used good quality tape, good quality source and calibrated recording machines. Edited February 17, 2014 by gamve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full Range Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 That's the challenge I am finding at the moment mate. I'm not interested in purchasing tape that others have recorded on, only interested at this stage in retail released stuff. There is a bit of it about, but one needs to put in the work to find it. There you go - an SNA clasified - http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/61919-reel-to-reel-7-tapes-cases-bootlegs-reels/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenvalve Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) There isn't a resurgence in popularity in RTR like there is in vinyl (correct me if I'm wrong somebody) stick with the vinyl unless it's purely for collecting value or sentimentality. There is a huge resurgence in R2R. In the more resent American HI FI shows, the R2Rs have slaughtered both Digital and Vinyl the win best sound at the show. For this performance you need to play the best master tapes, The 1/4 track Yarlung master tapes played on very good machines (Otari MTR10-12s / Studer A80s $800 to $2500 etc.) at 15ips and fitted with a valve output stage, wipe the foor with any of the very best vinyl rigs on this planet. Saying that most of the hi speed copied old vintage tapes you can by via Ebay 3 3/4ips to 7 1/2ips are junk, and only a few really cut it., But the ones that do are very very good, but too few and far in between. It is not worth the money nor effort to buy 40 tapes only to end up with 4 great tapes. The yarlung master tapes are around $500 for 4 landed at your door, made from scratch via Yarlung and the guru Steve Hoffman. What do you get for that money, as close to real as it gets. They are amazing. http://www.yarlungrecords.com/analog.html Edited February 17, 2014 by stevenvalve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 15 ips. http://www.tapeproject.com/subscription/subscription.htm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Reynolds Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Master 15ips is really the only way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArthurDent Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Yep but it's a pity there's such a woeful selection of titles available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamve Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Yep but it's a pity there's such a woeful selection of titles available. The beauty of a tape RECORDER is that you can roll your own. Everybody forgets what half of the machine does. Take a good analog or digital signal and treat it to some nice tape distortions and you will only listen to the tape after the process. The original source sounds somewhat broken after tape 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full Range Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 The beauty of a tape RECORDER is that you can roll your own. Everybody forgets what half of the machine does. Take a good analog or digital signal and treat it to some nice tape distortions and you will only listen to the tape after the process. The original source sounds somewhat broken after tape In the old days - we purchased records then recorded them to tape or cassette for the car The reason some 30/40 year old records are in mint condition to this day, is because of this practise The records were only played once or twice to copy its contents, and all the listening was done on tape/cassette 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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