Reel - To - Reel

[macvisual]

Ok, before I die (hopefully not soon), I fancy trying out a Reel to Reel recorder. I've always LOVED the cool retro look of them, some of the Pioneer - Revox - Akai - Teac - Ferrograph etc............the list is flipping endless!! The Technics RS1500 model makes me quite moist to be honest.

Ok I accept I may be going through a mid life crisis, nothing wrong with that, we're only human eh! I love the Revox G36 reel-to-reel as its got MANY valves on board.

Are there many here on the Wam who still use or have access to Reel to Reel recorders/players I wonder (?). Love to hear about the make and model and tapes you use etc....? Do they produce good sound?

Don't want to hear about cassette or mini-disc being better or easier to use, more convenient etc.

I know absolutely JACK--SHIT about them etc, so please educate me.... I'd greatly accept one if someone had too many stored away, thank you! Any owners with photo's would be appreciated.

 

[rar1902]

I currently own two R2R recorders.

A Teac Tascam 32-2B (good home machine) and a Preco F500 (studio quality) with balanced in/out. Both take quarter inch tape and run at 7.5 and 15 ips. (inches per second). They sound bloody amazing, I record 45 RPM LPs to them so I can actually sit down for more than 10 mins! Anyone who thinks vinyl and record players are addictive needs to stay right away from R2R machines they can become an obsession. Good luck finding a machine.

 

[Ian]

Good and timely post Peter, I was thinking exactly the same thing myself for exactly the same reason. They look so freaki'n cool. I was thinking of getting one to record live concerts etc. from the radio that I fancy keeping a copy of.

 

[SergeAuckland]

Reel to Reel is like a turntable. They take a lot of work to get right, and are far outclassed by digital, BUT, they look great, and I have a soft spot for tape. as that's what I was educated into when I first started in Pro Audio. Of the machines available, don't bother with anything that won't take 10'5" NAB reels. Of those that will, Revox, Tandberg TEAC/Tascam, AKAI, even the later Ferrographs will produce good results. The real problem is that unlike vinyl, nobody is making new tape heads, whereas one can buy new cartridges anywhere. If you get a machine with worn out heads, the only recourse is eBay, or a very expensive rework/regrind even assuming that's possible.

Possibly the best bet is a little used studio machine like Studer or Ampex, but then again, heads could be a problem.

Tape itself now is hugely expensive, as you have to use 38cm/sec (15ips) to get the quality one's used to these days, but occasionally one gets a batch of tapes on eBay for sensible money. Fotunately, R-R tape can be reused many times.

I LOVE tape, I'm guessing I'm one of the few Wammers who can still remember how to bias up a tape machine, set azimuth and record EQ. However tape is a right pain, I'm glad I went over to digital recording some 15 years ago, but I wouldn't mind a play even now. I have a Ferrograph Sseries 6 as a restoration project, but have put it off for a few years. Maybe this winter!

S.

 

[Stupinder]

Had a Fostex R8 MANY moons ago.... 8 Track for studio use so little use here. Still REALLY fancy a R2R for home use.

 

[SergeAuckland]

Ah Preco! Before I retired I was a Director of Preco. The Professional REcording COmpany. Started by Tony Costello after he left Leevers-Rich. In Reception we had two Leevers-Rich machines and a "portable" EMI BTR2.

I also worked for Ampex at the time the ATR100 series was introduced. Great times!

S/

 

[hifinutter]

i have a revox b77 and an akai gx620 , they are great, i love the sound they make . they are addictive though you'll love that big analog sound . they are the best way to record live music too . i think the revox machines are some of the best for sound quality .. any advice i can help with just ask. ps make sure if you are looking to buy one that it will take the large reels :nuts:

 

[rar1902]

Ah Preco! Before I retired I was a Director of Preco. The Professional REcording COmpany. Started by Tony Costello after he left Leevers-Rich. In Reception we had two Leevers-Rich machines and a "portable" EMI BTR2. I also worked for Ampex at the time the ATR100 series was introduced. Great times!

S/

Don't suppose you have any info on how to set bias on the F500? Could never find any info on this machine - just took a punt on eBay. Its built like a tank - the top opens on a gas strut!!

 

[macvisual]

Thanks for the responses so far, wOw I'm impressed. Love the photo's "rar1902", superb. Keep them coming please.....

So does 15ips mean 'better recording quality'..? I take it the ips means inches per second? I'm lost.

Sorry, my knowledge about these iconic (beautiful) machines is totally diddly squat!!!!

 

[rar1902]

Thanks for the responses so far, wOw I'm impressed. Love the photo's "rar1902", superb. Keep them coming please.....So does 15ips mean 'better recording quality'..? I take it the ips means inches per second? I'm lost.

Sorry, my knowledge about these iconic (beautiful) machines is totally diddly squat!!!!

Glad you like the pictures - nothing as pretty as the Technics though. In fact the Teac is a bit of a dog in the beauty stakes. Yes ips is inches per second 15 ips gives the best quality. Well higher speed=better quality recording=more tape=bigger hole in pocket. There are clearly wammers who know a lot more than me about R2R so I'll wait to see if a real expert gives you some time.

 

[SergeAuckland]

Don't suppose you have any info on how to set bias on the F500? Could never find any info on this machine - just took a punt on eBay. Its built like a tank - the top opens on a gas strut!!

Sorry not specifically for that machine. My time at Preco was well after their R-R era. However, with any R-R tape machine using professional tape, the normal way to set bias was 2dB over. That is, without Dolby or any other noise reduction, adjust the bias so that the sensitivity at 400 or 440Hz dropped by 2dB. Then adjust the record EQ for a flat response at 15khz. before any of this is possible, however, you need to set the replay reponse flat. That requires a test-tape so the replay sid can be set correctly, then set the record side to match.

I did say they're a pain to set up......

S.

 

[macvisual]

So a reel2reel numpty like me, what's a half decent average make/model to try purchase without blowing serious money? And can parts/bits/hubs/reels/tapes still be got etc....?

Any (dedicated) loyal knowledgeable person/s out there in reel2reel audio hi--fi land that can still service/maintain/tweak/look after these iconic beauties? Any possible web links/names/info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[rar1902]

Sorry not specifically for that machine. My time at Preco was well after their R-R era. However, with any R-R tape machine using professional tape, the normal way to set bias was 2dB over. That is, without Dolby or any other noise reduction, adjust the bias so that the sensitivity at 400 or 440Hz dropped by 2dB. Then adjust the record EQ for a flat response at 15khz. before any of this is possible, however, you need to set the replay reponse flat. That requires a test-tape so the replay sid can be set correctly, then set the record side to match.I did say they're a pain to set up......

S.

No worries. I've left the settings as i found them and seem to get good results. No doubt they could be improved by somebody with the know how.

 

[SergeAuckland]

So a reel2reel numpty like me, what's a half decent average make/model to try purchase without blowing serious money? And can parts/bits/hubs/reels/tapes still be got etc....?Any (dedicated) loyal knowledgeable person/s out there in reel2reel audio hi--fi land that can still service/maintain/tweak/look after these iconic beauties? Any possible web links/names/info would be greatly appreciated!

Revox. Studer, Ampex, Teac/Tascam, Tandberg, even Ferrograph all have their enthusiasts, so information and spares are available. As for service information/expertise, I can recommend Rod Thear of Thear Technology. http://www.4rfv.co.uk/brieflisting.asp?scategory=133&company=6421

If he can't fix it, I can't think of anyone who could.

S.

 

[rar1902]

So a reel2reel numpty like me, what's a half decent average make/model to try purchase without blowing serious money? And can parts/bits/hubs/reels/tapes still be got etc....?Any (dedicated) loyal knowledgeable person/s out there in reel2reel audio hi--fi land that can still service/maintain/tweak/look after these iconic beauties? Any possible web links/names/info would be greatly appreciated!

A good place to check is Retro hi-fi. R2Rs often listed but avoid the 7 inch models. Look for 10.5 inch R2R recorders. Probably a Revox is the safest bet, though not cheapest. Can easily be serviced:

http://www.revox.freeuk.com/

http://www.reelaudio.co.uk/default.shtml

http://www.taperecorder.co.uk/

I paid about £300 for the Teac Tascam but I'm sure you could do better now.

 

[macvisual]

Just viewed photo's of a black Pioneer RT-909, Christ people, that's utter reel2reel analogue porn, so moist.

 

[HoopsOnToast]

 

[macvisual]

Is that your RT-909 Rob..?

The likes of a well serviced reel2reel player, are they similar in sound (or better?) to a decent record deck/arm/cart.....?

Please tell me.

 

[SergeAuckland]

Is that your RT-909 Rob..?The likes of a well serviced reel2reel player, are they similar in sound (or better?) to a decent record deck/arm/cart.....?

Please tell me.

A well set up RR machine has distortion of around 3% at peak level, and this is very frequency dependent as high frequencies can't be put on at anywhere near the same level as mid and low frequencies, so recordings with high HFcontent have to be kept low, or they distort. At low frequencies, the frequency response of a RR machine varies considerably due to "bass woodles".

In these respects they are similar to record players, although the reasons for the distortions are different.

Both suffer from wow and flutter, although in decent designs, this is sufficiently low not to be an issue, however RR machines don't have any dynamic wow issues as higher levels don't cause any more tape drag. On the other hand tape suffers from modulation noise where the noise floor changes depending on the modulation level at HF. This can be audible with something like a solo flute where the noise floor will be modulated by the audio.

Tape has print-through, but that's nothing like as noticeable as pre-echo is on an LP.

Record replay has end-of-side distortion and the pinch effect which R-R machines don't suffer from at all. Overall, I would say that a well set-up RR machine is closer in subjective fidelity to a CD player than a turntable, but both are nothing like as transparent as CD, RR rather more so than a turntable.

S.