Remy Bosio
Uber Curmudgeon
Reged: 03/02/04
Posts: 13038
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As I am always looking for ways to improve my music listening pleasure, I was reading about reel to reel tape machines and how they fell out of vogue when the cassette and later the CD came on the scene. I understand that reel to reel mag tape has some good frequency response not unlike vinyl.
Anyway, I went over to E-Bay and searched for reel to reel tapes and machines. I was surprised to find hundreds of pre recorded music and blank tapes there. I also saw that there is a large number of R to R recorder/players for sale there. Some are rebuilt and others are as is. Several of them especially some high end Teac and Akai models were approaching a grand.
I used to have a Roberts 770X years ago in the 60's that I used to enjoy. I sold it when I got married.
I wonder if it's worth re-investigating this modality?
I have found a few units on the "Bay" that are like new and seem reasonably priced. 
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Life Member: Pontchartrain Ast. Soc.
Member: Baton Rouge Ast. Soc.
President: Beachview Heights Civ.Assn.
Member:Kenner Rivertown Advisory Comm.
Member At Large: Jefferson Amateur Radio Club
Call Sign:N5VEG
Registered Curmudgeon
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Hal Pollner
Reged: 08/30/05
Posts: 6567
Loc: Southern California Desert
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Recording studios taped the live performances with Ampex machines, running at 30 IPS, guaranteeing high frequency response that even the Scully master-cutting lathes could not equal!
Wealthy audiophiles who could afford the Ampex 600, would obtain batch masters dubbed at 15 IPS and use them at home, providing fidelity that nothing else on the audiophile market could equal!
The "consumer grade" audiophile would buy reels dubbed at 7-1/2 IPS which could have excellent quality, surpassing the best Vinyl of the day, and far in excess of today's top-grade CD's. The tape medium was so great, that even my Sony machine at 3-3/4 IPS could equal high-quality Vinyl.
Hey Remy...it looks like you and I are the only ones who can remember the BEST days of High Fidelity, huh?
HAL
Edited by Hal Pollner (12/24/07 03:46 PM)
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Muffin Research
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 1540
Loc: Belgium
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I was not around in those great days.
But I investigate them very closely as some music has never sounded better afterwards.
And I can't pay for the Ampex or Scully or Studer machine.
So I'm using a Tascam ATR 80 24 Track 2" Tape machine and a Tascam 38 8 Track 1/4" Tape Machine and a Revox A77 to finish off.
All with the last Quanteqy 456 tapes I still have around.
Euhm guys where to get tape?
Quantegy has stopped.
Don't know how the situation is with ATR services tape.
Anyway I know Analog Tapes sounds heavenly good, recorded at the 30 ips and the right levels hiss becomes almost non existence and at 15 ips and the right calibration you get nice oomphy basses.
also in tape times musicians knew how to play and perform and all one did was tape the performance and level it.
these days they play something and say can you just cut my bassdrum there and slide it a bit forward, i hit it too late.
Tssk
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Who you jivin' with that cosmic debris?
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Doug Culbertson
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/06/05
Posts: 3195
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Quote:
Hey Remy...it looks like you and I are the only ones who can remember the BEST days of High Fidelity, huh?
HAL
Not quite, Hal. I used to have one of the Akai reel to reel machines that Remy mentioned! I used to run it through a Kenwood (made in Japan) receiver, played through some nice Advent floor standing speakers. Loved that setup.
Times got lean for awhile back in those days, and I pawned the whole setup. I have regretted it ever since.
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Doug
Midway, FL
14.5" f/4.3 Starmaster/Zambuto w/goto
Orion XT10i w/Ed Stevens Primary
Orion EON 120/CG-5GT
31mm Nagler,13mm Ethos,Leica ASPH Zoom
Antares 1.6x Barlow/50mm Extension
Supercharged WO Binoviewer w/24mm and 12.5mm Ultimas
Mallincam Xtreme
1 Thermacell®
"Yeah, well that's just, like, your opinion, man" - Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski
Life's too short to drink cheap beer - Me
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mooreorless
Just worried
Reged: 07/05/05
Posts: 2248
Loc: Cornpropst Mills,Huntingdon,Pa
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I remember the reel to reel machines also. I never had high end, but did have a 3M Wollensak reel to reel. I had a lot of fun with that machine.:-)
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Regards,Steve M
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Joel F.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/19/06
Posts: 1374
Loc: Overland Park, Kansas
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I looked at reel to reel and almost got one. I looked at 10 1/2 decks from Revox and Tandberg.
One questions today is can you find the parts you need to keep them working? The heads need need to be replaced when they whear out. Can you find new ones?
The Tandbergs were well known for great playback at 3 3/4 ips and 1 7/8 ips.
They can be large and heavy.
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Joel Falk in Kansas
14.5" f/4.3 AstroSky with GOTO/Tracking and
Stevens Optics
10" Orion XTi
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StarWars
Mr. Postmaster Man
Reged: 11/26/03
Posts: 22112
Loc: Frost Byte Falls <>
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Remy
Don't forget about the Sony DAT recorder/player.. 
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Dell Axim X5 400Mhz
PPC pocket stars 5.12
7x35/10x50/15x70 Bino's
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Hal Pollner
Reged: 08/30/05
Posts: 6567
Loc: Southern California Desert
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I had a Wollensak too.
HAL
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D_talley
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/07/05
Posts: 1750
Loc: Richmond VA
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One problem with tape is the tape itself. It is now breaking down, causing a loss of signal during playback. Most of the old recordings you find on ebay suffer this problem. Finding sources of new reel to reel tape is a problem where I live.
I use a Teac X-2000R and nothing beats the hypnotic effect of playing jazz on it and watching the reels turn.
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Dwight
Antares 105mm F/15
TEC 140 APO #74
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QHY5 Guider, ST-4 Guider, STV Guider
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o1d_dude
o1der than dirt
Reged: 10/03/07
Posts: 2534
Loc: The Wolfpack
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I still have my 1970 vintage Sony TC-630D and a fairly extensive collection of live music from that era which I recorded off the air. Back in those days, "underground" FM radio was just getting started and there was a lot of music to record.
By 1976, I'd made the transition to cassette with a Harmon-Kardon 3000(?)cassette recorder which I no longer have. More recently, I moved on to a Sony TC-K670 cassette deck which I currently use in my vinyl-cassette ripping workstation.
I just can't keep up with modern traditional audio technology. It seems like everything has gotten better, smaller, and in most cases less expensive...my iPod and my Sony 300 cassette jukebox, for example.
Of course, there is still quite a bit of ludicrously expensive stereo gear out there but I think it's for a much smaller niche market these days.
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Kit
'Don’t worry about what telescope you own, or its quality. Just get out under the night sky, and enjoy God’s wondrous universe.' - Thomas M Back
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Powerstar888
sage
Reged: 03/01/05
Posts: 342
Loc: Tucson,Az
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I used to have that same Roberts(Akai)770X... 
If you can find one,snatch it up...
They are rebuilding these gems with new better sounding capacitors and resistors... If you do a Google search there are many who love and collect these...
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Robert
12.5 f4.8 truss dob
with Argo Navis
C11 SGT/XLT
C8
Orion 20x80
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Remy Bosio
Uber Curmudgeon
Reged: 03/02/04
Posts: 13038
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Robert, there are a couple I am watching on E-bay but from what I am seeing, most of the units for auction there have issues with them. At some of the prices they are going for, I am afraid to take a chance on them.
I would rather buy one from a private owner (Cn'er?) than go the E-bay route on something of that vintage.
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Life Member: Pontchartrain Ast. Soc.
Member: Baton Rouge Ast. Soc.
President: Beachview Heights Civ.Assn.
Member:Kenner Rivertown Advisory Comm.
Member At Large: Jefferson Amateur Radio Club
Call Sign:N5VEG
Registered Curmudgeon
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Powerstar888
sage
Reged: 03/01/05
Posts: 342
Loc: Tucson,Az
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Here is the Google search...
Roberts 770X
Look for the guy that repairs them,get a quote on a rebuild unit...
Just a thought...
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Robert
12.5 f4.8 truss dob
with Argo Navis
C11 SGT/XLT
C8
Orion 20x80
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Suk Lee
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/07/03
Posts: 4534
Loc: Pleasanton, CA
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I always wanted a big Revox...
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o1d_dude
o1der than dirt
Reged: 10/03/07
Posts: 2534
Loc: The Wolfpack
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The A77?
Most definitely.
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Kit
'Don’t worry about what telescope you own, or its quality. Just get out under the night sky, and enjoy God’s wondrous universe.' - Thomas M Back
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Suk Lee
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/07/03
Posts: 4534
Loc: Pleasanton, CA
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The one I was thinking of was the B77. One of the guys in college had one and it was a thing of beauty. He had some live recordings he made at 7.5 ips, and played back over the first B&W speakers I ever heard they made quite an impression.
Sigh. Too late now.
Suk
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Joel F.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/19/06
Posts: 1374
Loc: Overland Park, Kansas
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Suk,
Did you ever see the 10 1/2 Tandberg deck?
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Joel Falk in Kansas
14.5" f/4.3 AstroSky with GOTO/Tracking and
Stevens Optics
10" Orion XTi
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Suk Lee
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/07/03
Posts: 4534
Loc: Pleasanton, CA
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Yeah. Wanted one of those too. Eyes were bigger than the 'ole wallet, some things don't change 
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Hal Pollner
Reged: 08/30/05
Posts: 6567
Loc: Southern California Desert
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The Ampex 601 was the reel-to-reel machine to have in the 1950's!
If you drove a Packard and owned a 601, you were the man of the day!
HAL
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Muffin Research
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 1540
Loc: Belgium
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Hey man you can still find A77 and B77's at a great price.
beter yet these machine's can still be brought to life. Or if well maintained still work well.
I have a very nice Revox A77 to mixdown to.
And that's just wonderful.
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Who you jivin' with that cosmic debris?
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