OT: Reel to Reel tape recorders

farss wrote on 10/1/2004, 3:22 AM

I'm looking to buy a reel to reel deck. Having not been in this business for a very long time I kind of missed the high point of reel to reel technology but I now have a client who has, well lets just say a LOT of material still on reel to reel.
So I'm looking for a deck that'll give me coverage of as many formats as possible but only 1/4" I can get hold of a recently service Revox but it only does 15 and 7.5 ips, still a pretty good machine from memory that'll handle 10" reels.
My other options is a Technics 1500US that'll handle much the same plus 3 3/4 ips but at around 3 times the price. Condition of this deck is also excellent.
Anyone have any thoughts, recollections or suggestions as to a good deck, only needed for playback obviously.

Could I also add that space is of some importance, I could have picked up several working flatbed Studers for scrap metal value but short of it doubling as a dining table there was no where to fit the thing.

Bob.

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 10/1/2004, 5:11 AM

If the only concern is 3 3/4 ips then go with the Revox. You can play the tapes at 7.5 and record at 44.1KHz, or better yet 88.2KHz or 96KHz if your sound card allows it. Slow the recording down to half speed after recording. This will restore the original speed and also cuts your recording time in half! You will lose some of the high end, about an octave's worth at most. However, vintage open reel recorders had pretty poor high end response at slower speeds anyway so there might not be much in the octave you'll lose.

Revox made sturdy and durable machines. With some head cleaning & demagnatizing you will probably end up with a tape recorder in nearly factory original condition. The only parts that might really age at all are the rubber pinch roller and drive belts. Teac makes a nice rubber cleaner/rejuvenator that will probably take care of the pinch roller if it needs it. Depeding on the model you're looking at it might be direct drive in which case there are no belts.

Take a look at Akai too. They were never serious studio equipment since they aimed more at the high-end audiophile consumer market. Basically they bought out the Roberts company and modernized the line with solid state instead of tubes. You probably won't find a better quality/price ratio than a (gently) used Akai. The only problem i have with mine is that it needs to be demagged about every 10 or 15 hours of use. It's a pain, but it's worth the effort when copying old precious recordings.

farss wrote on 10/1/2004, 7:05 AM

Interesting idea, I'd never thought of doing that, we'll actually I had but I though quality was goign to take a big hit but you're right, at 3 3/4 ips there wouldn't be that much top end any way and I can record at 96 KHz.
Maybe I should save the pennies and get the Revox but man that Technics unit is one sexy beast, single capstan-dual rollers to create a closed tape path over the heads, quartz locked motors and a stack of 1/2 and 1/4 track heads.
Then again most of the stuff I'll be working with was made for AM radio so I'd probably have replay gear an order of magnitude better than what the tapes were recorded on and there's 1000s of them I believe.

Bob.

wobblyboy wrote on 10/3/2004, 12:20 PM

I currently have an Otari 8 track 1/2 inch, two quarter in 4 tracks, and a quarter inch two track. I haven't use any of then in over 3 years. I am keeping them in case someone comes in with old tapes that the need to record to computer. I might use the 8 track sometime if someone wanted that sound in recording. If you have a client with old tapes try to flind a deck that will play those tapes. Build it into the cost of the project and keep it for furture needs. You should be able to get decks very cheap. I paid $100 for the Otari 8 track, and the other decks were given to me.

Geoff_Wood wrote on 10/3/2004, 5:01 PM

Pretty easy to get a Revox changed to 3 3/4....

geoff

farss wrote on 10/3/2004, 10:20 PM

Looks like I might get the Technics cheaper than I thought. Other nice thing I didn't mention is this unit has 2 and 4 tracks heads and it sure looks nice.
I know the Revox's were the bread and butter machines for a lot of people and have a reputation for reliability but the Technics 5100US seems to offer very good specs.

Bob.

farss wrote on 10/8/2004, 7:11 AM

Another question as I'm a little confused about tape formats, I understand how the stuff works but I'm a bit uncertain about playback of the various track types.
I've been offered a Revox R77 which I'm told is 1/2 track mono and a Revox R99 which is half track stereo (at least that's what I'm told). Question is, is there any reason why I couldn't (or shouldn't) playback half track mono tapes on a half track stereo deck?
I'm assuming if I just use one channel of the stereo playback I shouldn't have any issues but someone seemed to recall that this wasn't good for noise performance.

Bob.

RalphM wrote on 10/9/2004, 9:44 AM

Bob,
I don't know the answer to your last question in this thread, but you may want to try the audio forum at dv.com, hosted by Jay Rose. I think you have to register, but Jay is usually very responsive to questions and he is an encyclopedia on all things audio.

Geoff_Wood wrote on 10/9/2004, 4:28 PM

If you want something 'professional' and compatible with the majority of existing 1/2 track quarter inch master tapes, the PR99 would be the way to go, as this is like what many were recorded on !

The Technics certainly seems to be a more versatile beast though. The 3 speed switching is something the Revox don't have. My A77 is 3.75 and 7.5 only, and the PR99 I rent is 7.5 and 15 only.

I would prefer a B77, version including Dolby B noise reduction, and more swish controls. The PR99 has no NR - it is designed for external en/decoders.

geoff

Caruso wrote on 10/10/2004, 5:36 AM

In your search for a R2R, don't overlook TEAC. Their last generation of machines probably represented the pinnacle of development for prosumer gear. Tapes recorded using their onboard DBX I achieved 100 db s/n ratio, and you would have plenty of audio info at that top octave with one of these machines (I own two of them).

They were dual capstan closed loop machines, very fast but gentle in the tape handling department (wind/rewind), and, mine include six heads, three each for erase, record, playback (the two sets of heads allowed full functionality in either direction)).

A good source of information is a forum on Yahoo called "reeltoree'". You have to register for it, but that's no biggie.

There are many retired factory employees/engineers/repair-restoration specialists on that board who will be more than happy to share accurate information with you - not only about TEACS, but all reel to reel machines.

I used to salivate over the very handsome looks of those Technics machines, but the specs never came close to the TEACS, so I stayed with them. Specific TEAC models I would look for would be the X1000 series or the X2000 series. I think the X1000 is the better machine. If the model name includes an R, then that machine can play/record in two directions (X1000R).

Good luck in your search.

Caruso

farss wrote on 10/13/2004, 2:41 AM

First I'd like to thank everyone for their input. I've also had some good input from Jay Rose over at dv.com.
I've since bought an Otari 5050 and a Revox PR99, both seem to work well, although the Otari is a bit more of an unkown quantity as I have no manuals for it although they should be able to find them on eBay.
Main attraction of the Revox is I can still get it serviced by the local dealer and spare parts are still available.
I'm also going to be given a full track deck as well so they should cover everything I'm likely to run into.
Transfered 4 reels yesterday on the Revox with no dramas, that was a relief, the tapes were sent to me from our national archives so the last thing I wanted to do was snap a tape! Must say watching those reels turn is quite an experience, damn we miss so much in the digital age, yeah I now, tape hiss, distortion, cleaning heads, earth loops but still...

I'm going to try to leave one of the machines hooked up permanantly and transfer some of my fav music to tape, I know, even a cheap CD player would be better but I just want an excuse to have those big spools turning, very calming stuff.

Bob.

Chienworks wrote on 10/13/2004, 4:25 AM

I can certainly relate. Open reel tape recorders were a big part of my childhood. My dad let me start playing with his old Roberts machine when i was about 18 months old (really!) and i fell in love with it. By the time i was 2 years old my parents were taking me to the neighbors' houses so i could teach them how to use their recorders properly. At the age of 4 i started recording concerts at the local school. That old Roberts was bigger than i was and i certainly couldn't carry it, but i sure knew how to use it! I've still got it but haven't used it in many years because it needs new tubes and a new drive belt (sigh). I have a couple other more modern decks now and one of them is still part of my stereo system with a line in to the computer's sound card.

I remember reading an article in Audiophile magazine back in the mid 90's that reviewed the open reel offerings still available. The article was titled "Real to Reel". Somehow the music just seems more "real" when you see those big reels spinning around.

Caruso wrote on 10/20/2004, 2:23 AM

Congrats, Farss, and ditto tjhe remakrs about watching those reels go around.

Look up that forum on Yahoo (reeltoreel - one of the Yahoo groups). Someone there can probably get you a manual for your Otari.

Happy listening.

Caruso

RiRo wrote on 10/20/2004, 6:20 AM

I may have access to the otari 5050 manual. We had a ton of those at a station I worked at. We still have one for "legacy" programs and such. If I find it I will let you know here

RiRo

farss wrote on 10/22/2004, 7:31 AM

Thanks for all the kind offers guys, but I managed to buy a scanned copy from a local guy via eBay. Great service for less than the cost of a reel of tape.
Hard to believe, I got Vegas to edit video and now I'm making more money using it for audio, no mixing, just fixing, with Vegas and SF, great combination.

Bob.