You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland

Hooray!, posted on May 20, 2014 at 05:53:46
Dave Pogue Audiophile Posts: 11689 Location: DC Area Joined: October 9, 2001	Let's hope they have enough sense to include quarter-track playback and 7 1/2 ips speed along with the half-track 15 ips.

RE: You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland, posted on May 20, 2014 at 07:46:01

Inmate51

I'd guess Studer, it being a Harman company. I'd seriously doubt Nagra or the new-ish owners of the Stellavox name.

My Revox A77 MK IV from 1978 is in pristine condition, but I've been drooling for an A80 since I first used one in 1974. Scary fast tape winding, and visually a thing of machining beauty. (AA inmate Mikel said he'd will one of his to me. [End dream sequence here.] )

Dr. Willi Studer is probably smiling at this company effort. (IF it is indeed Studer, which I suspect.)

Morricab, any info through the grapevine?

:)

According to Mr. Swauger - smart money's on Studer..., posted on May 20, 2014 at 10:18:53
mhardy6647 Audiophile Posts: 16018 Location: New England Joined: October 12, 1999 Contributor Since: October 23, 2016	but we'll see. Safe to say that I won't be able to afford one, unfortunately. all the best, mrh

RE: You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland, posted on May 20, 2014 at 10:52:58
ironbut Audiophile Posts: 1370 Location: OR Joined: February 21, 2004	Wow! Very exciting news. As others have said, I hope it's Studer! IIRC, Studer production stopped in 2009 and all the offices were moved to SoundCraft so it hasn't really been that long that they've been closed. BTW, anybody got those Peterson tapes?

Ken, posted on May 20, 2014 at 18:21:28
Awe-d-o-file Dealer Posts: 21037 Location: 50 miles west of DC Joined: January 10, 2004	Ken is a good guy and a Revox collector and a high up at Polk. He was also the "K" at DKL Sound Lab a high end store in the DC area back in the day. ET ET "If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

RE: You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland, posted on May 20, 2014 at 21:53:45
Inmate51	I hope it's a variant of a B77, PR99, or maybe the A810. I would think, if they're aiming at the audiophile market (as opposed to the pro market), they wouldn't produce a megabuck machine. Frankly, they'd have a hard time selling an analog deck in the pro market these days - workflow and systems are totally oriented toward digital. Soooooo, I might be able to afford one! :)

actually he's retired from Polk, posted on May 23, 2014 at 17:04:34
mhardy6647 Audiophile Posts: 16018 Location: New England Joined: October 12, 1999 Contributor Since: October 23, 2016	but helps out with their forum management, as I understand it. Yes, he seems to be a great guy based on my interactions with him; a true gentleman, as well. all the best, mrh

RE: You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland, posted on May 27, 2014 at 04:46:11

stellavox
Audiophile

Posts: 413
Joined: June 23, 2004

From recent posts on the "whats best forum", I wouldn't hold my breath for this. I can't believe anyone would undertake the expense of a new development effort - the product would have to be priced around $50K and sell what - 10 pieces Maybe if Studer / Nagra / Otari had enough parts to "re-introduce" one of their classic decks it might be worth it. And there was nothing wrong with the "last generation" of tape mechanisms, or the heads. Need to rethink the reproduce/record electronics tho.

Charles

RE: actually he's retired from Polk, posted on May 28, 2014 at 08:00:14
Awe-d-o-file Dealer Posts: 21037 Location: 50 miles west of DC Joined: January 10, 2004	OK then thanks for that. But yes we agree a good guy. ET ET "If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

RE: You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland, posted on May 30, 2014 at 13:34:26
jusbe Audiophile Posts: 5950 Location: North Island Joined: April 4, 2000	This is my concern. I'd seriously consider getting into R2R if it were more affordable. As it is, the cost of content is off-putting. Perhaps if I could buy lots of tape stock cheaply, I'd think again. But I'll be keeping an eye out and will probably pick up those AAA lps too. Big J "... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal* salvation is a contradiction in terms."*

RE: You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland, posted on May 30, 2014 at 21:03:11

Inmate51

"As it is, the cost of content is off-putting."

Yes, that is a bugger. At $60 for a 10.5" reel of 1/4" blank tape, it ain't cheap - especially if it's 2500 feet and you're burning it at 15 ips 2-track!

For live stuff, I record at 15 ips; for albums, it's 7.5.

I have three, count 'em - three - reels of blank Quantegy 499 still left, and when it's used, that's it. I'm not buying any more just to play with. I'll start digitizing and re-using. Fortunately, I haven't used a tape in over a year. Everything I do these days is direct to hard drive at 24/88. Still, it's cool and fun to "roll tape"!

:)

RE: You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland, posted on May 30, 2014 at 21:12:58

Inmate51

"Need to rethink the reproduce/record electronics tho."

I've heard that before. Someone recently said to me, regarding the Studer pro decks, "keep the transport and throw out the electronics". I thought that was a bit harsh, but still, a valid observation. Record electronics in tape decks haven't gotten the attention they deserve and NEED. They are, after all, amplifier circuits, and are where the signal is prepped for storage to tape. Everything downline is dependent upon the quality of that originally stored signal. They're the forgotten stepchild of amplifier circuit design.

:)

RE: You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland, posted on May 31, 2014 at 05:16:53

stellavox
Audiophile

Posts: 413
Joined: June 23, 2004

Hi Inmate,

A problem for the tape electronics designer regarding reproduction circuitry is that, because the machine had to be used for different speeds and formats (NAB, IEC, AES), this required a lot of EQ switching - which required switching devices. Most of the solutions involved FET switches which added their "own sound". And getting 60dB of clean, low noise gain isn't easy.

We've found that while the repro sound may suffer, a lot of decks actually make very nice recordings. Could be because there is less total amplifier gain required.

Cheers

Charles

Tape, posted on May 31, 2014 at 05:20:35
jusbe Audiophile Posts: 5950 Location: North Island Joined: April 4, 2000	I would love to buy newly made reels of tape. Really. I love audio and the analogue hobby as a whole. But without that circumstance, R2R is really a rich man's folly! That said, am always happy to be proved wrong - especially in this instance. Big J "... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal* salvation is a contradiction in terms."*

Record Electronics, posted on May 31, 2014 at 12:56:53
Inmate51	Hey Stellavox, thanks for the reply and info. Just fyi, I like your moniker! Back in '74 (forty years ago!), I daily used a Stellavox SP7 which had been modified by Georges Quellet. Butterfly heads, some electronics mods. I wish I knew where that machine is now! :)

Tape Trail

You all saw this,yes? -- a "new" reel to reel deck coming from Switzerland

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