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I'm just curious how many of which type of machines inmates have on hand.Here's my current go-to machine:
It is an Otari MX5050 BII - 2. I was fortunate to find this from the original owner in the condition pictured. The PO was a musician with his own modest recording studio. He said he used the Otari for his mix-down masters. While at his studio to buy this unit I spotted an Ampex 1/2 inch tape 8-track machine that he was using for his live recording.
I also have another MX5050 BII-2, but in rougher condition. And there is a Revox A77 in nice cosmetic condition but will need some refurbishment to get back up to spec.
I use mine to play back commercial 4-track and 2-track tapes. Mostly of classical recordings. All of them at 7-1/2 ips. For a time I was lucky and found a dozen or so commercial tapes at a local hpb for $1.99 each. When I saw those I purchased every title in the store. Since then that store has not offered any more R2R tapes.
edits: added photos of my A77 below:
The Revox I purchased of ebay circa 2009 for not much money. Seller described it as function and good except for the left vu meter which is "kaput", he said. I can't debate that. This is likely a good fixer-upper. I'll just have to get around to it when just the right stars align.
What do you have and what is your story.
-Steve
Edits: 10/16/14Follow Ups:
Tascam 3030
Rob
"Let there be songs, to fill the air"
my RTR
http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=vintage&m=233604
My open reel deck looks like this on the inside:
Go have a guess which deck it is.
A couple I have:
The Tandberg 10XD is new to me. The 10X is the machine I have had since new. I added the Pioneer when one was available for short money. The Crown has been a project, having picked it up last year from a smoking home. Complete clean up of the unit, lube and test of the transport and recap of the electronics. I then sent the electronics and head block to Chuck Ziska for his 'laying on of hands'. This included a head relap and setting the machine up for the tapes I use. This machine is like new now and sounds great. Giving me time to recap my Tandbergs. The Pioneer...well...I just don't know, yet. I have to set the reel tension before its mechanical refresh is done.
My Pioneer RT-707 :)
Rob
"Let there be songs, to fill the air"
Here ya go.
Modded Technics RS1500 with Pro-Nortronics heads and King/Cello tape preamplifier. Reel by Reeltronix.Tape courtesy of Hemiolia Records.
Myles B. Astor
Edits: 09/19/14
A little late to the party, but...
My pristine A77 Mk IV 2-track (7.5/15 ips):
I bought the A77 new in about 1978-79. I was so impressed with the build quality and sound quality when I used one in Europe, that I HAD to own one, even though splicing is a pain in the butt (yes, I know some company had an 'editing' modification for it).
********
My 'needs some work' Tascam 44:
Looks excellent, but capstan and pinch roller aren't working. Got it for... free. Loaded a reel of tape, pressed 'Play', no worky. Reel motors are good, though.
**********
My Studer A80 brochure: ;)
The tape machine I still want! Just gotta get serious about looking for one.
:)
'cause mine is grey plastic
The panel colors and switch button materials make it look a whole lot cooler than earlier versions, I think.
Here's my A77:
Good cosmetic condition. And it operates except for one broken vu meter.
"..... is kaput" as the ebay seller explained. ;-)
I have hopes for this one.
cheers.
-Steve
nt
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
Just a lil ol' 707 but serves my needs quite well
-
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
Edits: 09/13/14
Is that the world's last working Philips SACD player? Does it still?
Yup and Yup. Did get those nasty chips replaced
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
I have two.
Like many, I have an Otari MX5050. Mine is a BIII, bought in nice condition. Came out of a radio station where is was not heavily used. The fellow I bought it from bought the contents of the station with his brother. There was another 5050 B2 but really beaten up and a few others. Lots of R2R tapes, but most of them with sticky shed :-(.
My other one is a Bottlehead modified Technics 1506, playback only. It bypasses all electronics and feeds into a Bottlehead Prepro which is mounted below the Tape Deck. Above it is a custom remote, so I can control the machine from my listening chair. This was the first one done by Dan Schmalle and the Bottlehead crew as they were beginning the Tape Project. John French did the 2 track playback heads. Record heads were removed and dummies put in their places.
Mine looks exactly like that, except for having the Bottlehead tape path mods installed (replacing fixed tape guides with teensy roller bearings). And mine outputs directly from the tape heads to a deHavilland 222 tapehead preamp.
My other deck is a standard-issue Teac A2300 with built in Dolby processing for playing Barclay-Crocker and other Dolbyized tapes.
I use this Dolby B Encoder/Decoder which was built by Dolby for that dual purpose. Steve "Ironbut" Koto, modified it as he has done with several of these and I think it is the best sounding dolby B decoder around. I have used it to rip over 400 dolby B encoded R2R tapes, mostly Barclay-Crocker but also a bunch of Londons, Philips and DG.
I had THE worst luck with Dolby encoders/decoders. Three outboard Teac units bit the dust and I couldn't find a tech who could fix them. Then I went with a Nakamichi NR-200 which did survive for a couple years but its insertion loss was too much for me. I ended up settling for the Teac A2300SD (Dolby) deck, which still works, and any Dolby-encoded tapes I really like are played on the Teac and dubbed to my Otari sans Dolby.
My luck with outboard dolby B decoders was similar to yours. Two different Teacs plus one other that I cannot remember the brand were all bad. It wasn't until Steve told me about what he was doing to the original dolby B devices and lent me his first mod that I realized how good the sound could get. I had him build me one and have used it to rip over 400 dolby B encoded R2R tapes, including over 300 of the Barclay-Crocker tapes (all to 192/24 using a Pacific Microsonics Model Two and Pyramic software with a Mykerinos card.)
Charlie King has had good success at getting those Dolby units to work. :(
Myles B. Astor
Studer 80:
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/tape-decks-studer-a80-rc-mkii-only-308-hours-really-nice-2014-09-25-miscellaneous-92037-la-jolla-ca
Bruce in PA
Here is the Otari 5050 B3.
Here is the Bottlehead Technics 1506 with Bottlehead Prepro and Remote in a custom case.
Fully restored from top to bottom this year, which includes new upgraded input board, fully recapped, new relapped heads, re-calibrated and re-bias.
The B-215 cassette deck will be sent to a guy in California in a couple of weeks, again to be fully restored, including recapped, re-alligning the heads, re-bias and replaced the LED lights.
I have other Revox R2R and cassette deck machines that are in good conditions, which includes the A77, A77 MKII (with Dolby B option), B77 (for parts) and Nakamichi RX-505.
If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well
(Proverb)
....I think. Looks really cool.
Q. after owning both Otari and Revox recorders, what's your take on the differences between them?
-Steve
The differences are very little. I did compare them using the 15IPS speed and NAB eq. In the overall scheme of things they sounded very close to each other, however, I have to give the Revox an edge when it comes to detail retrieval, sweetness on the top end and tightness on the bottom end. But, here's the thing, when I added the DBX 150 (type 1) noise reduction system to the chain on both of them the difference in sound quality between the two became blurred. So therefore, the DBX noise reduction system did help Otari to equally match the Revox P99 MKII in sound reproduction.Perhaps this is trivial to many here, but I also noticed that Otari like to be turned on ahead of time prior to listening session it as it takes at least 1-2 hours for it to perform its best after powering it cold. It sounds even better after a month of leaving it on.
If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well
(Proverb)
Edits: 09/03/14
The Revox can take more signal and deliver it to the tape than the Otari can.
DBX is cool, but not very linear. I had the dbx 155, and yeah, it gave me a LOT more s/n, but at a cost in distortion and FR linearity. I sold it.
:)
When I was experimenting with DBX noise reduction system in the early going, I've found that the 2-channel 150 model were the best in the bunch as it doesn't introduced too much distortion. However, I don't use them anymore.
If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well
(Proverb)
Another MX5050 B-II 2, this one pretty beat up, with a gazillion hours on it, but recapped, relapped, and aligned. Now if I could just afford some of those half-track ebay tapes...
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
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