REEL 2 REEL tape machines

[JCH519]

Strange!! STUDER is pretty strange when it comes to the A80. There are definitely lots of transition machines out there. I might have said already mine is a MkIII/MkIv.
These machines cost a ton back then so they used up all their parts!! The list price of my 24 track was approx. $110,000 (late 70s/early 80s.... you could buy a house for god's sake!!).

Be in touch with more updates on that machine.

Now unfortunately one of my brakes stopped working so I don't know what's going on.. Might be the contactor card or might be the brake itself failing. It seems to be running normally but after the machine has stopped and is now in idle, the left brake does not stay engaged so the tension loosens and often it loosens enough that the capstan stops running. Time to bring in the tech again I think. First I am going to try swapping contactor cards and see what happens.

[livinlavidaloca]

I'm thinking of buying a R2R tape deck for adding some tape vibe to tracks here and there. Looking for 2 track, 15 IPS.

I'm currently considering a Revox A77 HS or TEAC A-3300SX-2T, any thoughts?

[eggwheat]

You cant go wrong with a well looked after Revox B77..superior to the A77 in most respects and the Teac's in all respects.. Revox are built by Studer so the quality is very high.

[livinlavidaloca]

Thanks! I've thought about the B77 also, but it's very rare to see the high speed model.

[livinlavidaloca]

I've read that the TEACs are well built and have a good sound. I'm only interested in the A-3300SX-2T, which is a 2 track high speed model. Do you have any bad experiences with them?

The thing is that my budget doesn't allow me to spend more than 500 EUR for a serviced unit, and I doubt I'll find a good B77 HS for that money.

[eggwheat]

TEAC's are not pro machines. Stuff like the motors in them, heads etc are nowhere near Revox quality. Budget is always the problem though...

[livinlavidaloca]

The B77 HS is out of my price range unfortunately, but thanks for the tip anyway. Any comment on high-speed vs. normal speed? I'm completely new to this, all the info I have is from the net.

I could afford the A77 HS mk4 though ...

[surfingonacid]

I am very biased because I use STUDER..
BUT, the reason I got into STUDER & REVOX is because these machines are worth fixing and putting money into (the value holds up $$$). Lots of TEAC decks are old.. and the parts are hard to find and not many good techs will even touch them. STUDER/REVOX has a large following still and lots of resources available to get your machine running, including technicians who are worth hiring for the job.
A lot of consumer decks just aren't worth fixing in my opinion. I have owned a couple of TEAC, TASCAM, OTARI, FOSTEX & PIONEER machines and they are not bad machines, just some are just not worth putting much money into other than say a new pinch roller.

AMPEX machines are also pretty good, but many are old. There are also consumer AMPEX machines and I wouldn't even touch those. I would only consider professional broadcast/studio models.

Off the top of my head, here are some models I'd recommend that I'm familiar with and think are worth fixing:

STUDER - A80, A800, A807, A810, A820, A827, C37, J37, B62
REVOX - A77, B77, PR99 (I prefer MKII and MKIII), C272, C274, C278
OTARI - MX5050 series (NOT MKI !!!) or MTR series
MCI - JH110 series
TASCAM - ATR series
AMPEX - MM1000, MM1200, ATR102

[livinlavidaloca]

I spoke to some people who are into R2R and basically everybody recommended the Revox B77 for my budget. There were different views on normal vs. high speed, though. Some prefer it, some have HS units but run them at 19cm/s, some say it's not worth paying more for HS ... I guess it all depends on what you're after. I decided to get the B77 when I find the right one, HS or not, and go from there. Thanks for the tips!

[surfingonacid]

I would go high speed personally because no one really uses 3.75IPS (it's hissy and the quality is lower. The faster you record, the higher the quality and the noise floor is lower). 15IPS is studio standard. 7.5IPS would be nice for playing and recording tapes for listening. A while back I acquired a few hundred CBC broadcast tapes and they were all 7.5IPS & 15IPS. There weren't any 3.75IPS tapes in the bunch. I would never think of tracking guitar or other instruments at 3.75IPS, maybe a full band live off the floor to get a lo-fi sound, but even then I'd probably do 7.5IPS instead.

[surfingonacid]

I can't recommend the PR99 enough. It is pretty much the studio version of the B77. It has rack ears and a digital counter with a number of options. Wish I kept mine, but I sold it to fix up my A810, which also got sold, so I no longer have a 1/4" machine. Now the prices have gone up and I just can't afford a good 1/4" deck at this point, that and the maintenance cost of my A80 multitrack is enough of a commitment to the world of tape, haha.

I recommend finding a machine needing work, then fixing it. Buying a machine in 'working condition' these days is just as much of a risk and you will over pay. I would never pay top dollar for a working machine without any documentation (recent servicing paperwork from a notable technician).

[livinlavidaloca]

Wow, beautiful machines!

Thanks for all the info. I'll wait for the right B77 HS to show up. Are you using RMG tape by any chance? I've seen people recommend the RMG LPR 35 for the Revox machines and was wondering what you think about it.

[eggwheat]

B77's are pretty reliable, the only thing I would be closely examining on purchase is the heads just to make sure they aren't worn out. As far as speed goes 7.5ips is fine on a half track B77. I wouldn't sweat too much unless you are doing mastering. Remember a half track running at 15ips will use four times the amount of tape of a quarter track B77 running at 7.5ips!

Yes RMG is the go to these days.

[surfingonacid]

+1 for RMGI.

I use SM900, which used to be made by BASF/Emtec and now RMGI is making it. I think they are making all the main BASF (& AGFA) formulas. I am actually only using BASF 900 at the moment because new 2" tape these days is quite expensive. I have used new RMGI SM900 1/4" with great results.

I have tried ATR and I found it a bit noisier and it sheds more than BASF/EMTEC/RMGI. I recall ATR magnetics is similar to Quantegy GP9.

If you buy used tape, make sure it is not sticky. All the BASF & AGFA tape is still good and as long as it is in good shape it is fine to use.
Avoid the following formulas: AMPEX 456, AMPEX 406, 3M 226, 3M 996 & 3M 966 - there might be more, but these are the ones I have personally found to be sticky. There are more sticky consumer formulas but I will stick to the studio formulas in this thread.

[COLLIDES]

Man, this thread is a blast from the past. Used to use a lot of these machines in various studios back in the day. Would love to get into tape if I had the money and time at this point.