Can we finally put Reel to Reel out of its misery? Put it to rest people.

Chakster, I'm totally convinced that whether or not you choose SS over tubes depends on your choice of music, and the aspects of that music which appeal to you most; in other words, I doubt if the two camps like the same music; however, if I auditioned those two amps that you mentioned, I might come to the same conclusion.

@vinny55 Like with all things, I try to keep to a lower budget. I have a TEAC 2300s. It’s seems like a solid player. I had it setup and calibrated by a pro here in the Greater Los Angeles area. It handles 7 inch stereo 4-track reels at 3 3/4 and 7 1/2 inches per second (ips).

When it comes to what sounds best, generally stay away from late 1970s and early 80s, everything else has sounded pretty good!

The Pioneer rt701/707 were very well built units. 40lb well built!
Much more compact and less agricultural looking than some other units.
They could only handle 7 inch reels but playing at 7.5ips they are more than capable of delivering a stellar performance.

Best of all as they were plentiful when new, still lots of great examples around and prices are fair for a good working serviced unit, ($500 to $700).
Parts still readily available for most normal wear items.

Chakster you probably can’t find your rap on R2R, but sound quality was never a requirement for rap anyhow. 

If a good CD is recorded to reel, the playback is pure "analog". What you have, is a noise free LP.