Why, so you can listen to dubs of second or third generation masters at exorbitant prices? Digital is it now and the analog guys need to get use to it. You want to be analog, buy a turntable, you can still get records at a decent price. Reel to reel machines are like Ferraris. They make rich guys look cool.
Is There Any Reason To Buy A Reel-To-Reel Machine Nowadays??
I bought my first reel-to-reel machine in 1977 as a convenience in order to record and play back multiple albums in high fidelity.without having to fool around with my manual turntable. I was surprised to find out that I preferred the sound of the reel to the turntable. Along came cd and I could play both sides of an album with the fuss of having to flip it over every 15 minutes. Now with high a high quality DAC and a computer, you can have uninterrupted high fidelity music for days on end.
No one is making new recordings on reel-to-reel. The cost of blank tape is exorbitant. The cost of a good open-reel deck is stratospheric. So pretty much you're left with recording an LP or a cd to your reel for playback.....what's that??
Please chime in for reasons to buy an open-reel deck today.
No one is making new recordings on reel-to-reel. The cost of blank tape is exorbitant. The cost of a good open-reel deck is stratospheric. So pretty much you're left with recording an LP or a cd to your reel for playback.....what's that??
Please chime in for reasons to buy an open-reel deck today.
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- 41 posts total
mitch4t
No one is making new recordings on reel-to-reel ...There are a handful of places with interesting offerings, such as the Tape Project and Acoustic Sounds. They're too pricey for my tastes, but I keep my reel machines around to play some historic recordings that I have. Someday I'll get around to transferring them to digital. |
I have three RTR tape decks: Teac, Pioneer and a Sony tube deck. Plus a collection of vintage open-reel tapes. Without the last there would be no reason to own any tape decks. The format has been obsolete for decades! Making new copies on blank tape from LPs or digital sources is a waste of time and money. |
Ever notice at HiFi/AV shows today, most high end manufacturers use R2R tape to demonstrate their equipment. Wonder why? All I can say is I just got back into R2R and purchased a fully refurbished Revox B77 MK2, HS 2T machine. First tape (15ips, NAB) I purchased to go with it was Lyn Stanley London With A Twist, Live at Bernies ( https://lynstanley.com/product/reel-to-reel-london-with-a-twist-live-sampler/ ). As close to live music I have ever heard in my home, staggeringly realistic. Absurdly expensive, but, if you want the very best SQ format available, R2R is probably it. Of course, not all pre-recorded tapes are this good; some are OK, some are awful. SQ aside, R2R running at 15ips on 10.5" NAB reels looks stunning to me, guaranteed to get visitors attentions. Not so streaming or CDs. |
- 41 posts total