Reel to Reel Question?

Hi Bob,

Thank you for your reply. I think the unit is working properly, but I just wanted to be sure since it now has a warranty.

Man, does it ever sound great! I started playing some prerecorded tapes through my Grado headphones last night and it boggled my mind how tight and deep the bass was and how natural and airy the midrange and highs sounded -- very open, dynamic, and relaxed presentation. I stayed up way too late, but it was worth it!

It's too bad that these great machines fell out of favor, because frankly, this machine beats most CD playback systems I've heard (albeit with a slight tape hiss - though it's VERY quiet with the DBX) and it also rivals expensive turntable systems for a lot less cabbage. It has a quality that's just so "right-sounding" that seems a little different from what CD and turntable-based systems provide. Too bad the public never really seems to embrace the best-sounding formats...

Anyway, I have a decent little collection of classical and popular reel to reel tapes and now I have another high-quality playback medium to savor. Cheers!

Shhhh. Decent tapes are hard enough to find!

No shhh! where are they,eBay?

I've had TEAC R2R in my system since 1968 and now have about 800 reels. Initially I'd buy an LP, record it immediately, and play the tape from then on. While it started as a defensive mechanism for parties - visitors would grab LPs and scratch the heck out of them but would never dream of threading a tape - it turned into a surprising way of listening to CDs. For a while I'd borrow CDs from the library and tape them (no flames, please). After a while when the rest of my gear improved I started noticing that some of the CDs actually sounded better coming off of the tape! While you may find a scarcity of prerecorded R2R out there (has there been *anything* released in R2R for the last 30 years?), it is still an excellent medium for dubbing.

There is no question but that R to R is a great format. However, there is one thing which you have to be careful of. That is, never fast-wind the tape through when you're finished with it. Let it run through the machine on normal play. You have to allow for a smooth, tight tape pack. Otherwise, in time the tape will become physically distorted, from the uneven tensions, and will be ruined. That is why professional tapes are always recorded "tails out" (i.e., you have to rewind it in order to play it, so that as you play it the tapeup is smooth and the tension is even).