2. amps-preamps
  3. 130063-80275

Tape-in and Tape-out ports

Why do so many preamp manufacturers still provide Tape-in and Tape-out ports? I doubt if they expect folks use them for hooking up a tape player. Some even still have a tape monitor switch on the front panel. How do you guys use these ports and has anyone noticed a difference in sound quality if the tape-in port is used for something else like a CD player, etc.? If the tape-out port is just like another output, e.g., drive a separate amp or a powered subwoofer, etc., why not just call it Output?
Been meaning to ask this question, albeit it might sound rudimentary.
kalali
cleeds
6,093 posts
 
Tape-out jacks are very useful for those who sometimes want to record LP to digital. And analog tape is enjoying a bit of a resurgence - especially reel-to-reel - so I'm not sure why you doubt that those jacks are being used.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,111 posts
 

kalali---For one thing, the tape out jacks are fixed in level, not variable like the mains, so they can’t be used to feed a power amp (unless your amp has level pots). Also, they are taken from before the final stage of amplification in a pre, and their output impedance is often different from that of the mains.

But as cleeds said, those outputs are also used as the source for digital recorders, as well as surround sound processors and digital room correction devices (DSPeaker Anti-Mode, for instance).

cleeds
6,093 posts
 
bdp24

For one thing, the tape out jacks are ... taken from before the final stage of amplification in a pre, and their output impedance is often different from that of the main

Not necessarily. On some ARC preamps, for example, the tape out is just a "pass-through."
More to discover