Reel to reel

Well one thing led to another and he offered me a mint B77 high speed unit for what I considered a very fair price considering he was shipping it from Switzerland to the USA!

A capstan adapter can be used to change the speed on a deck. A number of pro audio decks use this to do 30 inches but it can also be used to go from 7.5" to 15". If you've ever wondered why many machines (such as Ampex) have a threaded hole in the top of the capstan, its there for a capstan adapter. You might run into an issue with equalization but NAB 7.5" and 15" EQ is the same.

Opened up the Sony today and the output pots were set at approx 2/3 of available span. Did not bother to hook up a meter to check if it was actually 0.78v as still low even if spot on.
Cranked them both to max then backed off both a hair and then retried playback.

A fair increase in volume relative to volume setting on my amp without any distortion or artifacts I could hear so a win I would say.

Thank you Ralph and Al.

a B77 with Bottlehead is a wonder, ask me how I know ? 
Uber glad to see ya going off the deeper end.

Tomic.

When the b77 arrives will have to see what I think of the sq as is.
Still doubt I am going to spring $800 for a Bottlehead though at this stage.

Getting the most out of your reel requires dedication to maintenance. Fortunately it's not at all difficult, but it should be done frequently; what you can't see will hurt you; "magnetism" is something you have to be aware of.

I'm a fanatic when it comes to demagnetizing the heads; after every two reels of recording, that's what I do. If you're not doing any recording, and just enjoying playback, this isn't necessary.

If you just purchased a reel, buy new rubber rollers; these are essential for high quality recording and playback; also buy rubber roller cleaner, and head cleaner.

If my rubber rollers get a little bit shiny, I clean them. These are the things that will guarantee the best results from your reel.

Today, I'm going to make two posts, the next will be about how I used the new blank tape that I recently purchased.