The dangerous world of Reel-to-Reel Tape

if you really want everything tape can offer, this is what gets you there.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/ak-hot-rodded-ampex-atr-102s-w-mr-70-preamps-replaces-my-studers.36288/

read the first post which describes the upgrades and custom work to the Ampex decks. i owned Studer A-820’s for 15 years, this is another level beyond that.

prosumer level new decks such as the Ballfinger are nice, but not close to this. check my system page for current pictures in my room of these beauties. and i have a number of tapes which do show just what these can really do.

it is dangerous to listen. you will be changed forever. it messes with your head.

Yes, nothing quite like the *whoosh* of the big reels on rewind.....*S*

Once upon, a Revox A77 was a fun diversion, followed by a Sony Beta VCR audio only....near CD response for the time, but then digital crashed that party....

Mike, you're good at creating envy...but don't stop.... ;)  *L*

..a 'hot rod' Ampex......it was bad enough with Lincolns'...

I never had a reel-to-reel back back in the day, and only in the past few years did I discover the format (and only then to help a frield digitize some home tapes his parents had of their wedding). Once I got a feel for the format however I was hooked.

I went through a couple of decks before landing on my Teac X300 which was newly refurbished when I bought it. I have had a great deal of fun with it since, and have invested in about 150 factory reel-to-reel tapes to play in my office setup (no home tapng for me).

Yes, it’s a hassle at times keeping the heads clean, splicing the tape where someone in the past treated the tape unkindly, organizing and cataloging, but the rewards are worth it.

Check out this series on reel-to-reel on Copper Magazine.
 

50 years ago I was into R2R and the first thing I did with all my albums was record them at 15 IPS from the new vinyl.  At that point I had complete collections of the Stones, Les Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers and more.  Then I got into 4 Channel but was limited to buying prerecorded material.

It was quite the journey, but life intervened and divorce dismantled my system and my musical world at that time.  The only downside as I recall was the inability to quickly find a specific track and switch and what I wanted to hear.  It was terrific at putting on music that lasted longer than one side of an album.

I miss it, but time has not been kind to the genre.  I hope enough people get into R2R so that it can make a comeback where more choices are available for those who have discovered its merits and understand the shortcomings.

You all are making me want to get my old R2R serviced and added to my system. It’s nothing special, but I still remember how amazed I was that my recording of Working Man’s Dead and other recordings sounded better than the vinyl I recorded them from. Being analytical that never made sense to me - but my ears knew it was true. I hooked up the deck a couple years ago and one of the channels had major issues.  I think it’s time to find someone that can get it back up to speed.  Hope to see you all in rehab. 
 

Matt