Tape Project Tapes

I want to respond here. I sympathize with what French Fries is trying to say and I think he was a bit misunderstood. If the Tape Project was going to try and maximize their sales vice making the highest quality tape they could, they would have released their tapes as 1/4 track 71/2ips. There are obviously WAY more people that have 1/4 track 71/2ips decks than people who own 2 track 15ips decks. The Tape Project has for the here and now severely limited themselves on their target audience because they are making the best quality tapes they possibly can, not the most profitable tape they could. From what I know, and I have run some numbers, their venture is not one you could take to the bank and get funded. The business case analysis simply doesn't hold up. You could not invest the money necessary in order to duplicate their mastering decks and slave chain, buy the tapes, boxes, engraving, paper, maintenance, and pay for the labor and sell these tapes for $200 each and make any money. If you could sell all tapes for $329, then things look much better.

As for Lp over tape, I still contend that a good 71/2ips 1/4 tape will sound better than the majority of LPs regardless of the quality of your LP rig. I own a VPI TNTIII that sits on a VPI TNT stand with an ET-2 arm fed by dual pumps through a surge tank. I use a Denon 103R cartridge fed into a Counterpoint SA-2 (all tube) pre-preamp into my Counterpoint SA-5.1 that has both line and phono stages upgraded. Most of the prerecorded tapes I have just sound better. Sound snaps off of a tape in a way that makes music sound live vice merely really good on LP. I contend that you can spend $500 on a quality deck like a Revox A-77 and it will embarrass some very costly LP rigs. If you have a really super quality RTR, my personal opinion is that no LP rig at any insane price will come close to beating the sound.

Ken I agree pretty much with all you said, I am replying because I have a few decks and like tape as well. I think the TP is a great service for all who care to get involved.

DUMB POINT #4- I have 4 (out of five) decks that run at 7/15 ips, with half-track heads (two with a fourth head that plays quarter-track tapes as well). i could definitely even go for a 15ips tape SANS fancy packaging, serial-numbered, etc. (i want a metal reel though of course). all of them except for one i believe have NAB equalization- the one deck has a switch. i could offer "someone" maybe a hundred bucks to "try" a tape that runs as close to my musical tastes as possible. but that is about it for me (watch, i'll sneek out one day and spend the $329- IF it will play on a teac or an otari NAB deck). but i think my brain works pretty much the same as everyone elses when it comes to what i MUSIC i can buy for $330 bucks. harmonia mundi or astree cd's? LP's of the new york philharmonic or the cleveland orchestra? OTOH, TO ME, a bill evans recording ain't no big deal (even though i have an XRCD of his anyway- what the hell- it was an experiment). anyway, i am done here. sorry if i ruffled any feathers, because i am sure the genuine article is well worth having. i just wanted to offer some alternative viewpoints and suggestions. i have 5 reel-to-reels for goodness sake!! peace.

You say you have 5 R2R decks!!!!!! and none have the ability to play TP tapes? Well consider downsizing to a couple or maybe even one, that should help you afford the cost of what you may need.

Mr. Jsman, several of the aforementioned tape recorders can playback the tpt's. only 2 of them lack the ability (via a simple switch) to play IEC equalized tapes-the prosumer teacs, and only ONE lacks the ability to play at 15ips. plus i could always dub the recording onto that deck turning at 7.5ips as well- i'm sure with excellent results.
the reason for 5 decks? check out the Teac A-6100 Master Recorder, which i picked up for "a song", with 4 heads and wooden side panels. or an X-2000M, a modernized version of the A-6100 with an autolocater, DBX-1, and a spooling feature. i used to have this "urge" to see what vintage machines would come up for auction- some of them are real jewels- (i.e.- the teac 35-2 had the option of connecting your recording preamps directly to the heads). BTW, none of them cost me a fraction of what i spend on high-end audio. AND, when you need parts for Teac or Tascam decks (for the newer models of course), you call or e-mail them in california, they ship them to your door.
i can afford the tapes btw. maybe one day...