Pioneer RT-707 reel to reel decks

These are great decks and very, very cool, in the best of the late 70's Japanese high end tradition.

I have a fully restored RT-909 that I haven't even turned on in 5 years, but it is so beautiful that I keep it just to sit in my listening room as a decoration.

I think the uber Technics machine from the same era has a lot of fans, including Albert Porter who is obviously a stellar reference.

You might find some to believe the early Levinson era Studer machines are the benchmark to beat...

Whatever the case, I would have to think the best of the Pioneer machines delivered at least 85-90% of the performance, which for a few hundred bucks today should be a big bargain, not to mention a piece of audio history.

Good luck,

I think the RT-707 is an excellent deck especially at their going rate. The look good, are built like tanks, sound very good, and operate quietly and smoothly.

One thing... I had to replace the counter belt on my deck. Now I have a high mechanical aptitude and must say that the amount of screws and parts you need to disassemble in order to get the belt in place is ridiculous. If it ever breaks again, I'm just leaving it broken.

Get a 10.5 rtr, next thing better than to look at it as decor is to watch two big M's on 10.5 going round. It's a beautiful thing. I first bought a seven incher but quickly found it not very manly, a big 10 inch fixed everything.

What will you use this deck for? Most people use it as 'eye candy', especially the 10.5 capable units. The latter don't have a high WAF. If your interest is to play original pre-recorded tapes, a 7 inch only unit is a better value and buy. For those you will need a unit that does auto reverse. Original pre recorded tapes are fetching high prices now, especially the B&C Dolby, Living Presence units. Always go for the 7.5 speed tapes. Some approach $100 if mint, sealed. Don't buy a Pioneer, look for a Akai or Teac. Sony's are junk. Teac still does service on their units, very expensive but they know what they are doing. The Technics units, 1500 and 1700 series are great, if you buy from the Porter. Me? I have a Teak (x700), Akai (gx635) and Sony (580) which I have in three different systems, and play pre recorded tapes thru tube electonics. I have some 10.5 reels of pre-recorded music from Media General that supplied radio stations with music for on air play. The content is hit music, all kinds of artist. The latter are two track but play on 4 track units. I call it music by surprise.

I also have a Teac X700 and think it's a very good deck. It has a lot of features including auto-reverse. I believe the take up hubs are belt-driven and the belts can cause issues. The Pioneer has individual motors for tape drive, and both reel hubs so should be more reliable. I don't think the Teac sounds any better than the Pioneer.

I've also owned the Revox A77 machines and those sound quite good, maybe a touch better than the Teac and Pioneer units. They'll do 10.5" reels, but no auto reverse.

I kind of lust after the big Technics IsoLoop machines, but they can be pricey these days.