United Home Audio has been working toward the process of remanufacturing Reel to Reel machines for the last two years, and we have found some interesting things.
BTW you can see the machines we have produced at,
http://www.unitedhomeaudio.com/reel_to_reel_hq_tape_decks.htm
Allow me to preface what I am going to say about Reel to Reel tape with the fact that we at UHA have one of the finest vinyl rigs available as follows.
Clearaudio Goldfinger Cartridge $10,000
Clearaudio Master TQI tonearm $9500
Clearaudio Master Reference TT $27,000
UHA High Mass Feet $1000
Aesthetix Eclipse phono preamp with 2 power supplies $22,000
Tara Labs Zero XLR interconnects $15,000 1m pr.
Total $84,500
Here are our observations:
1.) The Tape Project tapes do sound quite amazing, depending on the recording that is. It appears not to be an age issue with the recordings or some degrading of the master tape but rather the initial recording quality. However with that said all the recordings except one are fantastic and some are simply the best sound available to a consumer, period.
2.) The Tape Project tapes require a superior playback machine to realize their full potential. Yes they will sound great with a stock machine but some machines are not the best in stock form, as you would imagine. We have used a professional deck and worked for two years perfecting the systems and parts to develop a killer sounding package.
Is all this custom work cheap, no.
Is it worth it, yes.
Fact is a Tape Project master tape playing on our top of the line $10,000 tape deck sounds better than the $84,500 vinyl rig. For that matter the level 1 deck at only $3998 is awesome and would give any vinyl rig costing 5 times as much a run for it! This is no dig on the vinyl components at all they are fantastic, beautiful, wonderful in fact. Here is the point, the magic is in the tape, it's a different format and it is superior to vinyl, period. This conclusion does not come from some desire for "tape" just a desire for the best sound, and frankly I wish digital could do it! It would be so much easier, but after listening to R2R Master tapes and high end vinyl I cannot listen to digital at all.
3.) Will R2R catch on like vinyl did?
Will the sound quality bring the Audiophile back to it?
I think it depends on two things.
Will anyone else beyond The Tape Project put out tapes of this quality, and at what price?
Maybe more importantly will people want to record their own tapes and save their phono cartridge and LP's like they used to do back in the day?
I also think that recording your own tapes will catch on if you try it! The recorded tapes sound better than the source! If you think that sounds stupid I tell you It is true, don't believe me, come by the store and I will prove it!
Find us at www.unitedhomeaudio.com
Robert Harley told me once at dinner, "if someone hasn't heard it, they don't have a valid comment", or something pretty darn close to that, words of wisdom.
