Best REEL TO REEL blank tape?

.

I'm curious why you want to do this. The tape will be as expensive if not more than the record plus the effort of recording. Tapes also deteriorate just sitting there, records don't. You also need to be concerned about setting up the deck properly and whether or not the heads are properly aligned and the bias is set. You gain nothing in convenience as playing the tape is as much or more of a hassle than the record. Seems like a lot of work and expense for no benefit.

Why not play the record and just buy extra copies of your favorites if you are concerned about preservation, it will be cheaper in the long run. I do see why people would want to digitize something; that does it make it more convenient and portable, but what is the benefit of R2R?

.

Great comments - all. My interest in buying R2R is a romantic one. And romance makes no sense. One of my first "higher end" audio experiences was listening to Supertramp's CRIME OF THE CENTURY on an open reel deck (Teac) turning at 15 ips. The music was SO MUCH MORE INVOLVING than listening to the LP or the cassette. I get bored just sitting and listening to a SACD/CD today. Vinyl is a bit more involving but I just love watching those 10" reels turn. EVERYTHING posted so far makes sense to me. But why we love what we love (passion) comes from within and to try and figure it out logically will only cause frustration and conflict. I figure, audio is my hobby. I want to have fun with it. Thank you ALL for your input. Audiogon is a great place.

Dramapsycho, you are a man after my own heart. Reel to reel is superior to everything. With my 2 track Technics, the speakers even get bigger.

Once you record that vinyl, it will sound better on playback than it did when you recorded it. Find "Reel to reel" on the analog forum; there were some fantastic discussions which will be highly beneficial. When you are sitting in the sweet spot watching those 10" reels turn and enjoying that liquid sound of R to R, think of Orpheus doing likewise.

Some records are very valuable and either virtually irreplaceable or/and very expensive to replace.
Also, I rarely listen to the entire side of a record, I may listen to a track or two so compilations make sense to me.
40 open reel decks, oh man. I would probably have five or so if I could, say, Studer, Nagra, Ampex, Otari, Technics.

.

I completely understand the fun of playing around with it and watching the reels spin. I had a pretty nice Teac deck at one time and enjoyed fiddling around with it but sold it when the price of blank tapes got so expensive and I realized I would never have many tapes. But the idea that putting something on tape and playing it back makes it sound better is completely foreign to me. Sounds different of course since you will be applying EQ with transistor circuits and playing back through more transistor circuits, but since all you can do in the process is lose information and add distortion I'm not buying into it sounds better unless the distortion it introduces is pleasing to your ear. It might be and the fun factor is there so I say go for it if you want to hassle with it.

,

.

.