What is the best Reel To Reel machine ever built?

i almost traded my Dobbins Garrard 301/Loricraft for a 220v 50hz C37 from Europe....but in the end i did not want to deal with the power converter issues. so i purchased the 'American' C37, the Ampex 350. which, like the C37 in Europe, has lots of parts available and has that tubed output. and i purchased an additional set of Ampex 351 output electronics to be able to use that too.

which is better in that light? C37 or Ampex 350/351? many different opinions on that. lots of great music was mastered on both.

i do think that neither of those machines are the 'one answer' for all tapes. and the tape transports of either are crude and abrupt compared to the A820/A80/ATR-102.

Dear Mikelavigne, yes - most great european generated music - classical as well as jazz and rock, beat etc. - was recorded on Studer - most american on Ampe(re)x.
The voltage conversation isn't all that great deal at all - this does frequently scare many audiophiles on both sides of the pond to give vintage gear from the "other side" a try.
Unless one wants to actually record / master new recordings on his own behalf, I still think it is about playback quality when talking about RTR for home use.
Cheers,
D.

having never heard a Studer C37, or an Ampex 350/351 for that matter, i can't say whether they might sound the best for playback. in fact; those i know that have the most experience say to me that those 50's and 60's machines actually make the best live recordings, but more contemporary machines sound better for playback.

i do think that quality of transport matters to the sound. it's not the only thing, but it's part of the picture.

i think we will see more custom electronics coming to market as the RTR audiophile movement matures. also; perceptions of specific output electronics is extremely context driven. i've had many tell me that the King/Cello sounds wonderful in my system, but maybe not as good in other contexts.....and i've heard the opposite too.

so there is more than one viewpoint as well as method.

John Stephens built the very best sounding professional deck ever built.

Just try to find an owner willing to sell one.

Hello Eckart,

Sam, oh yes you are a lucky owner of a A820. May I ask you and Mike if are using the A820 at 30 ips?

I have some 30 ips, half-track, half-inch master dubs around. Also, I have some 24-track master tapes that I imagine were recorded at 30 ips...Hmmm -- maybe, a Studer A827 in the future?? Hehe :-)

Vbr,

Sam