What is the best Reel To Reel machine ever built?

Ralp (Atma Sphere) -- if you catch my posts and Lew's comments, we would appreciate it if you would weigh in on the quality (sonics and build) of the Crown and Tandberg R2R machines back in the 70s. As I recall, they were SOTA, but mostly for the consumer market. I think Crown may have served the pro market too, but I don't have any experience with that application.

How would rehabbed old Crown and Tandberg machines compare to some of the SOTA gear listed above?

Wow, that's one hell of a story, Lewm!
I'm glad I had the opportunity to enjoy it, vicariously :-)

Best,
Sam

I don't think Crown was into audiophile level quality. I repped them from 1980 to 1990 or so. The family was into missionary work, and Crown recorders were designed to be simple, repairable and operable in difficult environments. They used to set up broadcast facilities all over the world (and also built transmitters they sold mostly direct).

Brad

I don't think it is difficult to get into the Tape Business again. You are able to buy excellent master dubs on the market (e.g. Tape Project). If you have some friends sharing this specific adventure you might  be able to make copies for your personal use and also exchange ideas about new sources (search under The Audio Archive).

Don't start with a feeling of limitation, regard it as an exclusive window in your audiophile chain. Whenever you are listening to well recorded tapes you migh agree that this is setting the standard in your system. Also for comparing to vinyl or certain cartrigdes. And don't forget the haptic feeling when you are operating a tape machine. We could ask Mike, Albert or Sam if they stay cool when being in contact with their R2Rs...

best @ fun only

Transaudio is correct; the Crown was originally designed to be able to survive a fall off of a donkey. For real.

The weakness in them is the electronics. Seems to me there was an original version that was tube, but I have never seen one... anyway, the transistor units have a lot of the failings that transistors often have IMO. I may still have some LPs that Robert Fulton (founder of the modern high end cable industry) recorded using his 'modified' Crown; those recordings are excellent, although musically they are typical audiophile, which is to say ABYSMAL :)

There has been speculation locally about whether or not Fulton really did modify his machines. After he died (rather suddenly) a friend of mine obtained one of them from his estate and it was entirely stock!

So other than my comment about transistor vs tubes... perhaps my comments about the electronics might be taken with a grain of salt (although if you find one cheap I would not turn it down, and also I would expect to replace every electrolytic capacitor in sight in the electronics). I've usually stayed away from them mostly because they seem more consumer than pro to me (same for the Revox...)