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macvisual
21-02-2017, 07:49
I've the possibity to buy a used Pioneer RT707 reel to reel player/recorder, not sure as yet on the price. What's the general feeling about these decks please..?
Or what would a good condition Tascam BR20 cost on the used market would anyone know...?.... they look like utter Quality...!!


I know absolutely nothing about reel to reel, so not sure if this is a good player to start of with..?

Any advice/knowledge/experience appreciated!

Thanks;
Peter

nthall
21-02-2017, 14:22
I like them. They don't have to be on the top shelf of the rack either.

They won't take 10" reels, and the max speed is 7.5 ips. That shouldn't be an issue for most purposes. They do have reverse playback which is nice. You don't have the hassle of flipping the reel. There are plenty of spare parts, and people who can work on them (at least in the US. I don't know about the UK.). I think they are just about perfect for home use.

Some people don't like 4 track machines, but the RT707 and it's big brother the 909 are two of the best in my opinion.

Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk

337alant
21-02-2017, 19:10
Tascam BR20 is one of the best R2Rs I have heard a superb machine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsZFU2leAAI

Another superbly built R2R is the Otari MX55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXomP8mku1Q

Alan

nthall
21-02-2017, 19:42
Those machines are completely different beasts than the 707. New heads for them cost as much as a fully serviced 707.

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Lodgesound
21-02-2017, 20:29
RT 707's are good machines but you may be faced with the one you aquire needing some work.

The Tascams and Otari's are frankly in another league - both extremely capable machines with comprehensive facilities and high sound quality.

We have an immaculate MX 55 for sale - PM me if you are interested.

nthall
21-02-2017, 21:12
They are absolutely in another league, and the price reflects it. The Pioneers are still pretty easy to find here, but they lack a lot of the features and a little of the sound quality.

The Ampex 350s and 440s are still my favorites. They're old and basic but you can add any features you want to them yourself.

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macvisual
21-02-2017, 21:54
Thanks for the replies, keep them coming!

I have totally NO experience whatsoever relating to R2R players/recorders, I've never ever heard one in the flesh and haven't even seen one in the fleash either. I'm a R2R virgin......lol

Cheers;
Peter

nthall
22-02-2017, 17:39
What are you planning on using it for?

macvisual
22-02-2017, 22:53
What are you planning on using it for?

Well that's a good question.......Probably record from both Radio and maybe live music from youtube etc, although I resurrected my Sony JE-330 full size minidisc player/recorder only today and slotted it back into my hi-fi system and its doing a stirling job...!

Ali Tait
22-02-2017, 23:17
Lots of good gigs on Sky Arts that are well worth putting on tape.

Audio Al
23-02-2017, 00:42
The Pioneer is a toy compared to the BR20 and MX55 these are studio quality , I owned a MX 55 until I upgraded to a MTR12 :)

macvisual
23-02-2017, 07:34
The Pioneer is a toy compared to the BR20 and MX55 these are studio quality , I owned a MX 55 until I upgraded to a MTR12 :)

Thanks Al, so what do you record on your MTR12...? Are the quality blank tapes quite expensive to purchase...?

Audio Al
23-02-2017, 07:56
Thanks Al, so what do you record on your MTR12...? Are the quality blank tapes quite expensive to purchase...?

I purchased a bulk box of 12 tapes worked out at about £9 each if I remember correctly

so what do you record on your MTR12

Err , nothing as I have waited nearly 2 years for it to be calibrated , It plays lovely though

One day maybe it will be done , I just sit and wait

Audio Al
23-02-2017, 07:57
You could look for a nice serviced Revox A77 they are nice machines and don't cost big bucks

topoxforddoc
23-02-2017, 08:07
Pete,

You have to decide what you want out of R2R and how much you want to spend in the long term.

1) If you just want something nice to look at and to play with, then the RT707/Revox A77 is fine. You can use it to record music from FM radio, youtube, LPs etc. It will sound ok, won't use a lot of tape and is a cheap intro. You'll enjoy its looks and others will be curious too.

2) If you want to experience what tape is truly capable of, then search out a 15 IPS 2 track studio machine and 15 IPS "master" tapes. You'll be transported into another world, miles away from the best LP and digital replay. However, this journey isn't cheap but it is a revelation.

Charlie

macvisual
23-02-2017, 08:45
I greatly appreciate all replies here, but I think this is way out of my (analogue) league as I know nothing whatsoever about reel to reel machines. There seems to be a lot to it.

Audio Al mentioned he's waited 2yrs for his machine to be calibrated, I don't know what this means....?...... and why does this take so long?

Totally lost.

Audio Al
23-02-2017, 08:48
I greatly appreciate all replies here, but I think this is way out of my (analogue) league as I know nothing whatsoever about reel to reel machines. There seems to be a lot to it.

Audio Al mentioned he's waited 2yrs for his machine to be calibrated, I don't know what this means....?...... and why does this take so long?

Totally lost.

Pete I will PM you

topoxforddoc
23-02-2017, 17:49
Pete,

Essentially it's very similar to cassette. After all it is just tape. Just like a cassette deck, it's about choosing the right tape setting for the type of cassette. Most domestic R2R machines are set up for standard R2R tapes. Studio machines allow you to adjust for tape type easily and some allow to store a number of tape types in a series of presets (bit like a Ferric and CO2 settings on a cassette player).

Many machines are now 25+ years old, and so it is all about getting a machine serviced properly and set up for a tape type which you will use. As far as I understand, Al's MTR12 has a problem, which couldn't be fixed on a home visit from Lodgesound's (Stewart) friend Philip. Stewart couldn't go out to fix Al's machine himself as he had been ill after his cancer op. Stewart is still happy to fix machines, providing you take them to him and carry the machine into his house. Hence one doesn't routinely wait that long for a service :)

Charlie

macvisual
24-02-2017, 00:19
I actually don't think I've got space to house a R2R machine, my large'ish turntable sits on top of my hi-fi rack and I'd have no spare room for a R2R player/recorder to be honest.

struth
24-02-2017, 00:39
I actually don't think I've got space to house a R2R machine, my large'ish turntable sits on top of my hi-fi rack and I'd have no spare room for a R2R player/recorder to be honest.

got an old Akai myself that I have no room for in my system. it resides upstairs in the showroom lol. I was going to erect a shelf but not got to it, and maybe wont now.

topoxforddoc
24-02-2017, 19:02
I actually don't think I've got space to house a R2R machine, my large'ish turntable sits on top of my hi-fi rack and I'd have no spare room for a R2R player/recorder to be honest.

Peter,

If there's no room at the inn.... (you could always think about making some...). Actually that is a very relevant point. I have 3 studio R2R machines and about 100 x 10.5 inch reels (c. 50 x 15 IPS masters and 50 x duplicates). At this rate, I can see the tape storage overtaking the space needed for my 2000 LPs.

Charlie

nthall
24-02-2017, 19:18
I don't think the tape storage is ever going to overtake my LPs. Mostly because of the cost of tape, plus the fact that I have around 20,000 LPs.

Most of my original tapes are 7". If I dub something I usually use a 10". I use the 10" reels very sparingly.

Audio Al
24-02-2017, 19:45
I don't think the tape storage is ever going to overtake my LPs. Mostly because of the cost of tape, plus the fact that I have around 20,000 LPs.

Most of my original tapes are 7". If I dub something I usually use a 10". I use the 10" reels very sparingly.

:worthless:

nthall
24-02-2017, 19:46
:worthless:
You should see the quadraphonic 8 track collection.

Audio Al
24-02-2017, 19:54
You should see the quadraphonic 8 track collection.

I have 4 eight track machines and about 100 cartage's :)

nthall
24-02-2017, 19:59
I have 4 eight track machines and about 100 cartage's :)
I've got 2 good machines. I'm not sure how many cartridges. A lot of the cartridges need to be restored. I find those toolbox carriers full of them at the thrift store all the time for next to nothing all the time.

nthall
25-02-2017, 01:28
Find yourself something like this to play around with. It cost me$10 plus way too much shipping. I don't recommend this particular model. It has no service manual that I could find and took me two weeks to bypass the 40 year old microprocessor, but there are a lot of similar models. It's about the size of a turntable with the dustcover on it when it's on it's back.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170225/4e4be107b4c4072234faab31e0b65921.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170225/81ed2806e64e55f4100953806bc3ef15.jpg