A long held desire for a reel-to-reel, but...

[Jimbo]

I have pondered R2R question for some years after hearing your machines Alan at Nebo?? They wiped the floor with everything else there with their sound quality and are indeed to my mind beautiful pieces of Hifi equipment that can stand out as a statement piece in a set up. I am sure for me the SQ alone would be the main reason for buying one.

But....... expensive to maintain and keep running unless you can do work yourself. Parts are going to become harder to find and setting up and playing tape is a little more involved than swiping a glass screen full of digital files! Unless you are committed to R2R way of life they may fall into a secondary usage or third piece of kit in your Hifi system rather than be used as a Prime source?

So unless you have a good deal of cash, expertise and commitment to using tape and space to install it they are indeed probably always on the wish list if only for looks and SQ?

[Barry]

I agree with much of the above. However I'm not quite so enthusiastic about using a R2R as a playback machine for pre-recorded tapes (which are are obviously copies of copies), but only come into their own if you want to make your own recordings.

If you are going to use a reel-to-reel tape machine, then the minimum recording speed is 7.5ips, and practically that means at least 1200' tape length. So 7" spools are an absolute minimum size, with 10.5" being a sensible size.

I used to use a Ferrograph Series 6 machine which could take 8.25" size spools, but didn't use it much so it is now hiding away in a cupboard.

Also have a Nagra IV-S portable tape machine, again it was little used, but I do occasionally dig it out to replay some of the tapes I made on it.

[337alant]

Lovely machine that Barry
Alan

[337alant]

I have pondered R2R question for some years after hearing your machines Alan at Nebo?? They wiped the floor with everything else there with their sound quality and are indeed to my mind beautiful pieces of Hifi equipment that can stand out as a statement piece in a set up. I am sure for me the SQ alone would be the main reason for buying one.

But....... expensive to maintain and keep running unless you can do work yourself. Parts are going to become harder to find and setting up and playing tape is a little more involved than swiping a glass screen full of digital files! Unless you are committed to R2R way of life they may fall into a secondary usage or third piece of kit in your Hifi system rather than be used as a Prime source?

So unless you have a good deal of cash, expertise and commitment to using tape and space to install it they are indeed probably always on the wish list if only for looks and SQ?

Well thanks Jim, I'm flattered

You are correct in what you say it is an expensive hobby, tapes are expensive and the master copy tapes are a fortune now.
If I only had one machine it would be a Tascam BR20 and they are very reliable.
My favourite machine on sound quality terms is my Otari MX55N, I got Terry from somertone to lap the heads and the difference was astounding, its a cracking machine with Studer like build quality.
Alan

[Macca]

I've mentioned this before but if you have a digital copy of an analogue recording (CD or file, doesn't matter) you are effectively listening to the RTR machine that was used to make the transcription. Most likely a Studer or Otari.

[337alant]

Macca,
I agree most of my recordings come from digital downloads and can sound incredible
Playback can vary considerably from the DAC, also the likes of TIDAL master sound quality can vary considerably depending on the playback settings
Just listening to a Tidal version of Joe Cocker 12" version of "Look what you done" from the Sheffield steel album, I have the original Sheffield labs vinyl version and this one is so much better
Alan