Reel to Reel

Discussion in 'General Audio Discussion' started by Metro, Dec 29, 2017.

  1. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    I came across this video and thoroughly enjoyed it. Seems like reel-to-reel should be the ultimate street cred for an audiophile.



    It brought back childhood memories. My dad had a Sony Superscope Sterecorder. It had detachable hinged covers that allowed it to be closed up and carried away. It was very heavy and had a vacuum tube amp. This must have been a luxury for my family at the time (1960's). Although I didn't pick up the audio bug until much later, I must have gotten it from my dad. As a child I knew the odor of tapes before I became familiar with the smell of vinyl.
    [​IMG]

    My uncle had a more modest Wollensak.
    [​IMG]

    BTW, the video is from the YouTube channel Techmoan, which has entertaining reviews of retro and failed audio technologies.
    http://www.techmoan.com/blog/category/retro-tech
     
  2. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    I've got a teac a-2300, quite interesting and fun to play around with, but I have no pre recorded tapes to play, just blanks that have been recorded to.

    I enjoy techmoans videos, some real interesting stuff.
     
  3. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    I kind of agree with this scale, but I kind of don't.

    [​IMG]

    I agree that R2R is the most inconvenient format, but I would rate LP higher quality and cassette lower quality. I would also rate streaming slightly lower convenience due to having to be connected online.
     
  4. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    It's completely arbitrary. The quality comparison at the digital end seems to be just made up!
     
  5. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Attempting to attain "the ultimate street cred for an audiophile" sounds like a very Head-Fi aspiration.
     
  6. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Agreed. Not my scale.

    I rather just wanted to show how R2R is the most inconvenient format with some of the highest quality.
     
  7. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    And has some of the best/most original masters. If you are willing to pay the price...
    http://tapeproject.com/
    450$ per album...
     
  8. Dino

    Dino Friend

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  9. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    The prices of 7" 4-track tapes is insane on eBay. Insane.
     
  10. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    back in the day, reel to reel was the thing for people who scorned vinyl! Music had to be downlo... err, sorry, received on a tuner from BBC Radio Three (Or The Third Program, for the real old reel old buffs) and recorded onto tape at the fastest possible speed.

    Convenience? Here's an 10-inch reel... there's three-minute song I'd like you hear, about 40 minutes from the far end. :eek:

    Some used to scribble the index numbers on the box.

    But, never mind the hifi: what a wondrous toy a tape recorder of any kind was!

    And I am in awe of those who could/can edit tape. My edits seldom even stuck, let alone happened in the right places.

    Pros... it's almost as if the could see the music :bow:
     
  11. MrTie

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    I have a Pioneer RT-707, trading it tomorrow with a local guy for a Otari MX5050BII, pretty excited to get a big 10" 15ips workhorse.
     
  12. MrTie

    MrTie Friend

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    It needs a deep clean and some TLC, but it lives!
    1a.jpg
     
  13. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    Ah, the smell of metal oxides flaking off the polyester on Ampex masters in the morning.
     

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