Hook Up Revox Reel-to-Reel to Tube Preamp


Hello Audiophiles! I'm looking to purchase a Revox B77 reel-to-reel tape recorder for my system. How do I hook this equipment up to a [new] tube preamp that lacks tape jacks? Is this possible at all? Thanks in advance for your expert opinions. I look forward to your replies. Yes, I know, I'm OLD SCHOOL. I have a thing for reel-to-reel decks.
wescoman

Showing 2 responses by dopogue

Are you planning to record with it or simply to play back existing tapes? If for
playback, simply connect the Revox outputs to any line-level inputs on the
preamp (you'll need a XLR-to-RCA adapter at the Revox end). Recording will
likely be more difficult. For starters, how many line outputs do you have on the
tube preamp? I have two open reel decks, one of them a Revox A77, by the way.

And be prepared to find an open reel tech who is experienced with Revox decks.
The B77s are decades old and will undoubtedly need service and adjustment, no
matter what the seller says. My A77, for example, came with what my tech
called "firecracer capacititors," one of which exploded shortly after I
got it.

AFTERTHOUGHT: Frankly, if you're really considering an open reel deck, I
wouldn't pair it with a preamp that omits tape inputs and outputs.
I want to correct an error in my post. The Revox tape decks have RCA connections, not XLR (I was confusing it with my Otari deck).