Yes, working units $450 - $750, more if refurbished.
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Reel to Reel is cool, I had a few, The problem I was running into 20 years ago, was quality recordings, that were still, quality recording. They are magnetic, the tapes do degrade. They sure do sound good when the media and unit are working well. They can look great and can have some nice functions, for playback. There was also a few different formats on the recording, and not all were interchangeable, I can't remember the whole thing. Towards the end of the tape era a lot were pretty standard, though. Does that one have valves (tubes) and belts? Parts are probably still around.. Regards |
Check HiFi Shark. Take a look at the current and sold listings! https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=akai+x+330d |
I have a Technics RS 1500 that I wouldn't part with. Right now I'm waiting on new parts. My first reel to reel was an AKAI, I don't remember the model number, but I know it wasn't top of the line. I had trouble getting parts. If you can't get parts and have it repaired, no reel is worth having, but if you can, welcome to ultimate audio. |
It has more value if it was working, and then, if working and in good shape you might only get $300. and you would have to worry about packing, shipping, it arriving undamaged, that's no joke. not generally available, none currently for sale on hifishark, you can always look at the second tab, 'sold/expired' for info https://www.hifishark.com/model/akai-x-330-d The amount of wear on the heads is critical, most are not very worn, but check them out first. R2R sound terrific, my best tapes are my best source material, even though tape is 'noisy', they are amazing, Same content here: everyone picks LP over CD, then R2R over LP, without fail.. Pre-recorded tapes, ended in the 1980's,40- 50-60-65 years old, the content is not current, and never will be, so if you don't like music from any of those eras, it would just take up space. Look on eBay, there are a ton of R2R tapes to buy, and not expensive (except rare ones), 7" size, 7-1/2 IPS are plentiful, and surprisingly still play excellently. I had 500, 25 inherited, rest bought on eBay several years ago, 1 at a time. Then I sold 150 of them on eBay, unconditional returns. Two returns. 1 got smashed by PO, other one buyer said signal was weak (I think his heads were dirty), gave him full refund and let him keep the tape. Point is, they shouldn't sound great, yet they do. I like the look of the Teacs, so I went there, 3 working decks here, 2 I gave to my sons. Teac and Teac parts are more plentiful than yours, parts could be a problem. You would want to be handy, fix and maintain it yourself. I can handle mechanical adjustments, clean, lube, minor missing pieces, but am not able to repair any electronics. Happily the Teacs have all needed only mechanical work. |
R2R is for a very dedicated breed of audio enthusiast as it is definitely not plug and play and forget. Even a cheap deck can be high maintenance and if something goes wrong as is prone to occur in a 40 year old piece of equipment then repairs are likely to vastly exceed any monetary value it might have. If it is fully functional right now, it would still benefit from a recap, again more money unless you are very handy yourself. They are generally very complex machines, even at the lower end of the price range. Then of course as has been mentioned is the problem of good source tapes. Now they exist but be prepared to pay through the nose, $100+ for any decent classic rock tape in great shape. Its your call but it can be a very expensive and frustrating rabbit hole to fall into! Been there and done that! Good luck and stay safe |
fuzztone and fdr are not correct. Akai made some very nice decks that are very desirable. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=akai+reel+to+reel&_sacat=0&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1&_sop=16 |
pre-recorded tapes are NOT EXPENSIVE. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313&_nkw=reel+to+reel+tapes&_sacat=0 I bought 500 of them on ebay, average probably under $10. I sold 150, I let the market decide value, some went for $50 $75. but they were the exceptions, bidding wars, most sold for $10. or less. |
Elliott. Sorry but GOOD classic rock tapes are most definitely expensive in great shape. To a collector that means the case and the label as well as the actual tape. Sure I also bought dozens for under $10 too but you get what you pay for. Pink Floyd? Led Zeppelin? Black Sabbath? Be prepared to break out into a sweat. |