Open Reel Curious

Back in the day, when I was in high school..'72, I took out a $3000 loan to buy a stereo. I might have been a drug-addeled 16 yr-old, but I had my priorities straight.(I was working near full time in high school) My mom co-signed the note and I went off to buy a McIntosh 6100 integrated($600), a pair of Klipsch LaScalas($1050 unfinished), and a Tandberg 9200($1150) R2R. Cables back then..ha!..16ga lamp cord from the hardware store for about 7 cents a foot. I borrowed friends albums and recorded a ton, a ton of Maxell tapes.  Needless to say, the Tandberg, was my main source.  I still have the Mac.  The LaScalas are long gone, but I still have the Tandberg. I went through three sets of heads on it.  The last pair wore out decades ago and it sits in the basement, stored well.  I don't know what to do with it.  I think I checked on new heads like..30 years ago, and I found a pair for $800. I didn't bite.  So it sits. 

Gotta say, 60 watts from the Mac into LaScalas, in a 12x20 room, with some good hash..you could "..break on through to the other side.."

The Tandberg was a great source though.  I find it..interesting..that people are starting to get re-interested in R2R. I attended the Tampa Audio Show and saw a couple there..hmmp.

I looked at it a couple years ago and came to a couple/few of conclusions; If you do not already have many prerecorded tapes it is probably not worth it. New prerecorded tapes are silly money (think $200 each and up) and unless you’re quite wealthy not worth it. And tape machines need significant maintenance from time to time and every tape you play need to be aligned to that machine. used blank reals are $200 up and considering not many new tapes come with reals that adds up. And the used tape machines are getting old and do need significant updating.

@mattsca, if streaming is your primary source open reel will blow you away especially if you hear high speed tape. once you hear tape going back to streaming is akin to returning to AM radio. 

But as others have mentioned, its not for the faint of heart. For most audiophiles hearing a high speed tape is akin to taking a magic elixir. Once you hear it you will want more of it. Would suggest you take a pass on the consumer level decks and look for something like an Otari 5050 MK2 or newer, or a high speed B77, or a Technics 1500. Above that you can get into the Studer 810, Otari MTR-12, Somy APR 5000 series or Ampex ATR-102.  I have 7 decks so have jumped in with both feet and a bunch of wallets. 

In the early days of my audio journey I spent time with a Pioneer 10.5” RtR ans a Sony of similar quality. We recorded albums and live radio broadcasts of concerts by the likes of The Dead, The Wailers, Little Feat, Robert Palmer…that were pretty high quality. Now, I can get on Tidal and create playlists, find those same broadcasts, and do it on the cheap. Open reel is fantastic, but obsolete. 

Hello mattsca. I am an open reel enthusiast. I'm into it mainly because of my age (68) and my manner of collecting music. I buy everything of whatever artist I like. Historically that meant reel to reel. I have several hundred studio quality original master tapes. I don't play these tapes back through my main system. I have three reel to reel decks. A Technics 1506. A Sony TC850 and a Teac X2000M. What these machines have in common is they all have 1/4 and 1/2 track heads and they play back at 15 IPS. The 1506 deck also plays back at three speeds making it the most versatile. These decks were all top of the line at the time of their release. I transfer the tapes into a computer with a studio grade sound card. Most of the tapes that I own are too fragile to use for regular play back. If you're considering getting into reel to reel you need to consider what tape you are going to buy. It is a GREAT time to get into it depending on what genre of music you listen to. Right now on EBay a guy is selling studio master tapes for $40.00 each! I bought several from him. I love Mason Williams music. I bought the studio master tape from his 1963 LP "More Hootenanny". I was thrilled to get it. I needed to stop the deck after each song to clean the heads and tape path. It's a pain in the neck. It's worth it to me as I'll never hear these songs in pristine studio quality otherwise. Just some more things to consider. Also, machines of 1980's vintage will need updating and regular maintenance. I enjoy it all immensely! Good luck. Joe