Reel to Reel Machine for 15 ips playback

@chauncey

give me a ballpark idea of your budget, your general location, and i will see if i can give you a relevant answer.

if you want the top level of performance, and are willing to pursue high quality tapes, there are some very fine choices that will give you outstanding results.

@whart

thanks Bill.

@chauncey

if you are wanting to be in the realm of state of the art tape playback, you should try to acquire a ’master recorder’ level deck. there are a number of decks at that level that are all capable of sounding great. any of the new decks brought to market recently do not play at that level.

these new decks play at the 'Prosumer' and 'Broadcast' level.....but not at the 'master recorder' level.

my recommendation would be to find a really good condition Ampex ATR-102. you need to talk to someone who is an expert about it. i would recommend reading this thread on What’s Best Forum about a change i just made from my Studer’s to a pair of ATR-102’s. that thread should answer many questions and provide contact info to a couple of guys who can help you. tape can be awesome.

the question becomes what level of decks can make $500 tape titles from Acoustic Sounds sound better than great vinyl?

as i have a considerable commitment to vinyl; surpassing my vinyl takes great tapes and a great RTR deck.

the better your vinyl, the better RTR deck system you need to surpass it. it is cheaper to get very good sound from a few nice tapes and a decent tape deck, than to get top level vinyl and plenty of records. more than one way to skin the cat.

@chauncey

not exactly sure where the price a high quality 'stock' used ATR-102 starts, my guess is the $15k-$25k range. to know it’s high quality you need a reliable source.

for reference a nice Studer A-820 is likely in the $30k-$60k range for comparison purposes. i know since i just sold 3 of them.

a hot rodded ATR-102 likely is ’more’. but it is really the way to go long term. and justifies your investment in great tapes. here is a link to a post with some ’AK’ contact info. there is no website. if the link does not work it’s post #39 on that WBF thread.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/ak-hot-rodded-ampex-atr-102s-w-mr-70-preamps-replaces-my-studers.36288/page-2#post-852391

once an RTR deck is sorted out, especially one of the higher level decks, home use is unlikely to stress it much. they are built for heavy use in a pro environment. assuming you find one with relatively light use, it will hold up well.

so pay the piper for high quality to begin with and enjoy the performance. tape deck mechanical drama is best avoided. it might not ever get sorted. open one up sometime and take a look. a bit more complicated than spinning a platter.