Studer vs Otari

I may have missed this but is the intent to use the tape deck’s internal output section and run it into a preamp, or to bypass the output section by taking the signal directly off the tape head and running it through an external tape head preamp?

FWIW - I have been running Otario 5050’s for several years now. At first using the internal output section. Then I got a hold of a 5050 Series III that was a two piece unit in a rack. I tossed the preamp and just used the transport modifying it to take the signal directly from the tape head. If you are truly after the best sound, then this is it IMO.

I have three tape head amps: A modified Atma-Sphere MP-3 that Ralph set up with both RIAA and IEC EQ, a DeHavilland 222, and a Music Reference phono/tape head amp. Granted the Otari does use balanced XLR outputs, but they are not difficult to convert to RCA (there is info on the Tape Project forum), or what I did was had the DeHavilland and MR units set up for single ended XLRs so I didn’t have to change cables. The Otari/MP3 combination leverages balanced operation and that makes a nice difference as well.

Other than the MP-3 I guess I just lucked into the other two. A friend of mine bought the DeHavilland and was not happy with it, so I took it off his hands for pretty cheap. The attraction is that it has both IEC and NAB EQ, where the MP-3 has IEC only. I do have some pre-recorded tapes in NAB format so that helps. As for the MR, I work with Roger so for giggles we built one with both RIAA and IEC EQ. We actually presented it here locally at the SFAS meeting a few months back when Michael Fremer was a guest speaker.

I think your thought process here is sound. You do need to rebuild the system to an extent, especially if you are going to take the signal off the tape head. To that end it is why I have two Otari’s, one to record (it can playback through internal output) and one to playback through a tape head amp. As an FYI I bought a several cartons of amount of RMGI tape a while back on eBay.