Why no interest in reel to reel if you're looking for the ultimate sound?

@clio09 thanks for sharing RM :-) you could do that every day and get no complaints from me

was RM using the Sony for music or ???

@hypoman right on, have yet to meet a zoom product that sounds bad and does not provide shocking value.

i built an Anvil case for rack mount B-77 Mk3, and all the other claptrap... oh the days of A-77 with the built in carry handle

Much of Nebraska was recorded on the Tascam Cassette Porta Studio. ( I owned one ) One of the reasons I advocate serious audiophiles make live music recordings is to discern merits and - of format, mixer, cable, microphone, microphone preamp, etc....

of course Nebraska perfectly suited to the Tascam 

"Cassettes can be pricey, too. The 100 most expensive cassettes are...."

More ridiculous the title, more likely to be on the list.

"Legend has it that he was so unimpressed with the technology available that he had an Ampex tape deck and operator specially flown over for the occasion!"

Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen comes to mind. LP from 2014 sounds just fine, really fine.

Cassettes can be pricey, too. The 100 most expensive cassettes are....

https://blog.discogs.com/en/top-100-most-expensive-cassettes/

I kind of foolishly fancied that Abbey Road would have used something like a top quality Studer (certainly in the back half of the 60s) but no. Apparently they used a British design instead - the BTR3 (British Tape Recorder 3) to record most of their seminal albums.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Tape_Recorder

I also recall a quaint story I heard about when Sinatra came to record in London in the early 60s (I think it must have been the 1962 Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain/ CTS Studios). 

Legend has it that he was so unimpressed with the technology available that he had an Ampex tape deck and operator specially flown over for the occasion!

Perhaps some fan of Ol Blue Eyes can fill in the details. In any case these mastertapes are still the best source of this priceless music that we have.

To have a first or even second generation copy of a favourite album...

I have nearly 2,000 CDs and I need them all. Doubt most are available on R2R, and then there's the astronomical cost.

The late Roger Modjeski was very fond of Revox tape decks and has several A77s, most not working that were intended for parts or possible refurbishment. However, he does have a working unit which has 15ips speed (original, not modified).
Here is an interesting tidbit from Roger about R2R decks and A77s in particular:

When the store owner learned I could make an A-77 sound better than new, he offered a $50 tune-up special. I must have repaired and aligned 100 Revox A-77's. I still have a few in my museum and find them to be aging poorly. All those wonderful dipped tantalum capacitors are opening up as the years go by. I figure it would take several hours to replace them all because Revox hid them everywhere. They were easy to get to before the mother board was set deep in the machine. Getting the mother board out is another time-consuming issue. There I leaned about products that are designed for manufacturing efficiency with little regard for repair efficiency.

Cars are similar; some starters you can replace in 1/2 hour and some take three. You know that if you keep the car long enough, you will replace the starter and the water pump and the alternator, among other things. We don't throw the car away when the starter quits, but we are tempted to junk the Revox when 30 hard-to-reach capacitors are all failing. I don't use my Revox anymore, I just look at it. I still use reel-to-reel every day, an equally old (1971) Sony whose capacitors are still good because they are aluminum electrolytics. As you see, I've made a lifetime a study of the reliability of components. Strangely, if we look at the manufacturers' life rating for many components, we find things lasting far longer than some ratings would lead us to believe. The capacitors in the Sony are rated for 1,000 hours, but are now 23 years old and, given my usage, have probably seen 20,000 to 40,000 hours. There are about 60 of them in there and not one has failed.

tomic, my PR99 MkIII is IEC eq (CCIR for us old timers). It lives in the wooden case that was offered as an option and has the confidence monitor amp/speaker unit as well.
My Zoom is the F8n and I also have the FRC-8 control surface which is very convenient.

I would add and amend my earlier comment to high speed, half track and IEC EQ

Ya @hypoman real world experience w Studer Revox !!!!

do you have the zoom ? I love mine

glupson, doing an overhaul requires some decent soldering skill, a basic understanding of electronics and above all, patience.  The mechanical disassembly of even a well designed machine like the A77 can be challenging.  Having a service manual is also a must as there are lots of little traps that can be avoided by doing some reading in advance.  Also needed are the proper tools and at minimum a good quality digital multi meter.  To actually calibrate everything once overhauled, you would need an audio oscillator, a VTVM and of course, an alignment tape for the speed and equalization standard your machine requires.

hypoman,

Thanks. Leaves almost no question unanswered.

The only thing, out of sheer curiosity, is that you mention a number of things to be fixed with those kits. It does read as relatively complex "I assume you know what you are doing" operation and not something a novice should embark on? Is that right, or is it really simple?

Again, thanks for your post.

There are many reel to reel machines on eBay, but I think one needs to be cautious as even the best ones, if 25 years or older would almost always need some serious service.  Electrolytic capacitors have a finite shelf/use life and trim pots tend to get oxidized to the point where any re-calibration of the playback/record electronics becomes frustrating if not impossible.  Having worked for ReVox in the early 1970's I am most familiar with their line of A77 decks and while they were arguably the best home type machines offered at that time and for some years to come, they always need reconditioning to be reliable and capable of performing up to their published specs.  If an example presents itself with heads that are evenly and not overly worn, are of the track configuration and speed range you are after and basically works (i.e. can transport tape, no broken knobs, panels, reel hold downs, failed meters), you can expect to spend about $200-$300 for a refurb kit that will replace all electrolytics, tantalum caps, trim pots, motor start capacitors, suppression caps and possibly the three transport relays and some new brake linings.  Overhaul takes about 2-3 days depending on your patience and ability.  I would be very wary of cheap kits as they often use substandard parts or ones that are even the incorrect values.  I have bought some of these A77's on line for relatively cheap prices and have overhauled a number of them with good success. 

I've done a lot of location recording over the years with A77's, A700, Tandberg 10X and Nagras.  My current flagship RTR is a Studer-ReVox PR99MkIII.  Location recording at my advancing state of decrepitude using heavy open reel machines is pretty much out of the question.  In the field, I currently use a small digital recorder and have been quite satisfied with the results.  No wow and flutter, no tape hiss, conservative record levels, no audible (to my ears) distortion and no mechanical noise which allows me to sit in the audience and actually watch the performance.  An added benefit is that I never run out of tape, something that at 15 ips happens more often than you think. 

That said, if you HAVE tapes and want to be able to play them, obtaining a machine and maybe having it overhauled might be worthwhile.  If you just want to have the joy of watching the reels spin, that might be reason enough to buy one as well.  If you have deep enough pockets to buy new dubs of masters at $300-$600 each, and are willing to live with the limited choice of program material, you will need a 15 ips 1/2 track machine and a good one can be expensive.  If you don't care about portability and have and extra $5000 plus shipping, you can buy a beautifully reconditioned MCI JH110 from Mara Machines in Nashville.  Be aware though, that studio machines do generate mechanical noise that might make having them in your listening room intolerable. 

@chakster
your link to the Studer image doesn’t work

oops, there you go .... Studer master recorder ... A friend of mine in Helsinki own it and use it in the studio.

@chakster
your link to the Studer image doesn’t work
@clio09
Thanks for sharing the link to International Phonograph Inc., I was referring to Jonathan’s company when I wrote $150.
@johnss
How difficult is it to convert a phono preamp RIAA curve to IEC? I heard this could be done but I really haven’t dig deeper into it.

I have a consumer RTR from many years ago. Recorded several live performances with a pair of electret condenser mikes at 7.5 ips. In playback, the dynamic range was so high, it exceeded the 50 dB range of this machine. With a pro deck, I suspect this range could be capable of another 10+ dB, or more. However, the frequency response cannot capture all the high frequency sounds above 15 kHz, on this deck. 

As for sound quality, decades ago I recorded a LP to tape. Playback the tape and compare LP playback sound to RTR with sound level of the two matched as best as possible by ear. These two sounded different, but not by much. Many factors could have caused this. Also, this test made the signal pass through two preamps in the deck, one on the record side and one on the playback side, in addition to the magnetization process on the tape. The LP signal did not pass through the path of the RTR.

So I would not characterize that *this* RTR sounds better than LP when the recording/playback process altered the sound of the LP signal. Had both sounded indistinguishable from each other, then I'd say this RTR can be considered equal to LP. But I can say nothing about this RTR being better.

forgot to add, you do not need to spend multi-kilo bucks to get a deck running.

you can take most outboard phono pre amp stages, convert RIAA to NAB EQ curve and you are good. have done that with the EAR 834P phono stage, as well as a few others. can also use the EAR clone phono stages from China so your total outlay for tape deck and tape head preamp can be under 1500.....
so can be less than most phono playback and turntable combos....

When I was considering tape, I had listened extensively to a restored Studer A820...a machine that i think is just superb. These days a restored A820 is going for a fair price, and yet the equivalent ( if there really is one) turntable is going to cost you a lot more. But, like I stated before, already being heavily into vinyl, the whole episode of tape and the Studer didn’t really make sense.Now, OTOH, if I wasn’t already heavily into vinyl, well then the tables (pun) would probably be turned!

@kgbspy 

Analog, whether tape or vinyl,  has a flaw of noise or hiss. Digital is quiet but  has the flaw that it doesn’t sound as good as analog. So many of us accept the noise and learn to tune it out to have the more superior sound quality.

@glupson, I have one of those Tascam DATs, recorded many a show with it. Some phenomenal tapes that I occasionally still play today.

While I agree that reel tape is not for everyone, one thing I learned is that to really appreciate what tape can sound like is to use the deck as a transport and wire the tape heads directly to the outputs. The use an external tape head preamp. It's what I do with my Otari. I have three tape head preamps, one built into my Atma-Sphere MP-3, another I built with Roger Modjeski, and a deHavilland. All are tube designs, no solid state.

I pay $150 - $250 for direct copies of master recordings. Granted it's not mainstream stuff, but it's really good music recorded very well.

https://www.internationalphonographinc.com/

Get on his mailing list for the specials.

Is it a blasphemy to mention I am looking at this DAT recorder on audiogon. I have no use for it, but it is so cute. And, it is tape so I can always say that it breaths. And gets tangled.

@johnss I agree with most part of your post.
I have gone through the path of having my deck serviced, recapped, wiring head out to an external tape stage. See my system here:
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/4524
What I'm listing here is the entry point to reel to reel and bringing attention to an analog medium that receives very little attention on these boards.
A few years ago, I was sold on reel to reel when I got to listen to a 15 IPS 2-Track tape played on an un-modified stock machine. Yes, it sounded glorious even through the stock 1970's solid-state electronics. I have since bought and sold over 10 highspeed decks which include, Teac, Revox, Otari, Tascam, Technics, Studer, and Ampex. The Otari MX-5050 B2 and Tascam BR-20 were very reliable and needed little to no maintenance besides cleaning, lubing, and calibrate using an MRL calibration tape. So, I'm all for getting the most out of this format by getting the deck serviced and getting the external tape stage, etc. I just don't think it's a must to start enjoying and appreciating the strength of tape.

Portable cassette players will do until something better gets here. I’m currently listening to a Sony Professional portable cassette player. Made in Japan. Accept no substitutes. 🤗

Proper Reel to Reel is my dream, i wish to have one.
Some of my old pictures on 35mm film:
This is from my grandfather, it was a USSR hi-fi standard in the 70’s :) 
This is a killer Studer master recorder i’ve heard in the studio in Helsinki

geoffkait,
I agree with you. I read this thread very wistfully, because back in 1975, I bought  Sony TC 558 RTR, and I had a lot of fun making mix tapes with my turntable, and even recording off of the radio. Even at 7.5 ips, it sounded great; but I just think that for the average Joe, those days are over. At that time, it was still only for audio guys, but now it's only for wealthy audio guys.  

Tape is a natural medium. It breathes. Tape has sparkle, air, warmth and musicality, you know, things that are conspicuously absent from tape’s digital brethren. Exceptions some digitally remastered cassettes such as the 1994 Jimmy Page Led Zeppelin remasters, digitally remastered Country Joe and the Fish on Vanguard.

why would anybody consider tape recording an ultimate sound ? tape noise between recordings irritates a hell out  me... i do understand that in 1970-80s  there was no choice and reel to reel was the thing ... not any more ... now if you enjoy tape hissing and vinyl crackling  good for you...i prefer silence  where   it suppose to be 

open reel is a great sounding format. better than most LPs and better than CD. Unfortunately you cannot get that better sound simply by buying a reel to reel deck from the 70s or early 80s connecting it to your system and pressing play.
doing this with open reel tape and expecting spectacular sound is akin to trading in your out board phono stage and reverting back to the phono preamp stage in  your 1970s Marantz, Pioneer, Yamaha receiver from that era. Just is not going to happen.

First you need to get the deck serviced, and recapped. then you need to start looking for outboard tape head pre-amplifier, either tube or solid state.

and if you really want to go to next step, a set of hgh performance heads from JRF.

once you have done all that, then even the 7 1/2 ips quarter track tapes can sound amazingly good.

 and when you play the 15 ips tapes, they become mind blowing

Recently restored a gorgeous TEAC X-1000R for a friend..... It runs and sounds fantastic of course. He has a big advantage in that the deck belonged to his late father so it also came with probably 100 or so prerecorded/self-recorded tapes. He now uses the deck almost daily. 

Hello,
I wish I had kept my dads RTR back in the day along with the recordings of course. I feel this is just a money issue like buying a gun. The $1500 colt 1911 is not the expensive part. It’s the bullets or cartridges that are the real cost. I really hope someone is preserving all of this music. Losing it would be unbelievable! Maybe some people could borrow or donate some of their recordings to these streaming platforms so we can have these in our lives for generations to come. I am 49 years old and love to listen to music from the past. Etta James, Nena Simone and so on. 

I'd beware any 7" prerecorded RTR that's on the open market these days.  Most of it will be from the 60s-70s, and if it has not been stored under optimal conditions, most will suffer at least some degree of tape delimitation and physical tape distortion.  (Note that I had several hundred reels of tape which I eventually trashed due to storage in a California basement; not a great idea!)

My R2R is the best sounding source I have. Noisy Analog Tape Wins!

I play Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s, CD. Then LP, everyone chooses LP, then Sgt. Pepper’s R2R, people always prefer tape (my nephew, a musician, began to cry he was so moved). Then I switch from McIntosh 300 wpc SS to tubes, 30 wpc, you guessed it, tubes all the way. Analog gets the fundamentals and overtones ’right’ is what/why I think.

Yes, R2R can be a lot less money than TT. But, you need both really. R2R machines, and tapes were a wealthy man’s game when new, then servicemen started buying them in Asia, (like cameras), they became more widespread, still expensive, but audiophiles went for them, and still do.

I zeroed in on Teac’s, Dual Capstan, Auto Reverse. X1000R is terrific. X2000R same, except Cobalt Heads and it’s Meter’s needles point down, X1000R needles point up.

X2000R is the last Prosumer Deck. X1000R sounds as good as X2000R, I got 2 X2000R’s for pride I suppose, I was working, making good money, why not. I gave my two son’s X1000R’s, eventually they will inherit my tapes and machines.

I inherited a Fisher President II with a 2 track stereo deck and some 2 track tapes from the late 50’s. Amazing!. That’s how I got started. I got a 4 track forward (home musicians layered tracks using these), then settled on 4 track (two forward, two reverse) for pre-recorded content.

Here’s a nice one, and, a 2 year square trade warranty is optional, I would take that, just under $1,800. delivered, add tax. The heads are not worn, the case is in good shape. Paper simulated wood, but they give it a nice appearance.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TEAC-X-1000R-TAPE-RECORDER-REEL-TO-REEL/303363539035?hash=item46a1e0405b:g:8pcAAOSwjT9dzhzd

Pre-Recorded Content is Limited by it’s end in the 80’s, however lots of great sounding content exists, and inexpensive. Hard to believe, but 50-60 years old, they sound amazing.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=reel+to+reel+tapes&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15

" RCA introduced pre-recorded 2 track Stereo tapes in 1955, and also there was the "Stacked or In-Line heads or Staggered or Displaced heads" formats. 1961 was the last hurrah for 2 track Stereo tapes. 4 track Stereo tapes were introduced in 1958-1959 to the USA, a format Tandberg of Oslo introduced, and Ampex adopted. 4 track open reel tapes soldiered on to some degree until Barclay-Crocker made their last ones in 1986. 3 3/4 IPS became a more common format for pop titles beginning in 1965"

I bought around 500 pre-recorded tapes after I realized how great they sounded, and how reliable the ancient tapes are.

I sold around 150 R2R tapes on eBay, unconditional return, and only gave full refunds to 2 customers, letting them keep the tape. One case, postal service destroyed the box (tape was fine), other case buyer said signal was weak. Perhaps his heads were dirty, why dissapoint, refund. Point is, I sold with full confidence 50-60 year old tapes with unconditional returns, think about that, and I have 100% rating. (I’m just beginning to sell LP’s on eBay).

Of course a full wide 2 track head sounds best, (4 tracks are 1/2 the width, 1/2 the amount of material for the signal. To save space, I play my 2 track tapes on my 4 track machine (boost one channel volume (it only partially overlaps the head), and cut other track’s volume.

Home or studio tapes, 2 track 15 ips are incredible.
.................................

I’m handy, have the tools, can fix anything mechanical (not electronics). Every deck I worked on, new belts, remove/replace all lube, adjust speeds, brakes, ... once mechanically overhauled, plays great. I changed the worn heads on one machine.

It is wise to get a spare machine for parts when one for a good price shows up.

If you are handy, I would take a chance on this one for sure

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IN-BOX-BEAUTIFUL-TEAC-X-1000R-AUTO-REVERSE-REEL-TO-REEL-TAPE-DECK-RECORDER/124092750877?hash=item1ce4811c1d:g:Ky8AAOSwDnleUGv-

Totally loaded with remote control, and the rare ’Mickey Mouse’ dust cover
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TEAC-X-2000R-Reel-to-Reel-Remote-Dustcover-Original-Box-See-Video/153907456490?hash=item23d59969ea:g:QuUAAOSwkqBeob5P


X1000R, loaded, warranty available, he over-state how clean it is, but

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TEAC-X-1000R-Reel-to-Reel-Stereo-Deck-with-Dolby-DBX-and-EE-Remote-included/153786770425?hash=item23ce67e3f9:g:KB4AAOSwlkheEmUo

If you have to pay someone to work on a deck, see if there is a repair place near enough to avoid 2 way shipping, expensive and risky.

7-1/2 IPS is definitely preferred to 3-3/4 IPS, however, for desired content, I would buy the 3-3/4, and keep my eye out for 7-1/2, get it, sell the 3-3/4 version.

I've heard R2R at Axpona and while it sounded wonderful there's just limited selection of music.

I used to wish that tape would become mainstream but it hasn't happened - yet.

Every account I read or heard about stated the vast gulf between the original tape and the end consumer playback medium eg CD, vinyl, cassette etc.

Even artists such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young went on record to say what they heard on studio playback bore little resemblance to what was sold to the consumer.

Alas, the industry politics deemed it unwise to offer the consumer such a high quality format for whatever reason, but I'm guessing plagiarism must have been one, and sheer inconvenience must have been another. 

Oh well, perhaps one day digital will finally grow up and fully take its place.

I used to sell RTR decks, back in the day. We had a Pioneer RT 1011L, at the store, that we used for demo purposes. We had recorded a bunch of direct to disc cuts at 15 ips on it's 1/2 track head assembly. Sounded excellent. For the purpose of high quality mix tapes, RTR is great. That being said, I'd rather listen to the LP's than even the best 2nd generation recordings. I think RTR is still a viable format for live and studio recordings. For pre-recorded music, not so much. Especially true with the expense and scarcity of new, blank media. 

If some of you out there want to dabble, there are some decks out there that make decent recordings for under a grand. The TEAC 2340 (7") or 3340 (10") are reliable, long lasting decks that had decent sound. Also the Pioneer 701, 707, 901 and 907's don't take up as much space, as some, and have direct drive motors, reducing the belt replacement issue. I have seen the 4 track versions of the Pioneer deck for under $1000. I have seen Revox B77's, several versions, for under $1000. Great sound, but needing a bit more maintenance than the Japanese decks.

@woflie62 " Admittedly, RTR with dbx noise reduction, his playback is of tremendously good SQ."

I still have a Teac A-3340S and when coupled with dbx and played at
15ips it is really good. It is boxed up and in a closet with 4 or 5 amps
and tapes and bunches of cables. I suspect that the Teac would need some service to be used again.  I used it exclusively to record records
and then just play the tape.  Expensive, you bet, but tons of fun.

Clearly some kind of illness at work. 

For a long time, I thought the creme de la creme of Analog is vinyl, and nothing is comparable. Skimming through the posts on this analog forum, so little mention of the tape format as if it is inferior or didn't exist.
My post is giving a little love to reel to reel tape, a format that I really enjoy, and just may be the format that delivers the ultimate analog experience.

Most of you have heard of, but some are still unfamiliar with the presently produced tapes by the Tape Project, Analog Productions, and others. These tapes are a direct copy of the original master tape, and they are available for purchase to play in your home. You can't get any closer to the master tape than that!

Some have mentioned the limited titles available, and I won't disagree there. But too expensive? Hmmm...look around!
As I wrote in my earlier post, with reel to reel, the point of entry is around $2000 for a machine that is capable of highspeed 15 IPS, 2-track, NAB/IEC eq. The tape is where you spend your money in this format. But again, tapes aren't meant to replace any of your existing formats, it's there for you to enjoy occasionally in addition to your vinyl.  

If I remember correctly, 4 track R-R gets noisy with time, especially when the tape has not been stored cold. This is because tracks are interspersed in the 4-track format, unlike cassettes.

cassette -->            VS                 R-R --->
cassette -->                                  R-R <---
                                                     R-R --->
cassette <--                                  R-R <---
cassette <--

Of course, the 2-track format like Tape Project does not have this problem:
2Track -->
2Track -->

Both Amazon and Etsy have per-recorded rtr tapes for about the same $ as vinyl versions. Almost all are under $30

$2,000 for vinyl setup??!

i have a good friend who rescues RTR decks, repairs them, restores them, aligns them, etc. Nothing to spend $500-$700 on a RTR needing serious servicing. He gets great results! But he spends a mint in blank tape or rare recorded tapes.

I spent $75 on a nice Denon DP52F TT, restored it. Spent $75 on a Shure M97HE cartridge and put a nude Black Diamond Stylus in it, $42.

I brought both to him, aligned the cartridge and set him up. I brought some nice thrift store LPs I had.

Head to Head, he was amazed by the sound quality he was getting from that phono setup through his system. 

Now, he makes tapes from vinyl for long term listening on RTR.

Admittedly, RTR with dbx noise reduction, his playback is of tremendously good SQ. 

But RTR is WAY expensive! And $2,000 for a very good phono system???? Sure, if you have more money than brains....

For something more recent in a d2d I would recommend Eleanor McEvoy- Forgotten Dreams

it well illustrates the challenges even relatively simple mixes pose to artists trying the D2D route.

@bdp24 i always enjoy your posts:-) best to you. Was thinking about you and the Nak today. Be well

The Sheffield D2D also include some smoking hot horn work by Harry James - strongly recommended 

While not to everyone taste, the artist in question is Dave Grusin - certainly a guy with chops. I would ignore the ego trip peanut gallery.

The kick A tapes start at half track high speed and IMO a B-77 Mk3 with some mods. I have two. There are of course other decks. Service is sparse and getting worse unless you live in the three remaking tape Mecca: LA , NYC, Nashville, maybe Memphis...

the LiL A-77 can as Eric notes be formidable- a few well chosen mics, small really transparent mixer ... and you might end up w The Band backing Dylan on the Basement tapes.

it is actually a critical listening path I recommend, but ya need a budget, a few really good microphones and some vocal and or instrumental talent - make your own reference recordings and be there for the original event :-) get a good A to D ( Ayre made a superb one ) and you might able to speak w authority on digital vs tape.

have fun, enjoy the music.....

Tapes are expensive but they can be multiplied and shared among friends.

Like vinyl, it's an expensive proposition if you don't have the media already. 
As far as sound quality goes, on a good quality machine it competes remarkably well with ANY other format . Machines are available and so are the good techs to keep them going.
Won't argue the tapes are expensive, but the OP refereed to sound quality, not so much cost.
Oddly enough, don't some of the same detractors and cloons spend as much on "Hot Stampers" ? 

technically you are right on.  better yet, get 1" master capability.
problem: software. end.
G

Selection limits it even before all else.

Size/space is another big thing for many.

Price may be an obstacle for many, but other equipment can get as costly so it is even.

Support for machines may not be perfect and how many of them are new under warranty?

Just setting the tape up to be played is getting less and less practical, as mapman pointed out, I think.

It does look nice, but how long does that novelty last?

Completely subjective, I heard one R2R setup at an audio show. I know, the room was bad, humidity wrong, and whatever else that could have been imperfect was imperfect. It might have been, to me, the most irritating sound of the show. I was hoping for magic and I got sandpaper. Under different circumstances, maybe it would have been bearable, though. To me.

I tried R2R twice in the last 10 years by purchasing the Otari 5050 and later the pioneer tt-901. My goal was to create playlists from my vinyl albums and from special events. The Otari was awesome but only at 15 ips. I tried a couple of prerecorded tapes at speeds of 3 3/4 and they sounded like crap. At 15ips, I was going they tape at a fast clip and new tapes were hard to come by plus cost quite a bit. I thought I would purchase a tape project Tape to play on the Otari and the cost and the lack of availability of artists I like, this didn’t pan out.I later tried the tt-901 and recorded everything at 7 1/2 speeds and didn’t like the sound and I still had the expense and tape acquisition issue. Gave it up forever now.