Reel to Reel Machine for 15 ips playback

Jason,

15ips 2 track stereo has to be awesome. I have only heard 15 ips 4 track (narrower tracks)

OP has the budget, why not. That's why I mentioned two decks, one 2 track, other 4 track auto-reverse.

I collected around 500 pre-recorded 4 tracks, years ago, they were costing around $8. in those days. I sold about 100 of them on eBay, will sell some more, just need space.

Of the $450. 2 track tapes OP is considering, some content he/you truly like will exist, and then many 4 track tapes that exist of artists/content you really like will never be issued on 2 track format. 

I often wonder why more members here (and most audiophiles I know personally) do not have Reel to Reel. If you want great sound, 4 track pre-recorded tapes at 7-1/2 ips will definitely sound better than your/my wonderful Vinyl. (lots of affordable content)  

One of the reasons is the content is limited by the era, there is no content for what young people grew up listening to. Yes, they can collect classic rock from our/my era, but not enough incentive to get into tape.

I have some 1/4" 2 track stereo tapes inherited from my uncle (with the Fisher President II, which had the in-line/staggered tape deck in a drawer). They are 7-1/2 ips. They sound even better that the 4 track pre-recorded at the same speed, thus the best source I have.

However, these are all classical, even if I like some classical, those are famous, but not my selections, so I gave my 2 track machine away. I'll probably sell the 2 track tapes.

You can manage to play a 2 track tape on a 4 track deck, just to hear the content. However, not for full fidelity. One track gets picked up ok, and the other track just partial overlap on that track of the head. So you adjust the volume, turn one track down, turn other track up, nothing special sounding about that. But, I can check the tapes before I sell them that way.

Despite what people fear, these tapes are 50, 60, the 2 tracks are 67 years old, and they have strong signal strength, no bleed thru, no shedding, no more s/n than when they were new. Often brittle ends, I put new leaders on both ends.

Of the 500 I bought, I think only 2 were problematic.

R2R versus vinyl, no comparison in my opinion. I have a very good vinyl setup; Michell Engineering GyroDec, SME IV and Clearaudio Maestro V2 Ebony. At the end of the day, a good 15ips tape on the Revox PR99 MKII sounds noticeably better, often, just like live music. I am lucky to own all the Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc One Step disc. I also own a good collection of 15ips tapes; including Norah Jones Come Away With Me and Muddy Waters Folk Singer, both are Analogue Productions Ultra Tape recording. In terms of SQ, the tapes are noticeably superior to any vinyl disc I own, including the One Step disc. Cost is the only drawback. Why do you think a lot of high end equipment manufacturers are using R2R tape to demonstrate their products at audio shows?

The MTR 10 was a great machine. If you can do the work or know a great tech, the Ampex 440 is also great. Stay away from their ATR 700 and ATR 100 series.

@chauncey 

hi welcome to this world of r2r.

step 1 , get a great mentor … I had one ..

step 2, do not get consumer 4 track decks , my point is why bother , you can stream good music that may sound better than a 4 track deck.

About an yr ago I got the atr 102 with the mr70 preamp with flux magnetic heads modded by Andrew kosobutsky, for my 1/2” tapes , ( same machine linked to in what’s best forum) . Was listening to Louis Armstrong 30 ips earlier thru the deck it’s unbeatable , fantastic.

For 1/4” 2 track I have an otari mtr 10 modded by Soren in chicago , totally refurbished with flux magnetic heads playing with a nick doshi evo head amp ( latest version) . Phenomenal.

Nothing can beat a good tape played backed in a good machine .

my advice do it right the first time .😀. Pay the xtra $ and you will be a happy listener .

In my personal experience, I suggest you look at a Revox B77 2 track 7.5/15ips, at the minimum. If you’ve got the budget, then go for Revox PR99 MKII (or MKIII), and then look at the more expensive (but much better) Studer A810 (which I currently have). All of these are easy to find parts for, and there are a number of good techs around (and they are not too expensive to ship to a tech). The Technics has a parts problem if you should need one of the transport logic chips (no longer available). The Ampex ATRs and Studer 820s are great, but very expensive and so big and heavy, that if you can’t fix them yourself, you’ve got a big problem. The Otari 5050 series machines are also very reliable, have parts availability, and not too expensive. In other words,  you should seriously consider parts and technician availability for your purchase; not how cool or esoteric the recorder might be. And if you buy from a private party, my experience is to expect some initial service costs right after your purchase if you really want the recorder to perform correctly. The statement “All functions work” is NO guarantee of its actual performance. If you want to play vintage tapes, then you need to look for one of these machines in ¼ track format (all the above mentioned recorders can have their heads changed for this, and some Otaris offer both track formats). Someone has already suggested the TapeHeads forum, and if you want to pursue vintage tapes, then check out Ken Kessler’s articles in Copper Magazine. And yes, ½” track at 15ips is a beautiful “sonic thing.”