All I can say is that IMHE, with modern digital recordings, High Res digital is superior to analog R2R. I am being given an old Nagra portable deck. I expect it will be more of a display item than anything. It is a beautiful thing, precision to the max.
The dangerous world of Reel-to-Reel Tape
It feels like I re-entered the world of tape knowing full well of all the downsides, yet I did it anyway. I spent much of my youth glued to my dad's decks, making recordings. As cassette and digital came of age, I always appreciated the sound of tape.
Whether this adventure is worth it is a subjective exercise. For folks who plop down $500-$1k on cables or those who swap gear often, tape is really not that expensive, relatively speaking. Titles are limited though.
The sound quality and experience is quite something. Before jumping back into R2R, I had 4 versions of Muddy Waters' Folksinger. Hearing Chad Kasem's firm's work on it in 15ips it's just something else. Body, size, and presence are just different than very good vinyl and digital. And this is with the stock reproduce board from a Revox PR99 MKIII. I can only imagine what's going to happen when I rebuild that card, put in a modern one, or run directly from the head out to a preamp.
Maybe I'll see some of you in R2R Rehab, where I'll try to get sober from tape.
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Mijostyn - Many of the old Nagra decks were truly amazing, and if refurbished well, can hold their own against some of the best today. Streaming HRes saves you most of the fuss and the physical interaction with your media. If you just want to enjoy the music, I dare say HRes is probably the way to go for you. For me, a big part of R-to-R is the way it brings back the memories of live recording sessions, mix tapes, and special events I worked. For some folks it offers a different sound signature than either digital or vinyl. For others, it is an experience unto itself- perhaps a unique sound, or perhaps a trip down memory lane that can never be recreated any other way. Bottom line - take time to enjoy the end result. May it leave a smile on your face! |
@knittersspouse +1 - Those were the days!! |
I hope you mean that the dbx box preserved the dynamics of those recordings you were capturing. Me, I wouldn't want the original dynamics altered in any way when taping (it audibly "pumps" if you push dynamic restoration more than 5-8%). I have an Akai open reel that's 7.5 ips only, but I've done some experiments with my 3bx and some old green-box EMI tape. The resulting recordings are slightly airless, but there's still more air there than digital! I must have 20 ways to play a cd or digital file, all with different results, none do "air" well. As for recording your vinyl today, surely your phono preamp before the BHK has a fixed line-out. You could use a splitter cable at that point, send the signal to the BHK Pre AND the tape deck or dbx box at the same time. Then monitor your recordings thru the BHK in your chosen tape input. |
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