Two things - hunting for master tape dubs and making compilations off records and even maybe some cds. |
captain_winters, thank you. I don't have open reel deck yet, this is my future project and it will take time. I am just gathering information and opinions regarding what might be involved in using those pro machines. Otari is more likely for me than Studer because of the cost.
How do you like Maxell back coated tape ? |
bdp24, audiophile endeavor makes no economic sense whatsoever. People wear out $10k cartridges and $500 NOS tubes. |
captain_winters and ct0517, appreciate your posts.
I have been thinking about Studer and Otari half track only, not about Crown or Ampex or top Revox. Maybe I am wrong, not sure.
Yeah, 7.5 and 15 ips speed, I don't think I will need 30 ips. I asked about Maxell tape because it is sometimes available NOS, though you have to trust the seller and you don't know in what conditions the tape had been stored. I use Maxell Vertex cassette tape with my Nakamichi 682ZX, it is back coated tape and the very best available in a cassette, by far.
Living with the driving distance of your technician may be problematic. I ship my Nak to California across the country for service every few years and it doesn't come back with the alignment off, as far as I can tell. But perhaps shipping open reel deck is different situation.
I only saw pictures of Studer's inside. Appears to be a very complicated machine.
Because of the cost Otari is more realistic for me, I think, unless I decide to save up on Studer for a few more years. Would it be worth the wait ? What do you think ? |
Buying from a reputable source can also be difficult or impossible.
That's what I thought, if I use the deck for, say, thousand hours a year, I would need to have it looked over every five years or so.
But, how long do the reproduction heads last, assuming best tape and head cleaning every ten hours ? I would also treat the head with LAST tape head preservative. I do it now with Nakamichi before playing each cassette and as my tech said there was only negligible wear. The deck has thousands of hours put on it by me and I didn't buy it new, though it was used very little before. |
There is another advantage, and it is a big one , to using open reel deck instead of turntable - you don't need active preamp, you run it directly to power amp. You record directly from phono and lose almost nothing. And of course you can run phono thru deck and listen to records using deck's preamp. With phono, I believe, you always need active preamp, you don't get full sound from vinyl without it. |
bdp24, I see, I misunderstood you. No, no intention to buy junk and make it perfect.
Those decks’ preamp section is quite good but of course this step can be improved considerably. However, I would very rarely if ever play vinyl except when making a recording, so this is non-issue.
Potential problem might arise when recording. I remember a thread where Ralph of Atma-Sphere said that there might not be enough gain from the phono to record directly and that one might need an active preamp between phono and deck. Pro decks were not quite meant for recording off vinyl unlike consumer decks. Impedance mismatch can also be an issue making it even worse. Well then, if needed I would have to get an active preamp. Tape projects are expensive and that’s the only reason why I postponed it.
He himself plays Studer directly to his power amps, here he did not anticipate any complications with either Studer or Otari.
Often I don’t listen to entire record or even one side and compilations make perfect sense to me. Downside is that when you upgrade your analog front end or even a cable you have to record again to have the best sound. No problem, I can do it every five years or so.
A few days ago I was offered a perfect example of Studer A810 by an esteemed audiophile. I didn’t even ask about the price, can’t do it now. |
Ralph, thank you, but I think I'll go with Studer A810 or A807 or Otari when the time is right.
Do Studers actually record and sound better than Otari 5050 ? Otari also usually have quarter track reproduction head, this may or may not be helpful in my case but wouldn't hurt.
Topoxforddoc, five open reel machines ? Studer A820 1/2" must be absolutely incredible. |
You confirm what I thought, about Studer., but no-one says that Otari is no good and not worth considering.
This is one audiophile piece that I would want to keep for a very long time, maybe even never upgrade. And it would be my main source, so a little of financial flexibility would be in order. Still, might be unable to afford Studer, depends on how long to wait.
Hunting for master tape dubs. Yeah, you need reliable sources, besides funds. |
Yes, I know that regarding the paramount importance of the transport. Damn, I guess I don't want anything but those Studers . Telefunken would be hard to service, I think, unless I am ready to ship it to Germany. You didn't mention Studer A807, last model, I think. It is not as good as A810, I understand, but more affordable. Not sure about parts availability and servicing it, though. |
Most musicians whose performances I would be interested in to have on tape are dead, beginning with Miles Davis. I am almost certain that he wouldn't mind me getting the tapes from wherever they might be, free or not - no difference.
Many concerts were recorded and never released and perhaps never will. Tapes sit in storage and do nothing instead of playing on my Studer. Senseless and unfair. We'll correct that, at least we'll give it a try. |
I will pay him personally if he asks me to, in time, but until then I got other things to do. |
Is 10k hours a realistic figure for a reproduction head ? Are Studer and Otari any different in that ? If I am not mistaken, Studers had an option of two different types of heads, and I have no idea of those differences. I would say that I would play tapes maybe 500 hours a year, no more, perhaps less.
Open reel decks is a complicated subject, and an interesting one.
To do barter with tapes I would need two decks to keep a copy. |
