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Advent 201 tapedeck: Is good for a modern setup?

I just came across an Advent 201 in good working condition. It's famous for being the first true Hi-Fi tapedeck (an ancestor of the Nakamichi Dragon somehow), and some people even say that it "blows away" modern tape decks.

While it has a good reputation, I have doubts that it's suitable for my non-vintage setup. I do not have a tube amp, so having the sought-after Hi-Fi analog sound is probably not possible.

The #1 use of this deck will be to transfer my collection of old demo cassettes to digital archives. I want maximum playback quality, even if the tapes were dubbed on bad equipment or pro-duplicated at a cheap factory. It's possible that vintage equipment might not be right for the source or destination material. Any thoughts on this?

How would the playback quality compare to a modern tapedeck? This is the original 1971 design. While it supposedly has high-quality heads and a great drive mechanism, how might it compare to a 3-head Nakamichi for example? I expect that I will only need the included Dolby-B noise reduction since C tends to screw up DIY recordings in my experience.

(Stupid question: On multi-head tape decks, how many heads are used for playback?)

Either way, I think I'm gonna buy a copied manual to calibrate it properly. Before this, I was seeking out a Nakamichi and I'm really wondering if I'd be any better off. I like to learn as much as I can about audio, so I'd appreciate any input.
demogorgod4cc
normansizemore
473 posts
 
Phil,
I came across this ancinet post.  You are spot  on with everything you said. Especially the Advent history.  
I still have a 201 and a Nak 500 that I can't seem to part with.  

They still really sound good!

N


pryso
1,501 posts
 
Interesting that you resurrect this old post Norm.

I have a good quality Pioneer deck (settled on after owning HK, Tandburg, Nak, and Akai models) and at least 100 carefully made cassettes.  It needs a belt replacement (for the auto door, not an easy task with this model) which I should do so I could access that music again.

I was never impressed with prerecorded tapes, ones I made sounded much better.  Problems with hi-speed duplication I suspect.  Advent had the reputation for quality prerecorded cassettes but I didn't have experience with those.

Anyway, I've read there is somewhat of a renewed interest in cassettes, but I doubt it will parallel the resurgence of vinyl.
normansizemore
473 posts
 
Pryso,
I've been an audio nut now for at least 45 years. I feel like I have owned every cassette deck worth having. Nak, ReVox, Tandberg, JVC, TEAC, TASCAM, Pioneer, any many others..  I alway seem to come back to and can't part with the Nakamichi 500 and Advent 201. The 201 sounds better than the 201A.  In fact I am listening to the 201 right now. It's an amazing piece and what I can say about its massive flywheel idler drive system is that is is rock steady and reliable.  I have had and personally maintained this machine for 40+ years. Other favorites are Pioneer decks.  Cassette and reel to reel.  They are robust and sound wonderful. They don't get the respect they deserve which surprises me a little.  Pioneer was huge into tape machines, building their own electronics, motors and heads.. My RT-1050 out performs my ReVox B77 handily.  I found that true of my Pioneer CTF-1250 when compared to my ReVox B-215.


N
 

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