Yes, the 1/2 inch Studer A820 sounds fantastic. The "sleeper" is the Sony APR5003.
Without a doubt, the high end Studers (A820, A812, A810 and A80) had the very best transports with servo controlled precision guidance. Also up with the Studers are the Telefunken M15, M20 and M21.Remember that the tape transport is THE most important bit to get right. No amount of fiddling with special tube pre-amps or electronics can rectify a signal, which has poor time stability.
Other machines use forced guidance for the tape path, which is not as good for providing the highest quality constant tape velocity over the head.
But out of the forced guidance machines, the Sony does an excellent job. Lovely transports, fabulous library wind (very kind to tape with a nice even pack), great sound quality and software driven calibration.
Without a doubt, the high end Studers (A820, A812, A810 and A80) had the very best transports with servo controlled precision guidance. Also up with the Studers are the Telefunken M15, M20 and M21.Remember that the tape transport is THE most important bit to get right. No amount of fiddling with special tube pre-amps or electronics can rectify a signal, which has poor time stability.
Other machines use forced guidance for the tape path, which is not as good for providing the highest quality constant tape velocity over the head.
But out of the forced guidance machines, the Sony does an excellent job. Lovely transports, fabulous library wind (very kind to tape with a nice even pack), great sound quality and software driven calibration.