Tips and advice for the Reel-to-Reel buying newbie

[@joachimdeelen1662]

New RMGI Tapes are still manufactured by Pyral in France. The RMG tapes are almost like the old BASF/EMTEC tapes but with a lot of improvements. I'm using RMG LPR 35 on my Philips N4520 Reel-To-Reel recorder. It's of very high quality, high-bias, high-level and low noise. It sounds great. Here in Germany you can get it from a retailer called "spot4". You can get brand-new 26cm Reels with 1100 meters for about 40€.

[@thomosburn8740]

I have four reels of EMTECH tape and that stuff sounds astonishing.

[@filminginportland1654]

Thom Osburn good stuff!

[@TheDddkkk]

40 euro? funny one, double it. and its crap compared to Maxell tape. even the 40 year old ones.

[@IMRROcom]

My Dad Has an AKAI reel to reel from the late 60s. We would play it on his Pioneer Tube Amplifier. (Sons of the Pioners and Oklahoma) Both made with all metal parts and knobs and were heavy and solid. Just turning the knobs or moving th buttons felt like quality. No plastic or clunky stuff that we have out today.

[@Techmoan]

A few things to mention. (PLEASE EXPAND THIS COMMENT) 1) I didn't really go into the sound quality sufficiently in the video. Of course it will vary depending on your machine, tape, source etc....but at 7.5 ips, I really can't tell which is a CD and which is tape (but then again I've got 40-odd year old ears). 2) Make sure you click on SHOW MORE in the video description. There's a link to my blog in there and on the blog there are a number of really useful reel-to-reel links that I've bookmarked over the years. 3) I am aware that I spelt the word 'Apparently' wrong in the video - it's a typo.

[@Techmoan]

Double Decker Fridgeman It's one of my numerous medical conditions. I was at the hospital today trying to get it sorted.

[@Techmoan]

***** The doctors keep telling me the air quality is very poor in this area....but it's not like I have a choice of where I breathe.

[@Techmoan]

richandiben Thanks, I'll give it a look. There are some really interesting little documentaries on youtube.

[@irenagordon1125]

[@bolttracks]

+Tottoko Hamutarou Lapis and Hamtaro Well it's also how pretty much every album till the mid 90s was recorded... And some still are today (including Stadium Arcadium for example)

[@sneazlwatchs2546]

My dad has like 14 of the 10 inch ones and I can sit there for hours and just watch it go I love the reel to reel

[@stevenstair1068]

About 5 years I bought 2 Teac 4300's restored them and brought them back to life, I have now 15 miles of recorded music , it's a great hobby love it...

[@donaldcontillo9205]

Enjoyed your video very much. Thank you! I purchased a TEAC A2300SR in Japan way back in 1980 and it still works like a charm. Of course, I have had it serviced several times down through the years but the service center I go to in Ghent (Belgium) has really competent technicians and, somehow, always seems to find whatever spare parts might be needed to fix it. Incredible!

[@stevenclarke5606]

I have just purchased an Akai 4000 ds and I’m really impressed with the sound quality it is so much better than a cassette with Dolby S .

[@tomrhardwick]

I loved my TEAC A3340S four channel, which I used throughout the 80s to assemble my soundtracks for my Super8 films. Having seen your video I wish I hadn't sold it in mid 1990.

[@makjac46]

I had a "toy" reel 2 reel (without a capstan) recording and all! Very wonky but a bit of fun. When? About 1960. Recorded the radio by putting the mic in front of the radio's speaker.

[@DonStevens68]

I have a 12" reel to reel. I loved it and it sounded much better than CD's. Recording new Albums on the tapes was great before they got to snap crackle and pop. I recorder the whole Robin Trower collection on tape and it sound wonderful. Caught a buzz and layed back in the recliner and drifted away. Not everything modern is as good as old tech. Though I love this machine I will never shell out the kind of money they want these days. Now days to achieve great sound is to get a really good DAC.

[@WFBCTV]

I very much enjoy your videos. You make it look easy! I've had many tape machines over the years such as The Teac A-3340S (which is on loan at the moment) which I got for cheap at a pawn shop. Also, the Teac X-2000RB (denotes black cosmetics) which featured EE media compatability, DBX-1 NR and auto reverse-- this was a flagship model. I was fortunate to get a hold of a Tascam 388 Studio 8-track machine (DBX NR standard). All of these ran 1/4" tape and I would swear by Maxell (Ampex tape e.g. 456 seems to have a shelf life and sadly doesn't hold up). To make an analogy-- These machines are like Muscle Cars. They are about style, personality and performance. Regards

[@NeilVanceNeilVance]

...As always ... another excellent and highly generous video .. Thank you!

[@novakattila]

Owning a TEAC 22-4, has 15IPS, a semi--pro machine per se but still with sound beating anything digital. Also 4 tracks so you can do a lot of things with it

[@robguitarwizard]

Try loading Lionel Richie up drunk at a party!

[@AndersonHills]

I love Cassettes Tapes for Music Recording Music Reel is very Interesting

[@BADBIKERBENNY]

I have a Pioneer RT-909 reel to reel. It has auto reverse; providing you have sensing tape. Which I do.

[@Techmoan]

BAD BIKER BENNY As do I. You can see it in some of my more recent videos.

[@dvamateur]

These are beautiful machines indeed. Probably the main allure comes from seeing those in recording studios. Eventually these turned digital (which is very fine with me!). The famous Sony PCM-3348 was probably one of the higher end multi-track machines ($250,000+ range, ahem...). What can I say, lovely looking, wonderful aesthetics. Me personally, I've never felt any desire for vinyl. But any tape or optical media, and it gives me the fizz immediately.

[@VDRP]

Studip's stopped releasing pre-recorded reels cause the labels figured out that it's a direct copy of the master tapes. Finding records on reel-to-reel are worth hunting down.

[@Esuper1]

Know a friend with a 3D printer? That's where you're gonna get your adapters. How is the sound compared to vinyl, disk and digital?

[@bobbg9041]

Any 1970s turntables or tape players and recivers will need some renovation done before pluging in and using. Belts well be shot. Rubber only last so long. Capacitors could have bulged up or started to leak and analog switches and rotating knows could be dirty. If your buying this stuff to use then you should open it up and have a once over. And make any repairs.

[@electrecuted]

i thought of buying one of these and have 4 copies of "sketches of Spain" another 4 copies of "ascenseur pour l echafaud" and 4 copies of "kind of blue". Meaning only thedse records. I m really close

[@banzai201]

RMGI also makes tape and they have BASF formulations.... and Quantegy (formerly Ampex) still makes limited runs of tape.

[@fiddleronthebike]

I own a Akai GX 625 too and it looks good, yes, and indeed the heads last very long; but sound quality is rather poor. If one want fine audio I would recommend a Braun, ASC or Revox - or of course (if you can afford) a professional machine from Otari, MCI, Tascam or Studer (the best, but very very expensive...)

[@wadebradley7388]

The Akai machine you have is a fine specimen!

[@aftertheendtimes]

Nowdays in 2022 you have RTM "Recording the masters" That sells New Reels and pancakes and ATR Magnetics too, Love cheers💚

[@orb505]

I would absolutely love one, but my pockets just ain't deep enough! I'll have to stick to my vinyl...but at least it still has *some* cool factor (especially over mp3)

[@apw2607]

How about doing a new video on your Pioneer RT-909 I spotted in another more recent video !

[@jx592]

Looks like something I'd use to finish the last quest in Fallout 3

[@hboyd2003]

I want a reel to reel luckily i can get one for free! From My grandma

[@sanjarwequar]

I am also interested to buy one such

[@pablobaldomir9430]

3/4 is a speed of cassette

[@1337megahacker]

You sound exactly like James May!

[@iconoptixx]

Im not sure you know what James May sounds like...

[@bobjerome1205]

hi don't for get you could buy a unit get it home plug it in up goe's the power unt. just because the caps inside are getting old. i got hold of a nice unit as soon as i powered it up bang the power unit gone i am very good with reel to reel i fixed it beware of 110v recorders that have been pluged in to 240v i picked up a akai mg14d very rare unit it was not working the tracks went around the power unit saving the power unit lucky i say jumped the bad tracks 110 it as working ace you go to be carefull alot of the gear one ebay doe's not work i had so many units wth things bad over 15 years

[@SCWood]

I think I'm just gonna refurbish my grandma's old Reel To Reel.

[@justinforrest1613]

You are awesome

[@leeriley9782]

Fantastic video! I just picked up an AKAI DS 4000 MKII and I love it .. However during playback the take up reel slows down and eventually stops. This happens when the take up reel is more than 50% full of tape. Any ideas as to the root cause?

[@mescko]

It could be the motors themselves, sometimes they need cleaning and relubing, sometimes the driver boards will need caps/transistors. Some decks the motors can wear out. Check out Tapeheads.com. The info and experts are there.

[@vee3131]

I have a brand new in the factory wrap Akai X-1810D that I'm trying to get a value on. Can someone help point me in the right direction?

[@batman.darthmaul]

How is the sound quality of prerecorded albums on reel-to-reel? Better than vinyl and CD?

[@pablobaldomir9430]

Very good akai :0

[@chrissharkman610]

damn you and your retro cool. wonder if wife will notice one in the lounge

[@teacfan1080]

I've got very deep pockets, unfortunately, they're full of lint!

[@Antonio-he4oh]

Steve Jundt i feel ya

[@mottbone]

Mine has moths.

[@fostexfan160]

Thats a big LOL from the fostex camp! Great one liner

[@arttafil6792]

I have about a half dozen TEAC’S in my collection with the largest being an A6010S.

[@musiccollector]

LOL

[@DoRC]

3 mins in "man i want one!" 11 mins in "nevermind"

[@youbecha64]

Because of the perverted pleasures you introduce to impressionable minds...I now own a Teac X-1000R and am enjoying the heck out of it!

[@ryansaldivar5796]

youbecha64

[@bolttracks]

same boat, just bought a Tascam 58 1/2" 8-track reel-to-reel

[@headinsouth1]

In the late 60's my brother shipped over a whole stereo set-up like most G.I.s did, from Vietnam. I had his Akai reel to reel machine all to myself for quite a while as he finished his tour. This Akai deck would run at 1 7/8 ips as well as 3 3/4 and 7 1/5 ips. Living in So. Calif. I'd record 7" reels at 1 7/8 ips with nothing but Wolfman Jack night time radio and music, then mail those to him. I was quite the hero as they'd play those on the camp P.A. system over and over. Reel to reel is fun stuff!!

[@havocproltd]

Wolfman jack tapes sent to your bro in nam?! NICE!!! there's a special place in stereo and brother heaven for you!!! Hope your brother got home safe.

[@DissertatingMedieval]

My dad has a TEAC reel-to-reel he picked up during his tour as well.

[@coreyfellows9420]

Cool story

[@musiccollector]

I am on my fourth AKAI. Love playing the hundreds of tapes.

[@TheMihail1]

Hello brother !!! We have the same hobby kzbin.info/www/bejne/mH_PiqqpZbOiZq8

[@JarlHJ]

This video aged... Brexit

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

Yep, I caught that too.

[@Royalbigness]

I actually have an Akai GX-625 in my living room. Beautiful machine. I have the alloy hub adapters on two mint condition Akai metal reels. I too, like you, have an appreciation of vintage gear and Pioneer is my first favourite. Akai made some very nice stuff too.

[@thomas316]

Reel-y good advice.

[@juanaltredo2974]

someone had to say it and you were the chosen one

[@digitalblasphemy1100]

I watched this video like a week ago and saw an Akai GX-620 on Craigslist right here in my city. I went and bought it today. It looks just like yours except it has an analogue time counter. It has the big 10 inch reels that match it and it came with 10 brand new 7" tapes never opened! She only wanted 10 dollars for everything.

[@Techmoan]

digitalblasphemy1100 that's a great deal. You've got something that's great to play with and will also make an excellent talking point. Have fun.

[@digitalblasphemy1100]

Techmoan Did you replace any of the capacitors or resistors? I'm getting a "fuzzy" sound as I adjust the volume and I feel like the recording I'm listening to ought to be a bit better. I read that a lot of people replace the caps and resistors in this model. If everyone else had dried up caps, I bet mine has them too. What sort of maintenance have you done to yours?

[@natebot321]

digitalblasphemy1100 as you adjust the volume? I'm certainly no expert at all in reel to reel, but have you adjusted the azimuth of the heads?

[@digitalblasphemy1100]

natebot321 oxidized pots it turns out. Very common problem on anything with a potentiometer. I have no reference point to adjust the heads. I guess I could just make adjustments while I listen to the tape until it sounds better?

[@td1238]

Potentiometers can be cleaned up with contact cleaner. A method that works incredibly well for scratchy pots is spraying them with WD-40. This is usually fine with low impedance solid state equipment, but can be problematic with high impedance tube equipment. When dealing with pots over 500k, bits of carbon get into the WD-40 and cause leakage paths to the case. This will cause him problems in tube radios with a floating chassis, and in tube televisions with high impedance picture controls. Generally, in transistorized equipment, though, it works wonders.

[@PhotonlcInduction]

Wow, that Akai is 70's? Looks far nicer then modern audio stuff imo.

[@filminginportland1654]

Little Girl That's the point that many make. If I ever get to produce some of my designs, modern equipment will look like this. Some manufacturers make new equipment that looks like this even now.

[@InflatablePlane]

I have the GX -635D which is like this but has both way recording and auto reverse. It’s from 1980 and it looks like a prop for Empire Strikes Back. Love these machines.

[@klaasj7808]

no they dont build this kind of quality anymore as the gx-625. we can hope and wish, but now they won't. As they dont have the love for audio in China as they have in Japan.

[@mafioz2001]

Indie

[@pablobaldomir9430]

Yes litle girl, the akai is great '' in 1972 speakers jet stream sistem'' :0

[@RCAvhstape]

Thumbs up for the Six Million Dollar Man reference! That show also had a lot old school computers with reel-to-reel tape drives. Steve Austin was always knocking them down in the bad guys' hideouts.

[@oscar2217]

3:33 "[...] and of course in the UK you don't pay any import you to getting them in the EU [...]" not anymore... :(

[@Techmoan]

Yes still...

[@bobrew461]

We haven't left the EU yet...

[@oscar2217]

I know but sadly it seems to become true in a few years. :(

[@bobrew461]

Oscar Yeah! Getting a Visa to travel around Europe...Can't wait for that to start. :-/

[@SeverityOne]

Well, if you want to go to a place where they have British sockets, drive on the left, love their tea, and probably speak better English than some parts of the UK, and yet remain within the EU, come to Malta. We've got considerably better weather, too. :)

[@zoomboy57]

Having owned reel to reels since 1966 I have never thought of the 20 seconds it takes to load a tape a major inconvenience. I've spent hours trying to get a CD player to work.

[@Dwall44]

Awesome video! I doubt anybody will see this but I’m 16 years old and got a Sony 262 tape recorder, circa 1962, about three years ago and just now got it working. Turns out it needed one of the tubes replaced and after somebody locally did it for me it now works flawlessly. Just got a Silvertown microphone to use with it and I have to say hearing my voice come out of such a big machine with such big spools of tape on it is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced.

[@michaelbianchi22]

Dude, I'm 21 years old, and I would love to be listening to that stuff now. Especially, and the process about hooking things like this up is fun. It's apart of the experience. It's traditional and ritual. Kind of like caroling on Christmas. Walking around in the cold with nothing but candles doesn't seem like a lot of fun any other time of the year, but you do it for the experience. That's just me though.

[@sdfghjghdhjksdfghjd]

Hipster...

[@michaelbianchi22]

No, I'm not Hipster. Don't ever fucking lump me with those fucking losers. I don't do it to impress anyone but myself. The difference between me and the Hipsters is I don't shun new stuff, I know how to blend into a crowd, and I'd rather snowshoe naked through a minefield than gauge my fucking ears. Also, I'm little bit racist.

[@sdfghjghdhjksdfghjd]

It was just a joke dude pls...

[@joaquinjimenez207]

+michaelbianchi22 oh god

[@filminginportland1654]

NO hipster ever thinks he/she is a hipster. And your stereotype of hipsters is not accurate. You might be a hipster and not know it. It's ok if you are. You're not all monsters :-P Nothing wrong with loving old tech. I always did, but when I was a kid, the stuff I liked playing with was always being thrown away so I could get stuff for free for the taking.

[@SomeNot]

Would it be easy/possible to 3D print one of those 10.5” adaptors?

[@deathpony698]

www.thingiverse.com/thing:3901997 looks like it

[@fdski]

Those NAB hubs are not one piece. It’s two. An outer ring rotates to lock the large reels in to place.

[@ianz9916]

@@fdski They also have a rubber belt between the two rings that often needs replacing and three pucks that force the belt into position. Fortunately my Revox B77 came with the NAB adaptors but I still had to replace the belts and pucks which can be purchased relatively cheaply, at least in terms of open reel prices.

[@notgiven3114]

What do you mean 'playing a... tape on one of these isn't a fun process' Yes it is! The requirement to involve one's self in the process is the coolest part!

[@hayleyscomet3447]

I may only be 21 years old and never had this in my life but i would love to start collecting for these along with other music formats.

[@paulwood4514]

Did you started collecting these and other formats and if so what did you think? Me being an oldie at 56 lol I remember my father recording Top of the Pops in England off BBC Radio here in England in the 1970's on reel to reel machines. I got myself a refurbished 1973 AKIA 4000ds not over the top in price and quite a nice machine, good sound quality too. I also own much original 1st issue 50's and 60's records on 45's 78's and LP'S but this is after over 20 years of digging the stuff out back in the day when it was more available around junk shops etc.

[@superb60ce]

I just pulled my father's Akai GX-210D out of the attic and have begun the resto process....THANKS Techmoan

[@musiccollector]

WOW! That was my previous machine!!!!!!! Loved it.

[@jmowreader9555]

How to buy an open-reel tape deck: 1. Find one that someone wants to sell. 2. Go to where it is. 3. Draw your fingernail very gently across the face of each head. If your nail catches on any head, reject the machine because the heads are worn past the point where you can lap the grooves out and you'll need new heads. It is next to impossible to get new heads for most of these machines. 4. Next, inspect the capstans. If there's a tape-width band of brown shit stuck to the capstans it's a moderate concern: it means whoever had the machine last didn't do any maintenance on it. You can get it off with capstan cleaner - NEVER ALCOHOL!!!!! If the capstans have cracks in them it usually means someone cleaned them with alcohol and ruined them. These are almost as hard to get as heads, so reject the machine. 5. Belts aren't a huge problem; you can order them online - and should as soon as you get the deck. NAB hub adapters are sold on Amazon.

[@ethann_browne]

I don't understand... how can a capstan crack? A capstan is made out of metal, if you are thinking of the rubber wheels, those are pinch rollers, not capstans. And also, it's a bad idea to order a belt online... I have viewed many forums, and most, if not all, recommend getting belts from the manufacturer, if it is possible.

[@TheRealColBosch]

Good luck getting parts from Akai.

[@Orcinus24x5]

Your #3 is incorrect. Tape heads can be lapped several times, even with very deep wear that would more than catch a fingernail. I myself have lapped heads for several machines (TEAC, Tascam, and Otari) without problem. JRF Magnetics offers tape head lapping services, as well as new heads for sale. www.jrfmagnetics.com/index.html?JRF_mainframe=/JRF_replacement_heads.html. Proof that even with significant wear, a head can easily be restored with lapping: www.orcapipe.com/AV/head_lapping/before.jpg and www.orcapipe.com/AV/head_lapping/after.jpg

[@filminginportland1654]

jmowreader Lots of parts for certain decks available, including plenty of head stacks. They're often not an issue, aside from cost. You can often retrofit head stacks from other decks as well. I'd never reject a deck on heads alone, especially if it's a high end Studer, Skully, MCI, etc where you're gonna need a lot of parts anyway.

[@Integrity.is.everything]

jmowreader James do you know where somewhere in the Southern States can look to get one of these appraised

[@stattube]

Thanks for doing this video. Bring back old times. I worked in Aerospace and we used a Teac A3440 for running multi-media shows. Two tracks for stereo audio program, one track for narration and one control track for the dissolve controllers (Audio Visual Laboratories (AVL)) to control the Kodak slide and movie projectors. We also used a 1/4" 8 track Fostex Model 80 recorder on some shows when we needed more tracks. That was what multi-media was back in the '70 & 80's. We had 12 slide projectors & 1 16mm movie projector and sometimes a sony video projector. Our programs were recorded and played back at 15 ips. Some of our shows were produced in Hollywood at Image Stream that made shows for Apple Computers and other companies. Wide screen with stereo sound. Nothing like showing the Space Shuttle wide screen. These tape machines could use smpte (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) time code which would sync all the equipment together. You could fast forward or rewind the reel to reel and when you went back in play mode all the equipment would sync to that point. For more on multi-media. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-image

[@mescko]

Now THAT'S cool! Far more interesting to me than some geek crouched over a laptop.

[@DunQuDeYi]

Great video. The Teac 3440 is actually a superior reel to reel than Akai. It has the simul sync function which eliminate the play-back delay when recording. It is also a 4-channel player/recorder. It actual has front and rear channel. The 70's year surround sound, you ever heard of that?

[@havocproltd]

I LOVE my A3440!!!!! And it plays factory tapes without a problem!!! I have friends in bands talking to me about recording on it. In 15 ips, of course!

[@fretworkband3204]

havocproltd I bought my TEAC 3440 around 1980 and recorded my band with it at that time. It is 38 years later and it still works great. Can still record and the playback is just outstanding. They built these to last.

[@hippydippy]

"Long Winded Process?" Quality comes at a price & that's part of the beauty of owning a nice Reel or a TT! .

[@pokeman747]

I got a working Bush TP-50 for free with pleanty of music and a few blank tapes.

[@TheVideoVolcano]

He said "TEAC a-340" originally didn't he lol 1:21

[@oliverstianhugaas7493]

*"I am very much an amateur"* - Techmoan, the loudest and leading figure in reel-to-reel machines with over one million subscribers.

[@ronnieboggs8892]

Recently purchased the exact machine you have for around $500 USD. The hard part was getting the 10 inch reels and the caps to hold them..but man oh man does it sound great on some Infinity speakers. Thanks guy for all you do for the audio community!! Love from the USA!!!

[@numanuma20]

I wish someone would reissue the reel to reel recorders again. There would be so much use for them today.

[@marekmaslak8040]

Chris Garner I hope so.

[@InflatablePlane]

Chris Garner they certainly wouldn’t be built to the same quality standards as the older ones and they’d be ridiculously expensive too.

[@stephenclifton7198]

They are as of 2018!!, i think one or two manufacturers at the moment.

[@klaasj7808]

But it wont be the quality from the day back. Also the tape isn't. They try hard in French, but still not a 35-180B Maxell tape.

[@marcb92vjacques26]

it will be very much expensive and a very little people will be interested i have a second hand NAGRA IV-S and a revox pr 99 mk III and they are still good working !

[@QtheMisanthrope]

are you secretly james may?

[@filminginportland1654]

Valon Selimaj stop, please. So stupid, so many of you keep asking that. He's obviously not James may!!

[@sithompson74]

Valon Selimaj I don't get it. The only resemblance is that he's a white, middle aged man

[@QtheMisanthrope]

its a joke he sounds like May you twats Filming In Portland​ Simon Thompson​

[@bolttracks]

Thomann still sells studio quality reels but they're around the 200 Euro mark :D

[@kirknelson156]

enjoyed the video, I myself am the proud owner of a RT707 :)

[@MVVblog]

The question is very simple: if you buy a tape recorder, almost certainly, it will not work perfectly, or worse, it will not work at all, or much worse, it will be delivered by the courier, disintegrated ... and that's it.

[@TheEPROM9]

I have one I found at school years ago, still need to power it up, don't have any reels for it though. Retro equipment is the best.

[@sunkintree]

"You probably don't want any of these albums" Literally passing over Rolling Stones, PP&M, Led Zeppelin ಠ_ಠ

[@brainanator]

Cool stuff Techmoan, Thanks for sharing with us.

[@shaneandersen2716]

Love your program on YouTUBE, via my Smart TV. I have learned a lot from you. Many thanks. SHANE

[@robertgunner624]

Great video. Did my apprenticeship (Radio & TV Mechanic) in Oz during the 1980's working for Akai P/L. Remember the old reel to reels. Think I only ever saw one GX-625 and it doesn't surprise me they are still running today. Akai made great tech in those days. You were right about the GX heads (glass) they were much less likely to ware and I think they had a lifetime guarantee. The performance of the high end R2R was better than Akia's high end cassettes at the time. It was only CD and then VHS HiFi that could offer better performance at that time (mid - late 80's). Alas Akai is no more (the name is now owned by a Singapore company that re-badge rubbish). I left the industry myself in the early 90's when I could see it was becoming a throw away industry of cheap re-badged rubbish.

[@josephjames259]

I left the electronic repair business in the late 1990s for the same reason.

[@GreenNekoProductions]

10:27 I'd totally imagine doing that with a Reel-to-Reel. That's really cool.

[@BigBroBoxer]

I absolutely love reel to reel machines. I'm now 60yo and have had them all my life, along with a powerful amp and big speakers etc. When I noticed that reel to reel machines were starting to be discontinued, I decided to buy three new ones - Akai, OTARI and PIONEER, all with the latest tech. Direct drive, EE tape, dolby, auto reverse, digtal counters etc etc. I also kept my TEAC 3440 (Like the one shown on your video). BTW, you can play 2track/2channel recordings on those, as long as the configuration is 1-3, 2-4. Recording a brand new vinyl or even a CD onto that TEAC using all four channels enables a totally lossless playback - wonderful sound. I keep my machines well maintained and here is a tip.... only use pure alcohol to clean the heads. In Sydney, I get a small bottle of PURE alcohol from my local pharmacy. Don't use methylated spirits - especially on GX glass crystal heads.. Cheers.

[@ASilentS]

the Akai X-1800SD has speakers and a super rad integrated 8-track player!

[@AUTISTICLYCAN]

I love this machine a lot but I have four Pioneer 707 systems that have the auto reverse feature built in. This machine is a home version of the 10 inch reel format because, it plays at just 3 and 3/4ths and 7.5. The professional versions all have a 17 mode as well. Don't get me wrong this is a lovely machine with four channels. I love the lighted switches and nixxi tube numbers as well. The other problem I have with this machine is Techmoan man is right. I have deep pockets but, not only are the parts needed for this reel to reel recorder expensive they are getting harder to find at any price even in the USA. The 5 inch reel tape recorders are easier to find and often are in better shape. IF you want all the fun of collecting old reel to reel format machines at slightly less cost, I suggest collecting reel to reel tape systems with 7 inch reels but no smaller. The best 7 inch reel to reel tape system is the Pioneer RT-707 because it is small well built. The Pioneer RT-707 is NOT the same as the RT-701. The Pioneer RT-701 is the poor step brother of the better Pioneer RT-707. The Pioneer RT-707 has an auto reverse feature that lets the tape go to the end of the media and after it finishes the Pioneer RT-707 senses a metal foil strip and reverses playing the other side of the tape without touching the reels. I'm autistic and lack Techmoans handy fix it ways. I brought 4 Pioneer RT-707 units completely rebuilt, restored and recapped by professional electronics engineers. My guys were electrical engineering perfectionists who got these old systems back spec's they delivered when brand new back in 1977. I paid $1,400 each for four, two black aluminum faced and two silver aluminum faced. I've had and been using them moderately for two years now without a lick of trouble. Techmoan is right if you want to dabble in reel to reel tape system its best if you had deep pockets with more than just lint onboard because, REEL TO REEL COLLECTING OF ANY SORT IS AN EXPENSIVE HOBBY THESE DAYS even in the 7 inch reel format! Good news 7 inch tape reels are a LOT easier to get and less expensive than the 10.5 inch reels. I must admit Techmoan got me started collecting vintage audio gear because, we might be around the same age or I am likely older than he. Either way Techmoan woke me up to collecting electronic stuff from my youth. I'm likely spent $25,000 to $35,000 on old gear now between buying it on EBay and having it professionally restored and all. I've got 8 tracks and 2 working refurbished machines to replay them. I have the 4 Pioneer RT-707 reel to reels. I have a Pioneer SX-1280. I have a Hitachi SR-2004. Soon as the epidemic is over I'll have a fully restored Sansui D-9700. Oh I have a Pioneer 950 that I will be giving away to a good home. I have linear turntables one by Sansui and 2 by Sony. I have four AKAI EA-A7 Equalizers, 3 Pioneer Expanders think of primitive 1970's surround sound. Oh and Techmoan IF you read this I have a few Pioneer PL88-FS turntables if you want one sent to you from the USA. It is yours for free and I will play the post. I saw the show you did where what you had arrived broken. Mine won't arrive broken because, I pack well. If you want it just let me know please and we can get the PO Boxes sorted. Thanks for sharing so much awesome insights with me. It's not any man who can introduce me to a hobby I spend upwards of $25,000 on. $25,000 USD is 20275.38 UK pound sterling yikes.

[@TR6Telos]

By the way noobies, spooling up is even trickier after a few beers.

[@havocproltd]

NO SHIT!!!!! i'm a martini drinker and maybe even the occasional bud, and it truly does!!! I just stand there saying, "what the fuck"!!! " This wasn't as hard when the sun was up"! I'm not sure which is harder, my x2000r or my 909 - and both of those have auto reverse!!!

[@jamescarter3196]

Interesting. I'll try that tonight. It took me a few days of screwing around with my '79 Akai before I figured out how the tape is supposed to be fed through the thing. I have the manual but didn't find that particular info in there; they must have assumed 'everybody' would know, at that time, that the heads come down onto the tape and you don't spool the tape directly across them, to avoid horrific noise during fast-winding.

[@mescko]

My Akai is it's immediate predecessor, the GX-620. Only real difference is the 625 has the electronic real-time counter, which is a huge plus. Lucky sod. I got mine for free though, so I shouldn't whinge. Say what you like about LED VU's, but I defy anyone to actually be able to tell where the needles are peaking when the bloody things never stop jumping about! I just turn up the levels 'til it distorts, then back it off.

[@MarvelDcImage]

Something about this - even though this is "old" technology it and other stereo systems from the 1970s is actually more advanced technology wise than any digital stereo system available today. These old systems were made better, had better quality control and good quality material compared to what is made in China today. We actually - it seems to me - went backwards in technology at the same time we advanced in technology.

[@AMERICANPATRIOT1945]

+MarvelDcImage If you want good quality audio gear, you can purchase it from a number of boutique companies or high end divisions of large mainstream companies. Be prepared to pay more for the higher quality. Remember, two hundred dollars in 1975 was more like a thousand dollars today. So, the two hundred dollar receiver or amplifier from 1975 was really more like a two thousand dollar receiver or amplifier today. One can purchase a very high quality US made component such as an amplifier, preamplifier, speakers, CD player, turntable, etcetera for one or two thousand dollars. If you are willing to pay more, the performance and build quality gets even better. Just remember to give equipment a serious audition before you make any purchases. Trust your own ears. Ask if you can try components at home before making your purchases final. There are a number of online forums and magazines as well as printed material which will help you to find the gear you are looking for.

[@MarvelDcImage]

+Americus Patrioticus Inflation calculator online says $200 1975 dollars was under $900 in today's money.

[@AMERICANPATRIOT1945]

MarvelDcImage Thanks! Corrected! In audio land, since large manufacturers are not making as much high end gear, one has to rely on smaller boutique companies which are limited by economies of scale. So, your 200 dollar receiver from 1975 would cost about 1000 dollars today, but the technology today is better so you would still get better sound. Also, full function receivers and integrated amps with good phono sections are not very common in the high performance category today. There are a few out there plus there are plenty of vintage components from the 70s and 80s. There were also plenty of components made in the 70s and 80s which were not so good. These did not survive very long so we only see the good ones today. This colors our perception of vintage gear. Generally, the best components from the 70s and 80s were made by small to medium sized specialty companies, just like today.

[@MarvelDcImage]

+Americus Patrioticus Even though the era of the 70s and 80s is before my time - certainly before I was able to have the money for these - I still feel there s a whole universe of audio consumer goods that seem to me to be well made with high quality control - more so than I am seeing now. This was the era of made in Japan or Germany or USA and no made in China.

[@AMERICANPATRIOT1945]

MarvelDcImage Up until the early 1990s, high end audio was much more popular. a large portion of college students took a fairly substantial audio system with them from home, along with a large record collection. Along with clothing and study materials, a student would pack a receiver or separate electronics, a tape deck, turntable, and speakers which were typically about one or two cubic feet in volume. In the case of US college students, the receiver or separates were made typically by one of the Japanese giants such as Sony, Technics, Aiwa, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Denon, Sansui, Kenwood, or by US companies Such as Radio Shack (Realistic brand), NAD, Hafler, Adcom, GAS, Heathkit, Dynaco, Harmon Kardon, Fisher, GE, RCA, and more. The Turntable would be made by AR, Thorens, B&O, Garard, Dual, or one of the above brands. The speakers were made by one of literally hundreds if not thousands of brands, including the above plus greats such as ADS, Altec, B&O, Bozack, Celestion, Dalquist, Klipsch, Infinity, KEF, JBL, Warfdale, Thiel, Polk, Shahanian, Vandersteen and many others. Until the early 1990s, there were many audio dealers who sold a wide variety of equipment. One could visit a typical small dealer which would carry a decent variety of equipment and display it in a variety of sound rooms and demo shelves throughout the store. Large chains such as Sam Goody, Tech Hi Fi, assorted department stores and electronics chains carried and displayed a huge variety of audio gear for customer audition. These stores offered a variety of service from excellent to mediocre. The better dealers carried at least ten to twenty models of components in each category, serviced what they sold, and had knowledgeable sales staff who were genuinely interested in seeing the customer purchaser an excellent sound system. The dealers usually had facilities for comparing components in direct comparisons. Towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, a trend began to take shape which totally altered the audio landscape. A number of companies began to make very expensive, exotic, and sometimes very high performance gear aimed at wealthy audiophiles. Buzz words such as "esoteric" and "reference standard" became common descriptions of gear which commanded very high prices and tended to have low family acceptance factors. The trend became worse right up to the present day. To make matters worse, manufacturers began popping up which made very expensive tweaks such as very pricey cables, power cords, and many other items which did not endear themselves to the normal audio buying public. Dealers sold these tweaks as if they were as important as basic components. By the end of the 1990s, most of the big chains had either gone out of business or morphed into home theater installers. Small dealers either adapted to the change or went under. Home theater became the new fad. The customer base also shifted from music lovers to video lovers. The true music lover was replaced by the wealthy homeowner who wanted a theater room which was usually designed by a combination of an interior designer and a home theater installer. Home automation became more important than the performance of the A/V system. Dealers continued to change and usually for the worse. Dealers discovered that they could sell systems for tens of thousands of dollars to wealthy clients by advertising multi room home theater and home automation as one system. Showrooms became almost non existent. The wealthy clients were more interested in the features and the ability of the system to be hidden than in the audio performance of the system. The war on the middle class has not helped the cause of high performance audio, either. People who once would have thought nothing of purchasing a decent sound system are now lucky if they can even own a smart phone and a pair of cheap headphones. Dealer attitudes don't help much either. A dealer willing to give reasonable time and assistance to a person with less than ten thousand dollars to spend on a system is all too rare today. Internet dealers have also killed the brick and mortar dealers and their extensive showrooms. Why would anyone want to spend top dollar at a store whose staff don't care to help the customer when one can buy the same equipment online for less? This whole set of changes has conspired to turn consumer high end audio into what it is today. There is some hope for a change for the better. The economy has improved a bit. There is a resurgence of the vinyl record. A segment of the population is coming to realize that one cannot get the same sound from tiny cube sized speakers as one can from a nice furniture sized enclosure. There are still some dealers who are genuinely interested in seeing a customer leave their facility with a great sounding, quality built sound system. Music lovers are pushing back at family members and their interior designers for their right to have good music. There are still some of the old companies left who make excellent gear. There are new companies who also make good gear, some of which is affordable. And much of it is made in the USA. There are even some brands from China which offer good quality. For a few thousand dollars, one can buy a very decent audio system indeed.

[@user-os6xz3ig9f]

Tip #1, don't even THINK of wasting your money unless you can afford $50.00 (at least!) for a 7 1/2" recording, second hand or more, in dubious condition and hundreds for hit bands and popular recordings. Happy New Year!

[@anthonyglennmollicasr.425]

I knew it! Size does matter...

[@MOGGS1942]

There, there. Just remember the old adage, viz, " sometimes, less really is more ". 😁

[@VWeooo]

Regards from Spain. We used to have a Pioneer RT909 my father bought it to play music in the PUB. When he closed it he "gave" it to my mother's father who did not care for it much and kept it in a beach house... where its inside and heads sort of... rusted... Then I used the typical "If I fix it, Can I keep it?" my father said yes and I kept it... I managed to fix everything just by undoing some screws, screwing them again, cleaning and lubricating, stuf... no need for new pieces. Loved to listen to Jean Michele Jarre's, "Oxygene", Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" and that sort of music without interruptions... turning sides, etc... But it seems like this machine was doomed. Some robbers broke into the country house we had it and stole it with some other stuff.

[@BMWK75Rider]

I have one! Bought it to play old recordings from the 60's of my father and his grandparents. Lovely machines!

[@julianalmaguer8022]

i need help i found some reel to reel ii need help i found some teelQ xx tapes about the first ,,45minof assanation of jfk abc news and another of apollo 1explosion audio i really would like to find out how they r worth

[@julianfernandez2689]

Very interesting

[@aitortilla5128]

That's impressive. Is it easy to find reel audio tapes? Do many companies sell them? I listen mostly to rock music and I'm not sure if it's possible to find rock bands of almost any era that release material in that format.

[@KaroMcDawgOfficial]

You sound like James May from Top Gear.

[@robguitarwizard]

Glass heads don't wear out, but apparently they wear the tapes out quickly. I have an akai gx266 ii.

[@mcinkyt]

Unfortunately the younger generation will never experience the craftsmanship and beauty of vintage electronics

[@themaritimegirl]

Sure we do - I'm 22 and own a huge collection of vintage audio, video, and computer equipment. I maintain and service it all.

[@mcinkyt]

I salute you young man!

[@DK1105-k3c]

Don't worry too much because the people who do care will find it. I'm 26 and my entire business is mostly surrounded with classic electronics in mind. You should see the crazy stuff that somehow fits under business expense tax write offs but legitimately is.

[@NeatSquid]

16 here - I want one of these so badly

[@alcoholisfreedrink]

Iam 17 and i own 3 cassette decks and 3 mono boomboxes from 80s. All of them are made in soviet union.

[@daves8429]

Can you recommend a vendor who sells a high quality tape for my akai gx 747, thanks in advance!

[@vaxel7]

Over here in Poland used reel-to-reel from low to mid-range are actually rather dirty cheap (like 20$ for functional lower-end machine), used tapes are also pretty cheap tho it's probably a gamble whether you actually get a hold of something that can sound really good, I'm actually thinking about saving a bit of dosh to get a hold of one machine, even a most basic one (tho I want it to have stereo) to get into it and see how it really is. From what I heard reel-to-reel tends to be superb to casettes and lately I've restored a Loewe 3820 boombox and upgraded the speakers in it and even tho it doesn't have Dolby-NR or even metal tapes function I still find the quality of it to be pretty good and I'm 22, Iunno call me low-standard or somethin' but I think it's at very least decent enough to use on daily basis, even without any fancy functions or equalizers or Loudness or Bass Boost, it's alright to me.

[@crtbeam9779]

For $20 you can get something like M2405S, "Aria"or"Dama Pik"(Wich is just M2405S without poweramp and speakers). But I can't really say any good thing about those machines... I mean all polish "UNITRA" branded tape recorders were driven by just AC motor(!)(Of course we had "Koncert" but it was on REVOX license). And EVERY polish tape that I EVER had (reel-to-reel or casette) after all those years just falls apart... But the real problem is... they dont have any real value.

[@vaxel7]

CRTBeam I did buy Telefunken 430 for 5$ since that comment, tho I'm in poor financial situation right now and I'm putting off buying reels (got none) so I can't tell anything about it other than "it seems to work BUT it's lacking a sprocket that holds left reel in place", I'll have to fix that somehow.

[@crtbeam9779]

You know... it's actually stero so it's better than 50% of UNITRA stuff. I hope you'll fix it. (BTW Why are we talking in English?)

[@vaxel7]

CRTBeam Well, 'cause you didn't say that you speak polish and those comments are for video in english language and vast majority of people who watched it speak english and they might find this information useful in some way, also my initial comment was in english and so was your reply, I see no reason why we shouldn't reply in english and keep it consistent.

[@crtbeam9779]

Ok, sounds right.

[@_lolucoca_9735]

Oh mate, you gotta stop making me buy stuff I don't need. I now own a TEAC A3300SX.

[@CompuKonstantin]

I got myself an Akai GX-210D yesterday for 50€. I love it, it just needs a new pinch roller.

[@starlight4649]

I had a dream about a 10.5 inch reel to reel tape player, and now I kinda want one

[@desktorp]

If you're buying one of these machines just because you like how it looks, you're doing it wrong.

[@steelcantuna]

I bought my Teac A-3440 here in the Dallas, Texas area for $200.00 at an estate sale. It works like new. I really like recording & messing around with it. It's pretty simple to use. The analog sound on playback is great.

[@cyprusgrump]

Damn! I want one now! I remember when I was a kid 'we' as a family wanted a Grundig reel-to-reel machine. I lusted after it every time the Freemans catalogue came round to the house (also the shotguns they sold!). Unfortunately we never did 'win the pools' so it remained unobtainium... I'm not even sure what we would have done with it to be honest...