Best Bang for the Buck Reel to Reel

[NorthSky]

▪ https://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/488854-best-cheapest-reel-reel.html
▪ https://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-...t-affordable-8-16-track-r-r-tape-machine.html
▪ https://www.gearslutz.com/board/ele...-reel-reel-tape-recorder-recommendations.html

• https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/buying-used-tape-machine

 

[watchnerd]

Apart from the audio quality, one overwhelming feature of the ATR range was the superbly gentle tape handling. They don't have a pinch roller for the capstan, it's purely as a speed sensor, the tape drive is done from the two spools, and if I remember correctly (it was over 40 years ago), they don't have any brakes which could snap or stretch delicate tapes, all braking is done by the servoes. If I were having to handle precious tapes, there isn't another machine I'd use as willingly.

S

I hear you, and if made my living as an archivist / transfer person, I could justify $5K on a giant industrial grade RTR.

But I have a day job and this is just for fun.

 

[Superdad]

Yes, the ATR machines really were in a league of their own. Mechanically and electrically. And Mike Spitz of ATR Service (https://atrservice.com/about-us/) still offers fantastic support--and mods to the series.

You mentioned the 440 series: I have a friend who had one--and he rebuilt it from the ground up. It really was very old tech a bit of a nightmare. (His 350/351 was lovely in comparison.) The 440's discrete head amps were very nice sounding, but as for the mechanics, really still a late-'60s/early-'70s kludge.
And the ATR700 and ATR800 that came after the ATR-100 series were really just Teac/Tascam machines. I had a couple of ATR800 units (gifted to me by a radio station). The weighed a frickin' ton and worked like crap. No comparison or value compared to a real ATR-100/101/102/104.

 

[Superdad]

BTW, I serviced a few of those Tandbergs in my youth. They really were a pain and not a logical or serviceable design. They were nothing special sound-wise, their heads wore fast, and there were so many other fine decks to choose from at the time. The Revox B77 units were mechanically better (though a Studer is much better), but for a modest consumer machine I'd sooner have a easy to service Teac. Of course the big Technics units are sublime for a vertical deck.

 

[JS Hoover]

A Pioneer RT-1050 or Teac 3300SX-2T would be the most basic entry point(s) into: three motor/10 1/2" reel/15ips two track machines (though, only NAB eq).
If one plans on scrapping the existing preamp section anyhow, there are a lot of under-the-radar "semi-pro" (as they were categorized in the '60s) industrial-looking 10 1/2" machines which already had 2-track headblocks and 15/7.5 speed combinations in place...one could source the transports ONLY from at considerable cost-savings: a Crown SX-822; Tapesonic 70T; Teac 7010; and Ampex 354 (a combination 351 drive with the not-very-well-regarded -though tube- preamp section of a 1962 Ampex PR-10).
Some may think the tension of transports this vintage would be really severe on more modern formula tapes, but: I, personally, would prefer the trade-off in their simplicity and ruggedness (being MUCH easier to facilitate repair); than the maze of wires and TTL microprocessor circuit controls of the pro grade machines 15-20 years newer.