kevinmi Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 I have gotten back into the RTR thing after swearing off those expensive, finicky, outdated machines a few years ago. I turns out I'm still addicted to watching those big reels spinning around. These decks are both Ampex ATR-700 2 track decks, one being 7.5/15 ips, and the other being 3.75/7.5 ips.These 2 track decks sound far better than the 4 track decks I've owned in the past, although I use twice as much tape with them. So now my source components consist of turntables, cassette decks, RTR decks,( and a couple of CD players just in case some "digital" friends stop by). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Very nice! I understand the allure of the spinning wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckAb3 Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 How does the RTR compare to CD or vinyl in terms of sound quality?? Afraid to say I've never owned a RTR but have been tempted..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Love'm. I foolishly sold my X-2000r, cover, remote, 20 tapes and tensiometer for $600. Bad move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 How does the RTR compare to CD or vinyl in terms of sound quality?? Afraid to say I've never owned a RTR but have been tempted..... A good RTR will sound better than CD in my opinion, and just as good as vinyl. Of course it depends on how good your source material is, and how good your deck is. I use mine to record my vinyl on to help preserve the vinyl, and I can make "greatest hits" compilations as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 Love'm. I foolishly sold my X-2000r, cover, remote, 20 tapes and tensiometer for $600. Bad move. I sold a X1000R a while back with a boatload of tapes myself. I've come to find out that the X series aren't that well thought of in the RTR world, so maybe it's good that I got rid of mine when I did. My new decks certainly sound a lot better than my X1000 ever did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 (edited) Kevin, what year were those decks made? They look nice. IIRC, some of the later ATR decks from Ampex were actually made by TASCAM (TEAC). Bruce EDIT: I guess I answered my own question (see towards the bottom of the page): http://www.tonbandmuseum.info/nach-den-ampex-3xx.html Edited April 6, 2014 by Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Love'm. I foolishly sold my X-2000r, cover, remote, 20 tapes and tensiometer for $600. Bad move.I sold a X1000R a while back with a boatload of tapes myself. I've come to find out that the X series aren't that well thought of in the RTR world, so maybe it's good that I got rid of mine when I did. My new decks certainly sound a lot better than my X1000 ever did!Interesting, what should I be looking for cost vs performance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 I have gotten back into the RTR thing after swearing off those expensive, finicky, outdated machines a few years ago. I turns out I'm still addicted to watching those big reels spinning around. These decks are both Ampex ATR-700 2 track decks, one being 7.5/15 ips, and the other being 3.75/7.5 ips.These 2 track decks sound far better than the 4 track decks I've owned in the past, although I use twice as much tape with them. So now my source components consist of turntables, cassette decks, RTR decks,( and a couple of CD players just in case some "digital" friends stop by). Welcome back.... my friend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 How does the RTR compare to CD or vinyl in terms of sound quality?? Afraid to say I've never owned a RTR but have been tempted..... IMO, goot RTR, especially 1/2 track (as opposed to 1/4 track), at 15 ips (as opposed to 7.5 ips or 3.75 ips) is better than vinyl, CD SACD, DVD A, etc., if you make original tapes (or 1st generation real time dupes). I'm not sure whether Blue-ray sound is better or worse than original/1st gen tapes. I've owned and used Crown 1/2 track/15/7.5 ips, and Teac 1/2 & 1/4 track 15/7.5 ips decks. At SFSU, I used pro- level Ampexs. Mics included a variety, from U47s to ancient (but surprisingly goos) RCA 77s. Many, probably most, commercial CDs suck compared to the recordings we made. As far as transfers from vinyl are concerned, using Ortofon and other phono cartridges, with many speakers (Bozak, AR, etc), it was impossible to tell the difference betwen "Source," and "Tape" when switching back and forth. With the likes of Klipsch & JBL, one could usually hear either a little tape hiss that was a dead giveaway, or Dolby or DBx artifacts, if using those. With the possible exception of Blu-ray, the recording tech industry seems to have gone downhill, as far as home auditioning is concerned. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 (edited) With the possible exception of Blu-ray, the recording tech industry seems to have gone downhill, as far as home auditioning is concerned. Gary you you should here a Tape Project tape or similar, nothing sounds as good as they do except maybe a live venue!!! Edited April 6, 2014 by canyonman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted April 6, 2014 Author Share Posted April 6, 2014 Kevin, what year were those decks made? They look nice. IIRC, some of the later ATR decks from Ampex were actually made by TASCAM (TEAC). Bruce EDIT: I guess I answered my own question (see towards the bottom of the page): http://www.tonbandmuseum.info/nach-den-ampex-3xx.html Bruce, these were indeed made by Teac to Ampex's specs. The differences include balanced in/outputs and a 4 to 2 channel mixdown preamp, plus switchable nab/iec bias settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Gary you you should here a Tape Project tape or similar, nothing sounds as good as they do except maybe a live venue!!! Thanks, I'll look into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Kevin, nice decks. I have the exact same one. Fun to have it going during a party. People kinda fall into a trance like state watching the reels turn. Heavy aren't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Watching the reels spin is kinda cool I would agree but, what I really like about reel decks is the dynamics they bring to the music!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalcomfort Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Been working on getting my best songs on my RTR today. For the 15th time LOL Love playing with levels and trying to mix my own music. RTR is a ton of fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.