Who Here Has A 2 Track Reel To Reel Deck

[YK Thom]

One of those pieces of equipment I always wanted but never had.

[CCG]

On 2/3/2023 at 9:36 AM, Marvel said:

You may need to check the 'grease' in the solenoids. I had to flush them out in my 3340. They were sticking pretty badly. It's been years though...

Hi.. You mean the playback trigger solenoid that pushes the pinch roller?

Oooh I miss that ones and I didnt know the piston have to be lightly grease. O'm gonna try to sneak in an injection grease. I think i can reach it from the outside.

[CCG]

11 hours ago, KT88 said:

I have read this thread with a lot of pleasure. Hearing you rave about RtR makes me a little sad. I had a Revox A77 half-track with two Sennheiser MD421n microphones in my youth. I didn't record vinyl or FM but our rock band in the rehearsal room, the church choir in the village with organ, the piano pieces a good buddy had rehearsed for the entrance exam at the Berlin Hochschule der Künste (he was accepted). Another good buddy was a very good jazz drummer at a young age and is now a professor of percussion at the University of Munich. I had often recorded his jazz band at gigs. A copy of our first days in a studio with our rock band and much more. These tapes would all be very nice and good sounding acoustic contemporary witnesses today. From today's point of view I have committed a stupidity because I sold all this including the tapes more than 30 years ago. Suddenly the size and weight of the equipment was too much for me, new tapes too expensive, etc. What I would give for it today if I still had all that. Some of you may be able to relate to this because you have perhaps done similar stupid things in your life.
I have one consolation, my mother and family still has the Braun TG 1000 that my father bought in 1972. It was his pride and joy.

 

Here a picture from the web showing this model. It was not so popular in the US. The look was timeless and a role model for brands like NAD 15 years later. Because Braun was more a company of optical styling and good looks the technical system was delivered by another company called Uher, they were RtR experts at that time. In a similar way Braun made its own optical design of British Quad ESL 57 electrostatic speakers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.preservationsound.com/2014/06/less-but-better-the-braun-tg-1000-tape-recorder-of-1970/

 

 

 

You can always get a lot of reel machines especially in Europe which I think is more selections and quality. A fine example is this small Akai deck in smaller size and lighter weight than the bigger wigs (see size and weight below)but had the audiophile sound. Not probably as nice as your Revox or your favorite Grundig, but enough to take you to the next level in a 1/4 x 7 inch reel, 7.5 ips with ferrite heads. Its a big WoW for a home hifi. The tapes are still out there and currently being manufactured by recording the masters. and the price is very reasonable. Not the best recording on my iphone since I was doing a test run after calibration.  I love this deck too. One of my few decks that can run 8 hours and not heating up. Very simple to maintain on with 1 motor. An absolute playback machine. Best of luck to your journey.

 

Description

The Akai 4000DS is a four-track, two-channel stereo reel to reel tape recorder for use with 7" Specifications
Track system: 4-track, 2-channel, stereo/monaural system
Heads: 1 x record, 1 x playback, 1 x erase
Motor: 1 x SSM-1 4-pole induction
Reel size: up to 7 inch reel
Tape speeds: 3 3⁄4  7 1⁄2 ips
Wow and flutter: 0.15% (7 1⁄2 ips)
Frequency response: 30Hz to 23kHz (7 1⁄2 ips)
Signal to Noise Ratio: 50dB
Total harmonic distortion: 1.5%
Crosstalk: 50dB
Input: 70mV (line), 7mV (DIN), 0.8mV (mic)
Output: 1.228V (line), 0.4V (DIN)
Semiconductors: 11 x transistors, 4 x IC, 4 x diodes
Dimensions: 406 x 314 x 194mm
Weight: 11.4kg

 

Rock and Roll.....😺
Test Akai 4000D 01-27-2023
Hand To Mouth - playback video

[CCG]

@MicroMara

I was able to get my hands on the original pressing of the 1985 Mike and the Mechanics sealed. I mastered it on the new reel deck. I wish I had a brand new audua tape it would have been a blast. After the DAW, I transferred it to reel, then reel to Nakamichi 680zx and Tascam hand held digital all at the same time. The reel to reel sounds very warm, crystal clear and spacy. 

 

[MicroMara]

Funny story here with my Tandberg TD 20 A ..used the machine yesterday and recogniced that the high speed 19,75 cm / sec. doesn´t work ,only 9,5 cm / sec. is working fine. Think an IC is damaged for speed control , as the belts, capstan etc. working well . Need to carry her to my neighbour town, there is a Tandberg Service Station to get it repaired there, the first time in 40 years !   

[KT88]

6 hours ago, CCG said:

@MicroMara

I was able to get my hands on the original pressing of the 1985 Mike and the Mechanics sealed. I mastered it on the new reel deck. I wish I had a brand new audua tape it would have been a blast. After the DAW, I transferred it to reel, then reel to Nakamichi 680zx and Tascam hand held digital all at the same time. The reel to reel sounds very warm, crystal clear and spacy. 

 

At first moment it looked like a list to download the music files, I was looking forward to it🤠But even if it's just a photo of the list your story is very pleasant to read.

[MicroMara]

11 hours ago, KT88 said:

At first moment it looked like a list to download the music files, I was looking forward to it🤠But even if it's just a photo of the list your story is very pleasant to read.

I`m not very worried, for the following reason: 1. The only active Tandberg service in Germany is only 35 km away from me, I know the owner very well because my machine is serviced every 3 to 5 years there and 2. I go for a coffee and 1 hour later I pick it up again and go home.

[CCG]

18 hours ago, KT88 said:

At first moment it looked like a list to download the music files, I was looking forward to it🤠But even if it's just a photo of the list your story is very pleasant to read.

Some of the members in the other site... "Oh you're gonna master some old vinyls?" They want digital samples. Otherwise I'd be happy with the reels and cassettes tapes... ☺️

https://vimeo.com/798975637

 

 

[CCG]

5 hours ago, MicroMara said:

I`m not very worried, for the following reason: 1. The only active Tandberg service in Germany is only 35 km away from me, I know the owner very well because my machine is serviced every 3 to 5 years there and 2. I go for a coffee and 1 hour later I pick it up again and go home.

That's a good one. I have a Tandberg TCD310 cassette deck. That was the only deck I know that can keep up or playback even better on some of my Nakamichi collection. I saw the motor it was twice bigger!

I was watching the youtube channel in how Germany is geared up making those Super Hi-End Turntables. The only thing I can see my self is a drop jaw...😹

 

[Marvel]

I have two Akai decks, both of which haven't been powered up for a long time. They both could use a good tech to check them out and service them, but I really don't know if I want to invest in them.

 

 

[MicroMara]

4 hours ago, Marvel said:

but I really don't know if I want to invest in them.

 

 

if you see the reels spinning again , you won´t regret any $$$ for the service fees

[Marvel]

I also have this Teac, a some 4-track reels of recordings of me and friends. Started a transfer to my a PC and tbe tape was shedding oxide. Pretty bummed about that. I bought this around '75.

 

 

[the real Duke Spinner]

3 hours ago, Marvel said:

tape was shedding oxide. Pretty bummed about that. I bought this around '75.

 

 

Same problem...

I have tapes of old musical endeavours going back to 1969- 1970

10 minutes of play, and the Head is gummed up .........i am not very happy as this is 3M Grand Master tape that was $31.00 a reel in 1969. 😡

Better luck with Ampex tape that I have seen

 

 

[CCG]

31 minutes ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

 

bake the tapes to 135 degrees (no more than 140 degrees) for around 4 hours, let it cool and for another 3 hours before you start using it.😺

[Marvel]

14 minutes ago, CCG said:

bake the tapes to 135 degrees (no more than 140 degrees) for around 4 hours, let it cool and for another 3 hours before you start using it.😺

Been planning on doing that. I've looked at food dehydrators. I don't don't want to do this in my gas oven. I would be leery of the temp adjustment.

[Marvel]

This one isn't mine, but I had this model that came with the sync switches for the heads.

 

If you wanted a playback only, you could get it with just the transport.

 

 

[Montego]

Pioneer RT-707 & 909.

I've bought prerecorded tapes on eB through the years and listen to them often.  I record albums on the 909 just so I can watch the reels go round and round.

[Invidiosulus]

46 minutes ago, Marvel said:

Been planning on doing that. I've looked at food dehydrators. I don't don't want to do this in my gas oven. I would be leery of the temp adjustment.

I have a large dehydrator that would work for this.

[the real Duke Spinner]

3 hours ago, Marvel said:

This one isn't mine, but I had this model that came with the sync switches for the heads.

 

If you wanted a playback only, you could get it with just the transport.

 

 

I had one ...

Dissapeared with the ex wife 20 years ago

[CCG]