Reel to reel tape recorders are here to stay! Where ARE Revox?

[Earsome]

They were heralded as the new vinyl, the new 'comeback', brand new reel to reel tape machines have been available for just a few years now and they're selling. Apart from Ballfinger and Metaxas there is a new model from Thorens released last summer. But the TM 1600 clocks in at £11k - and it's playback only. And a protracted search will not find any technical specs for it at all. So is there anyone out there like me, with a library of 15ips tapes looking for a good machine to run them? And of course you want to record. The clue's in the name, as they say.

If you own or are thinking about buying, a used machine what are your choices? I am on the verge of getting a Revox PR99 although I feel I should whisper that! Revox are a living, breathing Hi-Fi company and they should be able to capture me as a customer right now, not 1978. They had a design released three years ago and were quoting $4.5 to $5k. That's a good target price and would open the market to more general competition from the high end names. Meters. I need meters!

 

[Romulus]

Maybe I should get out my stored AKAI reel to reel, its hardly been used. Can one still purchase reel tape...?

 

[Earsome]

Maybe I should get out my stored AKAI reel to reel, its hardly been used. Can one still purchase reel tape...?

Yup.

 

[Earsome]

The lack of market lead by the industry has created a 'bubble' in secondhand prices - a used Akai 4000D upwards of £400 - kinda silly really. Funny that I still have one, and yes I am working on it right now! It still sounds amazing. One of the input channels is blown so I'm fixing that. I am now a Revox owner! MkII https://www.revox-online.de/en-gb/revox-pr99

 

[Al ears]

The price of new prerecorded tape means this is doomed to failure except for the very wealthy.
Like many vinylistas if you already have a heavy stash of vinyl then a reel to reel may have its place but I doubt many have enough source material to make it a going concern as a sole source of music

 

[Jake Maverick]

i'm just shocked to learn they're making these things.....for reasons just said above!!!

 

[iMark]

I suppose it reel to reel tape recorders have their charm if you like faffing about. And recordings made at high speeds can sound very good. But not as good as a digital recording at CD quality.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Serial access mediums are dead as far as I can see, unless you have a large library. Can't see there being a worthwhile market that's interested in building one from scratch.

 

[Friesiansam]

After reading the other recent thread about R2R tape, I looked-up new pre-recorded tapes, 15ips (on the site I looked at) near to the price of a Chord Mojo, for a single album... Al ears is right.

 

[Al ears]

After reading the other recent thread about R2R tape, I looked-up new pre-recorded tapes, 15ips (on the site I looked at) near to the price of a Chord Mojo, for a single album... Al ears is right.

Expensive and a very limited selection at present. As I said unless you still own a good selection of tapes then it will remain a very limited niche market

 

[Gray]

According to a recent Hi-fi news article, pre-recorded reels start at £200. Making it an expensive novelty.

Whether I listen to vinyl or digital, all of my favourite music has come via tape.

 

[Earsome]

Serial access mediums are dead as far as I can see, unless you have a large library. Can't see there being a worthwhile market that's interested in building one from scratch.

Thorens, Ballfinger and Metaxas disagree! People like me are the market. There is a presumption by many that the music we listen to is the current music produced by the industry. I'm a muso so I have my own recordings and recordings of other bands as well a fat collection of cassettes from gigs, buskers, sound installation artists, TV themes, arguments at rehearsals and any audio from anywhere - not iTunes material really - and why digitise everything? It would take the rest of life! I'll just add for the sake of the price argument - yes if you want a master tape on two NAB spools at 15ips you will pay for it but this is the start-up , prices will come down and as I say the format, limited and niche right now, is growing in demand. With audiophile vinyl coming in at £70, tapes are not that far away.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I think you've proved my point - if the target market is someone who records buskers then it's going to be a niche within a niche! I'm happy you seem to have what you want, but if you are thinking there's going to be a vinylesque resurgence, I think you'll be in for a disappointment...

 

[Earsome]

Resurgence: http://www.ballfinger.de/tape-recorder-m-063-h5

https://www.thorens.com/images/downloads/datenblatt/englisch/TM1600.pdf

 

[Gray]

Resurgence: http://www.ballfinger.de/tape-recorder-m-063-h5

https://www.thorens.com/images/downloads/datenblatt/englisch/TM1600.pdf

Electro-mechanical works of art.
Unlike today's boxes of miniature electronics, you could take the cover off one of those things and sit and marvel at what's involved.
Really no surprise they cost so much.
But that's the point, they cost so much.
Bit late for you Earsome, but anyone with a desire for live / location recording would be much better served by something from the Zoom range of digital recorders.
For the cost of some of those R2R recorders you could also include some top quality mics.
Highest possible quality. Portable. Zero tape/ head wear and relatively inexpensive.

But I can see the R2R attraction for you, you old dinosaur

 

[iMark]

It's a very niche market. A bit like black and white photography and developing and printing in your own dark room.