Analog Audio Design TP-1000

[stellavox]

Saw / operated / listened to it at the Capital Audio Fest this past weekend!. First new deck I've experienced.

QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT. VERY impressed with it's modular design. Impeccable construction. Intuitive to operate.

Fascinating display that shows ALL the necessary parameters - most of which can be easily modified as necessary.

And the SOUND, with tapes I'm very familiar with, thru the smaller Genesis speakers, was EXCELLENT. .

And the PRICE is EMINENTLY REASONABLE.

HATS OFF gentlemen !!!!!!!!

 

[adrianywu]

What is the price ?

 

[stellavox]

$20,000

 

[Foxbat]

As I have written elsewhere, I would not call the price reasonable. Mind you, for that much you can get some nicely refurbished prime quality full function decks that come with reputation, reliability record, parts availability and large support network.

Being a manufacturer myself, I do wish them all the luck, because I know they will need it. But it is totally unknown whether they will still be here five years from now, as it is a VERY hard road. We were in that situation 30 years ago, so I know first hand how hard it can be.

 

[adrianywu]

As I have written elsewhere, I would not call the price reasonable. Mind you, for that much you can get some nicely refurbished prime quality full function decks that come with reputation, reliability record, parts availability and large support network.

Being a manufacturer myself, I do wish them all the luck, because I know they will need it. But it is totally unknown whether they will still be here five years from now, as it is a VERY hard road. We were in that situation 30 years ago, so I know first hand how hard it can be.

I agree. There are still many top performing machines from the 1970s and 1980s around, and the people to maintain them. On the other hand, these machines are getting old, so it is good to have new players down the road. The revival of the tape medium is by no means a sure thing, and so it is really a courageous thing to do, driven more by passion than by profit motive.

 

[Foxbat]

Call me a pessimist, but I don't believe in long term revival... the simple economy speaks against it. I suspect the current wave of enthusiasm is going to subside. Let's not forget also that the R2R's come with royal pain in the ass - even I sometimes feel I just want to press one button and play the song #5. So like a star this industry is going to undergo the stages of growth followed by the inevitable decline, the Red Dwarf stage.

In that regard the few new companies might find themselves trying to make it in the declining market. I don't think a strong industry can exist on 900 titles.

So I agree it is a great courageous thing they are doing, and like I said, I wish them the best of luck - it took tons of labor and enthusiasm to build what they have done. But when it comes to market positioning of your product you need to consider much more than just your cost basis when going against the established stars.

 

[adrianywu]

Call me a pessimist, but I don't believe in long term revival... the simple economy speaks against it. I suspect the current wave of enthusiasm is going to subside. Let's not forget also that the R2R's come with royal pain in the ass - even I sometimes feel I just want to press one button and play the song #5. So like a star this industry is going to undergo the stages of growth followed by the inevitable decline, the Red Dwarf stage.

In that regard the few new companies might find themselves trying to make it in the declining market. I don't think a strong industry can exist on 900 titles.

So I agree it is a great courageous thing they are doing, and like I said, I wish them the best of luck - it took tons of labor and enthusiasm to build what they have done. But when it comes to market positioning of your product you need to consider much more than just your cost basis when going against the established stars.

Maybe there is a longer term professional market ? Studios will still need machines to play the millions of master tapes they have in the archive, and old Studers and Ampexes will eventually give up the ghost.......

 

[Foxbat]

Good point... so you don't think we should expect a glut of Studers and Ampexes for $500 ea? There goes my hope.

 

[stellavox]

Yep guys,

We've been riding a 15 year wave - has it crested - who knows? The TP-1000 suggests maybe not.

And as long as my inner-tube (think waistline) continues to hold air, I'm still afloat and enjoying things immensely!

Right Mike?

 

[garylkoh]

Well, it definitely makes sense for a studio: wrangling to keep an old A80 or ATR102 alive vs something with new all parts and a warranty.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Well, it definitely makes sense for a studio: wrangling to keep an old A80 or ATR102 alive vs something with new all parts and a warranty.

disagree. maintaining an Ampex ATR-102 is a normal dependable thing. there are parts, many brand new, and a number of people around the USA with expertise. it's the primary workhorse of serious studios. an A80 is a bit less supported and has fewer parts easily found, but it seems to be fixable and serviceable too. with great performance.

i'm not dissing the Audio Design TP-1000 at all. i don't know it's performance level. but there is a question whether it has what it takes to equate to the performance, robust build, and flexibility of a properly maintained ATR-102. it might, and it might not.

as far as warranty, not sure exactly what that means to a pro studio where a tape deck is a work horse and long term investment. does a warranty cover commercial use for the transport? can it handle a big weeks on end dubbing project? ATR-102's can and does that type of duty right now......year in and year out. the bigger issue is long term support. as others have mentioned....that is an open ended question....we can't answer yet.

would a studio invest $20k in this, or in an up to date and sorted ATR-102? seems obvious.

maybe an enthusiast who wants clean and pretty and will not be a heavy user might see it different. certainly there is a place for it. might end up being less finicky for an occasional user than a nice vintage deck, but that is just speculation right now. i don't see any fall off of tape intenders. especially as top level turntable prices go through the roof. better performance for a fraction of the investment with tape. when people hear my best tapes they go nuts. it becomes an aspirational thing.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Yep guys,

We've been riding a 15 year wave - has it crested - who knows? The TP-1000 suggests maybe not.

And as long as my inner-tube (think waistline) continues to hold air, I'm still afloat and enjoying things immensely!

Right Mike?

Tape is still strong, and the performance at the top rank is better then ever.

Tally ho!

 

[adrianywu]

If these new machines are aiming for home users, one has to ask whether their performance is commensurate with the cost. Revox is selling completely refurbished B77s with new heads for around $7000, and one can buy similarly restored machines from other workshops at about half of that price. Do these new machines actually improve on the performance of a properly restored B77 or Technics 1500 ? For that price, there is also the option of buying outboard repro electronics to use with these older machines to elevate the performance ever further.

 

[stellavox]

Reading the recent responses; in the audio business, haven't we been led to believe that new is ALWAYS better. Well guess what!.
I DO hope that some of the new efforts succeed.

Was musing with U47 about Studer machines and which of them will be around in 10 or 20 years. We agree on our favorite - the A80. But I'll be long gone, so it's all irrelevant.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Reading the recent responses; in the audio business, haven't we been led to believe that new is ALWAYS better.

it's not fair to compare large scale commercial, designed as professional tools, all out, reel to reel efforts, that were 5th or 6th generation results, from the 'Golden Age', to modest limited scope reel to reel efforts of today from small companies. your 40 year old $10k to $30k decks in 1975 dollars would now be likely $150k-$200k, and that would be based on making a few thousand.

the fact that brand new reel to reel decks apparently solidly made even exist is a minor miracle. and they are at least pretty good.

Well guess what!.
I DO hope that some of the new efforts succeed.

me too, all of tape nation is cheering them on.

Was musing with U47 about Studer machines and which of them will be around in 10 or 20 years. We agree on our favorite - the A80.

i'd choose an ATR-102 myself.

But I'll be long gone, so it's all irrelevant.

you looked pretty lively last time i saw you.

 

[dminches]

I have many vintage decks, all of which have had professionals refurbish them and bring them up to spec, so to speak. However, I always have the fear that one of more of them will need service and that’s where the issues begin. There aren’t a lot of people left who know how to service these machines and those who are left are getting older and closer to retirement. For example, how many people are out there who are as knowledgable as John French when it comes to head work? And then there are some out there who are qualified to do the work but may have a 3-4 month backlog.

A new machine doesn’t solve all these issues but it is nice to at least have that option if the machine is built well and performs well.

This is a expensive sector of our music hobby.

 

[Foxbat]

Well, 3-4 months is not nice, but neither is shipping to France - and who's to say what THEIR lead time is going to be?

You fight that 3-4 month problem by having more than one machine.

Mike is correct - the machines we are using today come from several generations of refinement - that is a serious consideration.

 

[dminches]

Well, I was thinking that a new machine may not need service for 5 years. I realize that may not be the case. I am also hoping that there may be an US-made machine at some point that wouldn’t require international shipping.

Right now I am happy with my array of Studer and Technics machines but I still worry a bit.

 

[gleeds]

As a long time R2R fan I met with Christophe Martinez and looked over his AAD machine very carefully in Munich. I was so impressed with the design that I considered distributing the machine here in the US. Brian Tucker of Pro Audio prevailed and for good reason. Brian represented Revox in the US for many years and really knows his way around the R2R space. I cannot be sure but imagine Brian his bases covered with a local US service center.
proaudio@comcast.net

 

[facten]

I am also hoping that there may be an US-made machine at some point that wouldn’t require international shipping

I know zilch about reel to reel decks but have been reading the thread out of curiosity. Is this a potential USA option

MODELS of United Home Audio – Audiophile Tape Decks – United Home Audio – High End Audio, Washington DC , Virginia, Maryland