I hear what your saying. It's just like owning a vintage 1955 Mercedes Gullwing. Might not preform as well in any department as the new SLS AMG GT, but the feeling of driving one just can't be replicated.
Help me w/reservations about taking the R2R tape plunge...
- Thread starter spiritofmusic
- Start date
I hear what your saying. It's just like owning a vintage 1955 Mercedes Gullwing. Might not preform as well in any department as the new SLS AMG GT, but the feeling of driving one just can't be replicated.
Fine if you're Kanye West or Nikki Minaj, not if you're Miles Davis or The Cream.
It always slays me that the Blu ray video market for classic films and the fanbase is taken extremely seriously by the film companies.
The amount of care that is lavished upon the 4k restorations of eg Blade Runner, Godfather Trilogy, Taxi Driver, Lawrence Of Arabia etc etc puts 99% of modern album remasters to shame.
Film buffs are an appreciated consumer base, most music fans are not.
Who can blame the music companies, when 95% of people are listening via their cells?
Marc,
you might consider PM'ing Steve Williams for his perspective, who got into tape 5 years ago as an easier step than vinyl. I had been pushing him for both for years. the tape allowed him to scratch that analog itch without such a cultural commitment that vinyl requires. he could sip the tape in small amounts. and it's easier to deal with in terms of set up and such assuming the damn machine works to begin with.
now he has jumped into vinyl too.
I know his vinyl jump is spendy but it might be helpful to get his perspective as a person who has gone before you on this path.
good luck.
Mike
I'm beyond redemption.
I own a 1968 Citroen DS21, a 1998 Barco 1209s crt projector, a 1995 Pioneer HLD X0 laserdisc player, and the last of the Nikon analogue slr's. A couple of Cross pens from the 60's, a CCCP/Poljot watch from 1967.
Tape should fit right in w/my mindset.
Sounds like your decision has been made. Take the plunge! No such thing as too many good things. We only live once!
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It is really hard to believe. UK is the land of BBC and Ferrograph. At some time in the 60's the UK had three regular magazines about tape recording - Amateur Tape Recording, The Tape Recorder and Tape Recording Magazine.
I got most of my Studers and parts from UK vendors - even some ex-BBC stocks!
If you own a DS21 you will appreciate the damping of the mechanism of the A80 Studer. Other easily available usual machines look like toys compared to the high mass, precision, firmness and stability of the A80. You can ask Ki Choi and BruceB about it.
I don't know about you, I plan to live forever! But I still won't find dsd x4, or x16 or x googol, or whatever stratospheric digital format is evolved will QUITE touch tape.
I will amass thousands of tapes over the next hundred years - only to find they've perished because I didn't store them properly.
Re those Mercs, there was a program recently where those two cars were taken out for a spin and went to a big party - and NOONE paid any attention to the newer Merc.
If you own a DS21 you will appreciate the damping of the mechanism of the A80 Studer. Other easily available usual machines look like toys compared to the high mass, precision, firmness and stability of the A80. You can ask Ki Choi and BruceB about it.
I believe you. My Barco 1209s crt is 200lb of sheer beast sitting 5' over my head, 4' x 2' in size, just laughs in the face of pretty much every digital pretender. It refreshes at 96Hz rather than the paltry sub 40 of digital, so that judder is just wished away.
The death of analog crt should be bemoaned as much as the marginalisation of tape.
I have to say, I'm veering twds Charles' Stellavox/King Cello, hitting the sweet spot.
I'll investigate. I'm not on Facebook to maintain my analog demeanour, but I'll put feelers out. My crt engineer is always buying ex BBC analog gear to sell on, he's my best bet to find a friendly contact.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Interesting you say that Mike as you have always been my biggest inspiration. I was thinking should reach out to Marc
As Mike says though I got into tape first and now finally vinyl
For me I love to think of playing tape as analogous with having a great brandy at the end of a terrific meal. I don't play that often but just enough to keep everything moving on my machine
Marc, once you listen , you'll know why and it won't take you long to figure out
Willdo Mike thanx, and also for your PM. Your guy is pointing me in the direction of considering Stellavox.
Any comments/user experiences from you greatly appreciated. You're normally putting out fires when the objective/subjective all-in wrestling threatens to burst out of the ring on other threads. For a change, no anatagonism here.
I've NEVER instigated a thread where so many have volunteered such great and interesting information, and so many have PMd me to offer advice.
Thanx to all of you.
Marc, no sense can be made for tape ownership. So don't try to do it . It is an extravagant expense. Do something nice for your girlfriend and see if she lets you splurge this way.
. It is an extravagant expense. Do something nice for your girlfriend and see if she lets you splurge this way.
Bruce B
WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Marc, no sense can be made for tape ownership. So don't try to do it
Or do like I did. Found out my wife's passion is 70's rock... found some 60's-70's rock tapes and the hook was set!!
Exactly right. I have been contemplating getting into tape for about two years. Every time I listen to tape, I realize how superb it is....and how in some ways it cannot be beaten by almost all vinyl. Then I think about the cost, the hassle and frankly the lack of software compared to vinyl. So, i have opted to spend my audio $$ on vinyl, because you can always improve it somehow and there is always that title that you want and need. I guess IF I had an open ended budget, tape would be a definite, AFTER I have satisfied all of my vinyl requirements.
Couple of weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Sam ( C1 Ferrari's) magnificent Studer A820..playing several of the tape project tapes.... Sublime. BUT, I still came to the same conclusion as above....for me.YMMV.
Marc, no sense can be made for tape ownership. So don't try to do it
Amirm, what do you think I've been doing in this hobby while I've known her?! LOL.
Seriously, we guys are SO extravagant in this hobby, those who don't sweeten the pill w/our significant others need to look to themselves.
Every time I buy an interconnect/tweak, she gets something nice and shiny, or something green for outside.
Something pricier for me, something a lot nicer and pricier for her.
I cant tell you the amount of shiny and fashionable gear I've bought, that's not for me that I wouldn't have looked at, if I was still single.
When we move out of London next year and I spend some serious money on a new room, she's going to get a couple of dogs, and probably a whole new garden!!!
The issue here, is that she totally gets buying components even if they're pricey, since they're in use everyday use, and she loves the impvts that are wrought.
But R2R really didn't gel or go down well w/her when I alluded to it to her in between spending the whole evening responding on my thread.
The usual resistance to price on the component which I justify on quality/regular use terms now doesn't have any validation when she asked how often I'd play it on average based on ratio of software. When I told her I could only pinpoint a dozen tapes at most, this would form 0.5% of my current library, and I could not see it ever exceeding 2% if I stretched to, say 50 tapes in a few years.
I listen to music about 3 hrs/day, 21 hrs/wk, 1000hrs/yr.
Based on a simple ratio, that would mean I would use a c.$10k component 1-4 mins/day, 6-24 mins/wk, 300-1200 mins/yr.
Now, I'm skewing the stat for comic effect, but it makes the point.
In real terms, assuming I don't play tapes abnormally more regularly than my other lps and cds, I would actually play a tape only five to twenty times a year.
Now if I could access more commercial titles, but no luck as of yet.
Can you trust a guy selling the whole Beatles catalog on 15ips on Ebay?
Cue heavy silence from her
.And don't even ask me what she thought about the cost of tapes, esp w/the ratio of listening just mentioned...
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Or do like I did. Found out my wife's passion is 70's rock... found some 60's-70's rock tapes and the hook was set!!
Hmm, unless I can get some DuranDuran, Simple Minds, Keane, Sparks, Ultravox, Teardrop Explodes, Depeche Mode on tape, and sounding BLOODY spectacular, this one isn't going to float, I'm afraid.
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