New Tape Copies by Revox

[Kingrex]

You can get 48 min onto a 10.5” reel using 1mil tape versus 33 minutes for 1.5mil tape. I just use 12” reels if I want to get an entire album using 1.5mil tape onto one reel. This saves storage space and it is more satisfying to hear the whole performance without interruption.

I don't think my Otari takes 12.5^.

Maybe my brain is confitioned to where a record flips. I dont want to listen to AJA or Rumors both sides without a break. I would rather heavy tape and get up for a break, manage things and get back to listening. Just me.

 

[adrianywu]

I don't think my Otari takes 12.5^.

Maybe my brain is confitioned to where a record flips. I dont want to listen to AJA or Rumors both sides without a break. I would rather heavy tape and get up for a break, manage things and get back to listening. Just me.

I have put both Aja and Rumors onto 12" reels. They fit nicely in one reel. However, it is good to get up every 30 minutes or less. Sitting for long periods of time is bad. Which is why people who play LPs and tapes live longer than those who control their streaming app from their sofas !

 

[Kingrex]

I have put both Aja and Rumors onto 12" reels. They fit nicely in one reel. However, it is good to get up every 30 minutes or less. Sitting for long periods of time is bad. Which is why people who play LPs and tapes live longer than those who control their streaming app from their sofas !

I showed my wife this and she threw out my tape deck and record player.

 

[astrotoy]

One of my prerecorded tape sources can use 12" reels if the custormer wants. I normally get longer (34-48 minute) albums from him on one 12" reel, usually on 1/2" tape. So it saves space on my shelves and gives me weight lifting practice at the same time. Larry

 

[c1ferrari]

It will take an act of Congress for me to buy another HH tape.

Will an Executive Order suffice?

 

[Foxbat]

One of my prerecorded tape sources can use 12" reels if the custormer wants. I normally get longer (34-48 minute) albums from him on one 12" reel, usually on 1/2" tape. So it saves space on my shelves and gives me weight lifting practice at the same time. Larry

Weight lifting... she said. I'll see your wimpy 12" reels and raise you my 14" pancake.

 

[adrianywu]

Weight lifting... she said. I'll see your wimpy 12" reels and raise you my 14" pancake.

Pretty ugly if you drop that. One of the 10.5" pancakes came unspooled during shipping and it took me a good hour to untangle the mess and get it back onto the hub. I almost resorted to a pair of scissors several times and just wanted to chop it all up !

 

[Foxbat]

Of course... but there is huge difference in stability with a 1/2" pancake - it is far, far more stable - I would not risk handling a 1/4" 14" one. This one feels completely solid, and if you take a 1" one - you have to struggle and work hard to break it.

 

[A-Line]

Interesting thread.
I purchased my ReVox B77 MKII in 1983 with the sole purpose of recording live radio broadcasts of certain classical performances. These broadcasts aren't the usual high compression as with regular radio and pre-recorded music. It could be compared to a high quality LP pressing or possibly a master tape. I still have that machine and all of those recordings from the 1980's - 1990's.

Everyone has their reasons getting into tape. My reason is for long term archiving of music from live radio broadcasts. These days pre-recorded tape is quite expensive so making sure that your finances are in order before deciding upon this format is very important. There's no way that I would pay several hundred euros for a tape or a LP though...

Digital has made some serious improvements since it's intro to the public in 1982. This format will one day replace tape & records as the standard.

Just my opinions.

 

[adrianywu]

Interesting thread.
I purchased my ReVox B77 MKII in 1983 with the sole purpose of recording live radio broadcasts of certain classical performances. These broadcasts aren't the usual high compression as with regular radio and pre-recorded music. It could be compared to a high quality LP pressing or possibly a master tape. I still have that machine and all of those recordings from the 1980's - 1990's.

Everyone has their reasons getting into tape. My reason is for long term archiving of music from live radio broadcasts. These days pre-recorded tape is quite expensive so making sure that your finances are in order before deciding upon this format is very important. There's no way that I would pay several hundred euros for a tape or a LP though...

Digital has made some serious improvements since it's intro to the public in 1982. This format will one day replace tape & records as the standard.

Just my opinions.

You can try commercial four track tapes, but this might involve buying a four track headblock for your B77, and to learn how to align the heads to your machine. Once aligned, you can change between the two headblocks quite easily. You also need to upgrade to a modern playback board with switchable EQ if your machine is not in NAB format. In any case, the modern options from Revox-online or Audvance Audio will better the original board by a wide margin. Classical four track tapes are very cheap, and the best ones are way better than LPs. They are cheap enough that you can afford to write off the occasional bad one. Some sellers on ebay and Discogs do listening tests and have money back guarantees. I have even found NOS still sealed tapes from the 1960s !

 

[tapepath]

Here is a link to a website that offers listings and reviews of 2 and 4 track prerecorded tapes:

Reel to Reel Tape Recorder Directory| Reel-Reel.com

Reel to Reel info, reviews and Tape Recorders for Sale. The Reel to Reel tape recorder directory with info on 1500+ Reel-Reel tape recorders and 2500+ Tapes.

reel-reel.com

You can search for tapes by category and performance and audio quality. It's also a fantastic source of historic information on tape deck manufacturers from around the world. Highly recommended!

 

[A-Line]

You can try commercial four track tapes, but this might involve buying a four track headblock for your B77, and to learn how to align the heads to your machine. Once aligned, you can change between the two headblocks quite easily. You also need to upgrade to a modern playback board with switchable EQ if your machine is not in NAB format. In any case, the modern options from Revox-online or Audvance Audio will better the original board by a wide margin. Classical four track tapes are very cheap, and the best ones are way better than LPs. They are cheap enough that you can afford to write off the occasional bad one. Some sellers on ebay and Discogs do listening tests and have money back guarantees. I have even found NOS still sealed tapes from the 1960s !

Thanks for the info.

I already have 600 analog tapes, all of which I recorded myself. I'm not looking to purchase any pre-recorded tape and don't want to record anything new either. I'm happy with my current tape inventory volume.

I currently have 8000 LP's, 7500 are classical and I'm planning on expanding that & my CD collection in the near future but that's a different topic.

 

[astrotoy]

Just received my first order from the new Horch House/Revox. They are the two Yello tapes (Stella and One Second) and the Suzanne Vega tape. All are on LPR90, so one reel for each album. I was very pleasantly surprised at the very high quality of the sound of these tapes. To my ears they are a step up from most of the Horch House tapes that I have in my collection (acquired over many years). I don't have the vinyl or other sources to compare with these tapes, except for Apple Music CD level (claimed to be lossless 44.1/16). The tape is clearly to my ears superior to the Apple Music. I do have a tape copy (15ips 2 track) of Vega's Solitude Standing album, which has several of the same songs as the recent Close Up Volume 2. The difference is that the new release is completely acoustic instruments, while the earlier album is not - so not a direct comparison.

The Revox partnership has added many new titles to their catalogue. Some are of artists whom I don't know. I'll be looking through the catalogue to see what looks interesting.