Date:         Wed, 24 Jan 2007 16:01:25 -0500
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         "Richard L. Hess" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Tape transport gentleness was delicacy WAS reel choices was
              help in fair pricing of reel to reel machines
Comments: To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
In-Reply-To:  <001001c73ff6$4f110a50$e606e080@xpuser>
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Hello, Jeffrey,

By "delicate" I assume you mean in the way they handle tape, not in 
their propensity to break when looked at the wrong way. I prefer 
"gentle" to "delicate".

In my experience, I think the Otari MTR-10/12 is about as gentle as 
an Ampex 350/440.

The Studer A810 and A807 are generally fine, although the A810 
doesn't like 3" reels with triple play tape all that much and may do 
nasty things to that combination, whereas the A807 probably won't and 
the Sony APR won't if adjusted properly.

The Ampex ATR-100 has a mixed reputation. The Studer A80 and A820 
have excellent reputations, but I've never owned any of these three.

For smaller reels, a Nagra IV is reputed to be very gentle.

I don't think I've ever damaged a tape on an APR, however. I had one 
scary scene with a 3" reel on an A810. As they say, your mileage may vary.

IMHO, there are only a few mainstream(ish) tape machines that should 
show up in a high-end transfer suite:
Studer A820, A816, A80, A812, A810
Sony APR-5003/5003v (late models or a late model 5002)
Ampex ATR-100, AG-440, AG-350 (the latter two with mods)
Nagra IV, T-Audio
Stellavox (various models, not sure, I wouldn't seek one out)
Telefunken (High-end studio machines--apparently some had oil 
distribution plumbing)
Otari POSSIBLY MTR-15 or MTR-20

Of these, the only ones I've ever owned have been A810, APR, and a 
350/440 Ampex hybrid, so I don't know them all from personal 
experience. I've probably missed a few, but this is my general 
thinking at the moment based partially on hearsay. It's not something 
I'm worrying about since I am well ensconced in APR and A810 
hardware--enough to last the rest of my life, I think.

Cheers,

Richard

At 03:29 PM 2007-01-24, you wrote:
>A bit of a tangent; what transports do you find to be most delicate beyond
>the Sony? I had high expectations for the Studer A807 but find it's not
>quite as gentle as I hoped it'd be although a huge step up from consumer
>decks like the Technics RS-15xx series.

Richard L. Hess                   email: [log in to unmask]
Aurora, Ontario, Canada       (905) 713 6733     1-877-TAPE-FIX
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.