Quote:
Originally Posted by Masterlu
What brand/model is regarded as the King of Vintage R2R 2-Channel decks for the home?
I have a soft spot for these, and already own about 8 of them. Mostly Technics RS-1500-US and assorted Teac's.
Kinda keen on getting a Tascam BR-20 mint of course.  |
Ivan probably knows that answering this question is as tricky as responding to, "What's the best preamplifier for home use?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rex Anderson
... Getting machines working and calibrated is tough, not many techs know how to fully align a machine.
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+1 to that! Setup and alignment are as important with R2R as they are to LP playback. At one time, the service department of your local audio salon was perfectly competent at servicing these decks. Today, that store is probably gone and if it isn't, its service department almost certainly is gone.
Here's my take on Ivan's question. The Technics RS-15XX, RS-16XX and RS-17XX are indeed among the best machines. They were excellent when they were new, and they remain serviceable now.
Teacs have never been among my favorites; I think they were no better than just competent consumer machines.
Both Studer and Otari made excellent machines, of course. They probably fell more into the pro-audio realm but if I were buying a deck today, I'd be looking closely at them.
Other top contenders are the Tandberg TD-20A/TD-20A-SE and Crown 700 and 800 series decks.
The Tandbergs may be among the best-sounding decks ever made, imo, but parts are extremely scarce and even many experienced techs won't touch them. I surely wouldn't buy one today. But I still have mine that I bought new and it is an extraordinary machine. For service, I rely on Soundsmith.
The Crown decks never quite got audiophile cred. However, I have a Crown 822 series deck that was rebuilt by John Haines of Jemah Services and he brought it to a new level. Like the Technics and unlike the Tandberg, the Crowns are easily serviced by a competent tech and they are very, very reliable. Getting parts has never been a problem.