![]() Remember to make sure there's one with the machine! When playing without the adapter, it resides on a post under the head cover. While certainly easy to use, there is one insufferable quirk in the '4K – to change the speed, you need to screw and unscrew an adapter that changes the diameter of the drive pillar that rotates the pinch roller. The Akai GX-4000D uses no belts, only idler wheels which are becoming difficult to find, though aftermarket, generic wheels could save a machine. 7in spools-only, from £100 for a beater, to £350 for a near-minter, up to £500 boxed and cherished, or over a grand for one so mint that you'd swear it was new-old-stock. This is one of the best basic decks I can think of: plentiful, rugged, serviceable and relatively gentle on your tapes. But concerned? That's because prices are escalating like used Rolexes. I'm delighted because it might inspire manufacturers mooting the production of new machines to speed up their development. One last thought: I've been assembling this list over the past six months, and – vigilant as I am in following the market – I'm both delighted and concerned about the growth in the 'R2R Revival'. Here's my list of safe buys for those who want to savour open-reel tape, and what you can expect to pay. ![]() And why alphabetical? Because I don't want to start a run on a given machine – eBay gets enough action from me. I purposely avoided ex-studio/broadcast machines, heavy-duty professional gear like 800-Series Studers, because they are either scarily expensive, often worn-out because of true workhorse usage during their lifetimes, or both. The provisos – with one or two exceptions, which I've noted – are that all the machines are of ¼-track format, not ½-track professional stuff.Īll of these will play 3¾ips and 7½ips pre-recorded tapes, all can handle 7in spools (or 10in spools if so indicated) and all are domestic or at their most elevated, part of the grey area we call 'semi-pro', like the Otari MX5050. Here, then, in alphabetical order, are my 'Top 10 Used Open-Reel Tape Decks'. ![]() I've also been fielding questions from many of you about what used reel-to-reel deck to buy and – unless you have Ballfinger money – the choices are all secondhand.ĭefault decks soon emerge, because the world is awash with Akais and Sonys at affordable prices, but I realised that you lot are more ambitious. In that case, it was inspired by a show about a guy who buys cars cheap and then flips them after a rebuild. Recently, I've also taken to making imaginary lists, triggered by something external, eg, which ten vintage cars would I buy if I won the Lotto. Either that, or you finally built your Lego Millennium Falcon. Raise your hands, all of you who thought, 'What the heck, let's A/B some Toslink cables'. I imagine all of you are finding yourselves with more time to exploit the joys that our sound systems were created to provide, and to indulge in tweaking and experimenting. Indeed, I pride myself in not being unaware of the components which 99.99% of hi-fi users own.Įven more of an opportunity to get back to my reel-to-reel roots has presented itself through the current self-isolation situation. We examine our fair share of reasonably-priced kit at HFN, if not quite rock-bottom items like £99-per-pair speakers. It's not as if I am totally divorced from 'real world' gear. A slap upside my head came from reviewing the Quad Vena II Play amplifier, EAT's B-Sharp turntable, the MoFi phono stage, and other affordable products this year they proved to be a much-needed reality-check. Having lost myself in open-reel, I was losing touch. There are no current decks being produced besides the Ballfinger at £15,000+, brand new pre-recorded tapes start at £200, blanks ain't cheap for those who want to record their own music, and buying vintage pre-recorded tapes requires a sort of fortitude akin to driving in the London-to-Brighton veteran automobile rally. While it's true I am obsessed with open-reel tape, I am constantly reminded – not least via our postbag – that 'getting back into tape' is costly for both hardware and software. Ken Kessler brings you his guide to the best secondhand buys.
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