Polk Forum Tapeheads -- how about a dedicated thread for analog tape reproducers?

oldrocker

I would like to add a TEAC to my stuff, I know of a TEAC A 2300 SX, is this worth pursuing from a performance point?

What reviews I could find aren't great nor awfully bad for an entry level deck. Stated it works and is very clean looking.

Thanks All..

mhardy6647

TEACs of that era were quite solid & dependable. That's about all I can say.

oldrocker

I've have heard they are dependable, have an associate that's a big Teac fan. Keeps going on and on about them although he does not have one at the moment.

Think I might pass on this one, just not the "visual" I'm looking for.

boston1450

Solid performers. Just like the old Akai's. I have 2 Teacs & Pioneer RT909 & have owned Akai & Sony's Pioneers. There all good if their working

sucks2beme

I never had r2r, but I did have a nice Akai auto reverse cassette.
I used to put all my albums on tape immediately. I used to
have 3-400 of them all Maxell high bias stuff. I used 90 minute ones,
so an album would fit on each side.

boston1450

^^^^ i still record on cassette & r2r & find it a fun hobbie. I look for new blank cassettes at local Goodwills & Salvation Armys when i can. They come out pretty good

TNHNDYMAN

boston1450 wrote: »

^^^^ i still record on cassette & r2r & find it a fun hobbie. I look for new blank cassettes at local Goodwills & Salvation Armys when i can. They come out pretty good

IF you are looking for some blank cassettes, I have some I could let go for a decent price. Probably more than Goodwill, but cheaper than the bay. By the way did you ever get a chance to listen to that Kennedy assassination tape I sent you on R2R?

erniejade

Does this count?

cnh

erniejade wrote: »

Does this count?

Are those yours? I would have killed to have had one of the larger ones in my Apt. in Grad School in the early '80s!

cnh

oldrocker

I had a few like those way back in the day. Should have kept them as some sell for a few bucks these days...

mhardy6647

half credit for the boom boxes ;- )

oldrocker

Uh oh, been running my 280 D SS for a short while and as a song was playing it just stopped, then went to rewind by itself. I do not need this tonight Its been running perfect since I got it.

mhardy6647

hmm... sounds like, perhaps, a tension (tape tension, not your tension!) issue -- might even be tape-specific...

oldrocker

Thats what I thought. Even though the tapes I've made these new recordings on are, unopened/sealed tapes, they were many years old when I bought this thing. I have noticed "from a visual" the tapes after being played don't seem to be quite rewound back up even. That "made no sense"
You know how a the outer edges of a tape is nice and flush when its wound around the reel, the sides are even and smooth, well after playing and an occasional FF/REW they sometimes appear not consistently winded backup on the reel. I'll get a picture..

oldrocker

Sadly you can't see it to well. But the metal reel always has that "not wound" perfect look of the tape. The plastic reel to the right is always consistent. Sorry for the bad pics..

oldrocker

another one

oldrocker

That's a little better. The tape is just not winding as good as it could. Although, it has not went into rewind by itself again so far.

boston1450

TNHNDYMAN wrote: »

boston1450 wrote: »

^^^^ i still record on cassette & r2r & find it a fun hobbie. I look for new blank cassettes at local Goodwills & Salvation Armys when i can. They come out pretty good

IF you are looking for some blank cassettes, I have some I could let go for a decent price. Probably more than Goodwill, but cheaper than the bay. By the way did you ever get a chance to listen to that Kennedy assassination tape I sent you on R2R?

I listened to all of them the Teac r2r gets used often.....i have tons of blank new cassettes. Thank you for the offer. I have been picking them up for years. I have cassettes from the 70's i bough back in the day when cd wasnt around. Packrat as the Mrs's says. Im a tape junky

boston1450

oldrocker wrote: »

Sadly you can't see it to well. But the metal reel always has that "not wound" perfect look of the tape. The plastic reel to the right is always consistent. Sorry for the bad pics..

Is it slightly bent? Maybe someone sat something on it. The metal ones can easily be bent & not noticable to the eye. With the metal one-place it on & FF it & try looking to see if its straight & sitting on it properly. Just a though

oldrocker

Spot on, I switched to a plastic reel and no problems. The metal appears to be off ever so slightly..Phew, back to normal now...

boston1450

Easy fix. Phew..... Awhile back I stopped by a local Goodwill one day to look at LP's & what are those-haul a$$ n grabbed 5-6 10inch metal take up reels. All for 1.99. Oh yeah. All seem to be ok. But i could be in the same situation when i do use them.

oldrocker

I am happy. I hope the one's you picked up are all '"straight & perfect." I do prefer the look of the metal ones spinning.

The last stop I made at a similar place, I picked up a Kenwood KA 208 for $3.99. The screws and various parts are worth it. On another note "Harvey" the rabbit deep in that hole seems to have thrown a lasso on me over this RTR thing..

mhardy6647

You (all) probably know this already -- but the fast wind modes on a reel to reel deck don't pack the tape very evenly -- at all -- on the reel. Consequently, the (ahem) "best practice" (I hate that term... but it fits here!) is to 'slow wind' (i.e., to "play") a tape onto its reel when you're finished listening to it and are preparing to put it away for storage. There are practical (as opposed to aesthetic) reasons for this, too -- a poorly packed reel of tape runs the risk of cyclic noise on playback after storage due to (for example) regions of self-erasure on the tape where it was (shall we say) too tightly wound.

... or something like that :-P

Guess we all need a second deck for "tape packing"... ;- )

boston1450

Thanks Mark-Ken-others. Mark i didnt know that. As you know im new to r2r also. I learn alot by the info & tips i read wherever. Im sure we all Appreciate any/all advice

[Deleted User]

In fact many tapes are stored "tail out" meaning that once the tape has played from left to right the tape is left in the played position. To play the tape it is first rewound from right to left and then played. This is done so that the print through (caused by one magnetic layer causing a slight magnetizing of the nearby layers) would be a following echo rather than a "pre-echo" which is more noticeable. On tape that are stored this way I place a small paper dot (they can be found a stationery stores) on the upper right hand corner of the inside of the tape box. This tells me I have to place the tape on the right platter instead of the left and rewind it first.
This practice also insures a very smooth even "pancake" since it is slowly wound during play.

oldrocker

Yes THANKS guys. Great info. So glad this thread was started!!!

mhardy6647

I have high hopes for this thread ;- )

Mr. Swauger is an outstanding "taper" resource; Ken, thanks for your contributions!

erniejade

Sorry to come back late on this. Yes. They are mine. I had a lot more but since I got married a couple of years ago I am down to 35 of them... and I also had 7 jukeboxes. Im down to 4.

mhardy6647

I have a friend in MA who collects jukeboxes -- but his are of the ancient variety, playing 10" 78 rpm records and equipped with push-pull 2A3 amplifiers :- )

erniejade

I do have a 1955 Seeburg J. and a 1963 160 that are tube unit The 2 bottom left have 8-track on them. @mhardy6647 does that get me more then 1/2 credit LOL.