What is a good starter RTR?

Rob Thomas

Active Member
What would be a good RTR for someone getting into tape and wanting a RTR that is well built, economical and fairly simple to operate?
 
I'd suggest one of the later Akai 10.5" models. The one pictured in my avatar is a GX-635D. Price varies. I was lucky with mine, probably because the guy who sold it to me thought it was dead. The sound was terrible, but after a good cleaning sounds good.
 
Budget?

I always recommend the Pioneer RT707 to beginners as it is very robust, fairly straight forward to operate and service, easy to find, parts are plentiful, and there are many users to troubleshoot if there are any issues. That said, it is only 7" capable with 7.5IPS max speed. I'd recommend Teac over Akai for similar reasons.
 
Pioneer RT-707 is a popular workhorse, generally regarded as one of the better 7-inch decks. Offers auto-reverse. If you`re playing mostly pre-recorded 7-in. tapes, this might be for you.
The Pioneer RT-1020L is also a very solidly-built deck, offering the ability to play 10 1/2-inch reels (also plays back 4-channel Discrete tapes).
No auto reverse.

I have both of the above in my vintage Pioneer system, love `em both !
 
TEAC A-2300SX would be my recommendation. Once the pinch roller linkage and (sometimes) the belt are tended to they are extremely reliable machines, very well designed for the task at hand if you plan on really using it.

Pioneer RT-707 and 701 are very good machines and fit into tight spaces however personally I do not like their button layout (all buttons same size and shape, too close together) or the time delay between functions, a real PITA if you are actually using it to do a lot of recording involving shuttling the tape back and forth.
 
If you are serious about tapes then go for one of the top and popular decks such as akai gx-646, gx-636, gx-635, teac x1000r, x2000r, revox a-77b or pioneer rt-909. Gx-646 and teac offer EE tapes recording. If you want a 2 track semi-professional deck offering 15ips then revox pr99mk3 or 2, teax x1000m or x2000m or two track revox77. These are the most popular and easier to get parts although usually these come from dimantled decks.

cheers,
 
well built, economical and fairly simple to operate?

My vote would be TEAC 7" reel 2300S/2300SX/2300SR (auto reverse) or 10.5" reel 3300S/3300SX. Earlier 7" versions like 1230/1250 (auto reverse) and 10" 3300 are good too but have a lever based transport which is still all electric and interesting to operate but the reels lack twist locks and need rubber caps to retain them.

These mid-70's era models are super solid, simple and reliable...they just work after essential service due to their age. I am biased having grown up with these though...
 
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If you are serious about tapes then go for one of the top and popular decks such as akai gx-646, gx-636, gx-635, teac x1000r, x2000r, revox a-77b or pioneer rt-909. Gx-646 and teac offer EE tapes recording. If you want a 2 track semi-professional deck offering 15ips then revox pr99mk3 or 2, teax x1000m or x2000m or two track revox77. These are the most popular and easier to get parts although usually these come from dimantled decks.

cheers,

Akais not recommended. Crummy support in the USA is a big reason why. That company never stocked parts in the USA save for warranty machines. That was when the Akais were new. And late last of the line "Looks Decks" like your Akai last models, the Teac X 1000R and X 2000R, and their 1/2 track M equivalents are extremely overpriced relative to their real world performance. EE is an obsolete format, and was no better than high end conventional tape, and not desirable. For a 1/2 track, Otari's MX 5050 B II is a very recommended choice, durable, reliable, and great performance. ReVox A and B 77 recommended and PR 99 likewise, parts still easy to get, support still very much alive. Teac's A series 3 motor machines are very good, only recently has the parts been discontinued. Crown's 700 and 800 machines are superb, and Chuck Ziska still supports them.
 
TEAC A-2300SX would be my recommendation. Once the pinch roller linkage and (sometimes) the belt are tended to they are extremely reliable machines, very well designed for the task at hand if you plan on really using it.

Amen. If you can find one, the A-2300SR is the same but adds auto-reverse.
 
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Otari MX-5050BII if recording in 2 track is ok.

These decks are nearly bullet proof, have all the bias and level adjustments right on the front panel as well as a built in tone oscillator. This means you can thread a tape, ANY tape, and adjust the deck to it without test gear or ever removing the covers.

They can run at 3 speeds and also play back 1/4 track tapes.

They generally need less work to bring up to snuff than any other deck on the list.

The 5050 IS a good first deck because of the "swiss army knife" utility and robustness.
However, only if you plan to record in 2 track, as this is a pro machine.

And they made tons of them, so parts are a non issue.
 
My first R2R was a Teac A-1500W, a cheap entry level deck, and now that I have the technical service manual and have been able to adjust the mechanicals correctly it sounds amazing, definitely better then any record I've been able to compare to factory recorded tapes. IMHO, you can do quite well for very little money or you can get marginally better performance by spending quite a lot. I also have both of the Pioneer 1020s, the H and the L, and sure they sound better, but not by much. The big advantage of more expensive decks is versatility, but if you are like me and listen primarily to late 60s, early 70s R&R a cool little auto reversing deck, mine was built in 1967, is exactly the machine these tapes were intended for.

BTW: I just bought a factory recorded copy of Led Zeppelin II and the Zeppelin LPs are absolutely lame in comparison, even the stupidly overpriced audiophile vinyl!
 
My first R2R was a Teac A-1500W, a cheap entry level deck...

Not to be a stickler but I'd have to disagree with that assessment. The TEAC A-1500W is anything but a cheap entry level deck. It's a very well built heavy duty four head three motor auto reverse deck that was extremely expensive in it's day. It has the same basic high quality transport used in the 4010 series with full carriage drop down / pull up action for the auto-reverse cycle and very decent electronics. As you mentioned they are capable of very fine performance when all dialed in, and they are extremely reliable too.

When I think of cheap entry level deck I think of single motor two head Sony, Akai, Panasonic or similar type of machine with stamped steel frames and pop-riveted linkage assemblies. These machines are basically built with the same quality as the average record changer was back then. Some of them work pretty well for what they are but reliability and build quality usually isn't very high.
 
You are right, the 1500 is a great deck.

Quite a few were sold to Vietnam era G.I.s at the Guam PX and other locations for $80!

BTW: The push on reel holders can be replaced with tight fitting O-rings, I used two on each reel, you could easily add more.
However, I just bought a 3D printer and made replacement reel holders, but the only real downside to the O-ring solution is that they don't last. I was constantly replacing O-rings which would split open without warning and occasionally a reel might come off creating a mess. Using two or more O-rings per reel keeps them on.
 
80 bucks, wow what an unbelievable bargain! I think the majority of 4010 series decks were sold through the Military PX's and AV clubs too. TEAC had some sort of super discount worked out with the military, most other audio and camera companies did too back then.

Over the years I've used rubber stoppers with a hole drilled directly in the center for reel holders which worked quite well (you can get 'em at any hardware store or home center). I've also used thick small diameter O rings as well as a variety of reel holders from bygone days but the spindles on the older model TEAC decks are very short so one has to be creative. I like your 3D printer idea.

I just recently bought a pair of reel holders from a guy in FL. who must have a 3D printer because he offers all kinds of reel holders on fleabay for 10 bucks a set. I decided to try a pair for my one and only deck that's old enough to still use reel holders (the other 15 or so around here all have built in spindle locks) and they work great, they really grip well and they keep their elasticity.
 
I have a Teac A-2300SD that I rather quite like (though need to get hooked up again). Does not appear to be all that cheap on e-bay presently (though cheap is relative).
 
I'm a few weeks ahead of you with my entry into R2Rs. I enjoy restoring old cassette players, but R2Rs just seemed out of my league and I heard they were expensive (and the accessories are). So I looked around a bit and went to a vintage audio store and checked out some AKAIs. My #1 choice was an AKAI, then TEAC. I like those two brands for tape (cassette and 8-Track) so I figured they'd make good R2Rs too. Well, I wasn't too impressed with the sound of the restored ones at this store. One AKAI had built in speakers but they sounded pretty poor, the motors were noisy, and the tapes rubbed on the reels. Not impressed. And they wanted $200 for the cheapest one. I lucked out and a record store offered to unload a TEAC A-1250 S for $20. I grabbed it. I know that model isn't anything special, but for $20 and the opportunity to work on one without breaking an expensive model was ideal. Honestly, pre-recorded tapes at 7 1/2 ips sound awesome. I'd try to get one local and avoid shipping if you can. They are surprisingly heavy.

The TEAC was easy to work on and parts were pretty easy to find (belt). Here's my restoration update:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....hine-ever-restored-pics.780481/#post-10732462
 
Budget?

I always recommend the Pioneer RT707 to beginners as it is very robust, fairly straight forward to operate and service, easy to find, parts are plentiful, and there are many users to troubleshoot if there are any issues. That said, it is only 7" capable with 7.5IPS max speed. I'd recommend Teac over Akai for similar reasons.

Roger THAT. They're built like a tank. (All the 1973 forward Pioneers are.) No cardboard/pressboard backs or sides and this one's direct drive. The counter belt replacement is not an "effortless" job, but it's not really difficult or counter-intuitive. I've had one 707 since '91 and the other since '03 and I've only changed the builts on either once each. Spray the top row of switches with Deoxit every couple of years, keep the heads and pinch rollers clean and it'll likely outlive us all. Best of luck!
 
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