Akai GX-266D - What difference does it make?

fiream773

These go to "11"...
Hello, AKers & welcome to my 1st thread here. I found AK by googling info on my R2R and decided to sign up. Not at all new to audio gear or open reels - I used to work in radio then jumped into broadcast production so made my living on Otari MX-5050 2-tracks for years back in the day...

Fast Forward 15 years >> Around 2000, my best friend called me with news that a co-worker who was retiring & moving south had a garage full of vintage audio stuff he was looking to get rid of - FREE. He wasn't moving it and if it wasn't gone when he was ready to head south it was going in the dumpster. We hot-footed it over there and cleaned out that garage - took about everything but his car. From that haul most equipment has been long-since traded, sold or discarded. What remains is this Akai GX-266D:

DSCF9105.jpg


Fast Forward 13 years >> I have spent the past two years setting up my dream systems now that I finally have my own man-cave. I have a commercial audio/video editing PC (Ion Studio) connected to a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 firewire I/O interface that converts analog signals from a vintage Technics SU-9070 flat preamp. I have my SL-1015 b'cast TT, Tascam 112R cassette & a Pioneer PD-M630 cd changer connected and am planning on going through my Teac 8-track recorder and the Akai R2R and integrating them into this system so I may record to & from any format - analog or digital.

I'm seeking opinions from you seasoned R2R guys & gals on the Akai deck. From what I've read, it's a good (not great) unit but the glass heads are a weak point. I have hooked it up and tried to play it to no avail. The motor does turn, but I cannot get it to rewind or FF. It does try to play in the forward direction, but the take up reel won't run and the brake keeps me from manually spinning it. Likewise, the RH reel does try to turn counter-clockwise in FF mode, but it stresses the tape as it can't overcome the resistance of the supply reel (can't tell if the brake is on or the motor is supplying too much resistance). I'm willing to pop the case open for a home clean & lube, but I've never been inside one of these things and may do more harm that good...

Given that mine was a freebie that didn't likely enjoy a pampered life, my concern is cost vs. performance. Free things can easily become much more expensive than things bought from a trusted source. I've followed a couple of links from AK (reeltoreelguys.com was one) and had a bit of sticker shock at the cost to refurbish. I have a decent local stereo fix-it shop who could probably get it going for under $200, but he's not the type who knows the shortcomings specific to Akai decks nor will he be one to use caps, etc., that enhance fidelity. Likewise, if there is an AK member within traveling distance willing to look at it (fee or free), I'm willing to travel and/or barter.

Went longer than I intended - thanks for reading. If I can get this thing running, I'd love to participate in the AK tape swap - looks awesome! :music:
 
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People are going to disagree with me here, but I consider the glass heads to be a strong point. They aren't immune to problems as they were touted to be, but they are absolutely, hands down, no contest the longest wearing heads around. There's no comparison. If they aren't cracked they last forever for all intents and purposes.


I would definately fix that machine. It is very pretty! I would encourage you to work on it but Akais are notoriously nasty to work on, so I'd say maybe hold off until you have a TEAC or two under your belt. You could pop the cover to see if the problem is mechanical (Akai mechanics are great, easy to fix. It's the electrical that's awful).

If you don't wind up fixing it I'd buy it.
 
Thanks for the reply and the advice. After I posted this, I found another thread that said the Akai 'tronics are easy (recapping at least, diagnostics are another issue). I guess like the heads, there's opinions both ways. As far as the physical condition of the deck, the pic hides a lot of the scars. It came from a garage and looks it. I wiped the dust & grit off of it, but it is covered with scuffs & scratches. Nothing that some emery cloth & spraypaint wouldn't improve, though. The head cover did get whacked at some point and has lost one of its legs so it's very flimsy.

Since this was a freebie and it's problems seem mechanical, I'm tempted to open it up and do some housecleaning. I'm sure there are ways to break it worse, but I'm pretty mechanically adept so I think I could handle the mechanics. I would prefer to leave the 'tronics to someone who knows what they're doing - if for no other reason than I've had it plugged in recently & I'd hate to discharge a 300V cap with my zygoma! I at least know that much.

How would I go about inspecting the heads for damage? Are they genuine glass as in mirror glass? Would any cracks be fairly evident to the naked eye or under light magnification?

I found there's plenty of hate out there for the glass heads, but not much justification for it. I'm open for debate before I get this thing operational & fall in love with them.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond and if I do opt to go another direction, iloveamps has 1st dibs...
 
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Wow, you sure don't see that model often. I thought I was the only one who disliked the glass GX heads that Akai started putting on all their machines. They do wear well but IMO it's not worth the crosstalk issues they seem to have (hearing the bass notes from side 2 of a 1/4 track tape backwards as you listen to side one).

Usually the biggest issue with the AKAI machines is the transistors used in them (namely 2SC458). They seem to have a high failure rate causing noise and other issues. There are some very good modern subs for that one, do a search if your machine is loaded with them and buy a bunch. Probably a good idea to change them all out or at least all of them on a board if you have a problem with it.

Good luck with it, and welcome to AK!
 
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Recapping usually isn't too bad if the electronics are modular. If they aren't, it's just as bad as troubleshooting them. Don't worry about PS caps- they likely have bleed resistors on them and they aren't that big anyway.

Shine a flashlight at the heads and inspect them closely. Of course, they need to be clean to do this.

audiojones, I'm confused about your claims of crosstalk. It sounds like the heads on the machine you were listening to were out of adjustment. I've never had that problem. The glass heads do have a slightly different sound (which I like), but I've never heard of electrical problems with them in terms of separating tracks.

I'm currently restoring a 370D, which has had the crap played out of it. The heads still look fantastic, and even with the moving head design, I've heard no crosstalk out of it either from factory tapes or ones that I have made.
 
audiojones, I'm confused about your claims of crosstalk. It sounds like the heads on the machine you were listening to were out of adjustment. I've never had that problem. The glass heads do have a slightly different sound (which I like), but I've never heard of electrical problems with them in terms of separating tracks.

Nope, not a head alignment issue unless the 8 or 9 GX loaded open reel machines I've owned since the 80's and the dozens that have been through here for repairs are all out of alignment with themselves. It may not bother some folks but the thumping bass from side two bleeding through in the background of quiet passages on side one bothers the hell out of me so I no longer use them and in fact have gotten rid of them. Still have a number of non-GX Akai models and none of them have that issue to the extent that the GX models seem to, nor do my current TEACS, Pioneers, Sonys or even the Dokorders (of course the latter has other issues). Didn't have that issue with the ReVox or Tandberg machines that I used to have either, just the GX loaded Akai's. Not a popular subject, so I don't usually comment on it and will probably regret doing so.
 
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I have never had a problem with the GX heads or crosstalk. It appears that the only thing wrong with your deck is the brake is stuck. It was in a garage, maybe something is rusted, or it could simply be grease that is gummed up. It could also be an electronic problem. There will be a solenoid that pulls the brake off; maybe the solenoid isn't being activated or it's stuck. Open it up and see; you have nothing to lose. The solenoid operated Akai decks are very good machines and capable of excellent performance.
 
...I don't usually comment on it and will probably regret doing so.

I have been so impressed with AK thus far on users disagreeing/debating respectfully. I have spent time on a couple other forums (not audio related) and am amazed at how ugly and narrow-minded some people are. audiojones, you stated your opinion then backed it up with your experience - the perfect way to do it. When I made the comment that there are a lot of GX haters but not much justification, that's what I meant - "They suck!" "Why?" "Because they suck, that's why!" :no:

Alright, decision made. I'm going to open her up and check operation of mechanical bits and take it from there. I fully expect there to be problems with the amp section so I'll evaluate when/if I can the get the transport to reliably drag tape across the heads.

So, step 2 - does anybody have a scanned GX-266D service manual and/or operator's manual they'd be willing to share/sell?

Questions:

Head alignment - I won't ask for specifics here (should be detailed in service manual), but I welcome advice here. Can/should head adjustment be done by ear? Does this require specific measuring tools to do? I'm experienced enough to know to make adjustments in small increments and document so I can get things back to square one should I royally screw something up.

Tape bias - The deck has a two-position switch ("Low Noise" and "Full Range") plus a pot to tweak bias. I have an N.O.S. reel of Quantegy 406 which I would use, but as this is pretty high end tape, I am clueless about setting bias. Would this be full range tape? Without the manual or advice from an experienced tech, I would adjust by ear by monitoring the playback head during recording. Is this an acceptable method or an I headed down a dark path...:nono:

Again, thanks to all for your input. I welcome any & all experience good & bad with Akai GX decks. As I have no opinion on these at this point, it will be interesting to see what my experience is...
 
Questions:

Head alignment - I won't ask for specifics here (should be detailed in service manual), but I welcome advice here. Can/should head adjustment be done by ear? Does this require specific measuring tools to do? I'm experienced enough to know to make adjustments in small increments and document so I can get things back to square one should I royally screw something up.

Tape bias - The deck has a two-position switch ("Low Noise" and "Full Range") plus a pot to tweak bias. I have an N.O.S. reel of Quantegy 406 which I would use, but as this is pretty high end tape, I am clueless about setting bias. Would this be full range tape? Without the manual or advice from an experienced tech, I would adjust by ear by monitoring the playback head during recording. Is this an acceptable method or an I headed down a dark path...:nono:

Again, thanks to all for your input. I welcome any & all experience good & bad with Akai GX decks. As I have no opinion on these at this point, it will be interesting to see what my experience is...


1. You need a alignment tape for the tape you will be using to record, and specific instructions.

2. In the manual it should list the tapes available back in the day and just set it to the recommendation depending on what tape you will use. If you go to the trouble of alignment of the heads with the alignment tape, adjust the bias to that specific tape formula and don't mess with it again. Don't ask me how, I am just repeating things I have heard about here.

You really need to read up, or have someone do the entire process that knows what he/she is doing.
 
Don't touch the heads- the chance that they need to be adjusted is slim.

To answer your question, the difference in tone is very slight, but the GX heads seem to sound a little warmer to me. Now that I'm thinking about this, it's more likely to be the circuitry that's adding the color than the heads. There's only one way to find out if you like them or not. :D


audiojones, I frequently listen through headphones and even then I don't hear any crosstalk during normal listening. If I crank the volume in between songs, I can just ever so slightly hear some. Were you using good tape? How hot were you recording? I suppose I could see that happening if you were really driving the tape hot, but I really haven't experienced that. I also don't tend to make tapes of dubstep with "thumping bass". As such, I'm respectfully disagreeing with you.
 
Akai did an excellent job at the factory of aligning heads. If no one has mucked with it you shouldn't have to touch it. The alignment tape mentioned is to set up the playback head alignment and the playback level and equalization. The level and eq can drift as the deck ages so you may need to do this adjustment. You need a BRAND NEW alignment tape to adjust playback EQ, because the highs drop off with age even though the tape is not used. MRL is the place to get these tapes. For now concentrate on getting her moving. Make a test recording and switch back and forth from source to tape. If you can't hear a difference, you're done.
I would suspect that 406 tape to stick to the heads. I had one do that and I am pretty sure it was one of the Quantegy tapes. Quantegy claimed that they fixed the sticky shed problem but I am not so sure. Let us know if that tape is ok, a lot of folks would like to know.
 
I would suspect that 406 tape to stick to the heads. I had one do that and I am pretty sure it was one of the Quantegy tapes. Quantegy claimed that they fixed the sticky shed problem but I am not so sure. Let us know if that tape is ok, a lot of folks would like to know.

Good to know. I probably have old stuff that's junk then - I would assume it's date-coded, but this reel is probably 10 years old...

Man am I living in the dark ages. I admit I haven't recorded on any tape (cassette, reel or otherwise) in many years, but I looked at blank tape on eBay and got quite a shock. $20+ for a single blank CrO2 60-minute Sony...?!?!? I still have 2 sealed Maxell XL-IIS 90 min brick packs that are now 15 years old. Maybe I should put them on eBay with a $400 reserve... :jawdrop:

Back on topic (yes, I'm getting ahead of myself), what 1/4 tape are each of you running and where are you buying it?

Also, thought of another question - do the Akais rely on sensor tape to trigger the reversing mechanism? I just bought some figuring I can use it to fix 8 tracks anyway...

Thanks again to all for sharing your knowledge!
 
audiojones, I frequently listen through headphones and even then I don't hear any crosstalk during normal listening. If I crank the volume in between songs, I can just ever so slightly hear some. Were you using good tape? How hot were you recording? I suppose I could see that happening if you were really driving the tape hot, but I really haven't experienced that. I also don't tend to make tapes of dubstep with "thumping bass". As such, I'm respectfully disagreeing with you.

Don't know what dubstep is but I generally listen to Jazz and progressive rock/fusion these days, maybe more mainstream rock stuff 20+ years ago when I first noticed it. Recordings are at the proper volume and bias for the respective tape formulations and set in accordance with the manuals that came with the machines over the years, and some are factory recordings.

I suppose it depends on what type of music one listens to and how low the frequency of the system it is being played on goes. Through headphones or a pair of small bookshelf speakers it probably wouldn't be very obvious, but through a pair of AR3a's, KLH Fives or any of the other speakers that I've owned over the years (which tend to have very deep bass response) it is quite noticeable and very irritating. Most tape decks do this to a degree but IME none as much as the GX loaded Akais that I have owned.

I agree that they are very well built (especially the solenoid operated models like the OP's machine), that they are very nice looking, that the GX heads wear extremely well and that they sound very good with terrific frequency response. However, I have experienced this problem time and time again with every one of that particular design and after doing side by side comparisons with other machines the difference is quite obvious (to me anyway). Therefore I don't a GX anymore although they do still show up here for repairs on occasion (usually bad 2SC458's or mechanical issues).
 
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Good to know. I probably have old stuff that's junk then - I would assume it's date-coded, but this reel is probably 10 years old...

Man am I living in the dark ages. I admit I haven't recorded on any tape (cassette, reel or otherwise) in many years, but I looked at blank tape on eBay and got quite a shock. $20+ for a single blank CrO2 60-minute Sony...?!?!? I still have 2 sealed Maxell XL-IIS 90 min brick packs that are now 15 years old. Maybe I should put them on eBay with a $400 reserve... :jawdrop:

Back on topic (yes, I'm getting ahead of myself), what 1/4 tape are each of you running and where are you buying it?

Also, thought of another question - do the Akais rely on sensor tape to trigger the reversing mechanism? I just bought some figuring I can use it to fix 8 tracks anyway...

Thanks again to all for sharing your knowledge!

I use Maxell UD, and XL, Scotch 207, and TDK (any are good.) I think the Akais do use sensing foil for autoreverse.
 
Akai's DO use sensing foil. I'm not sure about the 266D but the 370D it goes on the outer side of the tape. I've noticed that on my Akai's that were Auto reversing, they had the sensor Just past the Pinch Roller. But on my TEAC's it's on the Left side right before the head cover.

Larry
 
OK - it's on the bench with all of the outer panels removed. Inside is relatively clean considering it was in a musty garage when I got it. Horizontal surfaces all have a thin layer of dust. I'm open to any suggestions on removing the dust - my thought is to use a soft bristle brush dry followed by compressed air.

Solenoids are not frozen or stuck, but I can't see any evidence of them being lubed. I imagine a little goes a long way here and would appreciate a recommendation on what product to use.

I did find a schematic on hifiengine and recruited a knowledgeable friend to help dignose the 'tronics and recap. All here have agreed that 2SC458's are problematic - anybody want to wade into the water and recommend a quality replacement?

Thanks again for all the help - taking my time, here...
 
i have the exact same model. been debating on what to do with it. the more i read the more i'm leaning towards keeping it.
 
2 replacement transistors I've used inthe past. One is hard to find(meaning not at mouser anymore), the other isn't. 2sc2240 I think Digikey has it still.
and KSC1845 is at mouser. about .06 ea.


Soft bristle brush and a vacuum would work better. That way you don't have dust all over the house/garage/etc. Solenoids DO NOT get lubricated. The link they connect to does. Look for old grease and get it all out. Then a light smear of White Lithium grease should be sufficient. Oil Bushings and bearings, but any sliding connections get greased.

Just replace the 2sc458's, and any SUZUKI oil in Paper caps. I use either Cornell Dublier DME in close quarters or Orange drops where it's open. Test after each board repairs. The Suzuki's are usually /1uf by 250 or 400V. Use at least 400V caps. The noise floor should drop thru the basement just replacing the 2sc458's. On the 2sc2240's the basing is exactly reverse of the 2sc458 the 458. Get the Datasheet for which ever transistor you do get and compare it with the 458. Flat facing you and go left to right.

the oil in paper caps and the mylar replacements are NON POLAR so they have no + and no -. So you can put them in either way.

Any adjustments you do to the heads require an alignment tape. DO NOT use your ear. Like Dr Audio said AKAI did a damn good job of setting them up from the factory. You CAN take Voltage measurements of the motors and the braking resistors and adjust them according to the manual. Note, the The supply wheel will want to turn in the opposite direction, which is how you get tape tension. How much depends on the motor and the setting on the braking resistor. The brakes should either have individual solenoid actuated brake bands or a central solenoid with a linkage to the bands. The brakes don't actuate except to stop the motor/reel. The motor takes tension and IIRC then goes full tilt boogie in that direction when stop is requested for a few milliseconds until the brakes are applied. This keeps the tape on the reel instead of bunched up on the floor at your feet.

Larry

Larry
 
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