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7" reel to reel deck suggestions?

hippo008

hippo008

New Member
I am new to this area of audio and I dont really know where to look, theres so many options its hard to sift through which ones are worth the money. I am pretty handy and have experience repairing & calibrating cassette decks. Id prefer to get a unit that needs some repair because I plan to do a full rebuild anyways. I like the 7" formfactor over the 10" decks. I find that I dont need the extra recording time of the 10" reels of tape and I have a large stock of NOS 7" tapes. I currently have a Teac A-6300 and its pretty big, I am hoping to find something much smaller.

I am looking for a 1/4 track 2 channel deck that has auto-reverse and solenoid / IC controls. It would be nice to have reverse record too. I have been leaning toward the Akai GX series of decks because of their long lasting glass heads, however I have heard very positive things about the Teac A- series as well.

Ive been looking into the Akai GX-266 II, Akai GX-270D and the Teac X-700R

What decks should I be looking into? Any advice appreciated :)
 
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Just my $0.02 here but I would highly suggest either a Pioneer RT-707 or RT-701 (no reverse play) and they are built like TANKS!

The best investment for your $ for a 7" reel to reel tape deck and can be had at a very reasonable price (money wise). Easy to use and easy maintenance and parts are still readily available.

The only other 7" reel to reel tape deck that I would recommend would be a Technics 777 that is only if you are willing to spend big $$$ for one.

Never have actually had one, would like one, but way to costly for me. Though I strongly suspect that if they are built anything like the larger 10" Technics RS- series tape decks then I'd bet money that it is right up there (maybe even better?) with the Pioneer RT-707 class.
Technics 777 reel to reel.jpg

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Currently there is one for sale on Ebay but the price!!!!!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1653823643...MIyfHu9ubz9gIV0zY4Ch37ewAOEAQYBSABEgJUNvD_BwE

Lastly.....stay away from Akai 7" reel to reel tape decks.
 
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I appreciate the input.

I have a few questions, what's so fantastic about the RT-707? What are reasonable 2022 prices for one in OK shape?

What's wrong with Akai decks?

I think I should mention I am no "audiophile". I'm not a super discerning listener, I'm just looking to have some fun and enjoy my tapes. My Teac has seemingly aged very well, should I avoid Teac decks too?
 
If you want a great deck, consider a Teac. They May not be the sexiest out there, but they PERFORM. Teac made (and sold) a ton of R2Rs in the 70s, and for good reason, high quality and durability. I’ve got 5-6 R2Rs, but my daily drivers are all Teac. Love my A-4010, it’s a brute!
 
OBMG74 said:
Pioneer RT-707!
Great deck, small footprint.
No reverse record though. Is there such a thing?
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I think I'm calling it by the wrong name. There's a feature by which you can record from what normally would be the takeup reel to the supply reel, the "B" side of the tape as it were, instead of having to flip the tape to record on the remaining tracks.
 
Not a thing wrong with any of the decks you mentioned @hippo008. When I was shopping for my 707 it was more the form factor and performance that drove me to purchase mine. I'm the original owner of the one I pictured. It has served me well all these years, even working after sitting thru the child raising years back in the late '80's early '90's. One thing to keep in mind is that bi-directional recording capability increases the complexity of the deck and the costs involved in fixing it if needed. The only thing that doesn't work on my deck is the tape counter and I've been able to live without that for quite a few years now without any detriment to my listening pleasure.
 
The X-7R can be a great machine, however one needs to be aware of a couple of issues these decks have; first the capstan motor tends to be "fragile" in these R2R machines and has been known to need servicing or replacing. They are expensive. Next, there can be issues with fast winding; as the tape fills up on the reel taking up the tape, the speeds of the motors drop off and can nearly come to a stop. One needs to clean the commutators in the motors if that occurs. Also, supply voltages to the motors in fast-wind mode "can" be an issue. I'm not certain as to what the voltages in fast-wind should be, and am hoping for an answer to this question. Otherwise, if you can find a clean, working example of the X-7R, it IS a great tape deck.
 
Old Ears too said:
.....The only thing that doesn't work on my deck is the tape counter and I've been able to live without that for quite a few years now without any detriment to my listening pleasure.
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That is a quick easy fix on an RT-707.

All that's really involved is getting a new "Counter Timer Belt" and just taking the time to remove the old one and replacing it with the new one.

But hey if you can live without it....that's your choice.

At one time I owned a total of (4) four RT-707's. Now I'm just down to two (2) sold the other two.
 
I've had Teac A-4300SX, wish I would have kept it, when I bought it from the original owner a few years ago. All I had to do was clean and lube the pinch roll arm pivot. But the 4300 is about the same size as your A-6300. I now have an A-2300SD, a little smaller, but no auto-reverse, sounds very good.. The A-2300SR is basically the same deck with auto-reverse.

The one I gave away and really wish I would have kept is an Akai GX-77. I think it was the last R-T-R deck Akai made.
At the time I had just sold my A-4300SX and didn't really want a R-T-R. I found the GX-77 at a yard sale for $10. The owner plugged it in and the transport worked, however I don't know how it sounds.
I called the guy I had just sold the A-4300SX to and he said he'd take it for whatever I paid. This one plays and records in both directions.
 
I'm looking for something more compact like the Sony TC-640 I'm working on. The 707 certainly has that in spades. There's a TEAC A-2300SR that seems nice and compact near me in mint shape, the guy wants $250 for it, a far cry for the $1200 for a 707. There was a 707 near me with a rusty case but the guy was asking $800 for it, way more than I'm willing to spend on a rusty reel to reel.

I guess here's what it really boils down to, are there any decks/brands I should specifically avoid?
 
I bet you would like the Teac 2300. (I have a 3340S, that series of decks was solid.) One budget model to look for is the Akai 4000DS series. Some people report that the "potmetal" transport levers break, but mine has been fine. In fact it's been bulletproof.

IMG_20220402_213538_1.jpg

I also have a 707, but there are many decks that would fit your needs.
 
If you want to get into R2R tape for little money the Teac 1200 or 1500 or the Akai 230 machines can be found for less than $100. They are easy to work on and can sound really good. If you find that you like the sound of tape and don't mind a little maintenance then you can spend the big $$ for one of the more expensive machines. The pioneer 707 or 717 isn't really a sound upgrade from the ones I mentioned but you'll spend 5 times more for it. You can find the Pioneer 1020H for around the price of the 717 and it can make a much better tape.
 
OBMG74 said:
From posts here on AK , Dokorder would be good to avoid.
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Yes. I bought a Dokorder 8140 in nearly new condition, cheap, less than a year ago, but there was a personal connection. My "basement tapes" deck ages ago, me on guitar overdubbing, was a 7140. I later used it to play factory recorded tapes and put a lot of miles on it. It broke down more than once. Don't buy one.

The 8140 presently works well but will see only limited use to remind me of those days.

IMG_20220403_134528_1.jpg
 
Thanks for the advice everybody.

After reading through your advice I want to avoid decks with motor/head problems. I'm happy taking apart equipment and and working on them, that's part of the fun for me. I want to avoid big costly repairs as much as I can though and for that reason I'm steering clear of decks with known issues. I don't want to buy a nice deck, enjoy it, then have a $300 motor suddenly die on me. Im also very nervous about head wear, it seems like heads are *very* expensive and rare for most machines so it's important to me to find something with very nice heads.

I'm leaning toward the Akai GX-270 or Teac A-2300SR. Both seem to be reasonably priced and available in good condition. I'm hoping to sell my Teac A-6300 and use that money to purchase either the Teac or the Akai.

The Pioneer RT-707 looks great but I can't find one in decent shape for reasonable prices. Every one I've found within a few hundred miles has deep grooves in its heads and the seller wants $1000+. I don't want to purchase a 707 just to find out a new set of heads is $600 and I'll need calibration tapes.
 
R-2-R said:
That is a quick easy fix on an RT-707.

All that's really involved is getting a new "Counter Timer Belt" and just taking the time to remove the old one and replacing it with the new one.

But hey if you can live without it....that's your choice.

At one time I owned a total of (4) four RT-707's. Now I'm just down to two (2) sold the other two.
Click to expand...
That's what I've read about the repair.
I'm just an old guy who has let FEAR [False Expectations Appear Real] keep me from taking the plunge to try and fix it.
 
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