First pre recorded tape

[audiocrzy]

Decided to get my first ever pre recorded tape to play on my newly acquired Akai GX4000D ( recent estate sale find for $5) reel to reel. Looking on Ebay I was blown away by the prices pre recorded tapes are selling for especially anything in the classic rock arena. I found a Glen Campbell Witchata Lineman tape that was sort of in my price range so I bought it. I’ve always liked him and let’s not forget he was in the Wrecking Crew.

Tape came today and it’s a good one but will probably be the extent of my pre recorded tape purchases unless some real bargain comes along.

 

[ic-racer]

I probably only bought 2 or 3 tapes. The quality was so bad that it always made more sense to me to buy the record and make my own tapes. Years later, these home made tapes have preserved the LP better than the LP has fared over the years and sound great. The pre-recorded tapes still sound like crap.

 

[Legrace]

Nice score on the deck. Too bad the estate sale didn’t also include tapes.I’ve shopped the auction site a bunch of times for prerecorded stuff and the crap to price ratio never ceases to amaze me.

 

[MRL_Audio]

You can find good deals from time to time but you need to be diligent about looking. I’ve accumulated a decent collection over the years this way.

 

[titanstats]

I probably only bought 2 or 3 tapes. The quality was so bad that it always made more sense to me to buy the record and make my own tapes. Years later, these home made tapes have preserved the LP better than the LP has fared over the years and sound great. The pre-recorded tapes still sound like crap.

Probably depends on the tapes you're playing and what your deck is set up for. 3.75ips tapes are by and large mediocre, it's really not a hifi RTR setting. 7.5ips tapes whether ½ track or ¼ track mostly sound incredible; I've built up a smallish decent library and some of the tapes in it are the best sources I've ever heard. Late 50s/early 60s ½ track tapes in particular have amazing fidelity.

 

[62vauxhall]

The only pre-recorded open reel tape I ever bought (for $5 before they became trendy) was Rod Stewart - Smiler.

Sounds excellent until half way through and then it starts squealing. Tape going through tape path squealing not from the speakers squealing.

 

[infullview]

I probably only bought 2 or 3 tapes. The quality was so bad that it always made more sense to me to buy the record and make my own tapes. Years later, these home made tapes have preserved the LP better than the LP has fared over the years and sound great. The pre-recorded tapes still sound like crap.

I've been buying Scotch 203 that had been recorded back in the late 60's early 70's. At first I though I would bulk erase and record my own mixes, but after listening to a few of them I was astounded; they sounded like they were recorded yesterday. Imagine 50's era music without any clicks or pops. Probably most of these records were new when they were recorded. The only detracting thing you can hear is the slight rumble of an idler drive turntable between songs.

 

[aamed96]

Hello guys
I have recently acquired an Akai GX747 stored in a room for 20 years it plays but it misses the high frequency maybe this from my tapes cause they are very old (bright brown color). In addition recording is very week so I have to turn all the line nop to max and the recording also misses the high frequency. I tried to check the PCB voltage in the preamp section all readings are higher. than the schematics with a 1% and this seems reasonable due to the resistors and caps age. However in left channel the 2SC458 is reading much lower than the right channel. Is there any notes or advices to overcome these or I have to go all the way and change everything (resistors and caps)

I have replaced the 2SC458s with new ones and. it is the same, I tried. with new 2240 and it is the same. The noise in the Oscilloscope is like a white noise in recording mode around 80k to 100k hz with both monitoring line and tape
Also the bar meter is disfunctioning in both line and tape mode.

thanks

 

[infullview]

The noise in the Oscilloscope is like a white noise in recording mode around 80k to 100k hz with both monitoring line and tape

That noise is probably the record bias oscillator which is normally around 85KHz. If you are not in record mode then you need to look at the relays or switches that activate the bias.

 

[aamed96]

Thanks I am new to this platform do you know how to overcome this noise ?

 

[infullview]

Thanks I am new to this platform do you know how to overcome this noise ?

Where do you have the OScope attached? The only place you should see an 85KHz signal is on the record head during record, or on the erase head during record. You should not see this signal on any of the line outs.

 

[BushmasterM4]

I was lucky enough to grab a **** ton of tape before the prices went ski high. Been lucky with all my factory recorded tapes. Have some Zep, Doors, Alice Cooper, Sabbath, Hendrix, etc.. All sound descent and in great shape. Plus I picked up around 300 consumer recorded tapes throughout the years. Which I bulked erased. All in great shape. But I listen mainly to vinyl. Thought about getting rid of them, but they dont eat anything. But Glen Campbell is a monster of a guitar player. Watch some of his videos on YouTube. Especially those with him and Roy Clark.

 

[oldvinyldude]

I became interested in the differences in pre recorded R2R tapes vs vinyl. I found a Herb Albert album tape and found a serviceable vinyl copy (had that album (Whipped Cream), when I used to ask Mom to play in on the "Hi-Fi"), but had pay a whole dollar for a copy for the comparison.

Was the album better, or was the tape?

Only conclusion I reached: They were different, but I could not say which was better-just different.

Based on my very limited testing, and my refusal to pay going rates for pre recorded tapes of popular titles, I will continue to record needle drops at 7.5ips. Good enough for me.

 

[Bone Yard]

Prerecorded RTR Tapes have always been a hard find, I haven't seen any in years and even back then they were still scarce. When I was a kid my impression was that most people used RTR to record other media, store that, and then use the RTR for daily listening. My breakdown of found RTR tapes over the years is; lots of NOS, a bunch of recorded blanks and then a few prerecorded. I used to see NOS all of the time up here.

Records were always the top of the hill, you could record them on RTR or compact cassette and give out copies. Back then blank tape prices were pretty high, maybe 20-40% of an album, it was rare for anyone to buy prerecorded music on all formats. That might make an interesting photo thread, post your albums in as many formats as you have.

 

[RickB]

I bought a bunch of prerecorded tapes up to about 15 years ago when prices started going sky high...I tried to stay away from 3-3/4 and concentrated on 7-1/2 ips instead...the best I have are the Barclay Crocker tapes recorded at slow speeds with Dolby NR, excellent fidelity through my Teac X-700R and Teac dolby adapter.