Greetings, everyone!
New to the forum, but not entirely new to the hobby. Years ago I used to have a reel-to-reel machine, then had a long break from the hobby. Recently while talking to the kids about the old times and how we used to record music, swap tapes, enjoy the music and love our gear, I somehow got into the nostalgic moment and ... fast-forwarding a few days ... all of a sudden I am sitting and looking now at the Pioneer RT-707. The R2R machine I used to have before, was a lot simpler and way less advanced than this fantastic beast. Love the way it looks and I am working on getting to love how it sounds. Sorry for the long intro.
The machine's basic functionality seems to be ok, but there are a few minor (hopefully) issues.
Issues:
Line control pots: when adjusting the line-level during a test recording, I noticed the crackling sound when touching the control pot. I read a few threads here where guys are saying they cleaned the control pots. Can someone give me an idea of how these pots can be cleaned? And whether the crackling sound can be remedied by cleaning. If there is a good thread where this procedure is described, I will greatly appreciate it if you point me in that direction.
Recording mode Right channel switch (located above the right channel VU meter): at times it does not engage. I had to repeatedly press it a few times to make it work. So, it looks like it also needs cleaning or replacing??? Again, any suggestions are welcome.
Recording Levels mismatched (possibly related to the above issues): during the test recording of a live stereo stream of a local FM station, I noticed that the left channel is being recorded at a much higher level than the right one. The right channel VU meter was barely moving. I had to adjust the channel balance all the way to the right to make the channels more or less similar in terms of levels. I noticed that the previous owner maxed out the right channel output level pot on the back of the machine, possibly mitigating the low recording level issue.
Questions:
Tape Counter belt is not present. I saw some belts on eBay, and the sellers listed them to work on RT-707. Is this the best source for belts these days or would you suggest a better store to buy them from?
Tape Types: I got a few old tapes with the machine from different brands and types. Is there a rule of thumb on which types of magnetic tape to use on RT-707? I need to figure out whether I can use the ones I have or would be better off throwing them out. Here are the ones I have now:
Ampex 341
Audiotape Formula 10 (made by Audio Devices)
Scotch 150-549
Sony PR-150
Sony Super 150 (S7-180)
Sony Super A (A7-180)
(all except Audiotape tapes are used, the Audiotape boxes look to be sealed and new).
I have a few more questions, but I am afraid I already stuffed my first post with too many issues as is. I will leave those for future posts.
Thank you, gentlemen, in advance for your time to read and respond!
New to the forum, but not entirely new to the hobby. Years ago I used to have a reel-to-reel machine, then had a long break from the hobby. Recently while talking to the kids about the old times and how we used to record music, swap tapes, enjoy the music and love our gear, I somehow got into the nostalgic moment and ... fast-forwarding a few days ... all of a sudden I am sitting and looking now at the Pioneer RT-707. The R2R machine I used to have before, was a lot simpler and way less advanced than this fantastic beast. Love the way it looks and I am working on getting to love how it sounds. Sorry for the long intro.
The machine's basic functionality seems to be ok, but there are a few minor (hopefully) issues.
Issues:
Line control pots: when adjusting the line-level during a test recording, I noticed the crackling sound when touching the control pot. I read a few threads here where guys are saying they cleaned the control pots. Can someone give me an idea of how these pots can be cleaned? And whether the crackling sound can be remedied by cleaning. If there is a good thread where this procedure is described, I will greatly appreciate it if you point me in that direction.
Recording mode Right channel switch (located above the right channel VU meter): at times it does not engage. I had to repeatedly press it a few times to make it work. So, it looks like it also needs cleaning or replacing??? Again, any suggestions are welcome.
Recording Levels mismatched (possibly related to the above issues): during the test recording of a live stereo stream of a local FM station, I noticed that the left channel is being recorded at a much higher level than the right one. The right channel VU meter was barely moving. I had to adjust the channel balance all the way to the right to make the channels more or less similar in terms of levels. I noticed that the previous owner maxed out the right channel output level pot on the back of the machine, possibly mitigating the low recording level issue.
Questions:
Tape Counter belt is not present. I saw some belts on eBay, and the sellers listed them to work on RT-707. Is this the best source for belts these days or would you suggest a better store to buy them from?
Tape Types: I got a few old tapes with the machine from different brands and types. Is there a rule of thumb on which types of magnetic tape to use on RT-707? I need to figure out whether I can use the ones I have or would be better off throwing them out. Here are the ones I have now:
Ampex 341
Audiotape Formula 10 (made by Audio Devices)
Scotch 150-549
Sony PR-150
Sony Super 150 (S7-180)
Sony Super A (A7-180)
(all except Audiotape tapes are used, the Audiotape boxes look to be sealed and new).
I have a few more questions, but I am afraid I already stuffed my first post with too many issues as is. I will leave those for future posts.
Thank you, gentlemen, in advance for your time to read and respond!
