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Technics Reel to Reel

theoman

theoman

Confused Member
Subscriber
I don't see many post on Technics reel to reels? Are they easy to repair? How do they compare to pioneer and otari etc.? Would a technics rs-1500us be a good deck for recording vinyl or playing pre-recorded tapes? Or maybe the other Technics players?
 
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They are good machines. Parts are non-existent though. And it has the same issues as the Otari (half track swallows twice as much tape, if you plan to record using it), but without some of the benefits.
 
goldear said:
They are good machines. Parts are non-existent though. And it has the same issues as the Otari (half track swallows twice as much tape, if you plan to record using it), but without some of the benefits.
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Parts non-existent....do you mean new parts? And with out what benefits?
 
eddisc said:
It has switchable EQ for different types of tape and it's built quite well.
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That is a nice feature, but it is totally different that being able to switch from NAB to IEC standards like the Otaris can.
 
Big reason why they're not discussed too much here is they're priced beyond many budgets now. You are often looking at $800 for a spare parts deck for a RS 1500 nowadays. $800 can get you many a studio machine now which you can even actually get parts for now. The RS 1500 series are great machines in nice order but some boneheaded moves by Panasonic Corporate means lots of valuable spare parts were purged from inventory and destroyed. Now, if you find a nice example at a fair price in superb condition, grab it and cherish it. And these decks have way more demand for than available used supply.
 
Look for an RS-1506 if you want to record 1/4 track stereo. RS-1500 is half track stereo. Both will play either format, but each one only records one format. RS-1520 is a RS-1500 with built in oscillator for bias adjustment and has IEC EQ for playing and recording at 15ips with better signal to noise ratio.

The Otari MX5050 series decks are available in half track stereo, with quarter track playback head, you can also get a four track quad machine, and use it to record in quarter track stereo.

A_L
 
I have a 1500...great deck and I have to admit I bought it to try it out and because it looks cool...At the same time I have a Tascam 3030 and BR-20...and had an Otari 5050MK2...sonically the Technics makes everything sound smooth and pleasent...the Otari had a bump of midrange warmth and had a slightly better defined soundstage. Both Tascams are more straight wire...what goes in is what comes out even if it isn't pretty. My 1500 is fairly low in hours but I am probably going to sell it one of these days because as stated above...parts are scarce:sigh:
 
Has anyone done any dealing with reelprosoundguys.com. The guy talked for a hour then said he had parts for the 1500 and 1506
 
Arnold_Layne said:
Look for an RS-1506 if you want to record 1/4 track stereo. RS-1500 is half track stereo. Both will play either format, but each one only records one format. RS-1520 is a RS-1500 with built in oscillator for bias adjustment and has IEC EQ for playing and recording at 15ips with better signal to noise ratio.

The Otari MX5050 series decks are available in half track stereo, with quarter track playback head, you can also get a four track quad machine, and use it to record in quarter track stereo.

A_L
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I need to clarify something. My Technics is a Model RS 1506 US. They only play back 1/4 track. And that in only one direction. You have to flip the tape. It records 2 track. It is a great machine, records fine in 2 track, and has excellent 4 track playback of tapes made on my Pioneer 707.
 
Zygmo said:
I need to clarify something. My Technics is a Model RS 1506 US. They only play back 1/4 track. And that in only one direction. You have to flip the tape. It records 2 track. It is a great machine, records fine in 2 track, and has excellent 4 track playback of tapes made on my Pioneer 707.
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You have the head stack of a 1500 if yours is recording 1/2track stereo. The head stacks are interchangeable.

A_L
 
Arnold_Layne said:
You have the head stack of a 1500 if yours is recording 1/2track stereo. The head stacks are interchangeable.

A_L
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So, Arnold...you are saying this was done after purchase? Or by the factory? I was just recently thinking about going on these forums and asking if there is a practical way to convert one of these to 4trk record! :D

Of course, if changing the head stack is all there is to it....that would still be a major undertaking, as parts for these machines are made of unobtainium. :sigh:
 
I purchase my 1520 and it was completely rebuilt to the specification that I requested. The machine is outstanding in every way. There are other machines (studio quality) that are worth looking at; Kent could speak more about that, however the Technics 1520 with balance outs is nothing short of a spectacular RTR. These machines are a bite pricey and parts are limited general to those who rebuilt them, but still a nice machine to have in one’s system.:music:
 

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Well, I had some small issues with my 1506US, that turned out to be very small! The heads were slightly out of alignment, even causing me to think it had the 1500 headblock! I checked the numbers, and verified the block was the correct one. Just physically adjusting the heads to the tape made a huge improvement.

My strobe shows the 3 speeds are exactly on. And, this thing even sounds very good in 3 3/4 speed. IF I can find a technician locally who can work on these machines, I may eventually be able to have it professionally tuned. But, it sounds great right now.

As far as value goes...these vary widely on Ebay. I have seen them advertised for as low a $350.00, and as high as $1900.00. Everything works on mine, and it looks very good, so I don't know what it would be worth.

I have the Technics, and a Pioneer 707 in great condition. Really don't know which one I prefer to use. The 1506 takes the big reels, but the Pioneer plays both directions. And, of course...the Pioneer would be much easier to find parts for.

But, IMHO, for quality of build, sound quality, and certainly impressive appearance...the Technics is hard to beat.
 
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