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Which Deck?

Red Stick

Red Stick

Well-Known Member
I have a chance to pick up a reel to reel deck, but there are several to chose from. I have not seen any of them yet, but I am told that they are all in good to excellent condition. I will be able to see them before a purchase is made.

They have several decks, and I am looking for some opinions on them.

Teac A3340, 4010SL, 4010
Akai GX-225, GX-255D
Pioneer RT-1020H

Assuming that the condition of these decks is about equal, any of these jump out as an obvious choice or as one to stay away from?

Thanks
 
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Those are all good decks, and as far as I know none of them have any major quirks. The A3340 is a 4 track deck that accepts 10.5" reels, and it may have the 7 1/2 and 15 ips speed option which means that you won't be able to play your 3 3/4 ips tapes on it.

The 4010 and 4010sl are old time versions of the A4300 7" reel 4 head auto reverse units. You need reel holders for the tape reels as those models predate the quick lock spindles, the frequency response is not quite as good and there are lots of interconnecting cables due to separate amplifier sections that can be troublesome, but if they're working then they are good machines.

The Pioneer RT-1020H is a very well built 10.5" reel machine and predates the RT-909. Super build quality, ac driven motors, reliable and does 3 3/4 and 7 1/2 ips speeds. That might be the one you want if the prices on all of the decks you listed are pretty close due to it's versatility with the speeds and reel sizes.

I had an AKAI GX-225, it was ok but had some noisy transistor issues and the build (while good) wasn't quite up to the standard set by the Pioneer or the Teacs. IMHO the A3340 (if the speeds aren't an issue) or the RT-1020H are the winners.
 
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OOPS - my apologies, I was thinking of the 1020L - the 1020H is indeed a high speed machine. :yes:
 
Thanks

I think I'll see what kind of price I can get on the Pioneer. Hopefully he doesn't want to get rich quick :D.
 
It depends what you are looking for, as the Pioneer is a 2-track most common tapes will not play correctly, you are aware of that part right ?
 
Teac A3340S, out of all of those...easiest to get parts for, and they sound quite nice.
 
Not really David, it depends what purpose he is looking for.
Teac 3340 has 7-1/2 and 15 speed. (multi-track model)
Teac 4010SL, 4010 = 4-track, 2 channel stereo at 3-3/4 and 7-1/2 speed.

Akai GX-225, GX-255D = 4-track, 2 channel stereo at 3-3/4 and 7-1/2.

Pioneer RT-1020H = 2-track model, Speed: 7-1/2 and 15.

Both Akai's I would stay clear from if you not a "tinker" and can repair.

Before you buy check heads and test all functions, good idea is bringing tape mic and head-phones. :)
 
Well, if he is looking to just start recording from scratch, then the A3340S should be fine for both stereo and multitrack recordings, as it can handle both.

if he wants to play back tapes he already has, speed becomes important here. Didn't realize that the Pio was a 2T model, and that would be a nice deck to have....but a bit specialized for most people's uses.
 
Good point on the two track. I don't have any recorded tapes right now. I've been looking for an open reel deck for a while, just more as a something that I would like to have, rather than need to have. Then I happened across someone with a few decks they were selling, so I thought I would check them out.

I think I will buzz over to the other forum and see if I can get an idea of what kind of offer to make.

Thanks
 
You're on the wrong track!

Vintage TX said:
Pioneer RT-1020H = 2-track model, Speed: 7-1/2 and 15.
Click to expand...

Not exactlly :D

The Pioneer RT-1020H is a 7.5/15 ips 1/4 track machine with 4-channel playback capability. It has 4 playback amplifiers, and if you pick the correct 2 channels, you can use it to playback 1/2 track tapes as well. IMHO, it is a most versatile deck.

The Pioneer RT-1050 was a 7.5/13 ips 1/2 track machine.

Check out this link.


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd167/winnabowflash/PioneerRTRscan.jpg?t=1260319529
 
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70salesguy said:
Not exactlly :D

The Pioneer RT-1020H is a 7.5/15 ips 1/4 track machine with 4-channel playback capability. It has 4 playback amplifiers, and if you pick the correct 2 channels, you can use it to playback 1/2 track tapes as well. IMHO, it is a most versatile deck.

The Pioneer RT-1050 was a 7.5/13 ips 1/2 track machine.

Check out this link.


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd167/winnabowflash/PioneerRTRscan.jpg?t=1260319529
Click to expand...

are you sure it isn't a 2 track deck with an extra 4track pb head ?
 
another important factor in these old machines, is how do you get parts if something breaks - that said, i would strongly suggest some research on ebay or similar places to check if parts is few and very expensive, another important factor is that the deck is known, so that if you run into problems, someone might be able to help, and you are able to find manuals and guides for restoration....
I love Studer/Revox mainly because, you can have a beaten used deck, and bring it up to spec by buying new boards on the bay or just following some of the many guides...
So consider this - I am sure all of the above listed decks will play absolutely fine if they are cared for and up to spec - but you never know... and it would be a shame if you ended up with a machine that you are never going to enjoy!
and even if they are good in condition now - you never know how they work in 5 years, and then it would be a shame to not being able to source parts.

so research a bit, and I think you will find the answer - Btw: you are a lucky dude, those decks are mighty fine ones!

best regards
Soren Iversen
 
Spare parts is alway one issue to have in mind on r2r decks, because most of them are oldies.

from the list of decks, this thread started with :
Teac A3340, 4010SL, 4010 / Akai GX-225, GX-255D / Pioneer RT-1020H

i would go for the Teac A3340 - becuase it's a good deck, and you can find spareparts. furthermore 3340 is a very versatile deck.

The Akai's are troublesome, because parts are gone, unless a donor deck is available (allthough there are a few websites carrying some parts) - and the mentioned two decks may suffer from the Akai bad transistor syndrome

The real outsider is the Pioneer - could be a very expensive doorstopper
 
I believe (and I stand to be corrected) both the RT-1020L & RT-1020H are four track (1/4 inch), 2 or 4 channel machines. The only difference between the two is the L model is 3 3/4 and 7.5 ips and the H model is 7.5 and 15 ips.

The RT-1050 is a two track machine (7.5 & 15 ips) which means you can only play one side of the tape.

Again...I stand to be corrected.

Link:
http://www.silverpioneer.netfirms.com/reel2reel.htm


By the way I have the 1020H and love it. Sounds fabulous and is a workhorse. Built to last!

Make sure whichever machine you decide on that it has been serviced fairly recently. I never knew this but ask the seller what kind of tape the machine has been calibrated for.

Good luck with your purchase.
 
Not to sidetrack this thread - I'm having trouble in understanding the meaning of running 4track and 15 Ips. well, better start a new thread for that issue :)

Please post there, and keep this thread on topic
 
the_nines said:
I believe (and I stand to be corrected) both the RT-1020L & RT-1020H are four track (1/4 inch), 2 or 4 channel machines. The only difference between the two is the L model is 3 3/4 and 7.5 ips and the H model is 7.5 and 15 ips.

The RT-1050 is a two track machine (7.5 & 15 ips) which means you can only play one side of the tape.

Again...I stand to be corrected.

Link:
http://www.silverpioneer.netfirms.com/reel2reel.htm


By the way I have the 1020H and love it. Sounds fabulous and is a workhorse. Built to last!
Click to expand...

Yes, you are correct.

As I posted earlier, the only difference between the RT-1020L and the RT-1020H is the speed. The L-model is 3.75/7.5 ips and the H-model is 7.5/15 ips. They are both 1/4 track and have 4-channel playback capability.

The RT-1050 is a 1/2 track machine at 7.5/15ips. The entire width of the tape will be used on one pass in one direction.
 
jan_stevns said:
Not to sidetrack this thread - I'm having trouble in understanding the meaning of running 4track and 15 Ips. well, better start a new thread for that issue :)

Please post there, and keep this thread on topic
Click to expand...

4 track is actually 1/4 track. The machine records each channel on 1/4 of the tape. The standard configuration for "home" machines is 1/4 track stereo. 2 of the 4 tracks are laid down on each pass. It records 2 tracks (each 1/16 of an inch wide)on the first pass, and when the tape is either "flipped over" or reversed as on an auto-reverse deck, the other 2 tracks are recorded.

A 1/2 track machine uses 1/2 of the tape (1/8 inch) for each channel. As a result, the entire width of the tape is used on a single pass when recording 2 channels.

The 15 ips speed provides slightly better frequency response on most machines, but mostly provides greater "headroom" for recording when recording live.

The Pioneer RT-1050 was designed for "live" recording. The 1/2 track configuration and 7.5/15 ips speed means that more tape is used to record the same signal. 15 ips is twice as much tape in a second (15 inches) as opposed to 7.5 ips (7.5 inches). In addition, the 1/2 track format means 1/2 of the tape width was used (1/8 inch per track) as opposed to 1/4 track (1/16 inch per track). The use of more tape reduces the chance of tape overload with wide dynamics or a very strong (hot) signal.

The available tape area for signal recorded for one second on a 15 ips 1/2 track machine is 3.75 square inches as opposed to .9375 square inches with a 1/4 track machine at 7.5 ips!
 
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