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Advent 201 tapedeck: Is good for a modern setup?

I just came across an Advent 201 in good working condition. It's famous for being the first true Hi-Fi tapedeck (an ancestor of the Nakamichi Dragon somehow), and some people even say that it "blows away" modern tape decks.

While it has a good reputation, I have doubts that it's suitable for my non-vintage setup. I do not have a tube amp, so having the sought-after Hi-Fi analog sound is probably not possible.

The #1 use of this deck will be to transfer my collection of old demo cassettes to digital archives. I want maximum playback quality, even if the tapes were dubbed on bad equipment or pro-duplicated at a cheap factory. It's possible that vintage equipment might not be right for the source or destination material. Any thoughts on this?

How would the playback quality compare to a modern tapedeck? This is the original 1971 design. While it supposedly has high-quality heads and a great drive mechanism, how might it compare to a 3-head Nakamichi for example? I expect that I will only need the included Dolby-B noise reduction since C tends to screw up DIY recordings in my experience.

(Stupid question: On multi-head tape decks, how many heads are used for playback?)

Either way, I think I'm gonna buy a copied manual to calibrate it properly. Before this, I was seeking out a Nakamichi and I'm really wondering if I'd be any better off. I like to learn as much as I can about audio, so I'd appreciate any input.
demogorgod4cc

Showing 1 response by rockvirgo

rockvirgo
587 posts
 
See
http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~mleone/gdead/taping-guide/part1.html
for a good outline on choosing a tape deck.

To transfer your old tapes ideally you'd want whatever was used to record them originally. Nakamichi decks may not suit you because their head gaps are different than other decks and Naks use a lifter to displace the tape's pressure pad. Tape traders (dead heads) talk lots about compatibility. Search a little and you'll find more than you ever wanted to know about vintage taping and reproduction.
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