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Reel to reel

I’m entertaining the idea of purchasing a reel to reel to record my albums on and also use to possibly soften the digital age a bit. Does anyone know where or if NEW blank tapes can be purchased? Are there any thoughts on a resurgence of R2R and if blank media will become more easily accessible?
luvrockin
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

In regard to the playback being better than the LP from the TT; that does seem impossible; the funny thing is, I just enjoyed it without ever thinking about it, but now that this fact is being questioned, I'm forced to think about it.

There have been many threads here about "phono-preamps". The signal from the cartridge; is that the original before it reaches the phono-pre? How many times have you read how tremendously one phono pre improved the sound over another?

On playback, the magnetic signal on the tape is the same as the signal from the cartridge that goes to the phono-preamp ,  If phono-preamps make such a difference, why not the internal amp in the reel; those amps would make the same difference as phono-preamps.
cleeds
6,582 posts
 
orpheus10
In regard to the playback being better than the LP from the TT; that does seem impossible; the funny thing is, I just enjoyed it without ever thinking about it, but now that this fact is being questioned, I'm forced to think about it.
That's fine. And it's fine if you prefer an LP tape dub to the LP itself. That's a legitimate preference. It's only an issue when someone states that the dub is technically superior to the LP itself.
On playback, the magnetic signal on the tape is the same as the signal from the cartridge that goes to the phono-preamp
No it isn't. The tape is made from the output of the phono preamp. It cannot recreate information lost between the LP and the phono preamp output. But again, that doesn't mean that you can't prefer the dub to the LP.
gusser
23 posts
 
Orpheus10.  Will do on contacting Pioneer for parts for refurbishing my RS-1506.  Thanks.
gusser
Post removed 
cleeds
6,582 posts
 
benjie

Why do you think there is information lost between the LP and the phono preamp?
Using a test record and distortion analyzer, it can easily be shown that different phono preamps have varying degrees of success in retrieving what’s on an LP. And of course, no phono preamp is perfect - even the best of them add some noise and some distortion, as shown on even manufacturer’s specs.

No phono cartridge is perfect, either.
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