Reel to reel

The last few days have caused me to reorient my entire line of thinking; I had planned to upgrade my rig with a Koetsu Urushi cartridge and a Herron Phono pre when funds were available, but that's a lot of money.

Honestly folks, those funds may never be available, but now, I'm no longer lusting for those components because I found an audio equivalent; 15 IPS CD's, and the only expense is the tape.

Anyone considering a R2R should first find out if they can get it worked on, should it need repair, and if parts are available.

If they're going to get it refurbished, ask about capacitors and transistors; they won't cost much more if the unit isn't too hard to work on.

Once all of that is done, you will have almost a new R2R for less than the original price, and cost a fraction of a new one.

 @benjie how about it lol! I asked a couple questions in between and gone blown right past lmao! It’s all good though!

@inna it would probably be beneficial to have someone close to you do any work on your deck if possible. Prior to my finding someone local to me who works on Paul Stubblebine's decks I bought a Pelican case for my Otari to protect it during shipping. It's important that the large power transformer remain secure because if it breaks off it will most likely result in additional internal damage. As far as recommendations, Soren Witt in Chicago serviced my Otari and I did my own upgrades using parts supplied by Athan Corporation. John French is great as well. For Revox I would suggest Arian Jansen from Sonorus Audio who has rebuilt/upgraded many an A-77 and B-77, and knows his way around Studer decks as well.

After a lot of research, I just purchased a beautifully restored/refurbed Otari MX5050Bii2 from a gentleman known as Professor Audio on Reverb. His work is superb and the Otari now trumps my Technics RS1506 (needs a complete refurb including caps) and my consumer grade TEAC X-1000R in appearance, sound, and functionality. Mr. Walls also provides lifetime technical assistance when you purchase one of his Decks. In addition, he will take the time to talk you through a basic calibration if the need arises for your deck if you have the desire to learn how to DIY. He specializes in refurbishing and repairing Otari’s and is passionate about the brand, but he may have expertise with other brands as well. But he has been doing rtr repair and refurbishment for over 4 decades and certainly has the experience. If you need more info, please PM me. If there is a way to post pictures here, please tell me and I will post of few of the professional pictures he sent me upon completion of the deck before the sale.
If you reach out to him, tell him gusser recommended him via the AG forum. :)