Reel to Reel Machine for 15 ips playback


Looking for recommendations on a reel to reel machine for 15 ips tape.  I'm new to reel to reel so mainly looking for reliability and ease of use.  Mainly concerned with playback no recording right now.  

Mara machine?

Refurbished Ampex or Studer?

chauncey

Consider a restored Studer A810 from http://www.reeltoreelhaven.com/

The Otari MX series are very nice, but the differences c/w Studer in sound, build, and transport are evident. It’s a B quality versus A quality comparison. 
 

 

  I have a Studer A810 for sale.  Has not been serviced but it records and plays back. Good condition.   

@mikelavigne

What kind of budget would you expect to find a used ATR-102 both in good to excellent condition?  Also does AK have a website for his hot rodded units?  What kind of budget should I expect to spend on a hot rodded unit?

 

 

@chauncey

not exactly sure where the price a high quality 'stock' used ATR-102 starts, my guess is the $15k-$25k range. to know it’s high quality you need a reliable source.

for reference a nice Studer A-820 is likely in the $30k-$60k range for comparison purposes. i know since i just sold 3 of them.

a hot rodded ATR-102 likely is ’more’. but it is really the way to go long term. and justifies your investment in great tapes. here is a link to a post with some ’AK’ contact info. there is no website. if the link does not work it’s post #39 on that WBF thread.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/ak-hot-rodded-ampex-atr-102s-w-mr-70-preamps-replaces-my-studers.36288/page-2#post-852391

 

@chauncey

I currently have an Ampex ATR-102 and two Studers in my system. I have owned many of the highly regarded Prosumer machines capable of of playing back newly released tapes such as the Technics RS-1520, Tascam BR20, Otari MX5050B2, Revox PR-99, B-77, Pioneer, Teacs, etc. before I settled on what I have now.

While it’s nice to have a master recorder, we all don’t have the space or the means to keep and maintain a large machine of this caliber. It’s okay to start with a nice Prosumer machine (Studer A810, 807) that’s fully gone over, they are excellent and enough to experience the joy of tape and easier/less costly to maintain. These machines hold their value well so if you plan to upgrade, there’s minimal loss to you. You may realize that a Studer A810 is good enough that upgrading is unnecessary. Just a thought.