Which Tape Project tape has spent the most time on your deck?

[TomR]

For me, and for absolutely no reason, the tape I have played the most has been Blackjack David, followed by Creek Bank and Jacqui Naylor. Now....I had a couple of problems with my RS1520 - the first was tape scrape, which was fixed by the use of a spacer, and the second was channel loss, which with some fiddling is now fixed (and there is an embarrassing story associated as well - you will have to liquor me up to hear it) so the tapes weren't spending as much time being played as they should have.....but now, I am having a great timewith them. Listening to Blackjack David right now, and the sound is so effortless-that's the best way to describe it, I think.

This is fun stuff. Looking forward to hearing more.

[jcmusic]

Hi Tom,
I'll say this at first there was such a long time in between tapes getting to me, that the ones I got early on spent the most time on my deck. Since then I try to play them all an equal amount of time, but (Waltz For Debbie) gets a little more play as does (Sonny Rollins) because I use them as a reference tape for my system and demos.

Jay

[mikel]

it's a tie between Exotic Dances and the Albeniz-Suite Espanola.....they are both so dynamic and involving. 'Waltz' had been a 'first choice' demo disc for so many years in 45rpm vinyl that i sorta don't seem to choose it often even though it is wonderfull and the one (from the first series) i'm most connected with.

i suspect that going forward The Staple Singers will take their places as the most played as it is just a perfect recording of such compelling music. it just overwhelms your senses and takes your breath away in my system.

OTOH the demo tape i heard in Philip O'Hanlon's room at RMAF showed just how good 'The Sermon' and the 'Coltrane-Burrell' will be.......so stay tuned.

[ironbut]

My heavy spinning list is pretty similar to Toms. Blackjack David and Jacqui Naylor have seen the most action for sure but the Dave Alvin and Arnold Overtures have always been a favorite for demos (just at demos, both tape A's have probably been played close to 200 times). Waltz and Sax Colossus are huge personal favorites and are worth the cost of the first series by themselves.
I also listen to the Robert Cray quite a bit.

I think that the classical titles would be seeing more action but with all the work, testing and comparisons of the Dolby units I've been building, I get all the classical listening I need from the Barclay-Crockers. So when I reach for a TP tape, it's usually not classical (at this moment in time).

[JoeG]

it's a tie between Exotic Dances and the Albeniz-Suite Espanola.....they are both so dynamic and involving. 'Waltz' had been a 'first choice' demo disc for so many years in 45rpm vinyl that i sorta don't seem to choose it often even though it is wonderfull and the one (from the first series) i'm most connected with.

i suspect that going forward The Staple Singers will take their places as the most played as it is just a perfect recording of such compelling music. it just overwhelms your senses and takes your breath away in my system.

OTOH the demo tape i heard in Philip O'Hanlon's room at RMAF showed just how good 'The Sermon' and the 'Coltrane-Burrell' will be.......so stay tuned.

The "Exotic Dances" and "Suite Espanola" have been getting the most spin on my system as well. They truly do represent what I consider to be demo/reference level recordings of the highest order.

"Waltz for Debbie" gets a lot of play too, but with my Walker TT/Allnic H3000/Verito Z playback setup reproducing "Waltz" at 45 rpm the differences are more shades of grey and a little too tough to call a fave.

I expect to get the High-Rez files of "Exotic Dances" and put it to the test with the tape shortly.

[MylesAstor]

The "Exotic Dances" and "Suite Espanola" have been getting the most spin on my system as well. They truly do represent what I consider to be demo/reference level recordings of the highest order.

"Waltz for Debbie" gets a lot of play too, but with my Walker TT/Allnic H3000/Verito Z playback setup reproducing "Waltz" at 45 rpm the differences are more shades of grey and a little too tough to call a fave.

I expect to get the High-Rez files of "Exotic Dances" and put it to the test with the tape shortly.
[/quote]

Joe:

You really need to get the Bottlehead Repro to make a fair [esp pricewise] comparison between the LP and tape! I've done both with a tube rolled Repro vs the cj GAT/TEA 1bc combo and a VPI Reference Superscoutmaster (sitting on a Silent Running Audio base atop the Silent Running Audio Craz rack) with either the Air Tight PC-1 or Titan i cartridges -- and as good as the lp is, the tape is far, far better. And having had both, the Repro is far, far better than the Seduction. No comparison, esp. after substituting some NOS Tele EF86s or 806S and amperex E188CC/7308. Plus theres a ton more gain with the Repro that makes the tapes a lot quieter sounding.

Myles

[ironbut]

Myles is right on the button as far as the improvements that can be had from upgrading to one Doc's Repro Amps. Really a big step up from the Seduction which will probably never be beaten as far as an incredible bargain goes (in the audiophile world at least).
I consider the Seduction to be an entry level piece of gear and enjoyed one for a while. The gain thing was a real problem in my systems.

I also agree with Myles regarding tube selection. The TFK 806s and an Amperex 7308 of your favorite flavor make the classical selections sound the best I've heard.

I've posted elsewhere that an excellent alternative tube set is a pair of GEC 4085's and a nice quiet Amperex Bugle Boy 6dj8 (I bought a lot of 16 and weeded out the quietest ones). The 6dj8 will raise the noise floor a bit but with this tube set, jazz, rock and pop is fantastic.
To get back to the original posting, with this tube set, Blackjack David's Abeline will just melt you in your tracks. The guitars being strum in each channel are so real sounding and their texture blends so seamlessly you can just about taste it! It is quite simply,.. magical!

It would seem that "magic" is a pretty fragile commodity though. One wrong move in set up and it's gone. But, as long as nobody steals my copy of the Dave Alvin tape, I can get it back and all is right again.
The same can be said for the intimacy of the Jacqui Naylor tape. As soon as I move to the control room side of the glass, I know something ain't right.

I guess that's one of the side benefits of these tapes. Since I've have them as a reference, my pals seem to think that I'm some kinda "set-up" genius (which I certainly don't profess to be)! I can still hear the textures and definition of the first time I heard the Naylor tape on the studio's monitors (Paul's Magico/Bottlehead/Bag End set up). It pretty much set the bar for me. And considering that it was when they were preparing the first running master, I don't think it's very likely that I'll forget it any time soon.

[JoeG]

The "Exotic Dances" and "Suite Espanola" have been getting the most spin on my system as well. They truly do represent what I consider to be demo/reference level recordings of the highest order.

"Waltz for Debbie" gets a lot of play too, but with my Walker TT/Allnic H3000/Verito Z playback setup reproducing "Waltz" at 45 rpm the differences are more shades of grey and a little too tough to call a fave.

I expect to get the High-Rez files of "Exotic Dances" and put it to the test with the tape shortly.

Joe:

You really need to get the Bottlehead Repro to make a fair [esp pricewise] comparison between the LP and tape! I've done both with a tube rolled Repro vs the cj GAT/TEA 1bc combo and a VPI Reference Superscoutmaster (sitting on a Silent Running Audio base atop the Silent Running Audio Craz rack) with either the Air Tight PC-1 or Titan i cartridges -- and as good as the lp is, the tape is far, far better. And having had both, the Repro is far, far better than the Seduction. No comparison, esp. after substituting some NOS Tele EF86s or 806S and amperex E188CC/7308. Plus theres a ton more gain with the Repro that makes the tapes a lot quieter sounding.

Myles
[/quote]

Myles:
Your right, of course. I really do need to go with the Repro. One of my complaints with the Seduction, as good as it is, has been issues with gain. I have been spending resources optimizing my vinyl playback. All things considered, 2500.00 worth of reel playback hardware, giving a vinyl rig somewhere north of 50K a run for its money, sure says a lot about the software, wouldn't you say?

I gotta talk to Doc about a Repro.

Joe

[MylesAstor]

Joe:

You won't be disappointed :)

Now, Doc, where's my commission check :)

Oh, and you'll see my top picks in a soon to be published piece on PFO. Am really trying to get the article edited but the piece keeps getting longer and longer.


Myles

[MylesAstor]

Myles is right on the button as far as the improvements that can be had from upgrading to one Doc's Repro Amps. Really a big step up from the Seduction which will probably never be beaten as far as an incredible bargain goes (in the audiophile world at least).
I consider the Seduction to be an entry level piece of gear and enjoyed one for a while. The gain thing was a real problem in my systems.

I also agree with Myles regarding tube selection. The TFK 806s and an Amperex 7308 of your favorite flavor make the classical selections sound the best I've heard.

I've posted elsewhere that an excellent alternative tube set is a pair of GEC 4085's and a nice quiet Amperex Bugle Boy 6dj8 (I bought a lot of 16 and weeded out the quietest ones). The 6dj8 will raise the noise floor a bit but with this tube set, jazz, rock and pop is fantastic.
To get back to the original posting, with this tube set, Blackjack David's Abeline will just melt you in your tracks. The guitars being strum in each channel are so real sounding and their texture blends so seamlessly you can just about taste it! It is quite simply,.. magical!

It would seem that "magic" is a pretty fragile commodity though. One wrong move in set up and it's gone. But, as long as nobody steals my copy of the Dave Alvin tape, I can get it back and all is right again.
The same can be said for the intimacy of the Jacqui Naylor tape. As soon as I move to the control room side of the glass, I know something ain't right.

I guess that's one of the side benefits of these tapes. Since I've have them as a reference, my pals seem to think that I'm some kinda "set-up" genius (which I certainly don't profess to be)! I can still hear the textures and definition of the first time I heard the Naylor tape on the studio's monitors (Paul's Magico/Bottlehead/Bag End set up). It pretty much set the bar for me. And considering that it was when they were preparing the first running master, I don't think it's very likely that I'll forget it any time soon.

Steve:

Just picked up a pair of 4085s to try out. Also missed out on a Z729-wanted to wait til got paid tomorrow-but someone snapped them up after I saw them last night. Oh well....

You're right on the money with the Naylor tape-that some people have criticized-and left me wondering if there's an incompatibility somewhere in their systems or variation in playback from R2R. The first thing my gf heard and commented upon when I put the 7308s in, was the textures and nuances in her voice that were missing before. It also fills in some of her upper registers too.

Myles

Myles

[ironbut]

As far as I know, the 4085 are a military select version of the Z729's. They can generally be had for half the price of a pair of the TFK ef806s'.

For any of you guys in the market for a pair of the TFK 806s's, the prices are all over the place. I kinda stocked up on them a while back and I think they've gone up a little since then, but having a little patience can save you a considerable amount of dough. Generally, they range from $200 a pair to $350. I even saw a pair with a "buy it now" price of $700! The last two pairs I saw went for around $250 on eBay (which I would consider a good price now days).
A bit of warning is needed here though. I've had some trouble with these tubes going noisy after a while. It's more of the noise that's typical of tubes that get gassy (low level bubbling and popping sounds). They still sound excellent but that noise can be heard when the volumes up or between cuts. I usually let 'em warm up for half an hour before playing music through them now (I'm not sure if this helps, but it can't hurt).

[MylesAstor]

As far as I know, the 4085 are a military select version of the Z729's. They can generally be had for half the price of a pair of the TFK ef806s'.

For any of you guys in the market for a pair of the TFK 806s's, the prices are all over the place. I kinda stocked up on them a while back and I think they've gone up a little since then, but having a little patience can save you a considerable amount of dough. Generally, they range from $200 a pair to $350. I even saw a pair with a "buy it now" price of $700! The last two pairs I saw went for around $250 on eBay (which I would consider a good price now days).
A bit of warning is needed here though. I've had some trouble with these tubes going noisy after a while. It's more of the noise that's typical of tubes that get gassy (low level bubbling and popping sounds). They still sound excellent but that noise can be heard when the volumes up or between cuts. I usually let 'em warm up for half an hour before playing music through them now (I'm not sure if this helps, but it can't hurt).

Steve:

Have you ever come across a M8139? It seems to be an equivalent tube also?

Myles

[ironbut]

Have you ever come across a M8139? It seems to be an equivalent tube also?

Myles

Nope. The only other variant I've tried were the E80F. I have some Valvo red label, pinch waist of those and they were too tubey sounding for my tastes (a little rolled off on top, and slow sounding).

I'm always open to try anything though.

[MylesAstor]

Have you ever come across a M8139? It seems to be an equivalent tube also?

Myles

Nope. The only other variant I've tried were the E80F. I have some Valvo red label, pinch waist of those and they were too tubey sounding for my tastes (a little rolled off on top, and slow sounding).

I'm always open to try anything though.

Sorry meant M8195. Don't know what was thinking. Myles

[ironbut]

Hey Myles,
I think that the M8195 is the same tube as the CV4085. The M8195 was an industrial select whereas the 4085 was military. I doubt if there are any internal differences but it's possible that the M8195 could have been a tube with "flying leads" which didn't have pins but instead had leads that needed to be soldered or secured in some other way to make it's connections. I know that the Z729 was available with flying leads but I can't remember the tube designation right off the top of my head so that could be it.
It's also possible that the military select 4085 just went through a different screening process and the numbers were different to keep them separate.