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Messages - astrotoy

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361
Tape Project Machines / Re: My Bottlehead 1500
« on: March 06, 2008, 07:58:21 PM »
Day 3 with my new Bottlehead Technics 1500 (1506?). I have been playing some of my 4 tr 7.5 in tapes. All of them have reversing foil on them, since I put the foil on to use with my Akai GX-747 monster machine. Inspite of having to thread each side to play on the 1500, I have been startled at the improvement in sound. I have been listening to the Joan Baez Love Songs album from Barclay-Crocker. It is a Dolby B tape (I decode through an Advent Model 100) and though not the same you are there quality of the TP tapes, Joan's voice is amazingly real. The sonic stage is broad and deep and the quality of sound is stunning. I earlier played an old London Ansermet recording of Scheherazade and Polvetsian Dances (around 1960) and again the sound is great. I didn't know how bad my Akai was. I was going to keep it as a second machine, but it is now a boat anchor. If someone wants it for parts or to play with (in the Bay Area), please email off line and it is yours to pick up. Otherwise it goes to Goodwill.

If you have a TR from the heyday of transistor electronics, I think you need to see whether you can adapt the Bottlehead preamp to your machine. Or get Doc to modify your machine. I now have to listen to my 500 R2R tapes!

 

362
Tape Project Machines / Re: My Bottlehead 1500
« on: March 05, 2008, 09:52:02 PM »
Steve, Dan can answer the tube question better than I can. Larry

363
Tape Project Machines / My Bottlehead 1500
« on: March 05, 2008, 02:54:05 AM »
I picked up my fully tricked out Bottlehead 1500 this evening at the Mission Street Studio. Dan used it for the demos we heard tonight. I couldn't wait to plug it into my system. It was late, but I played the first tape of the Arnold Overtures album. I was totally blown away. I have both the vinyl and the CD - the vinyl has been on the Harry Pearson TAS Super Disc list and deservedly so. My vinyl front end is very good (VPI TNT HR, Lyra Helicon SL, Herron Phono Preamp) but the combination of the modified RS1500 with the Bottlehead electronics and this incredible tape, makes the vinyl pale in comparison. Dynamics, depth of sound field, sense of being transported to the event itself - total involvement in the music. I have to go to sleep now, but I can't wait until tomorrow!  Dan said I got the first completely tricked out 1500 - after people hear this, there will be a long line.  Happy Camper Larry

364
Prerecorded Tapes / Re: When is a Barclay Crocker not a Barclay Crocker?
« on: February 13, 2008, 02:42:35 AM »
I checked further into my B-C tapes. On the back, almost all of them have a box which says "This tape was duplicated by B-C". However, on the Philips and DG B-C tapes the box says "Manufactured and distributed by B-C...." The latter also gives B-C's address.  Is there a difference between being duplicated by and manufactured and distribute by?  Larry

365
Prerecorded Tapes / Re: When is a Barclay Crocker not a Barclay Crocker?
« on: February 12, 2008, 07:23:50 PM »
I have about 100 or so B-C tapes. mostly purchased in the 80's toward the end of their existence. In addition to the labels mentioned, I have B-C tapes that are Philips, Spectrum, Pro-Arte DG and Telefunken labels. In the few that I spot checked, they all say they were manufactured by B-C. On the program notes the duplicating mastering is listed as Harold Kovner. I also have 14 dbx II encoded B-C tapes. The duplication mastering is by Alex Abrash on the two that I spot checked. B-C always stated that they did not produce many copies of their tapes at any one time. They would have a limited number in inventory and then produce more as the orders flowed in. I have heard comments in other places that the quality went down at the very end when they began discounting the prices to clear their inventory. The implication to me is that if a title were popular and they ran out, they would duplicate enough to fill the orders. Those last dups may not have had the quality control of earlier production. I have not listened carefully enough to detect the difference. I cannot also tell which were the tapes I ordered at the final sales.  Finally, a very few of the B-C tapes were from digital recordings. I have one in front of me from Spectrum "Pachelbel Musicalishe Engoetzung" SPCx170 which was digitally recorded (the x was the notation that B-C used for the dbx II encoding). The advantage to the dbx II encoding was that since there was much greater compression in the encoding compared to dolby B, the tapes did not have the leakage from the reverse channels in loud passages that one can hear in the dolby B recordings. Hope this helps.   Larry

366
Prerecorded Tapes / Re: LAST Tape Products TTP Group Discount Proposition
« on: January 22, 2008, 12:42:21 PM »
I have used LAST products ever since they started (locally here in the SF Bay Area) 20 or more years ago. Mostly it has been their vinyl LP preservative (Last Formula 2) which is very popular among vinylphiles. However, I have been using the LAST Formula 9 (Tape Head treatment) and Formula 10 (Tape Preservative) ever since they were introduced (don't remember how long ago - I think 15 or more years). The Last Formula 9 (comes in a 1/4 oz bottle with brush) (now $41 a bottle) should last a person a lifetime of brushing on tape heads (if you don't have 20 machines). My bottle is probably 15 years old and is still almost full. The Formula 10 does get used up. It is most economical in the big size ($300 for 16 oz.) My most recent bottle has been about 1/3 used (6 oz) treating about 150 tapes. I have a total of about 500 tapes and have treated all of them, so over the years I have used several bottles (mostly purchased in the 2 oz size currently $49.50). So I would say that using Formula 10, you get about 25 tapes per oz. or at the retail price, about $1 per tape. One normal treatment is supposed to last forever and treat up to 1800 ft. I haven't done AB comparisons, but I see that the Formula 10 cleans the tapes of tape flakes and dust and my heads don't need cleaning very much. It also reduces or eliminates squeaking - sometimes, I have to treat the tapes in the squeaking area a couple of times. Given the volume discount implicit in the economy size versus the regular size, a discount of at least 25% seems reasonable for the Last Formula 10. I believe that the dealer cost is around 60 points (40%). AFAIK, Last is a pretty small operation. Walt Davies, who started LAST is still the principle person there. I don't think they sell enough of either Formula 9 or 10 to be in stock in hifi dealers.

367
Arnold Overtures / Third Tape Arrived Yesterday
« on: December 18, 2007, 10:47:41 AM »
TP-03 arrived by UPS yesterday evening. Again, I live in the SF East Bay - so am one of the closest to the shipping point.

368
Blackjack David / Re: TP-002 is getting ready to launch
« on: November 26, 2007, 06:53:39 PM »
It arrived today! SF East Bay, so not too far to go. LT

369
Prerecorded Tapes / Re: Decca Tapes?
« on: November 26, 2007, 10:49:10 AM »
Thanks for the great information on the website. It looks like there is only one classical Decca (London) - Stokowski-Encore. The rest look like they may be the American Decca label or non-classical. 

370
Prerecorded Tapes / Re: Decca Tapes?
« on: November 21, 2007, 03:49:50 PM »
Thanks, I will stop looking. The surmise that since they were all made in the US, they had to use the London label seems very reasonable.

371
Prerecorded Tapes / Decca Tapes?
« on: November 20, 2007, 07:10:59 PM »
Has anyone run into any Decca (not London) R2R prerecorded tapes. I mean the British Decca from which London records (tapes) originate. I have literally hundreds of London R2R tapes, but have never seen a Decca tape. I go to London pretty frequently (about 15 times in the past 20 years,) and I do a lot of record shopping there (I am slowing down a lot with the British pound so high). I have seen cassettes with the Decca label, but no R2R. Thanks.

372
Prerecorded Tapes / Re: 2 Track Master Dubs and Tape Baking
« on: November 20, 2007, 07:03:13 PM »
Thanks, this is a most informative group. I have been using the LAST tape preservative for about 10 years or more. It gets the crud off of old tapes and seems to do no audible damage. I never see it in stores or catalogues any more - and the most recent bottle I bought was directly from LAST through their website. Thanks for the info about the tape baking. I searched on the web and there is some good appearing information  (including using a food dehydrator as the baker). I am awaiting my Doc modified RS-1500 to be able to actually play 15 ips tapes, including those from the Tape Project. I did get a PM from one of the members saying that he has baked some tapes many times and they play well each time. There are also clearly tape formulations that are very prone to needing baking as they age and others that do not.  I'll get a chance to experiment when I get my maching in a couple of months. Until then, the Tape Project tapes will build up, looking nice on my shelf.

373
General Discussion / Re: Anyone know or use LAST Tape Head Treatment
« on: November 15, 2007, 01:49:14 PM »
I've been using both the tape head treatment and the Tape Preservative. No ill effects that I can detect. The tape preservative gets excess oxide off the tape surface. Both can be purchased directly online from the Last Factory. I have been using Last products, mostly the record preservative (Formula 2) for about twenty years. 

374
Prerecorded Tapes / 2 Track Master Dubs and Tape Baking
« on: November 15, 2007, 10:55:27 AM »
One of the mail order vinyl dealers I use normally has some prerecorded tapes for sale. I have purchased several 4 tr 7.5in from them. They also frequently have what they call "Master Dubs" which are mostly 15in 2 track, but sometimes are 7.5in 2 track. Up to now I only have a 7.5/3.75 R2R. With the Tape Project I am getting a Doc modified RS1500, so playing these "Master Dubs" becomes possible. Quite a few of the descriptions say "baking will/may be necesary." They also list the tape types including Scotch 206, 207, 111, Ampex 406, 457, and also a notation on some that says Quantegy. Most say they are stored tails out. They prices are not cheap, sometimes as much as the Tape Project, but some of the titles are very interesting (occassionally the prices are comparable to the vinyl versions of some of the rarer titles). Can someone enlighten me on what are Master Dubs? I did look on the web and downloaded an article on tape baking that sounded complicated - using a food dehydrator/heater and not permanent in effect. Thanks, LT

375
The Number White / Re: TP-001. Has anyone received it yet?
« on: November 14, 2007, 05:44:04 PM »
Mine arrived today. I am in the SF Bay area, so it is a short hop. The packaging looks fabulous. Can't wait until I have the machine to play it.  Larry

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