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« on: April 25, 2010, 11:53:02 AM »
I watched in horror as the UPS driver cartwheeled the box off of the truck. The outer box was all torn up with styrofoam peanuts falling from the box. The inner box with the unit was intact. The machine appeared to have survived the ordeal. I put on the side panels and turned it on. The tape playback mechanism worked like a dream. Put on a tape and no sound. Took off the bottom panel and took a look. One sound card with its numerous pins had fallen out of the sockets. The other sound card for the other channel was partially out. The unit must had taken a hard jar or been dropped by UPS. I put both cards back in. When putting the unit on it's back to be opened there was still something loose inside. Could not find anything. Put the deck back together and I put on another tape to see if it would work and to my surprise, there was music. All is working. This is a non modified deck (no direct head out) and is a reproducer with no record or erase head. I have Tenor 15 wi monoblock amps. The Tenor is an integrated amp and can also be used in bypass mode. I wanted to try the Studer using its own electronics first. I also have a Otari 5050 mxBII 2 with a direct head out to a Seduction tape head preamp to a Foreplay III line stage. I hooked the Studer directly to my Tenor and it was not as good as the Otari(with the Seduction and Foreplay) playing Tape Project tapes. I then tried the stock Studer and ran it through the Foreplay to the Tenor (bypass mode) and what a difference. Much better than the Otari with the direct tape out. Much more detail. The only problem is I am at the first click on the volume of the Foreplay and it is at a moderate volume. Will it hurt anything by going directly out the Studer with its electronics into the Foreplay? The Studer tape transport is on a whole different level from the Otari. Now I have to decide if I want to do a direct head out with the Studer.