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1

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: Tascam BR-20 direct head wiring

« on: July 01, 2013, 02:36:28 PM »

Thank you all for all advices.
Docd advice is beautiful in its simplicity I could use internal electronics and compare it with outside tape preamp.

What was the rationale behind using two the some heads in Tascam, if I got it right, both are play/record heads.
So seems that one would be enough, and right now one is used for playback only and second one for recording only, so they both only half used. Seems like one would be enough.
 
Xcortese, Your solution using one head for internal amp and one for external makes a lot of sense if one would like to replace stock head for higher inductance head.
 
I understand that Tascam stock 100mH head gives you low output not suitable for BH tape preamps. I have found on some forum that King/cello solid state tape preamp have 60dB of gain which is enough for low output head vs 50dB from BH repro.
So question is , are stock Tascam heads inferior only because they require higher gain pre or there is more to it?

Playing devils advocate MC should be inferior to MM because is lower output and requires higher preamplification in phono-stage.

But to compare it I guess one would have compare  Tascam + King/Cello vs Tascam + step up transformer + BH repro vs Tascam with high-output head + BH repro.
On some forum some tape guru wrote that Tascam BR-20 with Kind/Cello sounded better than his Studer 820 with stock electronics which is class by itself.
 
Somebody advice me to try Nortronics heads, but they supposedly do not fit/cannot be easily mounted to Tascam heads compartment.
 
Does heads from Greg Orton of Flux Magnetics fit into Tascam, how much do they cost ? I understand that they are higher inductance/output heads hence more suitable for tube BH electronics ?
 
Some claims that BH electronics is better some that King/Cello is better, for sure later have higher gain which is beneficial for low output heads.
Some interesting posts about heads and tape preamps:
http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=tape&m=14945&VT=T

I?m just trying to figure it out but I have got headache to many possibilities and no experience on my side.
Best to you all.
Slawek

2

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: Tascam BR-20 direct head wiring

« on: June 28, 2013, 02:03:59 PM »

I have just bought Tascam BR-20 and considering using external repro. I'm thinking about King/Cello or Bottlehead Repro. I have only heard the later with Technics RS1500 and it was unbelievable.
But first I need to rewire heads. I'm rookie on that subject it is my first deck, so I need good advice. I read that to use external tape preamp, internal stock electronic have to be disconnected. But xcortes wrote that :
". And since it has two 1/2 track heads you can use one for the outside repro and keep the other connected in case you want to listen through the internal electronics (or record since it's a record / playback head).
"
I like that approach better.

From manual BR-20 has:
Erase Head
Record/Sync Head
Reproduce Head
So how do you rewire it (could you elaborate a little more, so rookie can do it, or at least be able to explain it to local technician what to do).
What exactly have you done ?
How is you deck wired so you still can use internal stock electronics and external pre amp at the some time.
Did you use Record/Sync Head for stock electronics, so it is now used for playback and recording ?
And Reproduce Head is now connected only to RCA jacks (have you mounted additional RSA jacks on the back chassis of Tascam) ?
I would appreciate your comments.
Regards