Messages

1

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: Studer 810?

« on: January 24, 2008, 05:58:19 PM »

Heideana,

  Thanks for the comment Angel had on the difficulty A 810's have with shipping. I guess it makes me feel better about my experience. The crate I sent to California for them to be shipped back in was a double crate with ethafoam corners.   I could've shipped a crate of eggs without damage, if the eggs weren't broken when the were put in the crate! I just got screwed on a deal that I was anxious to complete.

  As it turns out both machines were in good shape; great heads, good cosmetics etc. Thanks to the good folks at ATR Services, the older one was fixed with 4 hours of bench time-  solenoid and other basic adjustments. The second needed a stabilizer board. They called me to see if I wanted them to repair it, but suggested their bench rate of $110 per hour might deter the repair.  At that point I had $2,000 in each machine and had to have both repaired. I asked them to hold off so I might locate a junker with a good board. A week later a full set of A 810 boards came up for bids starting at $395. Buy it now was $495 and not willing to take a chance, I bought them and had them sent to ATR. The second machine was produced in the last year of production and was worth the cost, besides, I now have 10 additional boards for future repairs.

  It seems as though having a service facility, such as ATR, close buy must influence a decision on what to buy. That is, unless you're good enough to repair your own gear. Yeah right!!!

  Now that I have a few good RTR machines,  I need to find a source of good program material in addition to The Tape Project. Any tips or recommendations?

   Thanks, Ken   

2

Tape Tech / Re: Sound Technology 1500A Questions !!!

« on: January 09, 2008, 06:11:06 PM »

  Stellavox,

 Today I checked the 1500 A I bought a while ago. It is a model 1510 A with options 007 and 011. I plugged it in and the display lights up.  I pushed the self test button and it referenced on the display.

    As you mentioned, their web site doesn't respond to an inquiry, so help from the mfg seems unavailable.

   With the info I posted regarding the options, can you tell me what it's capabilities are? I have no manual to follow. Is there a site where I can download the info or ?<>.

  By the way, I'm listening to the Arnold Overtures tape as I type, and on my 1958 Ampex  machine, I'd have a hard time finding vinyl that beats it.

  Charles, I thank you in advance for a reply.

  regards Ken

3

Tape Tech / Re: Sound Technology 1500A Questions !!!

« on: January 08, 2008, 07:26:53 PM »

Hello Stellavox,

  Thanks for the reply and bad news on the 1500><*^. Nothing is better than hearing the truth. When I bid on this unit I was told I had a 30 day return option on this unit. I've not plugged it yet but figured that if I had a return option it probably worked, but who knows. I planned on emailing Sound Technology to order a manual but I guess that's out. I'll take it up to ATR and they can see if it works. If so, I'll just need a manual and a little instruction on it's use.

  thanks, Ken

4

Tape Tech / Re: Sound Technology 1500A Questions !!!

« on: January 06, 2008, 07:36:16 PM »

  I got carried away!!

    I have no idea if the unit I bought has upgrades. I thought it was a necessary buy if I was to be a RTR nut.

  If you have one, Your thoughts will be appreciated.

  Ken

5

Tape Tech / Re: Sound Technology 1500A Questions !!!

« on: January 06, 2008, 07:08:48 PM »

  Happy new year Stellavox,

  I attended a seminar at ATR Services a few weeks ago and used the 1500a to go through everything that needed to be measured and aligned on the ATR 100 machines that we worked on. Mike Spitz said they replaced an entire bench of electronics gear that any one needed to tune  RTR machines. They have eight of them and he commented that Sound Technology charges $800 to re calibrate each unit. He mentioned that he saw one on ebay for $495  a while back. When I got home I found nothing on ebay.  A week later it came up again; $495,  buy it now $595. I was the only bidder at $495. It was guaranteed to work and the seller gave a money back guarantee.

  While I have no manual, Mike told me to bring it up when I pick up my machines and they will check it out. I have two Studer A810 machines I bought they're tuning up.  If the creek don't rise, I'll pick up an ATR 102 around April. I can't wait!!

6

General Discussion / Re: Studer/Mark Levinson?

« on: January 04, 2008, 05:46:47 PM »

Hi Steve,

  It was a great day and I learned much about tape theory and Mike's ATR machines. I was in a group of 6 attendees. All were in the business of running a studio and producing CD's etc. I was the only audiophile so I kept my mouth shut and listened and learned for much of the day. Two of the guys were there to pick up the ATR machines they had Mike build for them. Both were two track at 15 and 30 ips, one being a 1/4 inch machine and the other a 1 inch machine. Both owners were going to use the machines for a final mix down.

  While there was a good deal of technical information about analog tape, the main thrust was in the direction of the capabilities of the ATR machines. The cost of the one day seminar was $250. Bench time at ATR is $110 per hour. Mike and His tech spent the entire day with our group so they lost money that day. Those that attend can get a $100 refund on the seminar fee toward the cost of an ATR Tape machine. I hope I'll be able to take them up on the offer in a few months. Scheduling is dependent on the number of respondents the get over any particular time period. Mike said ours was a small group and some were as large as 12.

  Before I became aware of TTP and heard their demo at last years CES I only had fond memories of my Ampex. After hearing their demo at CES I've gone overboard with tape machines. I plan on dragging my audio buddies to live venues in Richmond to record real music and have a little fun playing it back on our home systems.

  If you have an interest in tape machines, call Mike at ATR and find out when he's scheduled the next seminar. Be aware of the fact that once you spend an afternoon pushing the silent controls and actually adjusting bias, eq. etc. on an ATR, you might just be tempted to spend you kids inheritance too.

  As with all audio gear, upgrades are available. ATR's Aria electronics, Discrete, solid state etc. adds  another $4,000 the the ATR's base price of $10,500 . Bottlehead's tube electronics are about the same as the Aria. In both cases it may be gilding lilies, but what else is money for but audio gear?<>*.

  Happy new year Steve,  Ken

7

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: Studer 810?

« on: January 03, 2008, 09:23:58 PM »

 
  Dear John,

  I began this reply with a much recognized phrase for a reason.

  Four months ago I purchased two Studer A 810  machines. Only one was advertised on Audiogon as pristine. I replied and found out that the seller had a second machine, also in good condition. I'm in Virginia and the seller was in California. He had no factory shipping package or manual. The first machine was advertised at $1,700, he had plans to sell the older machine for $1,300.

  I wanted a Studer A 810 machine. I said, "I'll build a double crate lined with ethafoam and send it to you. Lets make a deal for both machines.   $190 to build the crate, $210 to send it to California, $419 to bring it back to Va.  The result, neither machine worked. $3,900 in two inoperative machines.

Both machines went to ATR Services to be fixed. The repair costs were more than fair; I'll keep both machines.

  One of the pro sites has a saying," Don't ever buy a used tape machine unless you see it run." While it's not always possible to do that, the saying does have some merit.

  Ken, Fritz

8

General Discussion / Re: Studer/Mark Levinson?

« on: January 03, 2008, 08:36:28 PM »

Hi Bob,

  I saw the ebay post and thought the seller was relying on the ML legacy to score a bonanza.
The Studer A 80 transport is a beauty. A month or so ago one was sold for less than $400 on ebay. The only problem was that it had to be shipped from England <>*!! IMHO transports that old, coupled with electronics that probably need to be re-capped due to age, shouldn't cost $12,000 just because of a Mark Levinson pedigree.

  Two months ago my wife and drove from Richmond, Va. to York, Pa. to attend a one day seminar at ATR Services learning about the fine points of analog tape theory.  The day consisted of 3 hours in  classroom discussion, a lunch of pizza, and 4 hours in a lab environment. The theory pointed out the fact that the MIGHTY AMPEX HEADS don't measure up to todays technology. My Ampex 351-2, I bought new in 1958 with only about 1500 hours on the heads, still sounds great on my TTP tapes but I have no illusions that it is as good as it gets.

  The afternoon consisted of hands on adjustments of two  ATR 100 machines. These are the same machines that Mike built for TTP.  When you take a machine that pushed the envelop in tape transports, and couple it with electronics that are fully refurbished and guaranteed to exceed original Ampex specs by 60%, with a one year guarantee what could be better.  There goes my kids inheritance!!

     In high end audio circles, Mark Levinson is known as the father of  HIGH END AUDIO. While Harry Pearson might dispute that fact, Mark Was better at audio  innovation than he was at running a business, we all can't be perfect. He cleared a path for better sound reproduction that others have widened and extended. He deserves credit for opening our ears to how good recorded sound can sound. but time and technology march on.

  IMHO, anyone willing to spend $12,000 for a tape machine,  only needs to look at the pedigree of the ATR machines and what they have to offer.

  Ken Fritz

9

Raw Tape / Re: Recommendations for tape

« on: September 30, 2007, 07:28:30 AM »

  Steve,

  Just another thought, if you'd dump your wife you could replace the sofa with a chair! Time for a major decision.  **[>!

  Ken

10

Raw Tape / Re: Recommendations for tape

« on: September 30, 2007, 07:25:05 AM »

  Steve,thanks for the post on the use of 468 tape.

  The Studer machines I just purchased were just aligned and biased for 456 tape. I can have them re biased for $80 each for a different tape formulation of my choice. It seems it would be worthwhile to re set them for 468 and stick with one tape formulation, which I'll do.

  I've been thinking about TTP for the last day or so and spending time reading many of the forum postings. Yesterday I had a group of audio buddies over to listen to vinyl and they saw the Ampex and began asking questions. After about 15 minutes of telling them about TTP, I'd convinced MYSELF that it was foolhardy of me to invest in R2R machines and limit myself to only 6 selections per year. Time to upgrade to full membership.   

  Ken

11

Raw Tape / Re: Recommendations for tape

« on: September 29, 2007, 03:37:07 PM »

Steve, or other members,

 Do you know which tape Dan is using for The Tape Project dupes we will be getting on our subscriptions. I need to have the bias set for recording on my machines and there is no sense in using a tape different than Dan is using. I'll be doing some live recording at clubs in and around Richmond and DC. My studer has a switchable equalization between NAB and IEC on playback. I'm sure there will be an advantage for me if I use the same tape Dan does. Your thoughts?

  regards, Ken