Otari MRT-15 vs ???

[LCatGA]

Found one from a source I trust.
Fully rebuilt/serviced and I do trust gentelman as in the past he allways came through.
He will also have a custom headstack with 1/4" 2 track and 1/4" 4 track heads only for playback purposes built for me.

How good it is a a transport?
How good is a preamp portion of machine compared to lets say Bottlhead RePro

What machines can serve as a better transports or standalone machines?

Thanks

[ironbut]

Hey,.. (please read forum rules regarding use of real names here)

I'll leave it to folks who have first hand experience with this particular machine to answer your questions.

But in response to your other thread regarding going straight to the top of the reel to reel food chain, if you have the budget, you might want to consider a 1/2" machine.
The sonic improvements from 1/4" to 1/2" are significant when listening to the Tape Project tapes.
Of course, the downside is that you'd need to have a 1/4" machine to play most of the other tapes you might collect. Also, the 1/2" TP tapes are twice as expensive. There are a few threads here regarding these limited run tapes.
If I had the cash flow, I wouldn't even think twice about taking this route.

[Listens2tubes]

The MTR-15 can play either 1/4" or 1/2" using the corresponding headblocks.

[LCatGA]

Thats what I understood/ - one of the most versatile machines ever and very goodsounding to boot

[High and Outside]

The MTR-15 has a very good transport--not quite up to the ATR-100 or the Studer A80 and A820, nor even the Ampex 440-C or the Scully. But better than the 5050 or machines of that sort. And the transport has a lot to do with the sound, so in that sense it's a good starting point. Though personally if I were going to find room for a full size transport (which I am) I would hold out for something better (which I also am.)

The electronics of the MTR-15 are quite poor sounding--nowhere near what any of the Bottlehead options provide.

BTW LCatGA, you have been reminded a couple of times, quite politely, about the policy of using our real names on this forum. If you wish to remain part of this community, please start including your real name.

[ironbut]

Thanks for jumping into the conversation Paul.
Speaking of the 440C, I'm often puzzled why this isn't a popular choice for using with something like the Bottlehead Repro.
They don't really come up for sale as often as you might think, but when they do, they can be had for ridiculous prices (low)!
I'm guessing that many of the 440 series found their way into the landfills or metal recyclers. I know that a lot of the "Ampexer's" are hording some but I can remember seeing 440's for sale at least once a month in the classified section of the San Jose Mercury News in the early 80's.

[LCatGA]

My real name is Leon Rivkin

How do I use it in my posts

[Listens2tubes]

Under Profile click Forum Profile. There add your name in the Signature area.

[High and Outside]

My real name is Leon Rivkin

Welcome, Leon.

[High and Outside]

Speaking of the 440C...
They don't really come up for sale as often as you might think, but when they do, they can be had for ridiculous prices (low)!

I know. A buddy of mine picked one up from Craigslist recently, from a University where obviously it had received almost no usage, it was practically brand new. The price was so low, all I can say is I wish I had seen it first.

[John Brooks]

I have two Otari MTR-15's and have to strongly disagree that the repro is "very poor sounding".  The Otari MTR-10 and -12 would fall into that category, but the -15 is a whole 'nother breed of cat.  It's electronics are very transparent and very dynamic.  I have compared it with stock Studers and with Bottlehead Eros and Repro as well as King Cello.  The Studers are colored in comparison.  I will concede the sonic edge to Repro and King Cello, but the MTR-15 holds its own very well.  The cost and hassle factor of outboard electronics do not, in my opinion, add enough improvement to music playback to make them even worth thinking about.

My system is highly resolving and other tape heads who have heard tapes played back through the MTR-15 in my system are universally pleased and impressed.

[Listens2tubes]

Whoa! John, you have a very nice setup. I like that rack.

[John Brooks]

Thanks, Neil.  The HRS rack and isolation bases make a very noticeable improvement in sonics.  The photo could be a bit better.  Below the VAC is an Oppo BDP-83 CD player modified by John Tucker of Exemplar Audio with a separate power supply and 5965 tube output stage.  The TT is a Nottingham Hyperspace with Ace Anna arm, Wave Mechanic, and ZYX UNIverse cartridge.  The MC phono in the VAC is superb and I use it's balanced inputs with the tape machines.

[High and Outside]

The MTR-15 has a very good transport--not quite up to the ATR-100 or the Studer A80 and A820, nor even the Ampex 440-C or the Scully.

I should clarify. In the quote above I was referring to the transport performance on playback, which is the first thing I think of. But there is another area: tape handling in the fast wind modes. Here the MTR-15 is the equal of the ATR-100 or the big Studers and better than the Ampexes from the 440 on back, and the Scully.

In the history of the professional tape machines, there was apparently an assumption, usually justified, that the machine would be operated by a trained engineer. This was before the day of widespread affordable logic chips, and the early machines were all-mechanical. Since they were made with very powerful motors, this left one open to the prospect of breaking or stretching a tape if the operator was careless. The modern transports are logic-controlled, and those worries are a thing of the past.

[John Brooks]

Thanks for that clarification Paul.  I still must respectfully but strongly disagree with the statement "The electronics of the MTR-15 are quite poor sounding--nowhere near what any of the Bottlehead options provide."  I, and others who have heard them in my system, find the repro to be right up there with the best of decks and certainly not in need of an outboard repro unit to sound great.  Would it sound better with the Bottlehead repro or King Cello?  Without a doubt the answer is yes, maybe by 5-10%.  $5,000 better?  Heck no.