I want a Reel to Reel

Ric27

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#1
I have my old gear running pretty good and it is sounding better than any setup I have ever had. This is what it consists of.

Sansui 5000x (nice....ummm)
Kenwood 2070 Turntable
JVC TD-621 Cassette Deck
DBX DS5 CD
Sansui 1500 Speakers
Custom Cabinets with fab late 60's Jensen woofers

Now to complete my trip back to Hi Fi Heaven I want a Reel to Reel because every playboy must have one. That probably wouldn't be a big deal in that I see them for sale from time to time and I don't think they are in as big of demand as any of the other components. But I have a size limitation. I only have a space in my Stereo Cabinet of 20.5" X 13.5" to fit this sexy monster. The space I want to use is the upper right corner where the Cassette Deck is now.
IMG_6033.jpg

So any ideas of a diminutive deck with the all the seductive attributes I seek?

Ric:glasses2:
 

Elite-ist

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#3
I can bet there may be a few members, here, who will respond with the same answer. For a low profile open-reel deck handling 7" reels, the Pioneer RT-701/707 should fit the bill.



Nando.
 

Ric27

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#4
Yes yes

That looks good! Nice big meters. I Like it. Is there and availability of new Hi Fi tapes for RtoR?

I'm on the hunt now.
R:glasses2:
 

Elite-ist

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#5
I usually buy old NOS tape. But, for new tape try here: http://www.tapeonline.com/reel-to-reel-audio-tape

Look for 1/4" tape in 7" reels. Before deciding, there may be members who have experience with the brand of tape you might want to use. There might be members who already know of a good source of even less expensive tape, like older Quantegy.

Nando.
 

Fishoz

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#7
Treading deeper into the dark side eh? Can't say I'm not there also.

Pioneer may be your only reasonable choice for your space requirement. Nothing wrong with them - great machines but usually going on the high side of $ now.

Picked up two Teac R2R's this season ($10 & $20). A little TLC and they're up and running fine. I love the big reels. The 4010 looks inadequate next to the 3300 with the 10" reels on it. Fun experimenting with them, may lead to more dark side items. The traveling Jazz tape will be the first R2R to R2R recording.

Good luck Ric.
 

MarkWComer

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#8
I can bet there may be a few members, here, who will respond with the same answer. For a low profile open-reel deck handling 7" reels, the Pioneer RT-701/707 should fit the bill.

Nando.
RT-707! Absolutely! But I have a question about these R2R decks that are now 30+ years old- are there resources for head relapping or replacement? Reliable repair facilities who can adjust the heads correctly?

Apologies for throwing a rock into the tape world, but as beloved as our tape decks are, they're more or less obsolete now!
 

Fishoz

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#9
RT-707! Absolutely! But I have a question about these R2R decks that are now 30+ years old- are there resources for head relapping or replacement? Reliable repair facilities who can adjust the heads correctly?

Apologies for throwing a rock into the tape world, but as beloved as our tape decks are, they're more or less obsolete now!
You should question 30+ year old decks but they're a lot of fun to work on if you can get them for a good price. Parts are readily available for most. There are a few places still around the Chicago area that works on them but if I can't get them running correctly myself I would trash them and not feel bad - not a whole lot of bucks into it!
 

Ric27

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#10
High Dollar? Yes!

Pioneer may be your only reasonable choice for your space requirement. Nothing wrong with them - great machines but usually going on the high side of $ now. Good luck Ric.
Looking around and I see that one of these units will be north of $300. I saw a nice one with a wood case box that was $500. I have been getting all my components at very reasonable rates, but one of those I had to have repaired and that brought the price up. So I am hoping to find one in tip top shape. What should I be paying close attention to while looking for a good RtoR?
Ric:glasses2:
 

orange

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#11
I have my old gear running pretty good and it is sounding better than any setup I have ever had. This is what it consists of.

Sansui 5000x (nice....ummm)
Kenwood 2070 Turntable
JVC TD-621 Cassette Deck
DBX DS5 CD
Sansui 1500 Speakers
Custom Cabinets with fab late 60's Jensen woofers

Now to complete my trip back to Hi Fi Heaven I want a Reel to Reel because every playboy must have one. That probably wouldn't be a big deal in that I see them for sale from time to time and I don't think they are in as big of demand as any of the other components. But I have a size limitation. I only have a space in my Stereo Cabinet of 20.5" X 13.5" to fit this sexy monster. The space I want to use is the upper right corner where the Cassette Deck is now.
View attachment 17274

So any ideas of a diminutive deck with the all the seductive attributes I seek?

Ric:glasses2:
Are we referring to your stereo or your AVATAR?

Good things when seeking a lady, stick to working and practical for gear.
 

Nick Danger

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#12
RT-707! Absolutely! But I have a question about these R2R decks that are now 30+ years old- are there resources for head relapping or replacement? Reliable repair facilities who can adjust the heads correctly?

Apologies for throwing a rock into the tape world, but as beloved as our tape decks are, they're more or less obsolete now!
Still NOS units, fresh tape, and awesome techs out there to keep them running well. Granted at their age they will require TLC at some point, but tape on an open- reel has a different flavour than other formats and looks pretty sweet to boot. Ditto for cassette decks. ;-)
 

Nick Danger

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#13
I have my old gear running pretty good and it is sounding better than any setup I have ever had. This is what it consists of.

Sansui 5000x (nice....ummm)
Kenwood 2070 Turntable
JVC TD-621 Cassette Deck
DBX DS5 CD
Sansui 1500 Speakers
Custom Cabinets with fab late 60's Jensen woofers

Now to complete my trip back to Hi Fi Heaven I want a Reel to Reel because every playboy must have one. That probably wouldn't be a big deal in that I see them for sale from time to time and I don't think they are in as big of demand as any of the other components. But I have a size limitation. I only have a space in my Stereo Cabinet of 20.5" X 13.5" to fit this sexy monster. The space I want to use is the upper right corner where the Cassette Deck is now.
View attachment 17274

So any ideas of a diminutive deck with the all the seductive attributes I seek?

Ric:glasses2:
No chance of doing a little reconfiguring and moving the turntable, huh? That space looks like it would house a few of the consumer decks out there.
 

Ric27

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#14
No chance of doing a little reconfiguring and moving the turntable, huh? That space looks like it would house a few of the consumer decks out there.
That isn't an option in that the turntable is on a sliding shelf that rolls out about 2" to allow the dust cover to open. But I guess I could ditch the cover and put the tape deck in that spot. I know I never see a dust cover on any high end set up anyway. Not that my gear is high end. Interesting thought. That space is17.5 H x 24.5 W :profileright:

Ric:glasses2:
 

orange

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#15
Not with a rolling shelf, one of those later RTs weighs well over 40 lbs.

Here are the dimensions for the RT-909 package coming to me...

15 x 17 x 24, 55 lbs

Don't think that will work...not DEEP enough perhaps?
 
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orange

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#17
A really sweet spine, to be sure.
 

eminence1963

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#18
Have to throw in my 2 cents here the 707 is the bomb, but don't neglect the TEAC A series units as well:thumbleft:
 

Ric27

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#19
[h=1]Akai GX-4000D What[/h]What does anyone have to say about this deck. It has the dimensions I need and is from repeatable guy $250 asking price

Ric:glasses2:
 

eminence1963

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#20
Akai GX-4000D What

What does anyone have to say about this deck. It has the dimensions I need and is from repeatable guy $250 asking price

Ric:glasses2:
don't do it... There hard to find parts for and not reliable as the Pioneer or the TEAC's
 
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