- Joined
- Jun 18, 2024
- Messages
- 24
Hi all,
I'm looking to buy the test tapes I need for my decks, and Gennlab has been a name I've seen mentioned a lot in these discussions. From what I've gathered, there's only three worthy sources for new test tapes these days: A.N.T., Gennlab, and Hanspeter Roth (HPR). I already have HPR's tapes, but I wanted to get some more accurate ones. From ANT's website, it looks like tape production is on hiatus for a while, so that leaves Gennlab. But as a beginner, I find his website a bit difficult to parse. I've gleaned that I need his Nak equivalent tapes, but when I asked on another forum, I got advice about which tapes to get that seems to conflict with what Gennlab said about his tapes, leaving me unclear as to what to get. While I trust the advice I got from the other tech (in fact, they're the person whose advice I followed in accumulating all separate, analog bench components), it was stated in a way that I didn't fully understand and when I asked for clarification, the receiving party apparently took offense, took me to be suggesting that they don't know what they're talking about, and told me I was on my own from now on.
From what I've been told, the PB FR tapes need to be exactly 20dB lower than the level tape, and that the level tape needs to be 200 wBn/m ANSI. Gennlab has such a level tape, but the website states that it is 'not suitable for Nakamichi decks' and his Nakamichi equivalent level tape doesn't have specified reference fluxivity stated. So the tech on the other forum recommended to just get the 200 wBn/m one and ignore the claim that it isn't suitable. But then he said that since this is the case, I'd need to get different PB FR tapes than the Gennlab Nak equivalents, since the ref. flux of those is not stated either, and so to ask whether there is any tape that "can be used to make a chart of Play FR with 70 uses EQ. For example a tape that has 400hz, 5k, 10k, and 15k tones on it. All recorded at the same level like -20db." Gennlab doesn't offer such a tape. So I asked whether I should get different tapes elsewhere if I couldn't get any of the PB FR tapes from Gennlab, at which point the tech helping me threw his hands up and said I was on my own. I understand it's frustrating helping someone new to something, especially online where communication is more difficult, but I assume that I am failing to understand something very basic in what was told to me such that this person took me to be insulting him by asking further questions rather than simply being confused.
Basically my question was, if I can't get the PB FR tapes from Gennlab, then where should I get them? And as a beginner, I was unsure why the 200 wBn/m level tape was stated to be unsuitable for Naks by one guy who knows what he's talking about, and stated to be the tape I need by another guy who knows what he's talking about. (I think this is what provoked the latter person, but it's an honest question.)
So at this point, I just want to hear from any techs who've used Gennlab tapes with good results, especially with Nakamichi decks. In particular, could someone confirm that I should get the 200 wBn/m level tape and possibly recommend other sources for PB FR tapes, or at least tell me which models of FR tape would work so I can look out for them on eBay? Or if the Gennlab Nak-equivalent tapes are indeed good, could someone maybe help me understand the disagreement mentioned above? I'm out of my depth.
Thanks all.
I'm looking to buy the test tapes I need for my decks, and Gennlab has been a name I've seen mentioned a lot in these discussions. From what I've gathered, there's only three worthy sources for new test tapes these days: A.N.T., Gennlab, and Hanspeter Roth (HPR). I already have HPR's tapes, but I wanted to get some more accurate ones. From ANT's website, it looks like tape production is on hiatus for a while, so that leaves Gennlab. But as a beginner, I find his website a bit difficult to parse. I've gleaned that I need his Nak equivalent tapes, but when I asked on another forum, I got advice about which tapes to get that seems to conflict with what Gennlab said about his tapes, leaving me unclear as to what to get. While I trust the advice I got from the other tech (in fact, they're the person whose advice I followed in accumulating all separate, analog bench components), it was stated in a way that I didn't fully understand and when I asked for clarification, the receiving party apparently took offense, took me to be suggesting that they don't know what they're talking about, and told me I was on my own from now on.
From what I've been told, the PB FR tapes need to be exactly 20dB lower than the level tape, and that the level tape needs to be 200 wBn/m ANSI. Gennlab has such a level tape, but the website states that it is 'not suitable for Nakamichi decks' and his Nakamichi equivalent level tape doesn't have specified reference fluxivity stated. So the tech on the other forum recommended to just get the 200 wBn/m one and ignore the claim that it isn't suitable. But then he said that since this is the case, I'd need to get different PB FR tapes than the Gennlab Nak equivalents, since the ref. flux of those is not stated either, and so to ask whether there is any tape that "can be used to make a chart of Play FR with 70 uses EQ. For example a tape that has 400hz, 5k, 10k, and 15k tones on it. All recorded at the same level like -20db." Gennlab doesn't offer such a tape. So I asked whether I should get different tapes elsewhere if I couldn't get any of the PB FR tapes from Gennlab, at which point the tech helping me threw his hands up and said I was on my own. I understand it's frustrating helping someone new to something, especially online where communication is more difficult, but I assume that I am failing to understand something very basic in what was told to me such that this person took me to be insulting him by asking further questions rather than simply being confused.
Basically my question was, if I can't get the PB FR tapes from Gennlab, then where should I get them? And as a beginner, I was unsure why the 200 wBn/m level tape was stated to be unsuitable for Naks by one guy who knows what he's talking about, and stated to be the tape I need by another guy who knows what he's talking about. (I think this is what provoked the latter person, but it's an honest question.)
So at this point, I just want to hear from any techs who've used Gennlab tapes with good results, especially with Nakamichi decks. In particular, could someone confirm that I should get the 200 wBn/m level tape and possibly recommend other sources for PB FR tapes, or at least tell me which models of FR tape would work so I can look out for them on eBay? Or if the Gennlab Nak-equivalent tapes are indeed good, could someone maybe help me understand the disagreement mentioned above? I'm out of my depth.
Thanks all.
Last edited:
