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Re: [ARSCLIST] reel choices was help in fair pricing of reel to reel machines



Hi Richard,

Thanks for your reply. Interestingly, one of the satisfied MX-5050 owners I know is a radio station. What I do like about the 5050s (on paper) is their flexibility for the price, the BIIIs (I think?) having a 1/4 as well as a 1/2 track head on the same path, as well as three speeds. It has been a while since I have heard one, but I seem to recall the sound as being similar to comparable Teacs, perhaps a bit fuller.

Of the few I have more experience with, the ATR-102 wins hands down to my ears--but we are talking very different price points, of course.

Cheers,

Marcos

Richard L. Hess wrote:
Hi, Marcos,

I'm not Tom, but here are my thoughts on your question, and no, I don't think you're being bellicose, I think you're being curious as you'd like to learn. Of course, Tom and I have different approaches. He is a mostly Ampex and Technics shop and I'm a Sony and Studer shop and we both get great results that please our clients.

While only having a very limited exposure to early MX-5050s, I did own four MTR-10s/12s and found them frustrating. They weren't gentle on tape (the Sonys blow away most transports in many ways in that regard), they were difficult to modify. Their adjustments didn't allow nearly the flexibility that we have in the APRs and the A810s to use slightly out-of-spec heads (to get the job done). The noise floor wasn't that great, neither was the response. The adjustments are all screwdriver pots, none are electronic and there is limited flexibility for multiple setups (I forget the exact arrangement).

I felt I got better results with ReVox A77s in classical recordings than a competitor got with MX-5050s. The 5050s were OK as low-cost radio station machines.

The thing the MTR-10/12 had going for them was they held up in radio station use and operators loved them for fast production work.

Having several APRs and several A810s by the time I made the decision to dispose of my MTRs could have coloured my decision. I just couldn't find a way to use the MTRs. Acquiring the only APR-16 ever made (16T and 8T 1" and 8T and 4T 1/2" plus now 16T 1/2" and 7T 1/2" play) I decided to standardize on the APR and the A810 platforms for transfer work and the A807 as a utility machine (prep, etc) And, at least for me, getting the Otaris out of my space was a good choice (and I'm glad I didn't have them when I decided to move back to Ontario).

So, those are my reasons. Yes, they work, but there are better machines out there.

Cheers,

Richard

At 11:48 AM 2007-01-24, you wrote:
Tom, I hope my question was not interpreted as bellicose --I'm just curious as to your opinion on those Otaris.

I know people who own MX-5050s (I don't) and seem to be happy with them.

Cheers,

Marcos

Marcos Sueiro wrote:
Otari -- one man's opinion here -- I wouldn't take one if it were GIVEN to me.

Tom, why is that?


Marcos


Richard L. Hess email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.


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