Many early home reel-to-reels were mono, but by the late 1960’s, most were stereo. Most mono reel-to-reels had an amplifier and speaker built right into the reel-to-reel, while entry level stereo units had stereo amplifiers and...
READ MORETape Problems
There are a lot of sources for vintage tape including eBay, garage sales and your own garage. These tapes can be anywhere up to 50 years old and will likely be shedding, the deposit...
READ MOREBuying a Reel-to-Reel (Updated October 2021)
Since launching this website in March of 2017, a lot has changed in the world of reel to reels. – Pricing has doubled or tripled for both refurbished and “as-is” (but working great according...
READ MOREUsing Your Reel To Reel
Every make and model of reel-to-reel operates and threads tape differently. The best way to know how to use YOUR reel-to-reel is get the user manual and read it. Three steps: Thread the tape...
READ MOREConnecting Your Deck
Almost all reel-to-reel tape decks have two RCA connectors on the back or sides. Two RCA connectors are line level (auxiliary level) outputs, that can connect to any auxiliary level input (tape, DVD, CD,...
READ MOREAbout Tape
Paper or Plastic The first tapes were paper-based. Paper tape varied from light to medium brown in colour, and you can see light glow through it. Tape from this era is now brittle and...
READ MORETracks
A track is a portion of the magnetic tape that is recorded onto. A full-track tape recorder uses the entire width of the tape to record a single track. Early tape decks would use...
READ MOREReel History
1920s: The reel-to-reel tape recorder was invented in Germany in the late 1920s. Tapes were made by binding ferrite oxide to a long paper strip that was then magnetized by a tape head. Early...
READ MOREWhy Reel-to-Reel
So the question begs… why reel-to-reel? It’s an old technology, the machines are large and heavy, the tape is expensive, and most machines need work. Here’s the reason: Reel-to-reel tape machines are fully analog...
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