[mikesiegel1]

Greetings,
Looking for opinions please.

Last year I completed the complete restoration of my Technics RS-1506 Reel to Reel deck. It is truly amazing. I love the entire process of recording and playing Jazz and Rock music at 15 ips. Very similar to the love we have for the vinyl experience. I purchased 4 one-to-one "master recordings from Analogue Productions and another provider in Europe. Each of the packages were a gorgeous presentation. All of the tapes sounded very good. Were they worth $500. each compared to a UHQR 1-Step or 45 rpm Bernie Grundman rework???  In my opinion no-way....I think that this is a little like purchasing a very expensive sports car, that drives like crap and is always broken.. I t is great o be seen in but a Mercedes or C8 Corvette is probably a better purchase...I still have a few "master tapes" from other sources, but I sold all 4 of the tapes I mentioned above.

<> Yes....I know its' the room and the system ..obviously makes all the difference... I have a terrific high-end audio set up, pease trust me, and my listening room has been professionally acoustically treated and tuned....I know that these tapes are copied in "real-time" one to one, and that blank 10.5 inch are $70+ each..What are some of your opinions out there please ?

When I play music from my Koetsu cartridge or an SACD through a great DAC, my opinion is that the sound definitely rivals the tapes...

Thanks for your input,
Mike

[FullRangeMan]

This $500 price are retail commercial price, as a comparinson the Glass CD in Japan was quoted at $1000 per disc. Goulp!

[galyons]

If you have not done a direct tape head feed out to a dedicated tape head preamp, you have no idea of what good tapes sound like. The electronics in consumer tape decks are horrifically bad. Your expensive LP's would not sound nearly as good if you were running them through a a consumer grade, mid market integrated phono stage. That is the equivalent to what you have in your R2R unit.

[mick wolfe]

  I have a friend who is into tape decks and especially 15 ips recordings. He's built his own DIY vacuum tube tape head pre-amp, but has recently decided to take it a step further and ordered a Titan tube head pre-amp from Erhard Audio. He would definitely agree with you on the need for a tape head pre.....especially if one has a hi-end 15 ips deck.

[toocool4]

Even with your commercial Technics, you should be able to get a good idea of your 15ips tapes. Spending more money on an external tape head pre-amp will not necessarily give you a lot more, since you already say it’s not worth it to you.

Just because you have a high-end system in a professionally treated room, does not mean, you will get a realistic sound. There are things like bad setup and overly treated room, any or both of those will ruin the end sound.

If any of the other sources you have rivals the tape and you are happy with them, I would say save your money and stick to those sources.

[galyons]

I have a friend who is into tape decks and especially 15 ips recordings. He's built his own DIY vacuum tube tape head pre-amp, but has recently decided to take it a step further and ordered a Titan tube head pre-amp from Erhard Audio. He would definitely agree with you on the need for a tape head pre.....especially if one has a hi-end 15 ips deck.

I built my tape heads from BottleHead, (The Tape Project), Eros kit.  I have done several tape head outputs for audio buddies. Bypassing the consumer/pro-sumer grade electronics  provides significantly improved music reproduction.  I have 2 Otari MX5050 II B2 decks. One is bypassed and the other is not, (we were using it for recording, so needed the electronics.)  The side-by-side comparison is pretty obvious.  Most consumer decks are "optimized" for 7 1/2 IPS commercially produced tapes, with 3 1/4 as an after thought.  15 IPS tapes were not available to the general consumer.  Most of the prosumer units were also optimized for 2 sided1/4 track recording, as that was the market when they were designed and built.  So bypassing all of those compromised with a dedicated playback tape stage is is a huge improvement.

[mick wolfe]

Similar path as my friend. He rebuilt an Otari deck. He was confident that he could build a much better tape head pre than the one that was in that machine. As I've said, he's now set his sights on the Erhard Titan.

[WGH]

When I play music from my Koetsu cartridge or an SACD through a great DAC, my opinion is that the sound definitely rivals the tapes...

Probably depends on the recording or how the tape was copied but... many times I have heard music on the Otari deck Mick Wolfe mentions and there is no comparison, tape is the gold standard.

Have you researched tape equalization? Looking at the specifications for the Technics RS-1506 deck the internal electronics are set for NAB equalization. The commercial 15ips tapes are usually IEC equalization.
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/technics/rs-1506us.shtml

The Erhard Titan can be switched between NAB and IEC.


AI Overview

NAB and IEC are two different equalization standards used in magnetic tape recording. NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) equalization is generally used for 7.5 ips (inches per second) tape speeds and provides a bass boost and treble cut, while IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) equalization is used for both 7.5 and 15 ips and mainly focuses on high-frequency correction. IEC equalization is often preferred for modern tape formulas due to its better high-frequency fidelity


NAB Equalization:
Purpose:
Developed by the National Association of Broadcasters in the 1950s, NAB equalization was designed to address the limitations of early magnetic tape technologies.

Effect:
NAB equalization introduces a bass shelf (a gradual roll-off of low frequencies) and a high-frequency boost (to compensate for tape's inherent high-frequency loss).
When used:
Traditionally associated with 7.5 ips tape speeds, NAB is often used in conjunction with older tape formulations, according to Audionirvana.org.
Modern Usage:
While NAB is still a valid option, IEC is generally preferred for newer tapes and higher tape speeds.

IEC Equalization:
Purpupose:
Developed in the 1960s by the International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC equalization focuses primarily on high-frequency response compensation.

Effect:
IEC equalization introduces a high-frequency boost, similar to NAB, but does not include a bass shelf.
When used:
IEC is commonly used with both 7.5 and 15 ips tape speeds, especially with modern tape formulations, according to Elliott Sound Products.
Modern Usage:
IEC is generally considered the preferred standard for modern tape recorders and tape formulations, offering better high-frequency fidelity.

Key Differences:
Bass Shelf:
NAB includes a bass shelf, while IEC does not.
 
Tape Speed:
NAB is primarily associated with 7.5 ips, while IEC is used for both 7.5 and 15 ips.

Tape Formulations:
NAB is often considered better for older tape formulations, while IEC is preferred for modern tapes, according to Tapeheads.net.

High-Frequency Response:
Both NAB and IEC boost high frequencies, but IEC's boost is generally considered more precise and accurate for modern tapes, according to the Tape Project.

In Summary:
If you're playing older tapes or using 7.5 ips, NAB equalization might be suitable. However, for modern tapes and higher speeds (especially 15 ips), IEC is generally the better choice due to its more precise high-frequency compensation, according to Richard L. Hess.