Anyone with a grasp of the physics underlying audio recording and reproduction appreciates that preserving time base accuracy is fundamentally important. From recent study of hearing sensitivity in the era of digital audio, we have discovered that our sensitivity to time base variation or disturbance is astonishingly acute.
Back on topic. There are many types of analog tape transports. Now, if you venture out to go looking at those transports, armed with specialized instrumentation to find out how various transports are distorting the time base accuracy and adding unwanted amplitude modulation where the tape passes over the sound heads, you might soon find yourself in a quagmire. At that point, you'll understand the need to classify and sort the many transport architectures by type.
Eventually, your study will bring you to the precision guidance, servo constant tension, servo capstan transport. It will sound the best and it will measure the best.
To my knowledge, the first such commercial design appeared forty-seven years ago, in 1969. The machine was the Studer A80. Upon first hearing it in Europe, highly experienced, critical listeners reported a whole new level of clarity and focus to recorded sound. This was almost entirely due to the A80's superior time base accuracy (from the servo constant tension and the servo capstan). Even when fitted with its compromised, three-head (confidence recording) headblock, it clearly had audibly lower scrape flutter (from the precision guidance transport architecture).
Alas, a hugely unfortunate detail of precision guidance transports is that they cost fifteen to twenty times more to manufacture than other transport architectures. (This explains the far more commonly seen surviving Studer models like B67, A810, A807 and all the others which were not precision guidance transport designs and produced in enormous quantities.) While the Ampex ATR-102 was indeed servo constant tension and servo capstan, it too was not a precision guidance transport.
Of the few other makers of precision guidance machines, AEG in Germany was perhaps the most notable one. Yet Studer remains widely acknowledged as having been the leader, successfully producing two families of this class, the A80 and the A820.
Here's a side note. Sixteen years ago (in 2000), broadcaster organizations here in the USA and Canada were giving away Studer A80s. Literally. I was incredulous upon learning this. I saw it as an under-appreciation stemming from extreme ignorance. Today, I'm happy to see that the appreciation of this legendary product has improved.
But another unfortunate detail is that the surviving Studer A80 and A820 machines have absolutely not aged well. Perhaps ninety-nine percent of all A80s and A820s still in service today are badly under-performing, mainly due to transport mechanical issues, such as faulty bearings (most commonly dried out lubricants) and improper reconditioning attempts, including extreme high precision motors that have been ruined by unqualified "re-building".
My alarming assertions presented here can be backed-up, not just by ear, but also by playing back specialized test tapes with instrumentation connected.
I suspect that the movement of a 45-year-old Rolex might possibly still be in near first class condition today, if the original crystal is intact and the watch case back has never been opened outside the factory. But people have always been quite free to go inside Studer tape machines. Sadly, too often doing harm.
Yet, for those who recognized an A80 or A820 machine and saved it from the scrap yard, they may be rewarded today for preserving some finely-crafted hardware components that can comprise a very solid foundation for building a spectacular new tape machine.
That is, if they have the talent and budget for doing so.
This is what we are doing at ATAE in 2017.
An investor believing in our mission (or even just a couple of supporters placing pre-orders) is wanted!
Also, the very last, fully stock and fully original Studer A820 recorder-reproducer (reconditioned by us) that we will offer is now on eBay. To call it very special is perhaps an understatement. Price is $44,300.
Please reach me thru the ataudioeng.com website.
Thanks for reading everyone.