added a 3rd Studer A-820 Mk2 with both 1/4" and 1/2" heads, guides and hubs

andromedaaudio · Nov 30, 2021

Eye candy .
First nagra T audio then
Studer A820, C 37

Tape handling telefunken M15a.
Cant beat the spool direction speed adjustment all in one handle.
Plus it easily takes pancakes and large reels
I never owned a A 820 as thats probably slicker

A 80 RC MK 2 i sold because of the crappy plastic meterbridge.
And freakin heavy .
I like portables these days

I could buy a ATR next but it wouldnt be for looks.
May be a portable " new " one direct from the US

christensenleif@msn.com · Dec 1, 2021

tape handling of my M15 is primitive compared to the A80RC
the M15A winding direction lever has nothing to do with tape handling
I also find the A80s lack of woodpanels and bling appealing ...a machine built for a purpose....

andromedaaudio · Dec 1, 2021

Studer B 62 is also an awesome sounding machine.
I always had the impression it sounds more dynamic then the A80 .
May be its the cast iron

christensenleif@msn.com · Dec 1, 2021

in std same audio cards as A80

Foxbat · Dec 1, 2021

Interesting, how people get different impressions from looking at the same things... I too don't consider the tape handling on M15A in the same class as Studer's, it is on the rough side. And yes, it does take platters (most such machines do, anyway), but not 14", like A820 or ATR-102 do. Its standard platter is 12", same as for A80, with 12.5" custom made possible - I made some, see the pic.

The rewind lever on M15A is not continuous, as on some machines, it has several speeds, 3, I believe, which is still great. By comparison, the MCI JH-110 and Mechlabor STM-310 have continuously variable speeds. The MCI also handles 14" reels.

As far as the wooden cases... I consider them in the same category as wooden panels on cars.

In the Eye Candy class my nomination today is Lyrec Frida.

andromedaaudio · Dec 1, 2021

Foxbat said:
The rewind lever on M15A is not continuous

No its continuous.
It takes the large pancakes my studer b 62 cant take.
Overal handling is just the best i have owned .
German simplicity.
The plates for underneath the pancakes are much larger so the tape is always supported.

Why did you make the custom platter?
I suppose the standard studer diam.was to small right, same as my problem.

christensenleif@msn.com · Dec 1, 2021

if one uses EDIT mode on A80 you get continuous as well
I had 2 Lyrec Frida and agree when it comes to looks and even in std it´s a fine sounding machine
sold due to uncertain/impossible spare part situation and few knowledgable to service it

Foxbat · Dec 1, 2021

I am pretty sure it is a 6 or 7 position rewind speed switch on the M15A, and you can feel it take steps in speed as you go from position to position. The schematic shows the switch S6. The transitions are soft, but they are there.

Problem with the EDIT mode on A80 is that it does not lock in, it is spring loaded. I have thought about removing that spring...

On some other machines you can set it on slow and walk away.

christensenleif@msn.com · Dec 1, 2021

Foxbat said:
I am pretty sure it is a 6 or 7 position rewind speed switch on the M15A, and you can feel it take steps in speed as you go from position to position. The schematic shows the switch S6. The transitions are soft, but they are there.

Problem with the EDIT mode on A80 is that it does not lock in, it is spring loaded. I have thought about removing that spring... On some other machines you can set it on slow and walk away.

I can on my A80RCs
picture of lever SWITCH / selector on my M15 a few seconds ago

reminds me of Seiden

update....a Dutch expert on Telefunken tapemachines confirms that this lever on M15 looks identical to the one on M15A

however the viper gives 5 speeds on each side if including when it touches 2 contact points at the same time....

astrotoy · Dec 2, 2021

Foxbat said:
I dunno... to me their wooden cases are like a hearty fart in the middle of a Brahms violin concerto.

Here is my analogy:

Studer A80/A820 - Diana Krall
Ampex ATR-102 - Ella Fitzgerald

Larry

bonzo75 · Dec 2, 2021

Leif did have a video compare of Telefunken M15a vs Studer A80.

Best to listen without watching which one is playing.

christensenleif@msn.com · Dec 2, 2021

astrotoy said:
Here is my analogy:

Studer A80/A820 - Diana Krall
Ampex ATR-102 - Ella Fitzgerald

Larry

I cannot understand why you put A820 and A80 in same boot.....A80 looks like a professionals tool and not a furniture imo

Foxbat · Dec 2, 2021

bonzo75 said:
Leif did have a video compare of Telefunken M15a vs Studer A80.

Both machines produce good, but unremarkable sound in their stock form. It is clean, but noticeably lacking in air and detail. Either one will satisfy probably 90% users, and beat the A8XX machines easily. Either one can be sucessfully used as a drive for external head preamp.

Mike Lavigne · Dec 2, 2021

christensenleif@msn.com said:
I cannot understand why you put A820 and A80 in same boot.....A80 looks like a professionals tool and not a furniture imo

take the top skins off; both the Studer's have single castings that everything is bolted to, the A-820 casting is especially robust and likely the single most amazing build aspect of any piece of audio/hifi gear ever. the Ampex is screwed together. and the A-820 uses convection cooling, not fans like the Ampex. build quality is higher with the A-820.

the wood sides are just covers.

i suppose we can talk about horns and wood. no one is denigading vintage horns (or modern one's either) for using wood.

christensenleif@msn.com · Dec 2, 2021

Foxbat said:
Both machines produce good, but unremarkable sound in their stock form. It is clean, but noticeably lacking in air and detail. Either one will satisfy probably 90% users. Either one can be sucessfully used as a drive for external head preamp.

my A80RCs both have new custom stabilizer cards and repro and record boards from Todor Dimitrov of Mastertapesoundlab in Thessaloniki
they´re also rewired with a special Kapton insulated silver wire with silversheat plaid shield......had enourmous impact on resolution without sounding harsh
the wire was also supplied by Todor

Foxbat · Dec 2, 2021

I am not familiar with that particular modification, but certainly some improvements can be made. Also, you have the RC machines, which are much superior in sound to any A8XX one to begin with.

christensenleif@msn.com · Dec 2, 2021

I´m happy with them, but still curious about Charles project......
for me the M15, not A, in the M10 trolley with outboard audio cards is more of a clenode
my wife says I should keep it because the looks are like a wwII tank or something

quite tolerant when you think of how much livingroom space my system already occupies

Foxbat · Dec 2, 2021

Knowing Charles, I am sure those cards would be a welcome improvement, and I would definitely consider them if I were using the A80 through its outputs. There are no questions regarding the Telefunken looks, they project the sense of power more than precision, but it is nice to have the verity.

andromedaaudio · Dec 2, 2021

Foxbat said:
Both machines produce good, but unremarkable sound in their stock form. It is clean, but noticeably lacking in air and detail. Either one will satisfy probably 90% users, and beat the A8XX machines easily. Either one can be sucessfully used as a drive for external head preamp.

I dont know if you notice but the fact we are still talking about these machines stems from world famous recordings that were done with them .
Sixties / seventies recordings are still considered as the best by many .
The recording engineer bought my studer just to add the studer flavour to his digital recordings .
They re even selling digital plug ins.
Because people love the old studer sound.
Mechanics AND ....the audiocards

Foxbat · Dec 2, 2021

Mass produced recordings were mainly done on mass produced machines, and probably 98% of them are at best mediocre, many outright horrible.

OTOH, if you look at what is used by the best boutique recording studios today, it is normally not the stock equipment. And they tend to produce the best recorded sound available on tape.

Things like ML-5 and Tim De Paravicini modified machines have been used and in demand for good reason.

added a 3rd Studer A-820 Mk2 with both 1/4" and 1/2" heads, guides and hubs

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