Battle Royal for a Studer A-820

MylesBAstor · Jul 15, 2012

Bruce B said:
Someone was foolish!

Think about what other decks he could have gotten for his money: A80, Stellavox, etc.

Gary D · Jul 15, 2012

Peter Breuninger said:
I am feeling a top to this market. The players are few, the money is no object. Once the tape bug wears off and the hassle of threading tape sets in these things are going to be hard to hold value. Mike L, I would bail asap on yours and roll the funds into the Darts.

Peter you might be right but I feel this way I love tape like some love vinyl.There is nothing like tape unconstrained warm and beautiful. The machines now I am talking studio decks here Ampex ,Studer,3M, ect are very well built and out of an era that simply doesn't exist anymore.The fun is to buy these decks and restore , modify and ogle if I must say .Like a fine Pininfarina design they are beautiful.But that goes away if the price reaches an outrageous level and this surely was the case than it's not worth it.
Like I said the incentive is to buy low and restore sit back and listen... the sound is marvelous.

Mike Lavigne · Jul 15, 2012

mep said:
So either the Ebay auction was a scam and the price was artifically inflated or this really represents what someone is willing to pay. The proof in the pudding will be what the next A820 will bring on Ebay.

it's no scam in the sense that it's not real.

i personally know of one bidder who was on it until it hit $22,000. he had been looking for a clean one, and had seen another similar A820 sell in June for $25k. this same guy has been looking high and low and so far has not found one.

ALF · Jul 15, 2012

Ahhh

Mike Lavigne said:
it's no scam in the sense that it's not real.

i personally know of one bidder who was on it until it hit $22,000. he had been looking for a clean one, and had seen another similar A820 sell in June for $25k. this same guy has been looking high and low and so far has not found one.

self-report...the best kind.

Mike Lavigne · Jul 15, 2012

Peter Breuninger said:
I am feeling a top to this market. The players are few, the money is no object. Once the tape bug wears off and the hassle of threading tape sets in these things are going to be hard to hold value. Mike L, I would bail asap on yours and roll the funds into the Darts.

thanks Peter; i know you mean well with your advice.

i don't think even these very very nice A820's are worth mid $20k's; but i think that somewhere $10k-$20k for a cosmetically very very clean one is likely the long term value of that deck. opinions on tape decks are like *ssholes, everyone has one. personally for my particular level of expertise, degree of usability, and preference for the look and feel i'm keeping my 2 A820's. i also think that as gentle as the A820 is on tape, that the tapes will tend to last longer. and if one uses custom output electronics, then the A820 is as good as anything in terms of sonic performance.

i've lived with the A820 for 5 years now and i really like it.

if i ever buy the 458's, it will not be by selling my A820's.....but thanks for all the well intentioned advice from everyone.

Mike Lavigne · Jul 15, 2012

ALF said:
self-report...the best kind.

Alan, if you have a line on one even at a high price, i will send you this guys contact info. let me know. i tried to sell him my ATR-102 telling him that it is even better if not as sexy looking. but he has to have an A820 and a pretty one to boot.

Mike Lavigne · Jul 15, 2012

here is the A820 from June that sold for about $25k that my friend told me about.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...FdtWRO4%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1133

and here is one that he told me about that did not sell due to the fact that it had issues (smoked out?);

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Studer-A-820...dmaschinen&hash=item19d252603a#ht_5518wt_1159

RogerD · Jul 15, 2012

Bruce B said:
Someone was foolish!

I have to agree. I doubt any professional mastering engineer would dream of paying that amount for a A820. The last one I saw went for 10K on Gearslutz in early 2012. I would never buy that deck without a inspection or some kind of written warranty. Also shipping any studio deck is risky,as the crate must be custom made. Clearly the buyer must have had some information on the deck to pay that kind of price.

RogerD · Jul 15, 2012

Mike Lavigne said:
here is the A820 from June that sold for about $25k that my friend told me about.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...FdtWRO4%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1133

and here is one that he told me about that did not sell due to the fact that it had issues (smoked out?);

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Studer-A-820...dmaschinen&hash=item19d252603a#ht_5518wt_1159

Never saw that.....ok uncle. Mine for 8K was a deal if one converted it to 1/4 ich because it had every electronics board option that Studer made. Though sound wise every Ampex I have blew it away. I just couldn't understand how the playback lacked so much,given the build quality.

rockitman · Jul 15, 2012

wow, what a beautiful specimen...

jdza · Jul 16, 2012

Heh,Heh. No matter what he paid or how mint it is it is still a 20 year old computer with leaky batteries, Frako and ERO motorcaps and really old ICs . If he intends using it it will not stay mint for long.I am tempted to say that a NOS A80 will be more tempting but it too is likely to explode on switch on.

Futhermore I remain so surprised that none of us are jumping on the equally well built ,as good as, brand new AEG mastering machines available at ridiculously low prices from the official agent in Germany:

http://www.hilpert-audio.de/audio/index_e.php?site=geraete&inhalt=geraete/e_geraete_aeg_m20.htm

c1ferrari · Jul 16, 2012

I'm into Studers...

Like I dig Ferraris...
Two Studer A820's, four headstacks, and options...
Charlie Bolois and Martin Berner...I'm WAY CooL with all of it.
About to consummate a deal on a factory-matched, stereo pair of Schoeps CMC65's...
I'm informed Studer repro electronics can and should be advanced...
I'm informed Studer record electronics don't suck too bad...hehe...
Well, I'm fixin' to realize a dream and roll my own...

Studer A820's pull the tape past the heads, sublimely...
There's something to be said regarding pedigree...
Studers and Ferraris
It Ain't All Hype.

BTW, I'm looking for an A827

Hxt1 · Jul 20, 2012

ALF said:
self-report...the best kind.

I can't get too emotional over someone else's spending, and seriously: LOOK at that thing!!!
Where was I again??..
OH!!! Good god, what a beautiful piece of machinery!! Just found an a810 repro for a price I could not refuse, and it looks like a plaything compared to this machine.... Impressive!

JackD201 · Jul 20, 2012

Winning bid was almost 27 grand. Wow.

Bruce B · Jul 20, 2012

JackD201 said:
Winning bid was almost 27 grand. Wow.

I don't have 27 grand in THREE A80's !!

Hxt1 · Jul 20, 2012

Bruce B said:
I don't have 27 grand in THREE A80's !!

Insane!!! I don't have $27k in my whole SYSTEM! And we're talking Canadian dollars here folks.....

c1ferrari · Jul 29, 2012

Here is a brilliant example of a Studer A 820...

The sole option I hadn't noticed which I would have desired is the headblock with external record and repro head azimuth adjustment

http://www.ebay.de/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...qCLI7Ak%3D&viewitemnext=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Bravo Studer

Mike Lavigne · Aug 6, 2012

it's re-listed due to 'a problem with the winning bidder'.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170890802939&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNARL:US:1123

mep · Aug 6, 2012

Mike Lavigne said:
it's re-listed due to 'a problem with the winning bidder'.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170890802939&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNARL:US:1123

Didn't someone on this forum predict this would happen?

Bruce B · Aug 6, 2012

Mike Lavigne said:
it's re-listed due to 'a problem with the winning bidder'.

Probably too much Soju.... or he read this forum!

Battle Royal for a Studer A-820

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