Even 7 1/2 ips tapes have a story to tell

[mep]

Last night I decided to spool up a 7 ½ ips tape. I picked out Blood Sweat & Tears because it Is a great sounding recording. Even though 7 ½ ips 4 track tapes can’t hold a candle to 15 ips 2 track tapes, they still have a story to tell. For those of you that haven’t heard a good 7 ½ ips 4 track tape, it could be an enlightening experience. It always sounds like the top octaves have been blown open compared to digital. Even though the specs tell you that it can’t be so, your ears will tell you that the dynamic range is very impressive. There is a big difference between the quiet passages and loud passages. It just sounds like real musicians playing real music instead of sounding more like a canned reproduction of the event. The CD of this tape sounds like it was made from a different master because it isn’t close to this tape. The dynamic range sounds much bigger on the tape.

There is an ease and naturalness to tape that seems to escape digital, or at least my digital. And I do think my digital sounds very good now. I can actually put on music and listen through an entire album without wanting to get up and switch over to analog which is huge for me. I very much enjoy listening to digital now. I just enjoy analog better.

I am very glad that my stereo allows me to hear multiple sources and I can enjoy all of them. I would hate to be a one-trick pony and only be able to play LPs, or CDs/digital, or tape. I love being able to play all of them and don’t want to be confined to just one source. It’s all good.

Mark

 

[tony ky ma]

Tape source already started to move, year ago I can get 71/2 ips 4 track RCA Hatari or Pink Panther from Ebay around $30, much cheaper than those re issue vinyls, and sound quality is uncomparable too, but to-day, a 2 track 71/2 ips classical music tape, you will never get it less than 100$ even not the well known one. There are still a lot 4 track machines in Ebay price still reasonable but count on condition, if you can make modification, there will be a lot of fun too, although both are analog vinyl and tape but they belong to different kind of sound, I prefer tape sound better but depend how well to keep it, I really don't know how many % already down from fresh of those tape from Ebay, even that I still pick the tape than the same vinyl
tony ma

 

[DonH50]

I used a cheap two/four-track R2R for years to create final masters for a lot of folk and few could tell from a 15 ips two-track. I could, but I knew what to listen for, and of course most of them could tell the difference between the 7.5 ips 1/4" tape and my 0.5"/1" 30 ips two-track starting masters, at least on a good sound system or good pair of headphones.

 

[flez007]

I have some music in this particular format/speed - mainly classical - and agree on the fact that there are some nice ones out there that can border the performance of average 2 track/15 IPS tapes.

 

[RogerD]

I continue to be amazed at the prices paid on ebay for older 2 track tapes. This Billy the Kid tape that brought a price north of 150.00 today. I purchased the very same tape but in 4 track I while back for under $20

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220797935680&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[U47]

That tape belonged to me. I sold it to reel-empress last week. She is a pretty amazing ebay seller. The other top two tracks that she listed last week belonged to me as well. The quarter track Everest tapes can be very close to the 2 tracks for quality. I only kept two Everest titles- the Stravinsky Symphony with Goosens and the Corroborree. These two are really quite fantastic.

Rich Brown
Portland, Oregon

 

[RogerD]

That tape belonged to me. I sold it to reel-empress last week. She is a pretty amazing ebay seller. The other top two tracks that she listed last week belonged to me as well. The quarter track Everest tapes can be very close to the 2 tracks for quality. I only kept two Everest titles- the Stravinsky Symphony with Goosens and the Corroborree. These two are really quite fantastic.

Rich Brown
Portland, Oregon

Rich,

Did you own the Everest Mahler 1, Bolt tape? I saw that listed but it was withdrawn. I have this tape in 4 track also,sounds pretty good.

 

[MylesBAstor]

I have some music in this particular format/speed - mainly classical - and agree on the fact that there are some nice ones out there that can border the performance of average 2 track/15 IPS tapes.

Some prerecorded tapes such as the early 2 track Mercuries are actually a generation closer to the master tape than the record release. And as Rich has said to me many times, tape generation is probably the most important thing

 

[U47]

the Boult Mahler 1st was not part of my collection. Forgot if that was a good one.