Acceptable hours for Studer A80 RCmkII ?

[christensenleif@msn.com]

hello
have at hand a STUDER A80 RCmkII that has 1.800hrs on the meter
whats considered low and high for a professionally used and maintained machine like this?
best
Leif

 

[tony ky ma]

1,800 h will not be real time, more important is look at the head. if it is more than 4mm should relap or replace
tony ma

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

not real time?
Im confident the seller not has tampered with the counter.....
yes sure
best
Leif

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

btw:

is it possible to use the A80 in standing position?
see they´re always in trolleys, but could be quite space saving to have it standing e.g in a rack
best
Leif

 

[Bruce B]

btw:

is it possible to use the A80 in standing position?
see they´re always in trolleys, but could be quite space saving to have it standing e.g in a rack
best
Leif

You will get lowest wow/flutter in trolley.

Tony is right about hours. Capstan is constantly running and counters can be easily bypassed or disconnected.

 

[rockitman]

not real time?
Im confident the seller not has tampered with the counter.....
yes sure
best
Leif

is the seller the first owner of the unit ? If not, I would say the likelihood of the meter being accurate for actual hours is pretty low. Head condition will be the tell all, unless the head block was switched out at one point.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

Pretty sure like 99% they're first and only owner
True. Will see wednesday
Best
Leif

 

[jdza]

With proper maintenance the lifetime of these machines are near infinite. As they are totally modular every component can be quickly replaced.

Pinch wheels and heads can be considered as consumables and should be inspected by an expert regardless of age.Electronic parts like capacitors should probably be replaced due to age rather than hours. Mechanically Studer expected 5000 hours from the bearings and probably same from the capstan.

BTW someone asked elsewhere on this forum: RC = Rundfunk Compact ie designed for broadcasting , R = Rundfunk and is slightly larger. So not really a mastering machine but a bit of a compromise for the broadcasting industry featuring A 80 mechanicals with simpler audio electronics from the older B62. A 80 VU has offboard audio electronics and subsequently lower impedance heads to cope with the longer head cables needed. The A 80 VU is then probably a better buy than the A80R or RC if aftermarket playback electronics are contemplated as all that is needed is a cable with a suitable plug to go.

Finally, none of the A 80 family should ever be used in an upright position.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

BB and jdza....thxs great info
It was me who asked about RC.....
got a package with 4 of the Yarlung recordings today, and even on A807 they sound dynamic and with great tonal purity
have a few issues with the speed indicator on the 807: when the display to the left indicates 15ips it obviously goes at double speed and the machine does not respond to the reg speed buttons, but when I use shift and variable button it works as a toggle switch!
guess I have to inspect the control board jumpers.....
the manual is a challenge to say the least
best
Leif

 

[c1ferrari]

To complement a head report, if available, I also examine the capstan. Lower hour use of the capstan typically implies a duller/matte/satin-appearing surface. Conversely, a shiny reflective capstan I infer to indicate greater use. These comments reflect my experience with Studer decks, only.

Hope this helps

 

[microstrip]

(...) BTW someone asked elsewhere on this forum: RC = Rundfunk Compact ie designed for broadcasting , R = Rundfunk and is slightly larger. So not really a mastering machine but a bit of a compromise for the broadcasting industry featuring A 80 mechanicals with simpler audio electronics from the older B62. A 80 has offboard audio electronics and subsequently lower impedance heads to cope with the longer head cables needed. The A 80 is then probably a better buy than the A80R or RC if aftermarket playback electronics are contemplated as all that is needed is a cable with a suitable plug to go. (...)

Jdza,
Does this imply that a block head with original heads coming from a A80 RC should not be used in a A80R ?

 

[jdza]

Jdza,
Does this imply that a block head with original heads coming from a A80 RC should not be used in a A80R ?

I'm not that familiar with the RC but AFAIK the R and RC are identical save for lay out. The R has a seperate card cage slung below the transport electronics while the RC has the same audio electronics next to the transport electronics. It is the A80 (VU) that is different.

Studer specs the same (200mH) repro heads for R,RC and A81R . Head specs for the A 80 VU differs wildely through the various models (Mark I -IV)

A80 RC



A80 R


A80 VU


And finally sort of off topic but two things re the A80R/RC: Firstly they sound vastly better without the meter bridges (Apparently measurably so). Be aware though that one cannot simply disconnect the bridge but a change has to be made to the output card.

Secondly,my system is unbalanced. I used to always simply connect my Studers through Cardas adapters or even worse cables wired for RCA to XLR (Especially bad for A810). Then I tried a Jensen transformer interface. I could not believe the improvement in sound. A 80s are like tanks ,they, ll work with anything if they have to but the sound did jump ahead with the transformer. The A810 however went from sounding broken to being a genuinely beautiful sounding thing.Inspired I found some old Gardners broadcasting standard transformers and had them wired up for duty. Another incremental improvement.After 7 years of use with Balanced to SE adapters my BAT VK P10Se SP phono pre received the same transformer treatment. Noisefloor dropped and the sound also improved significantly