A cool little-known story about TEAC: One of their first major projects was a commissioned prototype flight data recorder for the new at the time US Space Shuttle Program. One of the biggest challenges the US government specified was that the unit had to survive a 9g impact and not completely disintegrate, so the data could be recovered. The TEAC engineers went to task, but misunderstood the instructions due to the language barrier. On demonstration day, NASA and other competitors were dumbfounded after the impact test. Not only could the TEAC recorder withstand the immense impact, it also kept functioning perfectly. "See, still works!" The Japanese engineers said proudly, while everyone's mouths were agape. "It survive 9g impact." Needless to say, TEAC won the Space Shuttle contract. Cheers! EDIT : 9g not 5g
@@cameronbrown8288 I learned this cool part of their history when I was offered a job at TEAC in Los Angeles. I'm pretty sure UA-cam won't let people post hyperlinks, but here's a quote from the TEAC website: "The transport on the DA-88 is the same as the one used on NASA space shuttles. NASA was shocked by the fact that it could survive a 9g impact, exclaiming “My God we only needed to be able to salvage the data from it, we didn’t expect it to still work!.” - Source: TASCAM 30 years of recording evolution, Randy Alberts; Hal Leonard Corp, (2003).
... and years later, when Columbia burnt up, it was one of these "prototype" flight recorders (the so-called OEX unit) that hadn't ever been removed or deactivated that was recovered and in good enough condition they could pull data from it... which is how they figured exactly which part of the leading edge was breached and allowed for the test that proved what actually caused the disaster to happen.
Your initial Reel to Reel video years ago got me to go down the reel to reel journey. I bought a Teac X1000R Black. I replaced all the caps and totally restored it. It is absolutely beautiful spinning those black reels. Thanks for influencing me. When I got it it was ~500. Now you cant touch one for less than $2000 in the condition of mine. Also I ran the tape the wrong way on mine as well. I shared a pic of it running on a Teac forum and was summarily executed for being a noob.
I had to use a reel to reel as late as 2008 in the military. It was used for data storage, the weapon system it was integrated with was a big frankenstein mash up of old and new hardware, new and old computers, even a modern desktop computer. Every time I used one of these things, I felt like I was in a 1950s sci fi movie. just needed to light up a pipe and wear a lab coat.
🤣 Pretty cool story. That’s no surprise there. From what I understand, punch tape is still used for certain “things”. It was definitely used in those titan II missile systems. There is a really great video here on UA-cam explaining how it was used. Of course you probably already know this being in the military.
@Dixie Paste sometimes lol. miles of toggle switches that are very satisfying to use and a big fire switch with a red spring loaded safety cover over it. love the battle flag pic, btw.
What else was someone going to use for serious recording in the early 90s? That's too early for digital recording. The only other choice was cassettes, which work fine for listening, but were never great for people focussed on production.
@@steveunderwood3683 At the time I used a HiFi S-VHS deck which had manual recording level controls. Recording music on VHS tapes was a perfectly usable solution for home recording until digital alternatives become widely available. Then, in the early noughties, I transferred the tapes to digital form. (VHS was of course not a good option for production, but for home recording it was generally a bit better for me than my Technics cassette recorder with metal tapes and DBX noise reduction.)
@@steveunderwood3683 There were many digital PCM recording devices, Tech Moan covers one such VHS device, there was a PCM add on for some betamax recorders and the 8mm Video format also had a few machines which were sold for this very purpose, advertised to music professionals. Not knocking reel to reel at all but there were digital recording alternatives available at the time.
In 1979 I convinced my high school music teacher to pop for a 4-track TEAC reel to reel machine and an ARP-2600 synthesiser. I made a few experimental recordings with that, but never forgot the beauty of a R2R machine.
I have never gotten into reel to reel but I still have and use Minidisc - a lot. My Tascam MD350 does a great job, and so does my Sony portable MD player. New and used MD discs are still plentiful available.
Never would have guessed I would be watching a Techmoan video about a piece of tech that I own! I have been the proud user of an X 300 R for half of my life!
Teac made some very good machines, as did Tascam, I am sure you will be happy with the performance of the X3, but have to agree that the Pioneer is a very nice machine, hope the repair brings it back to it's former glory.
That wooden case was an option. You just need to remove the wooden case and plastic feet with the screws. Then you will be left with the factory installed plastic case. Take the screws and you should be able to install the plastic feet on the bottom of the plastic case. ( you may need to find suitable shorter screws for the sides of the case, as the pre existing screws may be too long) The wooden has been like this on all X series decks. 😊 I've worked on them all...And I've never seen a metal cover for them. Always plastic. (And always installed, with either the wooden case or not)
On the X-3 series was there a case under the wooden case option like the X-7/700/1000 and 2000? My x-300R has the metal U like case (top and sides)-I bought it new around 1992 (it was severely discounted and they threw in the deal with another deck I bought) at that time the wooden case for the X-3 had vanished as an option but the large deck x-2000R still had it.
Excellent, love these reel to reels. The Akai 4000 range can be bought for as little as £50 on eBay for collection and are nice easy machines to work on as shown on my channel
I have a TEAC X-10 and I LOVE it. It was purchased from a guy who had it on a shelf for 20+ years and never used it so the heads are very nicely intact. Albums just sound better when recorded on tape even at the slower speed. My original stereo system was based around a Pioneer SX1050, a TEAC double deck cassette machine and JBL 65's picked up while stationed on Okinawa in the later 1970's and then I added a Bang and Olufsen Beogram 2400 turntable. I recently replaced the SX1050 with a Yamaha AS 3200 integrated amp and a CD/DAC also from Yamaha. Amazingly the Beogram with the original needle still works very nicely, though I sometimes wonder if it should be upgraded. I enjoy your videos very much. Nicely Done!
Hi there, just wanted to say out of all the channels I watch on UA-cam yours is easily the best out of everything, your content is like a TV documentary! it's amazing! I suffer with mental health issues and your videos have helped me tremendously!I literally watch them over and over...please don't ever stop making videos lol
2:52 the catch phrase… if only they knew convenience would take over the more time went on. It’s hard to get consumers interested to something that might be harder to maneuver regardless of quality. It’s sad.
Dad had a much cherished reel-to-reel that he would play (and record radio stations; don't ask me why) for years. Still, it's not a cheap hobby. lol Miss my Dad; don't recall the name of his system, but remember it being either light gray or greenish gray. :)
Average UA-cam subscriber here. I don't know if this has been addressed elsewhere, but I've noticed the puppet shows have been gone for a while. What's up with that?
I agree, the TEAC machines do look more timeless than an Akai. But, i got my GX220D and a Sony TC600, and i am happy with them, but if i can find a TEAC with logic and auto reverse i may consider upgrading.
When you look closer and pay attention you will notice that the CORPORATE name is AKAI and not Akai - It is clearly written - So be sure to stay conscious - and see exactly what it is you are looking at - despite that you were programmed to be a ZOMBIE and you do not realize it Learn to pay attention to detail.
@@andrew_koala2974 Literally don’t care for your pedantry, Mr Andrew-Koala. 20 years of being a service engineer for consumer and professional A/V gear, and every brand is written on every report like any other proper noun - Capitalized first letter, the rest in lower case.
Honestly, I think the wooden case looks lovely, especially seeing that it matches the shelf it‘s on. Purely visually speaking imho the whole set-up looks much more pleasing and way cleaner than it did before and it‘s all down the wooden casing. Oh, well, tastes differ. I hope you find a way to make it look the way you prefer.
2:42 not only that, the AKAI 4000 doesn't _and_ can't control tension on the left reel, it relies on the resistance so they tend to have bad wow... (no doubt less when new)
I had an X-300R as my first reel to reel. I eventually “upgraded” back to an A-4300SX which fit in with the aesthetics of my system better. It was a good machine though.
Not surprised at all, every TEAC component I have ever owned has never died, it has only required the most basic maintainance. People will always point to higher end examples of products from Pioneer or Sony that rarely work and 90% of the time are just plastic fantastic and tell you they are superior based on a nonsense feature set. Just like people recommending Direct Drive Walkmans with those god awful metal-on-plastic gears, purely because they sound better for the two weeks they work. TEAC always uses compenents that are easily serviceable, cheap, reliable and good value for money. I own a TEAC CRT and 6 head Hi-Fi VCR, and I am adament that I could throw them out the window now and they'd not only work, but work better. The only work I've ever had to do on my VCR was a pinch-roller replacement, the video quality is exceptional and I fully expect that it will outlive every other electronic device I own, aside from maybe my Game Boys and my Nokia 3310
Regarding the paddle-control Akais - in the past few years, I've read from multiple sources that the cams they connected to that engaged the various functions, were made of low-quality metal. Fine back then, but today with age those cams often break, rendering the deck inoperable, and not repairable without somehow casting (or possibly 3D printing?) replacements. So the Teacs and pushbutton-control Akais are far superior, not just better-looking.
yep - they were die-cast and tend to crack and rattle around the bottom of the machine in pieces. If you have an Akai that stays in playback when you turn it to Record, it's the cam
Got an X 1000R. Sat in the closet for years. So had to overhaul it mechanically. Drive belt turned to chewing gum. Grease all over turned to hard paste. Etc. Restored to work perfectly at home. But I hate mechanicals like tape decks and record changers. The heads have light wear but I got a spare set way back before they were really expensive. That is the aspect of the Akai and Sony I liked, the glass or ferrite heads that did not wear down. I guess you can relap regular heads to a point. I had a Pioneer RTR once and the sound coming out in monitor was awful compared to what was going in. Not just bias, it was just bad sounding A/B. The problem for me is that the Teac is HUGE and HEAVY and no room in the system for this big reel monster.
Teac's are like Hondas. They are very well built, easy to fix, and a boatload of fun. I have a tascam 8 track (tascam is the pro line of teac), and it is a ton of fun to track to.
My first "serious" open reel deck was a Realistic TR-3000 that I purchased brand new in 1981 when I was 14 years old. (I cut a lot of lawns and saved my money!) I still have that same machine and I will be restoring it one of these days. Funny, unlike Techmoan, I prefer the styling of the TR-3000 over the X-3. But I would gladly take an X-3 (or any of its variants) as well. Today my collection of open reel machines includes a TEAC X-700R, TEAC X-1000R, TEAC/TASCAM 25-2 (essentially the TEAC A-7300-2T), Pioneer RT-707, Revox B77 MkII half-track standard speed, 1968 vacuum tube Roberts 770X, Akai GX-221D, and an Otari MX-5050BII-2. I love all my machines!
Hi Techmoan. Just a note on your X3. The tension arms on each side of the tape path should not be at the top of their slots when running, this indicates that the the reel tension is set to high, and could mean that you are stretching the tape when playing. They should be in the middle of the slots and if you have the service manual this will tell you how to adjust them.
I love my Teac A330 SX. I had one of the Akai GX models and I think one of the reasons they lasted so well and are common nowadays still is the GX Models have glass coated heads and we’re guaranteed to last something like 18 years.
You would be surprised how many of these machines soldiered on into the 21st century at various radio stations throughout the US. They saw a lot of rough usage. They only met their demise when affordable computer digital recorders and editors became available around 2000.
I worked for Quality Sound and Video in North Carolina several years ago. I know you could get it repaired there. Just in America though. The guys that work there have worked there since the 70’s. I’ve had them do some work recently rebuilding a few speakers and recapping my realistic receiver.
Anytime you have to send in analog equipment for repair can be a bit of a scare. I feel that every time I send in a guitar amp for a fix. Good luck, sir. Wish you the best of luck! Love the channel.
I know the levers on the Akai looked a bit outdated back then when the TEAC X-3 came out, but I'm really happy with my GX-215D. Not only because it's black/anthracite like the rest of my equipment (are there any black X-3's? The "Pulp Fiction" recorder was black), but it has a less complicated auto reverse system. Not 2 pins (big and small) on the TEAC, but a grooved tension arm on the left side, and a grooved pin (fixed, under the head cover) on the right. A very small piece of foil will do the job to get the tape in another direction (back side of the tape for A -> B, tape side for B -> A) as it only has to bridge te groove on the pins. But as usual: thanks for the very informative video (again).
Those grey, red, and blue control buttons resembles studio equipment, or at least most the TV studio stuff I've seen from the 80s and 90s were coloured like that.
I have an X-7 and Revox B77 mk1 which is my pride of place. My version is the 2 track high speed version which is 7.5ips or 15ips recorder. Obviously recording at 15ips is very tape hungry, but the sound quality is excellent!
Great information Techmoan. I remember those X series when they were new. I would have bought it or the RS version but it was entirely out of my price range back then. At times I was too broke to even pay attention at times. I settled for a $50 used ReVox A77 four track from a car boot sale. I still have it. It too still works well but I have renewed it over the years. One of those A77s would have fit well into your system too. I hope the Pioneer returns soon, ready for another twenty years.Cheers
People have a tendency to think that old sound equipment, like tapes and vinyls sounds bad compared to modern digital streaming and mp3/flac and what not. But if you have quality equipment, that is really not the case, which is clearly shown here. That recording of the UA-cam library sounded really crisp and nice. And there is just something about using this to play music, aesthetically its just so much nicer.
Totally agree, i record hi-res files to reel to reel tape, it really sounds better, more "round" and on top of it i use an analogue dynamic expander from DBX, a 3BX to de-brickwall recent recordings. I compare it with driving an ordinary car or a vintage old-timer. Both get you from A-to B but the experience is different.
I have had an X10R for the last 7 years, has worked flawlessly since i replaced belt and re greased and calibrated it. Nothing looks better than a R2R in the setup
I've got an X1000R and it's a tank. It has an EE setting but I've yet to find a tape that is EE. ALso I've seen a lot of people thread the tape under the foil sensor and then wonder why it doesn't work ;)
The recording sounded great (couldn't hear any hiss) but was it slightly 'warm'? I.e. was there somewhat reduced high frequency response? Or was that just how the original music sounded?
I think about that a lot. All of the reel-to-reel and other vintage techs seem to be far and few in-between these days, but these dude/dudettes are only in their 60's/70's at this point. It's not like the Boomer gen just disappeared. Why aren't more of the folks who worked the line and literally made these chiming in? I mean granted most (if not all) were Japanese, so... maybe that's part of it. But still! Lol
the late 70's the US NAVY base in Subic had TEAC players and an incredible library. I spent hours there as they were set up to transfer to cassette tape. Fond memories.
Always look forward to a Techmoan video, especially if R2R. I have 3 old ones but they all require an expert overhaul and that is going to cost. Already had my 3 decent cassette decks overhauled so justifying the R2R's as well is going to be tricky. Great video as always.
When I saw the TEAC name on this video, I had to watch it. You see I had a Teac Reel to Reel with built in amplifier in my hooch in Vietnam. Bought it from a GI who was going home, don't recall the price but it had the auto reveres as well as all the bells and whistles. I also purchased a small receiver so I could run the music through the speakers I got from another rotating GI. Since I sent the majority of my money home, I always purchased my stuff used. This was in 1970
How does the reverse work? The capstan can't put tension on the tape over the heads in reverse. That's so weird. Usually reversing open reel tape recorders either have 2 captstan or a capstan in the middle of the 6 heads so the tensioned side is always where the active heads are located.
Did any reel to reel machines have Dolby? I bought an Akai reel to reel in the 1970s and was very disappointed by the amount of tape hiss compared to a Dolby B cassette deck. I had expected that the wider tape and faster speed would mean that hiss wasn't present.
I know you have it in the shop now but the RT-909 can have some crazy issues. Mine always has interesting challenges. If yours is a general export model and the tape counter goes out and fuse blew and the controls don’t work there is a capacitor inside that causes that issue. Also if you get too happy and change the reel size selector in fast wind, you can blow the supply motor run capacitor causing no forward back tension, no reverse play and no rewind (been there)
I like the way all the catalogue photos are carefully set up so both reels have the "TEAC" name neatly at the top! Not something you'd see much in operation.
I have an Akai 1721L here (very similar to the 4000D you showed). Yes, very reliable, solid machines. Two weaknesses though: Back tension is not motor controlled in the way it is with expensive decks like my Ferrograph, and the audio amplifiers are a little hissy compared to newer and more expensive machines.
Thanks for putting this video together. I recently picked up an X300 and was unclear about the relationship with the X3 and all the different variants. It's a lovely machine to have around the place - great sound and a very pleasing (and relaxing) thing to watch....
Thank you, we have lost so much styling as the years progress and I look at your component setup and say s "you are gong to have a great time playing and listening right here" A wonderful joy to see and hear
Great video! Our family got from my relatives the Realistic TR-3000 version, and that unit played well. I would like to find an auto reverse version. Though how did the tape go into reverse with one capstan/flywheel?
I've also gotten into reel to reel decks and have been told that the Pioneer RT-909s have capstan motors that goes bad, same as the Teac X-10 and X1000 series as they all use the same DC motors which are more fragile. Hopefully the problem with your RT-909 is not with the capstan motor.
The Pioneer models are generally pretty poorly made. They look stunning though, but over the years loads of problems creep up and parts are impossible to find.
Tape machines were not a core business for Pioneer until cassettes took off. In the UK I only ever saw them at shows. Never in a dealer or day to day use. If you wanted a reell to reel machine you needed to go for someone for whom that was a core business. Teac, Akai, Revox and Tandberg were all in on reel to reel. Sony and a couple of others took them very seriously.
Sony did make some great decks! The TC-377 is one of the best mechanically engineered decks from that time. Once you understand how it works it’s pretty easy to work on and the FF heads are super durable. I’d love to get one of their higher end decks from that period!
@@huntergalloway3944 The TC366 and later TC377 were great machines at a very reasonable price. In the mid 70s an Akai 4000D was about 70 pounds, and a Sony TC366 was about 100 pounds. These were the go to machines if you wanted something decent and affordable. They didn't have all the nice solenoid and logic control stuff of more expensive machines, and they were single motor, which seems a bit crude, but they produced good sound.
I have a TEAC X-10 in my lounge. It was given to me some years ago by a colleague who's husband used to work in radio. Apparently the machine was used as a broadcast unit (I don't know for sure if this is true or not). It didn't work when I got it but after many hours of tinkering and swearing, plus a new belt from a vacuum cleaner, I got it going again. It's never used these days but I'll never sell it as honestly, I just like looking at it :)
Had a Viking 76 and eventually a 3340 s with simoulsynch for multitrack “sound on sound”. Always out of alignment. Needed to be cleaned daily. I prefer digital. Not quite a pro machine. At 15ips half track it sounded decent. Here’s a cut I recorded last week - AKG 414 , 451 mics - Acid Pro 10. I don’t miss tape. But I love hearing Mat talk about it :) ua-cam.com/video/j9oqUxYtMYo/v-deo.html
You might be waiting between many years, to never, for the Fix It Shop to return your Pioneer. 🙁 They have a huge backlog for the next several decades due to a lack of parts being long discontinued. That’s why I resorted to restoring my Teac X-1000R by myself. I bought a couple of spare Teac X-1000R’s as parts machines. I replaced all of the electrolytic capacitors, relays, a few voltage regulators, belt, freed up the pinch roller mechanism, cleaned up the inside of the motors, replaced the heads, alignment, checked/adjusted the tension, swapped out the VU lights for LED, tweaked the audio EQ/Vol, etc.. It now sounds far better than when it first left Japan! No, I’m a certified electronics tech for Teac. Just a Reel Tape hobbiest that doesn’t wait around for a Lazy Fix It Shop to do anything for a ton of money.
Still have my 3340s. Not quite a pro machine. Had to take it in to Teac factory service in Montebello several times for alignment. Crosstalk. The only way I was happy was to configure it half track, one direction, 15ips.
@Bmcc12 I heard the PX's on bases back in those days were amazing. You could get everything and anything electronic and they carried many models that you couldn't easily get in a US based retail store, like international models, ect.
It's interesting to me that you don't like the Akai model specifically because of the lever controls. I personally feel the exact opposite: the plastic grey/red/blue buttons on the Teac remind me of super cheap, plastic-y tape recorders I used to see in grade school. But wood panels and brushed steel have always been my preferred look for hi-fi, so I guess I just like 60s æsthetic more than 80s.
Totally agree. But my Hi-fi is early 70's era. And does contain the Akai DS-4000 mk 1. And the levers make you feel like you are activating a proper machine. The 80's remind me of plastic.
@@raeteggart2007 nice! I just have an X-200D that I got on FB Marketplace for 50 bucks lol. No idea what's original or not, but while mechanically everything seems to work fine, the right channel is dead. Right VU meter pegs as soon as it turns on, and no sound out of that speaker. I'll be getting it repaired soon, and I expect it will cost many times what I paid for it lol
@@ZeroSuitSamo I have worked on several Akai R2R's now but not the X-200D. But some have had the same symptoms as yours.. It has been the 2sc458 transistors on the amplifier circuit that go bad every time. Cheap easy fix. Lol.
Reel 2 Reel is the best music format when it comes to look & feel. Like vinyl but with the ability to make your own recordings. Also the machines look so damn good.
A cool little-known story about TEAC: One of their first major projects was a commissioned prototype flight data recorder for the new at the time US Space Shuttle Program. One of the biggest challenges the US government specified was that the unit had to survive a 9g impact and not completely disintegrate, so the data could be recovered. The TEAC engineers went to task, but misunderstood the instructions due to the language barrier. On demonstration day, NASA and other competitors were dumbfounded after the impact test. Not only could the TEAC recorder withstand the immense impact, it also kept functioning perfectly.
"See, still works!" The Japanese engineers said proudly, while everyone's mouths were agape. "It survive 9g impact." Needless to say, TEAC won the Space Shuttle contract.
Cheers!
EDIT : 9g not 5g
japanese engineering in a nutshell.
Cool name!
Is there any way to see the recorder? Or maybe an article about this happening
@@cameronbrown8288 I learned this cool part of their history when I was offered a job at TEAC in Los Angeles. I'm pretty sure UA-cam won't let people post hyperlinks, but here's a quote from the TEAC website:
"The transport on the DA-88 is the same as the one used on NASA space shuttles. NASA was shocked by the fact that it could survive a 9g impact, exclaiming “My God we only needed to be able to salvage the data from it, we didn’t expect it to still work!.”
- Source: TASCAM 30 years of recording evolution, Randy Alberts; Hal Leonard Corp, (2003).
... and years later, when Columbia burnt up, it was one of these "prototype" flight recorders (the so-called OEX unit) that hadn't ever been removed or deactivated that was recovered and in good enough condition they could pull data from it... which is how they figured exactly which part of the leading edge was breached and allowed for the test that proved what actually caused the disaster to happen.
Your initial Reel to Reel video years ago got me to go down the reel to reel journey. I bought a Teac X1000R Black. I replaced all the caps and totally restored it. It is absolutely beautiful spinning those black reels. Thanks for influencing me. When I got it it was ~500. Now you cant touch one for less than $2000 in the condition of mine. Also I ran the tape the wrong way on mine as well. I shared a pic of it running on a Teac forum and was summarily executed for being a noob.
I had to use a reel to reel as late as 2008 in the military. It was used for data storage, the weapon system it was integrated with was a big frankenstein mash up of old and new hardware, new and old computers, even a modern desktop computer. Every time I used one of these things, I felt like I was in a 1950s sci fi movie. just needed to light up a pipe and wear a lab coat.
Try a BBC B home computer running a MRI scanner in 2005 😳😳😂😂🤦♀️
🤣 Pretty cool story. That’s no surprise there. From what I understand, punch tape is still used for certain “things”. It was definitely used in those titan II missile systems. There is a really great video here on UA-cam explaining how it was used. Of course you probably already know this being in the military.
@@firewalker1372 yeah man it's insane how this old stuff still works, but then when you think about it, theres no reason for it not to.
@Dixie Paste sometimes lol. miles of toggle switches that are very satisfying to use and a big fire switch with a red spring loaded safety cover over it. love the battle flag pic, btw.
Saturdays w/o Techmoan make me nervous...
@@austinpowers6260 last time it was something with his dad. i hope he's ok too.
Never would have guessed you'd be able to pick up new units in the 90's, fair play to Teac for keeping it going so long
Musicians still loved recording to reel to reel in the 90s.. it’s never really stopped
The Revox B77 Mk II was only discontinued in 1997. I have one and it is beautiful.
What else was someone going to use for serious recording in the early 90s? That's too early for digital recording. The only other choice was cassettes, which work fine for listening, but were never great for people focussed on production.
@@steveunderwood3683 At the time I used a HiFi S-VHS deck which had manual recording level controls. Recording music on VHS tapes was a perfectly usable solution for home recording until digital alternatives become widely available. Then, in the early noughties, I transferred the tapes to digital form.
(VHS was of course not a good option for production, but for home recording it was generally a bit better for me than my Technics cassette recorder with metal tapes and DBX noise reduction.)
@@steveunderwood3683 There were many digital PCM recording devices, Tech Moan covers one such VHS device, there was a PCM add on for some betamax recorders and the 8mm Video format also had a few machines which were sold for this very purpose, advertised to music professionals. Not knocking reel to reel at all but there were digital recording alternatives available at the time.
In 1979 I convinced my high school music teacher to pop for a 4-track TEAC reel to reel machine and an ARP-2600 synthesiser. I made a few experimental recordings with that, but never forgot the beauty of a R2R machine.
Smart kid! And now there are several re-issues of the ARP 2600. A real classic.
I have never gotten into reel to reel but I still have and use Minidisc - a lot.
My Tascam MD350 does a great job, and so does my Sony portable MD player.
New and used MD discs are still plentiful available.
yes mini Discs I have a nice Sony ES series home deck .
Never would have guessed I would be watching a Techmoan video about a piece of tech that I own! I have been the proud user of an X 300 R for half of my life!
Teac made some very good machines, as did Tascam, I am sure you will be happy with the performance of the X3, but have to agree that the Pioneer is a very nice machine, hope the repair brings it back to it's former glory.
Teac and Tascam are actually the same company!
@@hotelmario510 He says that in the video.
That wooden case was an option. You just need to remove the wooden case and plastic feet with the screws. Then you will be left with the factory installed plastic case. Take the screws and you should be able to install the plastic feet on the bottom of the plastic case. ( you may need to find suitable shorter screws for the sides of the case, as the pre existing screws may be too long)
The wooden has been like this on all X series decks. 😊 I've worked on them all...And I've never seen a metal cover for them. Always plastic. (And always installed, with either the wooden case or not)
The wood, wooden be my choice either.
@@Craigrobbo2k7 Really Chopped down his comment.
@@tommothetop Ah *leaf* him alone!
On the X-3 series was there a case under the wooden case option like the X-7/700/1000 and 2000? My x-300R has the metal U like case (top and sides)-I bought it new around 1992 (it was severely discounted and they threw in the deal with another deck I bought) at that time the wooden case for the X-3 had vanished as an option but the large deck x-2000R still had it.
Excellent, love these reel to reels. The Akai 4000 range can be bought for as little as £50 on eBay for collection and are nice easy machines to work on as shown on my channel
I have a TEAC X-10 and I LOVE it. It was purchased from a guy who had it on a shelf for 20+ years and never used it so the heads are very nicely intact. Albums just sound better when recorded on tape even at the slower speed. My original stereo system was based around a Pioneer SX1050, a TEAC double deck cassette machine and JBL 65's picked up while stationed on Okinawa in the later 1970's and then I added a Bang and Olufsen Beogram 2400 turntable. I recently replaced the SX1050 with a Yamaha AS 3200 integrated amp and a CD/DAC also from Yamaha. Amazingly the Beogram with the original needle still works very nicely, though I sometimes wonder if it should be upgraded. I enjoy your videos very much. Nicely Done!
"And it wooden't be my first choice"
I hear you, but I think wooden cases add some richness to the timber. I'll see myself out.
I'd just like to branch out and say tree puns are better than two.
Hi there, just wanted to say out of all the channels I watch on UA-cam yours is easily the best out of everything, your content is like a TV documentary! it's amazing! I suffer with mental health issues and your videos have helped me tremendously!I literally watch them over and over...please don't ever stop making videos lol
2:52 the catch phrase… if only they knew convenience would take over the more time went on. It’s hard to get consumers interested to something that might be harder to maneuver regardless of quality. It’s sad.
case and point: mp3's. They sound worse than cassettes, but are more convenient. And streaming sounds even worse....
@@machupikachu1085 You cracked the code.
So... this one will budge when the better one comes back from repair?
Dad had a much cherished reel-to-reel that he would play (and record radio stations; don't ask me why) for years. Still, it's not a cheap hobby. lol
Miss my Dad; don't recall the name of his system, but remember it being either light gray or greenish gray. :)
:) that narrows it down to only 90% of all machines ever made :)
I'm very happy with my AKAI 4000D. :) But the TEACs are nice, too. Thanks for the video.
Average UA-cam subscriber here. I don't know if this has been addressed elsewhere, but I've noticed the puppet shows have been gone for a while. What's up with that?
Tape reverse finger man - what a great superpower to have!
Weird name for a super hero though... I wonder what the sidekick would be called, not to mention the villain.
Prob villain would be iPod Man always unraveling tape and carrying on!
Sidekick: dbx man
I agree, the TEAC machines do look more timeless than an Akai. But, i got my GX220D and a Sony TC600, and i am happy with them, but if i can find a TEAC with logic and auto reverse i may consider upgrading.
You might want to change to word “budge” in the title to “budget”.
He won't budge
Budgie?
's free conch!
@@smorris12 only if they're birdlike....or are rock legends.
@@smorris12 They keep chirping away.
I’ve got an X-3II and an Akai DS-4000 mkII, and both run through a DBX noise reduction unit.
Great to see them both in a Techmoan video!
When you look closer and pay attention you will notice that the CORPORATE
name is AKAI and not Akai - It is clearly written -
So be sure to stay conscious - and see exactly what it is you are looking at -
despite that you were programmed to be a ZOMBIE and you do not realize it
Learn to pay attention to detail.
@@andrew_koala2974 Literally don’t care for your pedantry, Mr Andrew-Koala.
20 years of being a service engineer for consumer and professional A/V gear, and every brand is written on every report like any other proper noun - Capitalized first letter, the rest in lower case.
@@andrew_koala2974 Don't take yourself too seriously, that big head of yours might fall off your shoulders!
TEAC stands for Tokyo Television Acoustic Company... So capital TEAC. I see no other tiypoo.
Honestly, I think the wooden case looks lovely, especially seeing that it matches the shelf it‘s on. Purely visually speaking imho the whole set-up looks much more pleasing and way cleaner than it did before and it‘s all down the wooden casing. Oh, well, tastes differ. I hope you find a way to make it look the way you prefer.
2:42 not only that, the AKAI 4000 doesn't _and_ can't control tension on the left reel, it relies on the resistance so they tend to have bad wow... (no doubt less when new)
I had an X-300R as my first reel to reel. I eventually “upgraded” back to an A-4300SX which fit in with the aesthetics of my system better. It was a good machine though.
I can’t believe that an auto reverse, three motor, three head deck with logic controls is considered ‘beginner.’
I have a late 70's era X10. Fabulous machine. Had the odd service and a new playback head over the years but still going strong.
Not surprised at all, every TEAC component I have ever owned has never died, it has only required the most basic maintainance.
People will always point to higher end examples of products from Pioneer or Sony that rarely work and 90% of the time are just plastic fantastic and tell you they are superior based on a nonsense feature set. Just like people recommending Direct Drive Walkmans with those god awful metal-on-plastic gears, purely because they sound better for the two weeks they work.
TEAC always uses compenents that are easily serviceable, cheap, reliable and good value for money. I own a TEAC CRT and 6 head Hi-Fi VCR, and I am adament that I could throw them out the window now and they'd not only work, but work better. The only work I've ever had to do on my VCR was a pinch-roller replacement, the video quality is exceptional and I fully expect that it will outlive every other electronic device I own, aside from maybe my Game Boys and my Nokia 3310
This is the first time Techmoan even briefly features an AV device that I own! (The RadioShack model of the 3X). I feel very validated. :)
Regarding the paddle-control Akais - in the past few years, I've read from multiple sources that the cams they connected to that engaged the various functions, were made of low-quality metal. Fine back then, but today with age those cams often break, rendering the deck inoperable, and not repairable without somehow casting (or possibly 3D printing?) replacements. So the Teacs and pushbutton-control Akais are far superior, not just better-looking.
yep - they were die-cast and tend to crack and rattle around the bottom of the machine in pieces. If you have an Akai that stays in playback when you turn it to Record, it's the cam
Got an X 1000R. Sat in the closet for years. So had to overhaul it mechanically. Drive belt turned to chewing gum. Grease all over turned to hard paste. Etc. Restored to work perfectly at home. But I hate mechanicals like tape decks and record changers. The heads have light wear but I got a spare set way back before they were really expensive. That is the aspect of the Akai and Sony I liked, the glass or ferrite heads that did not wear down. I guess you can relap regular heads to a point. I had a Pioneer RTR once and the sound coming out in monitor was awful compared to what was going in. Not just bias, it was just bad sounding A/B. The problem for me is that the Teac is HUGE and HEAVY and no room in the system for this big reel monster.
Teac's are like Hondas. They are very well built, easy to fix, and a boatload of fun. I have a tascam 8 track (tascam is the pro line of teac), and it is a ton of fun to track to.
My first "serious" open reel deck was a Realistic TR-3000 that I purchased brand new in 1981 when I was 14 years old. (I cut a lot of lawns and saved my money!) I still have that same machine and I will be restoring it one of these days. Funny, unlike Techmoan, I prefer the styling of the TR-3000 over the X-3. But I would gladly take an X-3 (or any of its variants) as well. Today my collection of open reel machines includes a TEAC X-700R, TEAC X-1000R, TEAC/TASCAM 25-2 (essentially the TEAC A-7300-2T), Pioneer RT-707, Revox B77 MkII half-track standard speed, 1968 vacuum tube Roberts 770X, Akai GX-221D, and an Otari MX-5050BII-2. I love all my machines!
Found a Sony TC-640, early 70's, 7-inch machine in the trash. All it needed was a recording head de-magnetization.
Someone check on Mat.
Hi Techmoan. Just a note on your X3. The tension arms on each side of the tape path should not be at the top of their slots when running, this indicates that the the reel tension is set to high, and could mean that you are stretching the tape when playing. They should be in the middle of the slots and if you have the service manual this will tell you how to adjust them.
I love my Teac A330 SX. I had one of the Akai GX models and I think one of the reasons they lasted so well and are common nowadays still is the GX Models have glass coated heads and we’re guaranteed to last something like 18 years.
People just don’t use a microscope. They just see no evidence of wearing, but a gap can be completely devastated. Ferrite is pretty fragile
Techmoan: „Yeah, gonna get rid of the wooden case, doesn‘t look good“
LGR: „HOW DARE YOU!!!!1!“
Having a reel to reel machine is strangely addictive.
@Fur Q why not both?
You would be surprised how many of these machines soldiered on into the 21st century at various radio stations throughout the US. They saw a lot of rough usage. They only met their demise when affordable computer digital recorders and editors became available around 2000.
I was really hoping for more techmoan to watch, I binged your entire channel in the last few days
Happy to see more
What's your favorite video?
I approve; now, watch these: ua-cam.com/play/PLKvwOmOxBjOvsupWG40DR4ZjyVu7x3UCW.html
I worked for Quality Sound and Video in North Carolina several years ago. I know you could get it repaired there. Just in America though. The guys that work there have worked there since the 70’s. I’ve had them do some work recently rebuilding a few speakers and recapping my realistic receiver.
That wooden case might look a lot sleeker if you can re-finish it in high gloss piano black. That would contrast the cream and silver very nicely.
Anytime you have to send in analog equipment for repair can be a bit of a scare. I feel that every time I send in a guitar amp for a fix. Good luck, sir. Wish you the best of luck! Love the channel.
I know the levers on the Akai looked a bit outdated back then when the TEAC X-3 came out, but I'm really happy with my GX-215D. Not only because it's black/anthracite like the rest of my equipment (are there any black X-3's? The "Pulp Fiction" recorder was black), but it has a less complicated auto reverse system. Not 2 pins (big and small) on the TEAC, but a grooved tension arm on the left side, and a grooved pin (fixed, under the head cover) on the right. A very small piece of foil will do the job to get the tape in another direction (back side of the tape for A -> B, tape side for B -> A) as it only has to bridge te groove on the pins.
But as usual: thanks for the very informative video (again).
Those grey, red, and blue control buttons resembles studio equipment, or at least most the TV studio stuff I've seen from the 80s and 90s were coloured like that.
I have an X-7 and Revox B77 mk1 which is my pride of place. My version is the 2 track high speed version which is 7.5ips or 15ips recorder. Obviously recording at 15ips is very tape hungry, but the sound quality is excellent!
I have an Akai that came with two sizes of rollers and you could get 1.75 ips, 3.5 ips using one roller and 7 ips using the other one.
Smart design!
In other words Techmoan pleased himself with a new toy again! (Of course I'm jealous!)
Ask the repair shop to take pics during the rebuild. Then make a quick video for us please 😎
Great information Techmoan. I remember those X series when they were new. I would have bought it or the RS version but it was entirely out of my price range back then. At times I was too broke to even pay attention at times. I settled for a $50 used ReVox A77 four track from a car boot sale. I still have it. It too still works well but I have renewed it over the years. One of those A77s would have fit well into your system too. I hope the Pioneer returns soon, ready for another twenty years.Cheers
Keeping it reel!
Techmoan: "I don't like the woodgrain."
*LGR has entered the chat*
People have a tendency to think that old sound equipment, like tapes and vinyls sounds bad compared to modern digital streaming and mp3/flac and what not. But if you have quality equipment, that is really not the case, which is clearly shown here. That recording of the UA-cam library sounded really crisp and nice. And there is just something about using this to play music, aesthetically its just so much nicer.
Totally agree, i record hi-res files to reel to reel tape, it really sounds better, more "round" and on top of it i use an analogue dynamic expander from DBX, a 3BX to de-brickwall recent recordings. I compare it with driving an ordinary car or a vintage old-timer. Both get you from A-to B but the experience is different.
Nice video again. I have a Akai as shown in the beginning of the video, love it and the wood on it matches my other retro gear.
I inherited a 60's era Teac player from my father about ten years ago - still works flawlessly
I've always found any type of cassette tape to sound much warmer and cosier than CD, digital or streaming.
I like the wood case, personally! It would go well with my Sony cassette deck.
I have had an X10R for the last 7 years, has worked flawlessly since i replaced belt and re greased and calibrated it. Nothing looks better than a R2R in the setup
You say "70s throwback" like it's a bad thing.
Ooh, you should clean that pinch roller & the capstan, they're filthy!
The wood housing looks way better than the metal, keep it!
My pop had a TEAC reel-to-reel in the early 80s. It was brilliant!
I've got an X1000R and it's a tank. It has an EE setting but I've yet to find a tape that is EE. ALso I've seen a lot of people thread the tape under the foil sensor and then wonder why it doesn't work ;)
The recording sounded great (couldn't hear any hiss) but was it slightly 'warm'? I.e. was there somewhat reduced high frequency response? Or was that just how the original music sounded?
I wonder how many Japanese Teac factory workers from back in the day see these videos and think , I remember building those back in the 70`s to 90`s .
I think about that a lot. All of the reel-to-reel and other vintage techs seem to be far and few in-between these days, but these dude/dudettes are only in their 60's/70's at this point. It's not like the Boomer gen just disappeared. Why aren't more of the folks who worked the line and literally made these chiming in? I mean granted most (if not all) were Japanese, so... maybe that's part of it. But still! Lol
3rd, also, love your videos! I know so much about weird niche music storage formats because of you.
You should do a video on a realistic CB radio from RadioShack
the late 70's the US NAVY base in Subic had TEAC players and an incredible library. I spent hours there as they were set up to transfer to cassette tape. Fond memories.
Still loving my Akai 4000ds..
TEAC/TASCAM keeps these around for broadcasting markets where old media is common.
Make sure to make a video of your reunion with the dearly beloved reel to reel!
Always look forward to a Techmoan video, especially if R2R. I have 3 old ones but they all require an expert overhaul and that is going to cost. Already had my 3 decent cassette decks overhauled so justifying the R2R's as well is going to be tricky. Great video as always.
When I saw the TEAC name on this video, I had to watch it. You see I had a Teac Reel to Reel with built in amplifier in my hooch in Vietnam. Bought it from a GI who was going home, don't recall the price but it had the auto reveres as well as all the bells and whistles. I also purchased a small receiver so I could run the music through the speakers I got from another rotating GI. Since I sent the majority of my money home, I always purchased my stuff used. This was in 1970
How does the reverse work? The capstan can't put tension on the tape over the heads in reverse. That's so weird. Usually reversing open reel tape recorders either have 2 captstan or a capstan in the middle of the 6 heads so the tensioned side is always where the active heads are located.
Good point...
Did any reel to reel machines have Dolby? I bought an Akai reel to reel in the 1970s and was very disappointed by the amount of tape hiss compared to a Dolby B cassette deck. I had expected that the wider tape and faster speed would mean that hiss wasn't present.
Yes. My AKAI 4000db has Dolby. I tend to use mine the majority of time listening to pre-recorded tapes which most do not use Dolby encoding.
I know you have it in the shop now but the RT-909 can have some crazy issues. Mine always has interesting challenges. If yours is a general export model and the tape counter goes out and fuse blew and the controls don’t work there is a capacitor inside that causes that issue. Also if you get too happy and change the reel size selector in fast wind, you can blow the supply motor run capacitor causing no forward back tension, no reverse play and no rewind (been there)
I like the way all the catalogue photos are carefully set up so both reels have the "TEAC" name neatly at the top! Not something you'd see much in operation.
I hear the echoes of LGR saying "mmmmmmmmmm woodgrain... 🤎"
I have an Akai 1721L here (very similar to the 4000D you showed). Yes, very reliable, solid machines. Two weaknesses though: Back tension is not motor controlled in the way it is with expensive decks like my Ferrograph, and the audio amplifiers are a little hissy compared to newer and more expensive machines.
In my opinion I think some of the best reel to reel tape recorders out there are the teac models, personally I have an a4010s
This video was reel good :)
Thanks for putting this video together. I recently picked up an X300 and was unclear about the relationship with the X3 and all the different variants. It's a lovely machine to have around the place - great sound and a very pleasing (and relaxing) thing to watch....
Hey @Techmoan - looks like a scamming robot is impersonating you 🙁
I've got the RadioShack variant. It's a solid unit.
Thank you, we have lost so much styling as the years progress and I look at your component setup and say s "you are gong to have a great time playing and listening right here"
A wonderful joy to see and hear
Great video! Our family got from my relatives the Realistic TR-3000 version, and that unit played well. I would like to find an auto reverse version. Though how did the tape go into reverse with one capstan/flywheel?
I like the wooden look and it totally fits the aesthetic of your setup.
I prefer techmoan over Netflix.
I've also gotten into reel to reel decks and have been told that the Pioneer RT-909s have capstan motors that goes bad, same as the Teac X-10 and X1000 series as they all use the same DC motors which are more fragile. Hopefully the problem with your RT-909 is not with the capstan motor.
The Pioneer models are generally pretty poorly made. They look stunning though, but over the years loads of problems creep up and parts are impossible to find.
Tape machines were not a core business for Pioneer until cassettes took off. In the UK I only ever saw them at shows. Never in a dealer or day to day use. If you wanted a reell to reel machine you needed to go for someone for whom that was a core business. Teac, Akai, Revox and Tandberg were all in on reel to reel. Sony and a couple of others took them very seriously.
Sony did make some great decks! The TC-377 is one of the best mechanically engineered decks from that time. Once you understand how it works it’s pretty easy to work on and the FF heads are super durable.
I’d love to get one of their higher end decks from that period!
@@huntergalloway3944 The TC366 and later TC377 were great machines at a very reasonable price. In the mid 70s an Akai 4000D was about 70 pounds, and a Sony TC366 was about 100 pounds. These were the go to machines if you wanted something decent and affordable. They didn't have all the nice solenoid and logic control stuff of more expensive machines, and they were single motor, which seems a bit crude, but they produced good sound.
I have a TEAC X-10 in my lounge. It was given to me some years ago by a colleague who's husband used to work in radio. Apparently the machine was used as a broadcast unit (I don't know for sure if this is true or not). It didn't work when I got it but after many hours of tinkering and swearing, plus a new belt from a vacuum cleaner, I got it going again. It's never used these days but I'll never sell it as honestly, I just like looking at it :)
I still want that cd / md combo from teac
I have a TEAC X-1000R down in the basement that I should dig out one of these days. Quite sure it needs new belts by now. Was a fantastic unit.
Had a Viking 76 and eventually a 3340 s with simoulsynch for multitrack “sound on sound”. Always out of alignment. Needed to be cleaned daily. I prefer digital. Not quite a pro machine. At 15ips half track it sounded decent. Here’s a cut I recorded last week - AKG 414 , 451 mics - Acid Pro 10. I don’t miss tape. But I love hearing Mat talk about it :)
ua-cam.com/video/j9oqUxYtMYo/v-deo.html
1000th!
You might be waiting between many years, to never, for the Fix It Shop to return your Pioneer. 🙁 They have a huge backlog for the next several decades due to a lack of parts being long discontinued. That’s why I resorted to restoring my Teac X-1000R by myself. I bought a couple of spare Teac X-1000R’s as parts machines. I replaced all of the electrolytic capacitors, relays, a few voltage regulators, belt, freed up the pinch roller mechanism, cleaned up the inside of the motors, replaced the heads, alignment, checked/adjusted the tension, swapped out the VU lights for LED, tweaked the audio EQ/Vol, etc.. It now sounds far better than when it first left Japan! No, I’m a certified electronics tech for Teac. Just a Reel Tape hobbiest that doesn’t wait around for a Lazy Fix It Shop to do anything for a ton of money.
Still have my 3340s. Not quite a pro machine. Had to take it in to Teac factory service in Montebello several times for alignment. Crosstalk. The only way I was happy was to configure it half track, one direction, 15ips.
I would just like to own one without having to pay an extortionate price for it.
I bought a Teac 4010a at the DaNang PX in Viet Nam in 1967
@Bmcc12
I heard the PX's on bases back in those days were amazing. You could get everything and anything electronic and they carried many models that you couldn't easily get in a US based retail store, like
international models, ect.
It's interesting to me that you don't like the Akai model specifically because of the lever controls. I personally feel the exact opposite: the plastic grey/red/blue buttons on the Teac remind me of super cheap, plastic-y tape recorders I used to see in grade school. But wood panels and brushed steel have always been my preferred look for hi-fi, so I guess I just like 60s æsthetic more than 80s.
Totally agree. But my Hi-fi is early 70's era. And does contain the Akai DS-4000 mk 1. And the levers make you feel like you are activating a proper machine. The 80's remind me of plastic.
I have to add still on original belt!
@@raeteggart2007 nice! I just have an X-200D that I got on FB Marketplace for 50 bucks lol. No idea what's original or not, but while mechanically everything seems to work fine, the right channel is dead. Right VU meter pegs as soon as it turns on, and no sound out of that speaker. I'll be getting it repaired soon, and I expect it will cost many times what I paid for it lol
@@ZeroSuitSamo I have worked on several Akai R2R's now but not the X-200D. But some have had the same symptoms as yours.. It has been the 2sc458 transistors on the amplifier circuit that go bad every time. Cheap easy fix. Lol.
Reel 2 Reel is the best music format when it comes to look & feel. Like vinyl but with the ability to make your own recordings. Also the machines look so damn good.