Best blank and prerecorded reel-to-reel tape brands?

[BmWr75]

Hello All,

Just bought a Pioneer RT-707. Am wondering what blank and prerecorded tape brands are best? Any that should be avoided?

Thanks,
BmWr75

[dragon]

Hey jsmonroe@com,
It's been a little while since I've owned a R2R but I liked Maxell, TDK and Scotch. I don't know if Memorex makes a r2r tape but I don't like their cassettes tapes.

[Ozric]

As far as blank media, ther are only two choices for new tape, RMGI and ATR, both are sold at US Recording http://www.usrecordingmedia.com/ I have used the RMGI LPR35 and it sounds and performs fantastic. As far as NOS or used tape, the best in my opnion is Maxell. Others to consider are TDK and BASF (Newer) and most Quantegy. Ampex, Scotch, Sony and other older brands should be avoided, especially the Ampex tape made in the 80's and 90's, it will shed and leave sticky residue all over your deck. I avoid Ampex like the plague. I had several reels of Ampex 456 that went bad and made a mess of my machines. Many Scotch and Sony formulas have not aged well either, Scotch 207-208, 212 and Sony PR-150 shed badly in my experience. I have very little experience with pre-recorded tapes, but I would think it is not of the best quality.

[ShaneR2R]

As far as blank media, ther are only two choices for new tape, RMGI and ATR, both are sold at US Recording http://www.usrecordingmedia.com/ I have used the RMGI LPR35 and it sounds and performs fantastic. As far as NOS or used tape, the best in my opnion is Maxell. Others to consider are TDK and BASF (Newer) and most Quantegy. Ampex, Scotch, Sony and other older brands should be avoided, especially the Ampex tape made in the 80's and 90's, it will shed and leave sticky residue all over your deck. I avoid Ampex like the plague. I had several reels of Ampex 456 that went bad and made a mess of my machines. Many Scotch and Sony formulas have not aged well either, Scotch 207-208, 212 and Sony PR-150 shed badly in my experience. I have very little experience with pre-recorded tapes, but I would think it is not of the best quality.

I agree with Ozric. Recently I purchased Maxell R2R tape from the late 70's early 80's and it has performed flawlessly and as I expected has not shed. I also use Quantegy 456 tape, which is great tape. I haven't tryed any of the new RMGI, but plan to in the near future. I am undecided as to which tape I want to try, the LPR35 or the SM468.

[tohm]

A few months ago. I got a few new reels of some the last batch of 456 Quantegy made. After trying RMG products, I must conclude that the 456 had already deteriorated quite considerably. I am super happy with RMG. I'm no pro but I did verify that it's very consistent.

I stumbled across a whole crate of used and new Maxell 35-90 tapes that I use for my living room machine and for echo with the revoxes. They all sound "the same". I mean, if they deteriorated at all, they all did very equally. They don't leave more redisue than the new tape I buy. These tapes sound damn good in fact. If it had a little better bass response I would use it for mixdowns. It distorts rather nicely

[ShaneR2R]

A few months ago. I got a few new reels of some the last batch of 456 Quantegy made. After trying RMG products, I must conclude that the 456 had already deteriorated quite considerably. I am super happy with RMG. I'm no pro but I did verify that it's very consistent.

I stumbled across a whole crate of used and new Maxell 35-90 tapes that I use for my living room machine and for echo with the revoxes. They all sound "the same". I mean, if they deteriorated at all, they all did very equally. They don't leave more redisue than the new tape I buy. These tapes sound damn good in fact. If it had a little better bass response I would use it for mixdowns. It distorts rather nicely

The unused Maxell 50-60UD I purchased (10 of them with box) sound damm good too !! tohm when you say the 456 has started to deteriorate, do you mean sound wise or with the binder ??

[ShaneR2R]

Here is my thoughts on the Maxell tape. I think the secret to why they have lasted so long is what ever chemical they used and it may be that smell I notice everytime I open up the box, LOL. Ok maybe this isn't the best example but it may help to explain it.

[tohm]

The unused Maxell 50-60UD I purchased (10 of them with box) sound damm good too !! tohm when you say the 456 has started to deteriorate, do you mean sound wise or with the binder ??

Sound-wise. One of my machines was calibrated for it and in perfect condition... Got it tuned for RMG SM900 and it's MUCH better sounding... I mean not different better, I mean better better.

But then again... maybe I did something wrong when testing or my ears trick me... don't take my word for it but I head what I heard.

Bottom line for me is no old tape for "important" recordings.

[Garrard201]

Everyone else is right on about used (Maxell) and new (RMGI). For pre-recorded tapes, I've gotten great sound out of the Ampex 7 1/2 IPS tapes from the 1960s and early 1970s. These are usually in blue boxes and have large hub reels. Columbia reels from the mid-60s (again, 7 1/2) seem pretty good, too. Never been impressed by a tape I've gotten that was 3 3/4.

[quadraTOMic]

My Two Cents: For pre-recorded, I think any of the pre-recorded MagTec's from the early 70's outclassed the AMPEX by a country mile. Also the early RCA two track Orthophonic from the 50's held up well and sound good today.

For blanks, I agree, Maxell seems to best everybody although I've got early Scotch (even the Acetate's) from the late 50's and early 60's that seem to have held up well and sound as good today as they have then. I do live in a dry climate, so that may have made a difference. Have had bad luck with the early TDK blanks.

[AnalogDigit]

Hello All,

Just bought a Pioneer RT-707. Am wondering what blank and prerecorded tape brands are best? Any that should be avoided?

Thanks,
BmWr75

I always liked Maxell UD recording tape. Never tried TDK or other brands because I could never find it.

[Garrard201]

quadratomic- I never even thought of Magtec. Any recommendations for artists or titles? I'd like to pick some up.

[targeteye]

well i'm glad I found this thread. I've bought about 20 or so NOS 7" reels of AMPEX tape. Should I save potential damage to my deck and just throw them out?

I paid next to nothing for them so I have no problem doing that if it is the smart thing to do.

Steve

[Ozric]

targeteye,

What type of Ampex did you buy & how old is it ?

[quadraTOMic]

quadratomic- I never even thought of Magtec. Any recommendations for artists or titles? I'd like to pick some up.

I like the DOLBY encoded MagTec reels. They were issued covering all of recorded music spectrum at the time and they seem to have been duped at a slower speed than the AMPEX tapes. Also, as my handle implies, most of the Quadraphonic issues are especially good.

[targeteye]

targeteye,

What type of Ampex did you buy & how old is it ?

To tell the truth I do not have a clue. They were in a plain box. All individually wrapped in plastic but no labels at all other than ampex on the reels.

Here is a pic.

http://www.geocities.com/sscheel@sbcglobal.net/hifi/7ampex.JPG

Steve

[Ozric]

targeteye,

Since you do not know what type of Ampex tape you have, just be careful with it. Watch for any signs of tape shedding and or dark brown or black sticky build up on the heads and tape guides, if you see any of this give your machine a good cleaning and throw the tape away. Not all Ampex was bad, but most of the trouble tape came from the mid to late 80's and on through the 90's, a pretty large span. I do not know when Ampex corrected the problem with their formulas or if it took place when Quantegy took it over.