Author: Dave Denyer

David Denyer PR & the reel-to-reel rambler

Talking tape: comparing John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme on ‘Ultra Tape’ from Analogue Productions with the mono vinyl version

June 27, 2022

A while back I did a review of Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me on tape and, instead of penning the usual rambling blog, I rambled away ‘live’ on video instead. It was fun to do and people seemed to like it, so I thought I’d have another go for one of my latest purchases … More Talking tape: comparing John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme on ‘Ultra Tape’ from Analogue Productions with the mono vinyl version

Something old, new & borrowed: tape decks in The Absolute Sound Editors’ Choice Awards

May 30, 2022

It’s great to see tape decks featuring in The Absolute Sound Editors’ Choice Awards again this year. Five decks have been singled out in 2022: one a vintage refurb, one a brand new design, and three hybrid designs – modern updates built using parts from vintage decks. Here’s a quick run-down of the five awarded … More Something old, new & borrowed: tape decks in The Absolute Sound Editors’ Choice Awards

TAS interviews Yarlung Records

May 27, 2022

California-based, Grammy Award-winning, Yarlung Records is an audiophile label with a difference. Well, a few differences actually – one being that it’s a charitable institution that reinvests its profits in supporting emerging young musicians, and another being ‘Sonorus Holographic Imaging’, a process developed with Sonorus Audio that’s designed to create a three-dimensional sound field with … More TAS interviews Yarlung Records

Discovering Alena Baeva with UltraAnalogue Recordings: part 4 – two Schuberts

May 16, 2022

What we have here are ‘two Schuberts’, two recordings on tape from Toronto-based UltraAnalogue Recordings: Rondo Brillant in B Minor and Grand Fantasy in C Major. Both were recorded at the same live performance, which took place in UltraAnalogue’s own premises. The artists are violinist Alena Baeva and Vadym Kholodenko, both winners of two of … More Discovering Alena Baeva with UltraAnalogue Recordings: part 4 – two Schuberts

“He worked on machines for three Beatles”: Ken Kessler recalls Tim de Paravicini’s considerable contribution to professional recording

April 25, 2022

Time after Tim part 2 by Ken Kessler In part 1 – “I’m sorting that for Paul McCartney” – Ken Kessler remembered Tim de Paravicini as a “true god of open-reel tape”. Here, he explores Tim’s incredible contribution to the wider world of recorded music. It must have been the first time I visited Tim in Huntingdon … More “He worked on machines for three Beatles”: Ken Kessler recalls Tim de Paravicini’s considerable contribution to professional recording

Fundraiser for Ukraine: donate and win R2R prizes – including a fully restored Tascam 32!

April 7, 2022

The good folks at RX Reels, ATR Magnetics and Reel to Reel Heaven are collaborating to raise much-needed funds to help the people of Ukraine. And, for every donation of $20, they’re generously offering you the chance to win some very nice R2R prizes: 3rd place: A ¼” 10.5″ blank ATR master tape with ATR storage … More Fundraiser for Ukraine: donate and win R2R prizes – including a fully restored Tascam 32!

“Too cool for school”: The Absolute Sound reviews the Metaxas Tourbillon T-RX tape deck

March 25, 2022

“In the world of high-end audio, there is nothing as intricately or as spellbindingly crafted as a reel-to-reel tape deck,” says US audio magazine The Absolute Sound (TAS) in a recent blog. I couldn’t agree more. And, “when fed a spool of pre-recorded tape [it] comes closer to recreating “the absolute sound” than any other … More “Too cool for school”: The Absolute Sound reviews the Metaxas Tourbillon T-RX tape deck

Neville Roberts on Bert Kaempfert’s ‘Bye Bye Blues’ from Horch House

March 23, 2022

The Austrian-based Horch House has a well-earned reputation for producing very high quality copy-master tapes directly from legendary analogue recordings. These recordings include classical works, jazz, blues and easy listening. Following meetings between Horch’s Volker Lange and Doris Kaempfert, the daughter of the well-known jazz and easy listening orchestra leader and composer Bert Kaempfert, Horch … More Neville Roberts on Bert Kaempfert’s ‘Bye Bye Blues’ from Horch House

An “incredible” new tape with a difference: Chasing The Dragon allows listeners to compare recording techniques of Mendelssohn’s Octet

March 11, 2022

by Neville Roberts A new tape with a difference from the British audiophile recording company Chasing The Dragon! Mike Valentine, the brains behind the Chasing The Dragon audiophile recording label, is frequently asked about the best way to record music and the differences between various recording techniques. Of course, he has his own definite views … More An “incredible” new tape with a difference: Chasing The Dragon allows listeners to compare recording techniques of Mendelssohn’s Octet