“You asked, we listened,” says Kevin Root of US-based RX Reels, who has just released a new 7-inch reel that shares many of the same specs as the company’s 10.5-inch Studio reel. Where Kevin says ‘you asked’, what he actually means is that Ken Kessler pestered him to within an inch of his life! Don’t … More New 7-inch carbon fibre high performance tape reel from RX Reels
Following the sad passing of ‘the god of open reel tape’ Tim de Paravicini (pictured right) in late 2020, Ken Kessler penned a couple of guest blogs on Tim’s life and work: “I’m sorting that for Paul McCartney” and “He worked on machines for three Beatles”, which proved hugely popular. There probably wasn’t an open-reel … More The Denon DH-710F: Ken Kessler on Tim de Paravicini’s favourite tape deck
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
Part 1: Time after Tim – The Hi-Fi Years by Ken Kessler It’s still sinking in: I can’t quite fathom the world of hi-fi without Tim de Paravicini. It’s not just the massive contribution he made over a half-century. For many of us, it’s personal, as Tim was a mentor to many. Indeed, I turned … More “I’m sorting that for Paul McCartney”: Ken Kessler remembers Tim de Paravicini as a “true god of open-reel tape”
There’s a history lesson in music, sociology and economics in open-reel tape. Ken Kessler takes us on a tour. Musing about reel-to-reel users of the Golden Age of Pre-Recorded Tapes, based on the evidence provided by the 2,200+ tapes I’ve acquired, I stand confused. The dichotomy between skilled enthusiasts and clumsy oafs is, I suppose, … More Back in the day: Ken Kessler continues to mull over the history of pre-recorded tapes
Back in March we discovered US-based Kevin Root’s RX Reels, high quality tape reels made from upcycled aviation grade carbon fibre that look great and easily out-perform the usual plastic types. Ken Kessler recently checked them out for soundstagehifi.com. “When you remove them from the box, you sense the flatness, the precision, and—lo and behold!—in … More “Among the mechanically best I’ve ever seen”: Ken Kessler gives RX Reels a spin
If you read Ken Kessler’s ‘Off the leash’ column in the May issue of Hi-Fi News, you’ll know that he recently added another 200 open-reel tapes to his collection, along with a dozen used LPs. Sorting through his haul to separate the gems from the dross, the near-pristine from the unplayable, he noticed something interesting … More “Through the past, darkly”: Ken Kessler ponders the condition of pre-owned tapes and what it can tell us about their history
Hoist on my own petard, I closed a previous column (back in the early days of COVID-19!) with the words, “Next Month: The Surprising Sounds of A Crap Format”. Well, COVID-19 and back problems delayed the column in question, but here’s the essence of it: my own, odd, support of cassettes. Let’s not mince words. … More Ken Kessler’s surprising support of cassettes (and no-one’s as surprised as Ken himself!)
Tape lovers, grab your copy of the September issue of Hi-Fi News magazine. In it, self-confessed tape junkie and hi-fi journalist extraordinaire, Ken Kessler, shares his hard-won wisdom on how to get your hands on some seriously good sounds. “For any format, whether new or revived, it is the availability of pre-recorded music that determines … More The reel deals: Hi-Fi News features Ken Kessler’s definitive guide to buying tapes, new and secondhand
“If, in 1999, you were told that vinyl would enjoy such a massive revival that in 2019 HMV would be opening a flagship store in Birmingham stocking 25,000 records, and that turntables and LPs would appear in mainstream TV ads for watches and life insurance, you’d have laughed in disbelief,” notes audio journalist and R2R … More Ken Kessler: still keeping it reel – for one reason alone
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 