It’s good to see strong coverage of tape decks again in this month’s Editors’ Choice Awards 2025 in the March issue of US audio magazine The Absolute Sound. In 2024 we had six decks featured and this year it’s seven. The six are the same line-up as last year, which I guess isn’t too surprising … More Seven tape decks in The Absolute Sound’s Editors’ Choice Awards 2025
US audio magazine The Absolute Sound’s annual Editors’ Choice Awards have been published in the March issue, and this year there are 6 tape decks that pick up a ‘gong’. Last year’s awards (5 of them) went to combination of new, vintage and hybrid decks and this year’s selection follows the same pattern (and actually features mostly … More 6 tape decks in The Absolute Sound’s Editors’ Choice Awards 2024
If you follow this blog you’ll have seen some really exciting stuff going down in the world of tape this year. It’s been a bumper (and for me, budget-busting!) year for tape. My bank balance is now groaning at the seams but my tape collection is looking pretty darned awesome! I thought it might be … More Looking back at 2023: a great year for new releases on tape!
Each November, US audiophile magazine The Absolute Sound showcases a selection of the world’s best hi-fi components in its annual Buyer’s Guide. In the just-published 2024 edition, five tape decks feature among the magazine’s top picks. The list pretty much mirrors the selections in The Absolute Sound Editors’ Choice Awards 2023, with the odd tweak … More The Absolute Sound’s annual Buyers’ Guide’s pick of the tape decks
Just spotted online via various high-end audio media and sharing here in case you missed it… Florida-based Reel Sound Distribution Inc. has issued a press release announcing that is now the exclusive North American distributor of hi-fi brand Metaxas & Sins, following a partnership agreement with designer Kostas Metaxas. Which means that Metaxas’ duo of reel-to-reel … More Metaxas R2R decks now available in USA & Canada thanks to new Florida-based US distribution
US audio magazine The Absolute Sound’s annual Editors’ Choice Awards flag up a selection of the world’s best-sounding kit, and it’s great to see a category for tape decks again this year. In fact, the magazine has been a clear supporter of the revival of tape, with some pretty good coverage of decks etc. Last … More 5 tape decks in The Absolute Sound’s Editors’ Choice Awards 2023
Rewind just a few short years and who knew there’d be a category in US audio magazine The Absolute Sound’s Product of the Year Awards for ‘Open Reel Tape Machine of the Year’. Seems like tape is well and truly back on the map! Okay, so there isn’t exactly a huge pool of contenders, but … More Metaxas Tourbillon T-RX tape deck wins a Product of the Year Award 2022 from The Absolute Sound
“Alongside the UHA SuperDeck, the Metaxas Tourbillon T-RX is the highest fidelity audio component I’ve auditioned,” says US audio magazine The Absolute Sound’s Jonathan Valin. Considering Valin auditions the greatest hi-fi kit from around the world for a living, that’s high praise for sure! Each year, The Absolute Sound’s reviewers are asked to select those components … More Metaxas & Sins Tourbillon T-RX reel-to-reel tape deck gets a Golden Ear Award from The Absolute Sound
Could R2R be about to enter the mainstream of high-end hi-fi? Wishful thinking perhaps, but a press release just landed on my desk that’s making me smile the smile of a reel-to-reel guy who’s enjoying seeing tape continuing to defy the modernist odds, as vinyl has already done big time. Absolute Sounds, the UK’s leading … More Audio distributor Absolute Sounds embraces the R2R revival & brings Metaxas & Sins’ duo of decks to the UK hi-fi market
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
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 