Category: News

Metaxas R2R decks now available in USA & Canada thanks to new Florida-based US distribution

May 16, 2023

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

5 tape decks in The Absolute Sound’s Editors’ Choice Awards 2023

April 11, 2023

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

RX Reels: Vote for new design prototypes (and… there’s a whole new R2R product on the horizon)

February 27, 2023

If you’re signed up to RX Reels’ newsletter, you’ll know about this already. If not, here’s the deal… right now, you get chip in to the design of some seriously high quality reels! RX Reels’ Kevin Root is getting ready to produce a few new designs, and he’d like you / us to help him … More RX Reels: Vote for new design prototypes (and… there’s a whole new R2R product on the horizon)

New from Chasing the Dragon: custom-made reels for all master tape copies

February 21, 2023

Chasing the Dragon is a UK-based niche audiophile label that makes superb quality recordings on reel-to-reel tape only, which are then released as master tape copies as well as in various vinyl formats (direct cut, audiophile and binaural) and on CD. Chasing the Dragon’s Mike Valentine has just announced that all of their master tape … More New from Chasing the Dragon: custom-made reels for all master tape copies

New from Ballfinger in 2023: M-051-MR Master Recorder, M-063-H6 deck & an upgraded M-002-P

February 8, 2023

Christmas may be well behind us now, but if a brand new tape deck is on your wish list, then Ballfinger is set to bring you tidings of  comfort and joy in the coming year… The German brand, one of just a handful of companies manufacturing modern tape decks, is set to release a brand … More New from Ballfinger in 2023: M-051-MR Master Recorder, M-063-H6 deck & an upgraded M-002-P

straight2tape – a brilliant new concept of real, up-close-and-personal, music events

November 30, 2022

‘Being there’ One of the phrases I use most often when reviewing tapes is, I’m afraid, a rather hackneyed one: “it’s almost like being there” (or some variation on that theme). I make no apology for it, because this (for me) is without doubt the most soul-stirring aspect of tape as a format for enjoying … More straight2tape – a brilliant new concept of real, up-close-and-personal, music events

New 7-inch carbon fibre high performance tape reel from RX Reels

November 16, 2022

“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

Hemiolia Records releases Miles Davis’ masterpiece on tape – and there’s much more to come!

November 7, 2022

You know those late night conversations that happen among tape lovers, the ones that kick off with someone asking (usually after a few drinks), “if you could listen to absolutely any album on tape, what would it be?”… and you know how everyone then shares – with misty eyes – their list of ‘fantasy’ tapes, … More Hemiolia Records releases Miles Davis’ masterpiece on tape – and there’s much more to come!

Discovering DJ Kerri Chandler’s reel-to-reel set in London

October 31, 2022

Okay so I’m a bit late to the party on this one – a year late to be honest! But sometimes things hit your radar when they hit your radar and they’re worth sharing anyway, even if the ‘hot’ moment has passed. The moment in question here was in November 2021 – when Kerri Chandler, … More Discovering DJ Kerri Chandler’s reel-to-reel set in London

Audio distributor Absolute Sounds embraces the R2R revival & brings Metaxas & Sins’ duo of decks to the UK hi-fi market

August 31, 2022

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