Category: Opinions & musings

The reel deals: Hi-Fi News features Ken Kessler’s definitive guide to buying tapes, new and secondhand

August 23, 2020

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

Ken Kessler: still keeping it reel – for one reason alone

April 27, 2020

“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

Interview: Greg Beron of ‘hybrid’ R2R deck maker United Home Audio

February 26, 2020

United Home Audio (UHA) is an American high-end audio retailer based in Northern Virginia near Washington, DC. The company, which is headed by Greg Beron, also has another interesting bow to its string: for the past twelve years UHA has been ‘re-manufacturing’ reel-to-reel tape decks. Greg takes vintage Tascam decks as his starting point and … More Interview: Greg Beron of ‘hybrid’ R2R deck maker United Home Audio

Contemporary music on tape: discovering Djabe – along with ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett

January 9, 2020

In my ongoing search for great music on tape that’s legitimately and legally produced, I’ve come across several very interesting niche labels and artists. In fact, by its very nature, music on tape is niche – or, to quote Michael Fremer, “a niche within a niche within a niche”. Still, the best things in life … More Contemporary music on tape: discovering Djabe – along with ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett

A quick chat with… Chasing the Dragon’s Mike Valentine

January 6, 2020

The eighth in a short series of videos captured at the recent Hi-Fi Show Live in Ascot, UK – in which we grab a quick chat with a handful of fellow R2R appreciators. Here, we talk tape with Mike Valentine of UK-based audiophile label Chasing the Dragon. Always an engaging and entertaining speaker, Mike gives … More A quick chat with… Chasing the Dragon’s Mike Valentine

Reel to real: Neville Roberts discusses the very real R2R resurgence at StereoNet – with a great overview for those new to tape

January 3, 2020

Thanks to the recent vinyl revival, ever more people are realising that the purest way to enjoy music is to keep it in the analogue domain in its journey from instrument to brain, says Neville Roberts, in his recent article for audiophile webzine www.stereonet.co.uk A decade after the vinyl revival began, “the same started to happen … More Reel to real: Neville Roberts discusses the very real R2R resurgence at StereoNet – with a great overview for those new to tape

A quick chat with… The Audiophiles Clinic’s Petronel Butuc

December 30, 2019

The seventh in a short series of videos captured at the recent Hi-Fi Show Live 2019 in Ascot, UK – in which we grab a quick chat with a handful of fellow R2R appreciators. Here, we talk tape decks with Petronel Butuc of The Audiophiles Clinic. The services offered by The Audiophiles Clinic span most aspects … More A quick chat with… The Audiophiles Clinic’s Petronel Butuc