Back in the pre-pandemic days (remember those?) it was mooted in various places (e.g. Stereonet, What’s Best Forum) that French company Analog Audio Design was working on a design for a new tape deck. Such announcements are always hugely exciting news – but then the world went a bit AWOL and, I’ll be honest, my … More Analog Audio Design launches a brand new tape deck
Greg Beron at United Home Audio has launched “an all out assault on tape playback” with his brand new UHA SuperDeck. “This is the ‘ne plus ultra’ of high-fidelity playback, built from the very best of every single piece and part, cost no object,” he says. Selected highlights from the list of ingredients include: An outboard … More Could this be the best tape deck money can buy? The all new ‘SuperDeck’ from United Home Audio
Each month, Hi-Fi News magazine raids its vault to bring you an article from its vast archive of features and reviews from yesteryear. The December 2020 issue ran a review from way back in June 1978, in which Martin Colloms put four ‘new’ top-quality open-reel decks to the test. Ah, those were the days eh. … More Vintage hits: Hi-Fi News reviews four ‘new’ open-reel decks (new in 1978, that is!)
Top hi-fi journalist and self-confessed R2R junkie Ken Kessler knows a thing or two about tape decks old and new, so if you’re in the market for a good secondhand machine, who better to guide to through the maze of what’s available. In a recent issue of Hi-Fi News magazine, Ken shared with readers his … More Revealed: Ken Kessler’s top 10 used open-reel decks
You may remember that back in 2018, the Munich High End Show saw previews from two companies of the world’s first modern open reel tape decks, which were on their way to market after a couple of decades with no new production of tape machines. The first of the companies, Ballfinger, has since released several … More Introducing… the brand new Metaxas T-RX tape deck
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
The company that brought you the millenium’s first completely modern tape decks, the M 063 (in four editions), is now working on a new model, the forthcoming M 002 P. Scheduled for release in summer 2020, the M 002 P is a playback-only machine and is priced at around the £10k mark. It doesn’t include … More Coming soon from Ballfinger: the new £10k M 002 P tape deck
Well, we did it… this Hallowe’en weekend, The Reel-to-Reel Rambler went from being an online webzine to a collaborative live event at Hi-Fi Show Live 2019 – and what a show it was! If there was any doubt about the growing interest in reel-to-reel, then this weekend must surely have put it to rest. The … More Hi-Fi Show Live 2019: “a pivotal moment for tape”!
The Rambler has some very exciting news to announce…. this October we’re celebrating all things reel-to-reel at the UK’s biggest high-end hi-fi show and we’d love you to come along and join us! The show: Hi-Fi Show Live, Ascot, UK, 26th-27th October 2019 Hi-Fi Show Live, now in its 7thyear, is run by AVTech Media, … More R2R live! The Rambler will be at the UK’s Hi-Fi Show Live this October – with tape decks both vintage and brand new, tape labels, tape manufacturers, tech tape advice and more (oh and Ken Kessler!)
The Munich High-End Show always seems to go from strength to strength and for me 2019 was the best year yet – not least because of a number of enticing developments in the niche-but-growing world of audiophile tape. I had a brilliant few days catching up with a range of tape movers and shakers. Here’s … More The High-End Show 2019: the rambler reports on some exciting reel-to-reel happenings in Munich
