A few months ago one of my best friends decided I needed a new audio affliction™ and gave the first of my current two OTARI tape recorders.
Today I am the proud owner of two ancient Otari's;
A 1983 vintage MX-5050BII-2 which arrived here sometime in late January if memory serves.
And in late March I came home from the Montreal hifi show after a detour to the deep woods of NH with a rather challenged example of a 1984 vintage MX-5050MKIII-2 with its cart. This is a bridge style recorder which is a dream to work on by virtue of the cart. I don't recommend buying one without as the form factor is otherwise brutally awkward to deal with.
Neither of these decks were in running condition when I got them..
This then is the story of one fool's mission to save them from the scrap heap.
The machines now both run, record and sound surprisingly decent recording test dubs from a digital source here.
The whole point in the long term is put together a couple of good, and not too expensive machines to play those hideously expensive commercial tapes on.
Today I am the proud owner of two ancient Otari's;
A 1983 vintage MX-5050BII-2 which arrived here sometime in late January if memory serves.
And in late March I came home from the Montreal hifi show after a detour to the deep woods of NH with a rather challenged example of a 1984 vintage MX-5050MKIII-2 with its cart. This is a bridge style recorder which is a dream to work on by virtue of the cart. I don't recommend buying one without as the form factor is otherwise brutally awkward to deal with.
Neither of these decks were in running condition when I got them..
This then is the story of one fool's mission to save them from the scrap heap.
The machines now both run, record and sound surprisingly decent recording test dubs from a digital source here.
The whole point in the long term is put together a couple of good, and not too expensive machines to play those hideously expensive commercial tapes on.