Adding A Tape Monitor To An Amp

So the tape monitor button of my tape deck will work if i connect it like this? awsome thanks bro.

 

I might add a stereo VCR at a later date, if i remember right a good VCR can make truly excellent recordings, i think technics made a few

 

You are not alone in dealing with this conundrum. I have been searching for an integrated or preamp that provides the latest digital technologies, i.e. with an onboard high bit-rate DAC and other streaming capabilities but with a twist - it has to have at least one tape monitor. Unfortunately, such beast does not exist. It appears my best bet is still to go for an older preamp or integrated that already has the tape monitor(s) and all the digital technologies will have to be external add-ons.

The Yamaha A-S801 may provide a solution if you are willing to go with a mass-produced integrated ...



Unfortunately, a preamp with everything found in this Yamaha integrated but strips out the amp will be perfect for me since I already have a number of good power amps. Unfortunately, Yamaha does not make such a preamp.

 

But you can always search for a clean-used C4; no, not the explosive, but THE best Yammie pre-amp ever made by Yamaha :

 

IIRC, this Yamaha preamp was made in the 90's. BTW, the Yamaha A-S801 integrated I showed above may not have the full tape monitoring capabilities we are accustomed to even though there are the "in" and "out" jacks. I presume there are far fewer people listening to tapes than LP's nowadays and that is why audio companies are fast to cut out the tape monitors from their preamps ...

 

Where would I connect my 3 signal processors were it not for the tape monitor IN/OUT on my vintage receiver ? (got 2 pairs BTW; TAPE 1 and TAPE 2)

 

IIRC, signal processors do have to go through the tape loops and the Aux jacks alone would not do ...

 

In the manual to my technics amp it says the eq has to be connected to the pre out and in, any tape monitoring can then be done by the EQ

 

Hey mate when I suggested using the VCR in/out as a tape loop, I didn't even see the tape loop you already had there. If you wish to monitor the tape signal as its being recorded you would need need to press the monitor button on the tape deck and also select the tape monitor button on the amp. Thats all you need to do.

 

IIRC, you should be able to use the "video" loop as a tape loop. My Carver CT-3 preamp/tuner has such configuration ...

 

Don't see how. Without a proper tape monitor loop, there is no way to route the selected signal (phono, cd whatever) to the tape output while listening to whatever is on the the "Tape in" jacks at the same time. And the EQ with monitor button in the pre out/main in "Aux" loop is subject to volume fluctuations and so is not ideal either.

 

I can play the VCR through my preamp and record music (a concert) played on the VCR to my tape deck. Hey, this is not all that different from tape to tape copying ...

 

Well, sure. You can play a CD and record it, too. That doesn't give you a tape monitor loop if you don't have one.

 

But is there still much of a need for a tape monitor since there is little need for tape to tape copy these days? If any tape at all, the process is likely to be the digitization of a tape where you will need your computer to be connected to your preamp via some USB port (perhaps on an external DAC) ...

 

Very much so with a 3 head deck, of course you can still use headphones without one

 

The OP can NOT monitor his recording (he understands this!) without a tape monitor button on his amp.. the amp isn't capable of it, despite any tape loops, etc.
Monitoring was a nice feature (of the amp/receiver/pre-amp) IF you had a 3 head deck (he does), and allowed you to make sure you weren't recording too hot, and IF your tape deck had the options, monitor the effects of changing bias and azimuth. He can at least do that with his headphones on the deck itself.

 

He must have a tape monitor button on his amp. Its got a tape loop in it! How else could he listen to a tape without one?

 

BTW, I flipped through the pages of my Stereo Buying Guide published in 1979 the other day and noticed that Yamaha C-4 was already listed there. So C-4 has to be close to forty year old, though I have no idea how long Yamaha kept it in the product line-up ...

It is an excellent preamp and I would not mind having one in mint condition. The preamp probably does not have a remote either.

 

It has tape outputs and inputs, but not a loop. Non-tape choices (phono CD etc) appear at the tape outputs to be recorded. You can listen to those recorded tapes by pressing the tape input, but the tape outputs are muted when the tape selector is chosen.

It's not even like they are saving that much money in production, a switch is cheap. I see this more as an Apple-type design. Assume nobody is going to use it and take it out, and you don't have to explain what it's there for or what it does, making it "simple and elegant".

 

Some of the Apple's design moves like removing the headphone jack from the current iPhone is just to force people to buy its AirPods, which surely will guarantee many repeat customers since many would easily lose one of the Pods ...

 

Yep its all true, however, the matching cassette deck for my amp is 2 head with dolby b and c hx pro, so a tape monitor button would be useless, manufacturers dont seem to think people might upgrade their tape decks to 3 head at a later date mind, a fix for all this is get a technics graphic eq which does have a loop, or buy a pair of good monitoring headphones for my rs-bx727

 

Yes i can listen and record tapes but with a 3 head deck with a loop monitor button you can listen to the tape as it being recorded. without one you cant, you have to rewind and check.

 

Waxfreak all sorted mate, after some experimenting this amp does indeed allow 3 head monitoring! the EXT IN and OUT at the back can go to an EQ or a Tapedeck or Both, it works a bloody treat! can even send the Surround function from the amp to the tape!

You have to make the loop yourself, PLAY OUT from tape into EXT IN of amp
REC IN from tape into EXT OUT of amp

Then you can jumper from the tape decks PLAY OUT into the amps TAPE IN with a double RCA cable which is a LR to LR double cable, all the inputs work as usual cd/tape/phono/tuner/Dat/Pc

I can now use the SOURCE and TAPE MONITOR button of the tape deck to listen to the recordings as they happen.

 

Now this is a strong case for sticking with vintage. Want the DAC capability, connect one to the Aux terminal ...

 

I have an analog to digital 48khx box, that can be connected to the tapes line out into the amps digital in! everythings working REAL nice now hehe well pleased, these midi technics amps are awsome