Questions concerning my new reel to reel player

I've got a couple of general questions that deal with the reel to reel player I just picked up today. The player is a Bang & Olufsen Beocord 2000T De Luxe that was manufactured some time between 1966 and 1969. Beocord 2000T De Luxe This thing has held up well over the years and really looks and sounds great.
First, the power cord that came with it has had the third prong removed from it. Is this something to worry about? Would it be worth it to try and track down a replacement power cord?
My other questions have to do with old reel to reel tapes. As far as prerecorded tapes are concerned, are the 7-1/2 IPS speed tapes a lot better sounding than the 3-7/8 tapes? Finally, is there anything I should be aware of when buying blank tapes? Any recommendations for old tape that tended to hold up better over the years or should I stick to buying sealed or new tapes?
As, I'm just getting into open reel players for the first time, I appreciate any advice you could offer.
Thanks,
Jon

 

Jon,

The Reel Tapes recorded at 7.5ips should sound better. Generally, the higher the tape speed, the better the sound. Although, a lot folks like 15ips over 30ips because of better low-end reproduction. Typically, these speeds are only on "pro" units.

The power cord may as it is as configured for the U.S. market - not sure.

At present, there is only (1) firm on the globe that still makes Reel tape and that firm is Quantegy here in the U.S. There may still be old stock out there from other firms.

Good luck and enjoy!

Bob

 

Yes, I saw Quantegy. I think they bought out Ampex or something like that. Anyway, would you be apprehensive to buy sealed blank tapes off of someone on ebay or should I feel safe? I guess it's probably hard to say. I just wanted to know if there was any common knowledge out there concerning older tape (ie Ampex, Scotch, etc...are good...others are bad).

 

Jon,

Generally, fresh tape stock is the best. I recently found 5 reels of blank tape [EMTEC 900] I had boxed up in storage that I had purchased in 1996. I threaded up a Reel and recorded a track @+3 VU peaks and, it recorded perfectly. So, this analogy might give you some insight on shelf life. The key with Reel Tape is finding the right forumulation for the vintage of your machine. Your machine is older so, I would recommend Quantegy 406/407 as a good choice. Member Joe Nino-Hernes is very up-to-speed on these formulations. I'd PM Joe as well...

Bob

 

Quantegy is Ampex, they bought the company. Their Grand Master (I think it's 467) is great a 7" 1800' reel runs about $10.50 from Tape Warehouse. You are better off staying away from the usual Ebay tapes, you never know how they were stored plus why take a chance when you can just order a new stock of good tapes.
Also no matter how well cared for you think the machine is R2R's sitting in storage don't age to well. Find yourself a "good" R2R tech and have the machine lubed, heads aligned, brakes adjusted and belts replaced. However if the guy really knows what he is doing this don't come cheap, expect to pay between $200 to $300 for this service.

 

I agree, Quantegy 407 would be the best for you. It is bias equivalent to the old Scotch 207. It is 1 mill thick, so on a 7 inch reel you would have 1800 feet of tape. That is approx. 45 minutes a side at 7 1/2ips. 407 is a +3 tape, so your machine should record and erase it just fine. Anything higher output, like 456, 499, or GP9 would be too much for your machine.

I am very disappointed with the current analog media situation. I never liked Ampex tape. Quantegy bought Ampex's media devision, and 3M's media division. Quantegy's product is OK, but it is not made nearly as well as Emtec (BASF) was. For many years, I used Emtec 911 (+6 level) and 900 (+9 level) exclusivly. It was slit perfectly, and its sound was so transparent. Simply an amazing tape. Now, I use Quantegy GP9 which is basically Scotch 996 with bad quality control! My second favorite brand of tape was Scotch. I really liked Scotch 406/407 and 986/996, they were really super tapes too.

By the way, on my website, I am creating an analog tape cross reference chart. This will be usefull for people that have a vintage machine that was for example designed to run Scotch 207, and they are not sure which current Quantegy tapes that they should use, they can simply glance at the chart. To see it, go to http://www.srctape.com/pg8.html and click on Analog Tape Cross Reference Chart. It is just a start, it will eventually grow!

 

As for buying 'used' tapes, I would avoid any Ampex 456 or 499 like the plague, the binder in the early 456/499 formulation goes unstable with time and turns to a sticky, shedding mess that requires baking the tapes to restore, and even that is only a temporary solution. Stay away from acetate tapes as well, even venerable ones such as Scotch 111, as they tend to get warpy and shrink with time, and there are far superior (read: modern) formulations out there anyways.

I second Joe's recommendation of 3M 206/207 and 3M 996, (and their new-production Quantegy counterparts) as they are proven performers, even when over 30 years old in the case of early batches of 206/207...

Joe: Nice chart! You should also add that Q'gy 407 is a bias compatible replacement for Maxell XLI 35-90B/35-180B.

-Aaron

 

I agree! Also avoid Ampex 406/407, it is really bad too! Unfortunatly, the binder in the new 456 and 499 does the same thing They claim to have fixed it, but they have not

Thanks! I had forgotten about the Maxell tapes! Also, I am re aranging the list, so that it will be easier to understand.

 

Ok, page re-aranged!

 

Thanks for all of the advice! It's very much appreciated!