Jonathan Ribee
Unavailable at present
Awesome. Tape is the new... ...whatever was the last thing, digital?
for UD i'd say +3 peaks as a starting point, you should try and go up to +5 to try and hear for distortion and then back off a couple of db's from that. It also depends on the dynamic range of what you're recording - you need to accomodate for the loudest passage.
I'd forgotten I'd created this thread... well, it was a decade ago!
I'm in the process of re-comissioning my A3440, - a quick test of all transport functions suggests all is well and inspection of the belt I fitted in 2010 shows it's still running nice and smooth with no slippage (I kept the original belt as a momento in a sealed plastic bag and it has now melted into a sticky goo!). The deck still has the original tape counter belt which really ought to be replaced but it looks like there's a fair bit of disassembly involved in that so I'll probably just leave it be.
This machine really is in astonishing condition for its age. From a cosmetic POV it looks brand new and the heads have very little wear. I'm ashamed I've neglected it for so long. I'm quite looking forward to trying it in my main system. Photos to follow soon.
I also have the accompanying 2A mixer and meter bridge but these aren't really required unless using the deck for mulitracking which, although is what the A3440 was designed for, isn't what I'll be using it for, not at the moment anyway.
It's been a LONG time since I recorded on it, but I recall that recordings made using Maxell XL1 35-180B sounded like they had a "smiley-face" EQ curve applied. Recordings made using Maxell UD 35-180 sounded flatter and more like the source input. IIRC the A3440 manual says the machine is calibrated for Maxell UD, so I suppose that explains why recordings made on UD sounded closer to the source? Or does XL1 back-coated tape have a tendency to boost bass and treble irrespective of bias setting?
I've got some LPR-90 on the way for my Revox B77 that Alan of this parish is currently servicing for me. I'm thinking of splicing together a tape of UD, XL1 and LPR-90 to see which produces the best subjective recordings on the A3440 without having to adjust any settings. If the LPR-90 sounds close enough to the Maxell then I'll probably just run with that and keep hold of my small cache of NOS Maxell in case its value continues to increase.
PS - I know it depends on variables such as how good the erase head is etc, but in general, how many times can you record over a tape before SQ deterioration becomes audible? E.g. can tape that's known to have only been recorded on once be recorded over with the expectation that it will essential sound like virgin tape? I'd rather not have to break the seal on a fresh UD and XL1 tape if I can get away with recording over my existing ones.
Do you think it was caused by a reaction with the bag or due to increased moisture absorption and/or lack of use?Hmm I reported exactly this happening to a TT belt just a week or two ago. Identical belt left on TT still fine and in use...
Do you think it was caused by a reaction with the bag or due to increased moisture absorption and/or lack of use?
Wait till you see it with its 10.5" TEAC spools on!Wow, that really is a beauty!