Reel News

Before you spend hundreds of dollars on eBay for a used machine from the 70s that may or may not work, though, consider this; new reel-to-reel are on the market right now, and available for you to buy and use right out of the box. Nearly new refurbished systems are also available for a fraction of the price, and will involve no hassle, stress, or worry.

Ken Kessler, a writer for Hi-Fi magazine with a self-proclaimed obsession of Reel-to-Reel tape players recently wrote an article about his research for the top ten pre-owned and refurbished open-reel decks that are not only worth having but also affordable for now, the prices on all decks are soaring upwards as the trend for these open-reel tape machines become more popular with audiophiles. It’s a great overview for anyone jumping into the hobby.

Anyone can go to one of the numerous used record stores and grab some great discs, however, it is not the same quality of sound as with reel-to-reel tapes that audiophiles crave.

Here is a look at both reel-to-reel audio tape recording decks and the tape reels themselves.

The reel-to-reel tape format is the leading choice for a return among readers of Hi-Fi Choice magazine according to recent research.

The true reason tape survived wasn’t because analog-obsessed audiophiles, held onto a bittersweet longing for something of the past, but because the fact remained that tape is an incredibly dense archival medium that has never been improved upon. 

In 2013, The Absolute Sound shocked readers by proclaiming that a new reel-to-reel deck absolutely crushed the highest-rated turntable-based system ever reviewed by the magazine. “I have never heard rock and roll reproduced more powerfully and realistically in my home or at a show in my entire life,” concluded reviewer Jonathan Valin.

Although vinyl and turntable sales are currently shooting through the roof, analog-loving audiophiles know that reel-to-reel has inherent advantages over the once-again-hot vinyl record, because quite simply the sound quality is as good as it gets. 

There are a lot of people who are buying reel to reel players for the first time and many of them are new to using an open reel deck. A question that comes up a lot is, “how can I use my streaming service with a reel to reel?”