I picked this reel to reel up from Mr. T on Saturday. I've been eyeballing it for a long time. I've had a day to listen to it and I am completely impressed. What a sweet sounding r to r. I have several recordings that I had made with my Teac (via FLAC files) so I decided to test the Roger Water's album, "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking" first. This is a great album to test your system due to the wide range of volume and background dialog/sounds that lesser systems will not pick up. As an example, I have this album on vinyl and you'll hear things you never did before with a digital recording. The Pioneer really raised the bar as I was hearing things that I swore were sounds coming from upstairs or in another room. Absolutely beautiful, clear and great dynamics. The recording is on a very good Scotch tape which makes a large difference so taking that into account, I played a few other tapes with the same or lesser quality tapes. Same results, just amazing. Crystal clear sound, no distortion and no listener fatigue.
With my Teac, the novelty of reel to reel players lasted only a few weeks. Sure it sounded good but not as great as vinyl. With the Pioneer I am completely blown away. Plus the thing is huge, weighs a ton and is a very cool looking compact design. I have already taken measurements to make a wood case for it.
I've only ever had two reel to reel players in my life, both being Teac's, so by no means am I an expert. It's possible that I am just hearing a good player for the first time but that does not take away from my astonishment. I'm looking forward to picking up more blank tapes so I can record/enjoy this player further.
