THE FASCINATING STORY OF REEL-TO-REEL RECORDING

When you think "vintage audio," what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Cassette tapes? 8-tracks? Unless you used to have (or still have!) one, reel-to-reel decks don’t tend to cross people’s minds as much as other analog formats. But a reel-to-reel (also known as R2R or RTR) player has a rich history full of interesting facts that deserve to be told! Reel to reels revolutionized stereo recording technology and paved the way for the newer technology that we’re more familiar with today.

WHAT IS A REEL-TO-REEL?

First, a quick explanation of what a reel to reel is for those who may not be familiar with them - yet! Basically, a reel-to-reel deck plays and records reels of magnetic tape. Recording tape is played from one reel to another with the recording tape spooled between the reels, hence its name. In other words, it records and plays music in analog form using magnetic tape instead of the better known digital format.

THE BEGINNING

The humble beginnings of the reel-to-reel tape player date back to the early 1900s. The reel-to-reel was pioneered by the German-British Blattnerphone in 1928 and the German company AEG Magnetophon K1 in 1935. Cool names, right?

Jack Mullin, an American audio engineer and a member of the US Army Signal Corps during WWII, took a couple of these German Magnetophon recorders back home. He spent the next few years learning how these machines worked so he could commercialize them.

Then Bing “The Crooning King” Crosby came onto the scene. Seeing the potential for Mullin’s recorders, he invested a whopping $50,000. This allowed Mullin to develop and produce commercial models of the tape recorders.

THE MIDDLE

The invention of the reel-to-reel led to higher quality recordings than ever before. Thanks to this greater clarity and fidelity, many companies (including the popular Sony and Ampex) began mass producing reel-to-reel tape recorders for home and professional use.

Early reel to reel tape decks were mono (one-channel) and made with vacuum tubes. The technology gradually advanced with solid state circuits and direct drive motors, so that by the mid 1950s, stereo (two-channel) decks were being produced.

Such advancements made reel-to-reel players more reliable and sought after. Thanks to the improved sound quality and frequency response, every professional recording was made on one type of reel-to-reel recorder or another. And by the 1950s, these machines were common enough that even home voice recordings and company dictations were made using a reel to reel.

THE END

All good things must come to an end, and eventually the R2R format began dying down thanks in a large part to the Philips compact cassette. As cassette decks gained popularity for being cheaper and more convenient, reel to reel recorders gradually faded into the background, particularly for home use.

However, hope was not lost! The cassette deck, as convenient and comparatively inexpensive as it was, had slower recording speeds and poorer fidelity. So for those audio enthusiasts who craved high fidelity, the reel-to-reel was still the best way to record and playback favorite tunes.

Unfortunately, during the 1980s, the digital revolution began to hit full swing, and most manufacturers discontinued reel-to-reel tape recorders. Despite that, many audiophiles and recording studios still preferred the use of this vintage tape recorder.

SUMMARY

In recent years, the analog revival has seen the comeback of vintage audio gear like record players and vinyl. Does this mean reel-to-reels will make the same enthusiastic comeback?

No, probably not. They’re heavy, cumbersome, and expensive to maintain and repair. Yet they produce a warm, vintage sound that’s absolutely addicting once you hear it. It’s no wonder most serious audiophiles have one of these machines as part of their system. Reel-to-reel music has a sound that CDs and digital music simply cannot replicate, making them irreplaceable to many.

Thanks for reading to the end! If you’re interested in shopping our selection of reel-to-reel machines, you can check what we have available here. Have a great day! 

https://spencertified.com/collections/reel-to-reel-machines