After Vinyl and Cassettes Made Comebacks, Reel-to-Reel Is Now the Ultimate Audiophile Flex, According to Experts

Tape is having a very costly second.

Tape was imagined to be over. But reel-to-reel has discovered its approach into a number of the costliest sound techniques on the earth.

More audiophiles are spending hundreds on gear, unique tapes, and clean reels that price extra per minute than streaming companies cost per thirty days. Meanwhile, Studios are beginning to use tape once more, labels are releasing new albums on it, and previous machines are promoting sooner than ever.

This format is again, and it’s louder, pricier, and extra unique than most individuals ever anticipated.

In This Article

Reel-to-Reel Is Back in High-End Audio

Reel-to-reel tape recorders are exhibiting up once more, not as antiques, however as high-end audio gear constructed for critical listeners.

For occasion, Revox, the Swiss firm recognized for its precision machines because the Fifties, has re-released its traditional B77 with the brand new Mark III model. This comes straight from the manufacturing facility and sells for $15,950.

That worth places it in the identical league as different luxurious elements. So, it’s clearly not for collectors digging by eBay. It’s for individuals who need the very best, new, and totally constructed to spec.

“You might after all purchase a secondhand Mark I or Mark II and have it reconditioned. You might even purchase a Mark I or II reconditioned by Revox itself. But that’s actually solely rereading a chapter from the historical past e book of tape,” explains audio professional David J. Boyle.

“A brand-new launch, nonetheless, nicely, that is one thing else completely. Tape is again.”

The iconic B77 gets revived with the new MK III version. (From: Revox) — The iconic B77 will get revived with the brand new MK III model. (From: Revox)

Studios are additionally utilizing reel-to-reel once more for its sound, not simply the look. Audiophiles are drawn to the hands-on really feel and the extent of element tape brings out. For many, that is the height of analog listening.

Revox is leaning into the development. They’ve employed Ryan O’Connor, the founding father of Reel to Reel Haven, to run their North American division. He’s recognized for restoring tape machines and constructing pro-level setups. With him onboard, Revox is betting on tape as a part of what comes subsequent.

How Much Tape Really Costs

Think $15,950 for a tape machine sounds steep? That’s simply the beginning.

A single 10.5-inch reel of RTM Studio Master SM911 (the trendy model of the tape as soon as used at Abbey Road) prices round €93 with tax. That’s about $97. And at 15 inches per second, you solely get about 32 minutes of recording time.

“That’s €2.44 a minute. Nearly 4p a second,” Boyle calculates.

“But absolutely, if a pastime doesn’t price, it’s not value having. Tell your different half that, to reassure her (or him).”

And in the event you’re not recording your personal music? Pre-recorded albums price much more. The Revox Analogue Master Tape assortment contains artists like George Duke, Bartók, and Alice Cooper, priced at €480 every. Want all 22 titles? That’s €10,560, or about $11,100.

Alice Cooler's Paranormal original master tape (From: Revox) — Alice Cooler’s Paranormal unique grasp tape (From: Revox)

The gear itself isn’t getting any cheaper both. Vintage machines that used to go for underneath $100 at the moment are 5 instances the worth.

Ken Kessler, a longtime collector with over 2,000 tapes, has watched the spike firsthand. According to him, machines that offered for underneath $100 three years in the past now command $500 for mint examples.

Even unpopular tapes are leaping in worth. Kessler as soon as noticed an obscure title on eBay promote for $240, which is roughly what you’d count on to pay for The Beatles or Miles Davis.

Why Experts Are Calling It Superior

Ask anybody who’s frolicked with reel-to-reel tape, and so they’ll inform you it sounds totally different. And, in some ways, higher.

At the 2017 Tokyo High End Show, audio engineer Tim de Paravicini performed a pre-recorded open-reel copy of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for Kessler. It wasn’t a uncommon grasp tape both. It was simply a typical 7.5 IPS Capitol business launch from the Seventies.

“I used to be staggered by what I heard,” Kessler remembers.

Kevin from Sky Labs Audio had the same second when he examined The White Stripes’ Elephant throughout 4 codecs: streaming, vinyl, a premium UHQR urgent, and a factory-recorded reel-to-reel.

“It is completely unbelievable,” he stated concerning the tape model. “There’s one thing about tape saturation. It’s totally different—and in loads of methods, higher.”

He went on to clarify how sure sounds, particularly crunchy guitars and room mics on drums, simply hit more durable on tape.

“That distortion, that tape saturation—it sort of will get in your tooth,” he shares.

Part of what offers reel-to-reel its edge is tape pace. The most typical speeds are 7.5 and 15 inches per second. Cassettes, by comparability, run at simply 1.875. Faster speeds imply extra element will get captured, and that’s a giant a part of why tape sounds so wealthy and full.

Michael Leigh, a longtime hi-fi fanatic, additionally seen one thing stunning when he recorded vinyl onto his reel-to-reel deck.

“I’m fully blown away with the sound high quality of Reel-to-Reel tape. In truth the recordings sound higher than the vinyl records which shouldn’t be the case!”

How the High-End Market Is Responding

Some corporations are turning reel-to-reel into luxurious artwork.

For instance, Ballfinger, a German producer, sells machines beginning at over €15,000. Their glossy designs look extra like sculpture than playback gear. Then there’s Metaxas & Sins, recognized for his or her daring, futuristic designs. Their Tourbillon T-RX sells for $69,405.

“These aren’t simply your common items of audio tools,” notes business observer Leslie Shapiro.

“They’re extra like kinetic artwork objects that simply occur to play music with an unparalleled constancy.”

With extra folks moving into tape, the tape producers are additionally stepping up:

Recording The Masters (RTM) in France makes new clean reels just like the SM911 and SM900.
Boutique labels like Analogy Records launch unique music solely on reel-to-reel.
Acoustic Sounds’ Ultra Tape sequence reissues traditional albums on 15 IPS, two-track tapes, that are able to play on pro-level machines.

As anticipated, costs on classic decks are rising with demand. A Pioneer RT-707, as soon as thought-about an inexpensive approach in, now prices over $1,000. Technics RS-1500 fashions have climbed previous $2,000. And that’s only for the gear itself.

Despite the excessive prices, demand retains rising. Kessler reviews that the very best classic machines have “DOUBLED in worth in underneath two years.” A mint Pioneer RT-707 was an inexpensive entry level. Now it prices over $1,000. Technics RS-1500 fashions promote for greater than $2,000.

That is barely the place to begin, although. Blank reels, NAB adapters, and common servicing all add up quick.

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July 9, 2025 at 09:40PM