I was searching for a list of Reel To Reel decks that are able to play 2 track fulltrack professional tapes, as well as 4 track consumer tapes.
Head layout
This is a diagram showing possible head configuration for 1/4 inch tape. So in the example above that would be option F and G: F is the 2 track full track, and G is the 4 track layout of which 2 tracks are played.
Also, FYI:
- option H is used in 4 track reel to reel machines like the Teac A-3440 et al.
- and option I is used in 8-track 1/4 inch multitrack machines like the Fostex R8 et al.
The list
After some digging around I came up with this list of reel to reel decks that can play both 2 track and 4 track tapes which I believe is fairly complete:
- Akai 400d PRO
- Akai PRO 1000
- Denon DH-710F
- Otari MX-5050BII
- Sony TC-766-2 (Japan: TC-R7-2)
- Sony TC-880-2 (Japan: TC-8750-2)
- Teac A-6100
- Teac A-6700DX
- Teac A-7400(rx)
- Teac X-1000M
- Teac X-2000M / TASCAM 3030
- Technics RS1500 (Rec 2T PB 2T and 4T), RS1506 (Rec 4T PB 2T and 4T)
And now?
For find a deck with pleasing aesthetics for in the living room, my pick would be the Tascam 3030, but the 2 Sony’s and the 2 Technics are close 2nd and 3rd. And since we found the Teac A-6700,
well that’s a very interesting option too!!
If you happen to know or find other models that can play 2 and 4 track tapes that are not listed here, please do not hesitate to leave a comment so I can make this list as complete as possible!