Topic: Revox A-77 mkII ?

I already know the B-77 but what about A-77 then?

http://www.reelaudio.co.uk/images/HTMA77MKI.gif

2 (edited by Brian Chinetti 2011-01-04 20:25:04)

Re: Revox A-77 mkII ?

What do you want to know? Are you offered one or are you just curious? In short, the A77 is not not as good as the B77 sonically but it comes very close, and it can be a lot older than the B77; the mkI dates from 1967, the mk IV production stopped in 1977 when the B77 came around. The mkII is from 1969 to 1971... 40 years old... Both have 3 heads, no belts (except for the counter belt, of course), and both the A77 and B77 came in a lot of different versions. However most often you see them in either 1/2 track HS (High Speed, running at 7.5 and 15 ips), regular speed 1/2 track (3.25 and 7.5 ips, especially the A77) or regular speed 1/4 track (i.e. stereo reverse, very common for both machines).

It kinda depends on what kinda sound you look for (perfection or 'grid'?), but the 1/2 track Revox A77 and B77 sound rather nice. Despite their status and price they may not be top of the consumer line (Tandberg and Akai are often considered to be sonically better) but they are well build and parts and donor machines are easy and cheap to find so it makes them a rather safe investment.

One down side: Revox heads in general are very soft and wear pretty fast. Normally the heads have a rounded surface, so you can easily judge how much they are worn by looking at the flatness. A flat spot of 1 - 3 mm is okay, 3 to 4mm means the heads need re-adjustment and 4 or more means you need to get ready to find new ones; 5mm is the end and the head will open up. I believe you also had the option of 'butterfly' heads even on these consumer machines. They last double the operation hours, but they were very expensive and are therefore very rare. I'm not sure what parts are interchangeable, but I believe heads fit on both machines.

And last but not least, there was also the A700 (a step up from the A77, later used to be incorporated into the design of the Studer B67), the PR99 (technically exactly the same as the B77, except for xlr connectors and a digital counter on the MKII and MKIII models) and the C270 (which like the A700 was basically the next best thing to the entry level Studers).

A lot of info can be found by reading the manuals and service manuals, which you can find on the Studer website:

ftp://ftp.studer.ch/Public/Products/

Re: Revox A-77 mkII ?

Thanks for your glorius reply!
well for the sound im looking for good balance of grid and perfection..so somewhere between those two.

there is one in local market for 300euro and the seller says it is fully serviced recently.

4 (edited by Brian Chinetti 2011-01-05 12:24:04)

Re: Revox A-77 mkII ?

If you want to go in between grid and perfection, a 1/2 track that can run on 7.5 and 15 inch per second (ips) is your best shot. 7.5 sound pretty decent but can saturate a bit more and be more noisy, 15 is more nice with less artifacts but still have that tape sound. I often record tracks on both speeds and then choose...

Service just means the bearings have been lubed, and maybe the pinchroller, VU bulbs and counter belt have been replaced. Easy jobs that you can do yourself for 20 euro. 300 euro is a bit much, especially if it's not a 1/2 track HS version which I doubt it is. I think over here you'll see a A77 go for appr. 200, a B77 for 300 if they are in very good condition with not too much wear on the heads. Some extra's can influence the price too of course, like NAB hubs, empty metal reels, a demagnetizer, replacement parts... A Revox remote or dust cover can fetch 100 euro or more when sold separately.

Just whatever you do when you go for a Revox (or any other recorder),

- check the heads for wear, the flatter they are the more worn they are;
- see that the brakes work (the machine must auto stop when there's no more tape on either reel)
- see that the reels run smoothly, they should gradually come to a hold after you stop rewinding or fast forwarding. Winding should go fast and not feel like it goes slow. Just check some youtube vids of how those recorders actually wind and stop to get an impression
- check the sound, see that on both playback and record the pitch stays constant.
- see that the pinchroller is tight and not dried out or shiny. If it's one of those blue/green ones, ask for a discount cause they suck and should be replaced.
- see that the VU actually works, supposedly the needles of Revox VU meters can easily break. They're not easy to find 2nd hand.
- check all pots and in and outputs (headphones and line outs) for crackling sounds.

I guess that covers a some basics of what there is to know. You'll probably find more info in the service manual and by searching the web a bit more.

Re: Revox A-77 mkII ?

I didn't know the B77 and the PR99 were the same gut-wise.

I see them for sale locally sometimes for around 300$$, I wonder if I'd gain anything soundwise by switching to that from my B77 mkII

6 (edited by Brian Chinetti 2011-01-06 12:03:41)

Re: Revox A-77 mkII ?

Nah, not taking age and wear (and looks) into account I'm sure you wont gain a thing. Only big difference that is handy and might be audible is the fact that the PR99 uses balanced xlr's, but besides that they're pretty much the same, right down to the stupid pause function wink I had Rude B77mkII here in my studio and I can't say I hear a major difference with my pr99mkIII, the SM911 tapes recorded on the B77 play back fine on the PR99.

300$ is a good price, I think. Like I said, over here the the pr99 can go for up to 400 euro without extra's (some people ask ridiculously more, up to 750). From what I've seen on ebay things aren't much different abroad, maybe a bit cheaper but not a lot (assuming you spend a dollar as fast as a we spent a euro, cause if you take the exchange rate into account most recorders are a lot cheaper abroad). The mkII and III are favorable, because of the digital counter and it's for some handy transport functions.