Fostex R8......if the price is right....buy or avoid???

C

Cratinus

Member
howdy gang. for some reason the R8 is "calling me". 1/4" tape and a detachable remote. hmmmmmmmmmm. might be fun. i occasionally stumble across these (sometimes in EXCELLENT condition).is this recorder worth a look?? i primarily prefer Tascam gear but Fostex stuff is a close second. i see these popping up for $150-$200 quite often. it is VERY compact and i like the detachable remote. what are your thoughts?? cheers.
 
Fostex R-8

It's a nice machine, especially for the right price.

I'm also mainly a Tascam person, but I've invested in a fair number of Fostexes, too. I got an R-8 in excellent condition a few years ago, for $250, and I thought I made a tremendous deal.

The small size of the R-8 is an attractive feature, sometimes, as well as Fostex's forward looking use of plug-compatible sync devices, and making all their 80's-and-newer devices sync-plug-compatible. The Fostex's 15ips on 1/4" tape is a nice feature, too, which is something that Tascam never caught on to, but I've never been as happy with Fostex's Dolby C NR system as I've been with Tascam's dbx NR system. YMMV.

The Fostex R-8 is small & portable, with an integrated handle on top, which is a very unique feature.

All in all, it's not a bad little unit. The near-mint unit would be best to have, and the heavily worn unit would be less desirable.
 
I owned an R-8 once upon a time, back when they were only a couple of years old and I paid 1200 bones for mine so yeah, for 200 bucks, you couldn't go too far wrong. :cool:

While I was impressed with all its convenience features, I was never completely happy with its overall sound quality and always found it sounding "thin" and too soft on the top end for my liking. Prior to owning it, I had owned a TEAC A3340S with outboard dbx and it completely blew away the Fostex in sound quality for thickness and overall response.

Since expelling the R-8 from my studio, I moved on to a TASCAM 38, which I like very much and then onto an MS-16, one inch machine that has complete killer sound in all respects.

Like milk, once you get used to whole and 2%, it's pretty hard to go back to skimmed. ;)

Cheers! :)
 
So true,... so true.

I also have the Tascam 38, and it surely blows away the Fostex R-8, on all fronts.

I'd still take the Tascam 388, any day, over the Fostex R-8, so I don't want to burst your bubble.

However, in it's own class, the R-8 isn't bad.

I basically agree with GFM's analysis. :eek:
 
I am a mostly Tascam guy now also but I have owned 3 of the R8,s and bought one of them new when they where about 1700.00. I like em alot and like reel said they are small and portable. I give em the thumbs up ;)

The one I bought new about 12 years ago maybe 13 I only recorded 3 songs on it when I had it and then sold it to my best friend which has only used it on 2 songs. But dang if I can get him to sell it back to me. :(

If I had somewhere to upload a song I did on my r8 I would but Im afraid I dont have anywhere to put one.
 
thanks for the responses, gang. i'm considering a 388 also, but lack of physical studio space (i.e. spare bedroom) is a MAJOR concern. i could tuck the R8 practically anywhere and keep the remote near my mixer. it might be worth a shot (provided that i find one in excellent condition). thanks again. cheers!
 
Cratinus said:
howdy gang. for some reason the R8 is "calling me". 1/4" tape and a detachable remote. hmmmmmmmmmm. might be fun. i occasionally stumble across these (sometimes in EXCELLENT condition).is this recorder worth a look?? i primarily prefer Tascam gear but Fostex stuff is a close second. i see these popping up for $150-$200 quite often. it is VERY compact and i like the detachable remote. what are your thoughts?? cheers.
Click to expand...
I have an R-8 and I love it, but it has three minor problems that will give you problems. I know how to work on it so I am able to work on it myself. I sent it to a shop in Dallas, Tx. one time and tey ripped me off I ended up fixing it myself by no choice and been dealing with it every since. There is a spindle for the left reel and spindle for the right wheel and if they get too loose on the shaft and go to slipping, it will cause drag and delayed starts. There is another spindle that drives the capstan and it is also the same situation. Other than that great machine. It just requires more maintenance than normal. If there are any question's my E-mail is >> carlholland@att.net for direct contact. I am always wanting to help anyone out on this issue.
 
This resurrecting of old threads has become an epidemic. He decided back on 10-15-2004. He has been using his set up now for 8 years.

alan
 
Sorry, I didnt notice the original posting date. And thanks again witzendoz for all the help with my 2524.
 
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