Fostex B-16 vs. G-16 vs. E-16: what's the diff?

[Cliff K]

HI Folks,
could someone please give me, or direct me to, a basic comparison and opinions between the Fostex B-16, the Fostex E-16, and the Fostex G-16. I'm looking to upgrade from my old Fostex A-8 8-trk to a 16-trk analog machine, and all three of this are available in my area. I'm trying to find out the difference between these machines, and which one is the better machine.

Thanks for the help!
Cliff

[muttley]

The B's were made first, sometime in the 80's, The E's were next, late 80's-about 92, thses units were heavy duty, I have one and love it. The G's were last, cheaper build quality to compete against Alesis Adat and DA-88's, but they had much better sounding electronics than the E's or the B's. The G's had a short production run, because fostex then started building an Adat compatible copycat of the Alesis adat right away. this would have been about mid 90's.


Which one is better? E's = heavy duty, sound really good
G's = smaller lighter weight, sounded the best.


da MUTT

[Cliff K]

Hey Muttley,
thanks a lot for that info, that really helps. The G-16 is the cheapest out of the bunch at $500; the E-16 is $800, and the B-16 is $700, and all are supposed to be in excellent condition. (I can't see someone getting 8 bills for a used Fostex analog machine, even if it's a 16-trk, when used Otari 8-trks are going for $400-$500...not too many people seem interested in reel-to-reel now, but I guess that's good for the buyer who is).
So, would you rather have an E-16 or a G-16? I know that these prices will factor in quite a bit, but I'm curious which one you would choose if price were not such a factor.

Cliff

[muttley]

I would choose the E series, they have needle bearings on the parts that turn [ pinch roller, etc. ] , the machines were heavier built, bigger motor, etc ,also you can get parts from fostex, also parts for the G series. The G series was a budget priced unit, I believe the E's would probably last longer, also if you can find the 4050 auto locater GET IT !! One negetive about the E's is the LED strips do short out at the bottom of the red mark, this does in no way affect the operation of the unit, I calibrate my mixer to the recorder, so I use the mixer meters instead of the E's meters, no biggy. The G's were about 40 percent cheaper, I feel you always get what you pay for, the G does have a little better sounding ins-outs, they were supposedly the best sounding in the small frame format market. [ Tascam, Fostex, etc. ] Pick up the G and the E, one will be a lot heavier than the other. Check the heads carefully, another factor to consider is the head ware, these things are not cheap to relap/replace...........
The face control does come off the G unit to effect act like a remote control, the others do not, look at the back sides and you will see the E's have more optional hookups for more outboard
equipment


da MUTT

[Cliff K]

Thanks a lot, again, for the excellent info--This really helps me out. It sounds like the E's the way to go. I'm pretty happy with the sound of my A-8, but having 16 tracks will be great.