I'm looking for a decent machine to dub to computer many reels of my father's concert recordings from the '50s and '60s. They're 1/4-inch, stereo quarter track and half-track. (Original machines were a mixture of Ampex AG-600, Crown SS8800, and Tandberg 6, and I was often the engineer!) I am leaning toward an Otari MX-5050BII; a -2 or -4 would do the trick since I'm primarily interested in playback only. But I also have a few reels of my own "quadraphonic" recordings I made in the '70s (on a Teac 2340 4-track) that I'd like to transfer sooner or later.
My question: does the MX5050BQ (4-track quad) have a second set of heads for half-track stereo playback, like the MX5050BII series? If so, should I try to kill three birds with one stone and hold out for a BQ (and it seems there are BQ-2 and BQ-III models out there) or buy separate machines? Cost is certainly a consideration and I'm not looking to do a lot of recording on these machines (unless the old bug starts nibbling again).
Thanks fo any tips!
My question: does the MX5050BQ (4-track quad) have a second set of heads for half-track stereo playback, like the MX5050BII series? If so, should I try to kill three birds with one stone and hold out for a BQ (and it seems there are BQ-2 and BQ-III models out there) or buy separate machines? Cost is certainly a consideration and I'm not looking to do a lot of recording on these machines (unless the old bug starts nibbling again).
Thanks fo any tips!