Otari MX70 1" 8T heads needed / head compatibility question

S

sam humans

New member
I'm looking high and low for 1" 8 track heads for my MX70. So far have checked with JRF, Sprague, Audio Village, Analog Rules, and Otari Japan. This machine has been discussed on this board in the past, was hoping one of you fellow tape lovers would either A) have heads to sell or B) have some hot tips on who/where else I might look.

Additionally, I'm curious about head-compatibility amongst Otari machines. Most of the the MX7300s (and their variants) that I've seen have been 1" 8 tracks. And universally, people don't seem to like them much! "Problematic" is often the word thrown around. So I had the thought: If I were to find one, or heads from one, would they be compatible with my MX70?
 
Ah yes, I should be more clear. I have the 16 track heads, they are in fine shape. I've just always been curious about the sonics of the wider track width and want to try it for myself. One of the reasons I chose the MX70 over a few other candidates was it's (relative) ease of conversion between 8 or 16 tracks. Finding the 8 track heads, on the other hand, not so easy...
 
sam humans said:
I've just always been curious about the sonics of the wider track width and want to try it for myself.
Click to expand...

My experience is that the low end response may be better (smoother). The increase in perceived dynamic range is not so inconsequential as the numbers might suggest, and gives you more room for error (headroom) in setting levels. That said, I really have no sonic complaints about my Otari 1/2" 8-track.

BTW, I have a friend who has used an MX-7803 1" 8-track for roughly 30 years and it's still working perfectly. That is to be expected, perhaps, as he has taught analog and digital electronics for decades, along with his pro studio work over the years. Still, if it were an intrinsically problematic machine, I think he would have traded it for something else long ago.

Cheers,

Otto
 
Let me know if you're thinking of selling the 16 track heads, altough you'll probably want to keep them. I have an 8 track-ready for 16 MX70 and have been pondering the opposite conversion. Similar to yourself, I have found it very hard to source heads. I would need 8 channel cards too. I'm in the opposite situation as regards a loss of quality/fidelity and am unsure whether it's a good move. I really could kill for having more tracks though and that's the only reason I'm thinking of doing it...
 
You're right, I'd much prefer to keep my 16 track heads in addition to finding 8 track heads, as it's the versatility of having both sets of that drew me to the MX70 in the first place. I do, however, have a parts machine that is mostly complete if you need parts, including enough channel cards to get you where you need to be. About the only thing I would consider getting rid of these parts for is 8 track heads, so if you are interested, I certainly am.

Additionally, did you see LTor's link above? He's got 16 track heads for pretty cheep, though I can't comment on their condition. My parts machine also has a 16 track headstack, but the record head is totally shot. Erase and playback look OK, but if the record head is bad I figure playback can't be too far behind.

I'm curious, Vinyvamos, how's the fidelity of the 1" 8? Have you ever used a 1/2" 8 like an MX505 or Tascam 38 etc? If so, do you hear a difference with the wider track width of the 1"?
 
Hi Sam,

I have contacted TLor through the ebay listing to see whether he has 8 channel cards to go with the heads. He doesn't unfortunately but I could still buy the headstack from him. Unfortunately I am in the same position as you in that I don't want to get rid of my original headstack. Would you consider selling channel cards for cash? (well PayPal is as close as we'd get I suppose! :-)). Send me a PM if you're interested!

As for recording to 1" 8T, TBH I haven't done enough recording with it yet to say whether and in what way it is better than my Tascam 38 & 48 1/2" machines. I would also feel that my ears are somewhat lesser trained than many people on here so it would be hard for me to state an opinion on it. There is definitely less tape hiss but there is a clarity and fidelity there that I can hear and I have only done a few sessions on it with my own band. But my intentions with my studio is to be able to record 100% analog without any DAW so having the option of 16 tracks might outweigh this increase in "fidelity". After all, the main reason that I record to tape is to introduce all of those wonderful anomalies that digital doesn't have :-).
 
Hi Sam,

No chance of you selling a channel card or two? :-) I'm about to start a session on Thursday and just had a channel card go down :-/. I know I couldn't get a card shipped in time realistically but this really shows the need for a spare on the shelf! If you are up for selling one or two from your parts machine that'd be great!

I've gone off the 16-track idea now TBH. Wanna keep it 8-track cos I'll only regret it otherwise. Have you had any luck finding 8T heads?
 
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