Cipher reel to reel?

  • Thread starter Thread starter zacanger
  • Start date Start date
zacanger

zacanger

musician and audodidact
...so I'm an eBay addict, and I saw a portable reel to reel recorder for ubercheap, so I jumped on it. Just got it today, and it weighs a ton, and makes a lot more mechanical noise than I have a feeling it should. Anyway, I did a lot of looking around and could find pretty much NO info on this thing online, so I was wondering if anyone here had ever used one? It's marked "Cipher I" and "Intermark," and that's just about it.
-Zac
 
Do you have a link to the auction page or a picture of this beast?

Cheers! :)
 
Herm said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-CIPHER-...ryZ15000QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Its an oldie Jeff
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link! :)

I would assume that it's probably a cam drive type of transport so the mechanical noises could be due to it needing a lube job and a careful cleaning of all the rubber edged cam wheels to smooth it out a bit? It's really hard to say without opening it up.

As for fidelity, I'd guess that even if it was mint, it still wouldn't be all that impressive as many of these consumer decks from the 60's weren't necessarily aimed at the audiophile.

Also considering the company is long gone is also a decent clue as to the fortitude of their designs...all of this just an educated guess. ;)

Anyway, have fun with it, Zac! :cool:

Cheers! :)
 
CIPHER REEL TO REEL- i have 4 of them ..all different

Hi. Believe it or not i have 4 of these machines as i love them and had one since i was 2 years old....it was called Niccol which is similar to the Cipher but has switchable voltages to be used worldwide. Well i have 4 of these (2 Ciphers and 2 Niccols)...so i know them pretty well. i have recently bought one from ebay too....poor thing needed some TLC. Well the machine should not be noisy....there is only one motor inside. When you press the stop button the capstan shaft underneath the head cover should not spin. Only the motor spins inside and it is relatively quiet.
Can you send me a picture of your machine please and i will send you pictures of mine if you want. I can try and help you as much as i can ...these machines were made in the 50s-60s and there is no information on them. I happen to love them so i know them inside out as i collect them.

i look forward to hearing from you. Send me an email or a PM.

Thanks
:)
 
Thanks! I PM'd you. Here's a photo.
 

Attachments

  • zr2r.webp
    zr2r.webp
    18.7 KB · Views: 167
I've seen this on ebay.....i had bought a similar one the previous week....had to do some work on it as it was not packed properly and also some cowboys had a go at it....all fixed now. I shall send you some pictures via email. Then we go from there. Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top