DA-38 vs. TRS-8

[PeePee the Salior]

Hey friends,

I need some help regarding these two machines. I wish to purchase one of them, but I'm not sure which one. I definitely feel more comfortable with analog (that's just what I'm used to), but does the DA-38 sound ALOT better? If there is anyone out there who has experience on either one (or preferably both) of these machines, I would love to hear what you think about them in terms of sound quality, ease of operation, which one breaks more, etc. Thanks for your advice.

- Jake

 

[Tim Brown]

Hey friends,

I need some help regarding these two machines. I wish to purchase one of them, but I'm not sure which one. I definitely feel more comfortable with analog (that's just what I'm used to), but does the DA-38 sound ALOT better? If there is anyone out there who has experience on either one (or preferably both) of these machines, I would love to hear what you think about them in terms of sound quality, ease of operation, which one breaks more, etc. Thanks for your advice.

- Jake

Hi Jake,

I currently use a pair of DA-38's. I was Analog from 1985 until 1999. I truly hated Digital. I have completely convert now. The key to digital, is making sure it sounds EXACTLY like you want it to sound when you print it.

To me, I've come to think of Digital as "Less NOISY" instead of my previous thinking that Analog was "Warmer" sounding.

I'm now getting recordings out of my home studio that can completely rival anything coming from any of the local Commercial studios.

1 major factor for me, was getting rid of the hiss.
I'm not knocking Analog; I've just come to prefer digital-which has shocked the hell out of all of my friends-because I was anti-Digital for so long. The only Reason that Digital sounds so "processed", is because of the production-not the format.
Plus, there are tricks that you can use if you want it to sounds more "analog"-like running through Tube Preamps, or Overdrive units to add some of what Digital is missing-which is noise and tape saturation.

Since I have used both of these formats; I say take a serious look at the DA-38, I know I'm glad I did.

Tim

 

[Emeric]

The TSR-8 is a great machine. I bought one around 91 and used it up till 95 with no problems, great reliable, well built unit. I regret selling it. Comparing sound quality, without launching into the analog vs digital debate is tough. I can't compare it to the DA-38, never used one. But I do use digital now, DAW. I would guess that the DA-38 would not sound ALOT better, or even better at all, maybe different is the word. They are definetly comparable. I'd say both units are good to track to, the old "garbage in garbage out" always applies, no matter what the recorder or medium.

 

[C. Lewis]

I've been using a TSR-8 for a while now and truly, deeply love it. Something to condsider, however: in the end, it's much cheaper to record on digital media. Quantegy 1/2" runs $18 a reel for used tape. For new, $35. Another thing that may push you toward digital is the maintenance issue. I have heard some grousing about how difficult it is to find someone to work on reel-to-reel machines. I always respond that digital is just as difficult, since inevitably the new digital stuff isn't necessarily consumer-repairable (it's rebuildable, but not repairable).

That said, here's why I love the TSR: It's built like a tank and if cared for, does not require much maintenance other than demag'ing and head-scrubbing; editing with a knife instead of a button has a certain "mad scientist" charm to it; the DBX sounds great on softer, roomier pieces; turning off the DBX and overdriving the levels sounds great on noisy pieces; recording a song while tape is actually rolling is one experience everyone should have at least once; the sound of the circuits and the tape prints your music with a certain sound that is immediately recognizable, and thereby puts your music into a certain genre/tradition of analog tapists; finally, people sell these puppies cheap. I paid a grand for mine from a reliable dude in Ca. (and I don't regret it) but I've seen 'em go for $450 on eBay (with remote!). Patience can snag you a good deck for cheap, and you can then put the dough you saved into a great mic pre or some fine Scotch. One thing to notice: I have a romantic attachment to the machine, and therefore cannot claim to be objective in the least. I'm no analog-fanatic, either. I just like this machine a whole lot.