G
guitarman34
New member
Just stumbled on this forum and I have a question. What do any of you think about Fostex products? I just got a used D-5 DAT recorder and am wondering if it is any good.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Brad
New member
Ignore this, look below!
[This message has been edited by Brad (edited 01-21-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Brad (edited 01-21-2000).]
Brad
New member
I'll offer my opinion, and that is all it is... opinion.
Fostex basically used to copy what TASCAM did. TASCAM is really the pioneer in home recording; they brought the first "affordable" mutitrack unit into the marketplace as far as I am concerned. After a while, whenever TASCAM came up with something new, Fostex came out with a similar model a few months later. For what you get, it is great and usually cheaper with Fostex. I just think you get what you pay for. Of course, nowadays, everyone is dipping their hand into the home recording craze, so does it really matter? I don't know. As far as the Fostex equipment I have tinkered with and people I know that have Fostex gear, the main complaint seems to be craftsmanship. I have seen Fostex 4 trk machines just cease to work in front of my eyes. I have been using TASCAM products for over 14 years and haven't had that kind of problem yet. So your DAT is probably great, but will it last for years? Hard to say! Maybe with time, they have gotten better!?!
Brad
Fostex basically used to copy what TASCAM did. TASCAM is really the pioneer in home recording; they brought the first "affordable" mutitrack unit into the marketplace as far as I am concerned. After a while, whenever TASCAM came up with something new, Fostex came out with a similar model a few months later. For what you get, it is great and usually cheaper with Fostex. I just think you get what you pay for. Of course, nowadays, everyone is dipping their hand into the home recording craze, so does it really matter? I don't know. As far as the Fostex equipment I have tinkered with and people I know that have Fostex gear, the main complaint seems to be craftsmanship. I have seen Fostex 4 trk machines just cease to work in front of my eyes. I have been using TASCAM products for over 14 years and haven't had that kind of problem yet. So your DAT is probably great, but will it last for years? Hard to say! Maybe with time, they have gotten better!?!
Brad
sonusman
Banned
Hey Brad,
I have a D-5 in my studio. I have had it for over 3 years now and use it alot. I have never had one single problem with this deck. I use Tascams at another studio I work at sometimes and seem to always be running into some weird problem with them.
Long ago I had a Fostex X-26, probably one of the best sounding 4-track cassette machines ever built. It never had any problems with it either. After several thousands of hours on the heads, they needed to be replaced, but that is something to be expected.
I have owned two different Tascam 4-tracks and thought that they sounded horrible. They never played back as loud as monitoring levels, unlike the X-26 which sounded exactly the same playing back as it did monitoring. The Tascams ate tapes, had motor troubles, VU meters that got stuck all the time, etc.....I also used a 8 track Tascam cassette machine and while it mechanically worked well, it sounded as bad as any of their stuff does. Everything I have ever heard recorded on their 88 series digital multi-tracks sounded very digital to me. Not very wholesome sounding like ADAT's.
Anyway, before I bought my DAT I did some serious checking around. I looked at the Panasonics, the Tascams, HHB, Sony's, etc.....Fostex offered the best features at the best price. Also, on the manufacturing front, Fostex actually has had the same team of people, reputably a small family in Asia somewhere, building their tape heads for recorders for like over 20 years now. Fostex has some of the lowest down times due to repairs, and some of the longest tape head hours of any DAT machine on the market. The consistency of their product is astounding!!!
I am not trying to knock your opinion here Brad, just that I don't think you have all the facts, and probably never had much experience with Fostex products. I feel I should stick up for the stuff after your less than favorable review.....
No hard feelings I hope.
gtrman, hopefully you didn't pay too much for that machine, only because I like seeing people get their gear at a great price. But, you really bought a very nice DAT machine there. Consider yourself lucky that you made a somewhat uninformed purchase that will actually work out well for you.
Good luck.
Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com
I have a D-5 in my studio. I have had it for over 3 years now and use it alot. I have never had one single problem with this deck. I use Tascams at another studio I work at sometimes and seem to always be running into some weird problem with them.
Long ago I had a Fostex X-26, probably one of the best sounding 4-track cassette machines ever built. It never had any problems with it either. After several thousands of hours on the heads, they needed to be replaced, but that is something to be expected.
I have owned two different Tascam 4-tracks and thought that they sounded horrible. They never played back as loud as monitoring levels, unlike the X-26 which sounded exactly the same playing back as it did monitoring. The Tascams ate tapes, had motor troubles, VU meters that got stuck all the time, etc.....I also used a 8 track Tascam cassette machine and while it mechanically worked well, it sounded as bad as any of their stuff does. Everything I have ever heard recorded on their 88 series digital multi-tracks sounded very digital to me. Not very wholesome sounding like ADAT's.
Anyway, before I bought my DAT I did some serious checking around. I looked at the Panasonics, the Tascams, HHB, Sony's, etc.....Fostex offered the best features at the best price. Also, on the manufacturing front, Fostex actually has had the same team of people, reputably a small family in Asia somewhere, building their tape heads for recorders for like over 20 years now. Fostex has some of the lowest down times due to repairs, and some of the longest tape head hours of any DAT machine on the market. The consistency of their product is astounding!!!
I am not trying to knock your opinion here Brad, just that I don't think you have all the facts, and probably never had much experience with Fostex products. I feel I should stick up for the stuff after your less than favorable review.....
No hard feelings I hope.gtrman, hopefully you didn't pay too much for that machine, only because I like seeing people get their gear at a great price. But, you really bought a very nice DAT machine there. Consider yourself lucky that you made a somewhat uninformed purchase that will actually work out well for you.
Good luck.
Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com
sonusman
Banned
Hey Brad,
I have a D-5 in my studio. I have had it for over 3 years now and use it alot. I have never had one single problem with this deck. I use Tascams at another studio I work at sometimes and seem to always be running into some weird problem with them.
Long ago I had a Fostex X-26, probably one of the best sounding 4-track cassette machines ever built. It never had any problems with it either. After several thousands of hours on the heads, they needed to be replaced, but that is something to be expected.
I have owned two different Tascam 4-tracks and thought that they sounded horrible. They never played back as loud as monitoring levels, unlike the X-26 which sounded exactly the same playing back as it did monitoring. The Tascams ate tapes, had motor troubles, VU meters that got stuck all the time, etc.....I also used a 8 track Tascam cassette machine and while it mechanically worked well, it sounded as bad as any of their stuff does. Everything I have ever heard recorded on their 88 series digital multi-tracks sounded very digital to me. Not very wholesome sounding like ADAT's.
Anyway, before I bought my DAT I did some serious checking around. I looked at the Panasonics, the Tascams, HHB, Sony's, etc.....Fostex offered the best features at the best price. Also, on the manufacturing front, Fostex actually has had the same team of people, reputably a small family in Asia somewhere, building their tape heads for recorders for like over 20 years now. Fostex has some of the lowest down times due to repairs, and some of the longest tape head hours of any DAT machine on the market. The consistency of their product is astounding!!!
I am not trying to knock your opinion here Brad, just that I don't think you have all the facts, and probably never had much experience with Fostex products. I feel I should stick up for the stuff after your less than favorable review..... No hard feelings I hope.
gtrman, hopefully you didn't pay too much for that machine, only because I like seeing people get their gear at a great price. But, you really bought a very nice DAT machine there. Consider yourself lucky that you made a somewhat uninformed purchase that will actually work out well for you.
Good luck.
Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com
I have a D-5 in my studio. I have had it for over 3 years now and use it alot. I have never had one single problem with this deck. I use Tascams at another studio I work at sometimes and seem to always be running into some weird problem with them.
Long ago I had a Fostex X-26, probably one of the best sounding 4-track cassette machines ever built. It never had any problems with it either. After several thousands of hours on the heads, they needed to be replaced, but that is something to be expected.
I have owned two different Tascam 4-tracks and thought that they sounded horrible. They never played back as loud as monitoring levels, unlike the X-26 which sounded exactly the same playing back as it did monitoring. The Tascams ate tapes, had motor troubles, VU meters that got stuck all the time, etc.....I also used a 8 track Tascam cassette machine and while it mechanically worked well, it sounded as bad as any of their stuff does. Everything I have ever heard recorded on their 88 series digital multi-tracks sounded very digital to me. Not very wholesome sounding like ADAT's.
Anyway, before I bought my DAT I did some serious checking around. I looked at the Panasonics, the Tascams, HHB, Sony's, etc.....Fostex offered the best features at the best price. Also, on the manufacturing front, Fostex actually has had the same team of people, reputably a small family in Asia somewhere, building their tape heads for recorders for like over 20 years now. Fostex has some of the lowest down times due to repairs, and some of the longest tape head hours of any DAT machine on the market. The consistency of their product is astounding!!!
I am not trying to knock your opinion here Brad, just that I don't think you have all the facts, and probably never had much experience with Fostex products. I feel I should stick up for the stuff after your less than favorable review.....
No hard feelings I hope.gtrman, hopefully you didn't pay too much for that machine, only because I like seeing people get their gear at a great price. But, you really bought a very nice DAT machine there. Consider yourself lucky that you made a somewhat uninformed purchase that will actually work out well for you.
Good luck.
Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com