Revox PR99 MK II ASC Version

  • Thread starter Thread starter krhall
  • Start date Start date
krhall

krhall

New member
Hi i just need to know this as i might be aquiring one of these machines soon

What is ASC ??

Please let me know

Keith
 
Last edited:
krhall said:
Hi i just need to know this as i might be aquiring one of these machines soon
What is ASC ??

Please let me know
Keith
Click to expand...

ASC is a company in the UK that specialises in recording equipment for schools in the UK, typically for language classes.
They used to sell Revox (and Tascam BR20s, I think) machines which they custom modified, but I can't for the life of me remember what they did. (Yes, I was looking at getting one as well.)

I do know that one of the tricks they would sometimes do was to remove the recording system, so if it's got no VU meters or something give it a miss unless you're looking for a playback-only machine.
Ask the seller if the machine can record, and it's probably worth asking them if they know what the difference is from the normal PR99.
 
ok thanks

The machine i looked at has both heads in place and the single VU meter is present. So i can assume from the images that it may be able to record.
I will still ask the seller just to make sure.

Thanks for your help :D
 
Hi i just contacted the seller and he says it does record but in mono only. Also machine only has 1 VU meter.

So i can use it for now but will realisticly need to upgrade to a stereo machine later.

Ok attached are images of the machine and the heads. Judgeing from the image the heads show little or no sign of any wear. So it looks to be a good machine.

Keith
 
Last edited:
Machine is no good

Hi just been talking to the seller and it turns out this machine would be of no use to me whatsoever.
It only plays and records in one direction.
ALL of my 120 Tape reels are recorded in STEREO.

So i am going to look for an alternative machine.

Keith
 
KRHALL,
I dont want to insult you but do you know the diff between half track and quarter track stereo?
All your 120 tapes will be one or the other and you need to get a stereo machine that's compatible.
BTW the mono PR99 would have had two VU's in it. You just couldnt see the second one in the photo because there was no lamp glowing inside it! From memory that mono model PR99 used one VU to monitor source and the other for tape.
Also, as an example of what to look out for, the heads (or the play head which was the only one clearly visible) look fairly worn though probably still useable. The wear is measured on those Revox heads by the width of the flat. A new head will have no flat, just a gentle radius. When the wear gets right down level with those flats machined at the top and bottom edges of the tape path, it's had a lot of use.
Tim
 
Tim Gillett said:
KRHALL,
BTW the mono PR99 would have had two VU's in it.
Click to expand...
ASC have removed the other VU meter. Run it through image enhancement and see. :D
Those are also full-track mono heads, so pretty much useless unless you want to record or play back really high quality mono recordings.
 
Is that a splicing block mounted on the machine?

If so, I've never seen THAT before, but then again, I haven't seen tons of machines.

-Billy-
 
yes

that is a quarter inch splicing block
As far as i know most of the PR99 series had one fitted
I am now watching a STEREO PR99 MK III (without the ASC crap)
This machine is perfect and can record and playback in stereo.
I already have the user and service manual for this model.

I just hope i win the auction for it.

Keith
 
Tim yes i do know the difference.

I have been working with reel to reel machines for 8 years so i should know by now. As pointed out in the images i uploaded, the heads are single track mono, and the right VU meter has been blanked off.

Which basicly means the machine will ONLY record and playback in 1 direction.
The 10.5" reels i have here were previously owned by the BBC and LBC News Radio (London Broadcasting Co Limited). And all of these tapes are recorded at 4 track stereo 7.5IPS.

On the 2 tapes i got from LBC News radio (London Broadcasting co Limited) i have parts 1 and 2 of "Geet Mala" (never heard of it before) which was recorded at LBC studios in london.
It has all the details written on the back with the LBC logo sticker on it.

Keith
 
krhall said:
I am now watching a STEREO PR99 MK III (without the ASC crap)
This machine is perfect and can record and playback in stereo.
I just hope i win the auction for it.
Click to expand...
Just checking, but you realise that's going to be 2-track stereo (single direction), don't you? If you can get the heads from a 4-track A77 or B77 it shouldn't be that hard to convert it, but I have serious doubts the PR99 ever came in 4-track format.

**EDIT**

This would work with 1/4-track stereo:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REVOX-A77-1-4...QQihZ002QQcategoryZ116868QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

(Giggles helplessly at the 'only 4 months old' description)
 
well i won the auction for the stereo Revox PR99 MK III

jpmorris do you mean that the Revox PR99 MK III also plays and records in only one direction ?
well even if it does, it doesn't really matter that much does it, as i can still record good quality music on it. Or would it be better refurbishing this machine and selling it on ?
So my ideal choice then would be to try and bid for a A77 or B77 machine ?

A lot of the other reel to reel machines i had were

Telefunken
Magnetophon
Phillips
Grundig
Bsr

And many others

In my 8 years of using reel to reel machines in total i have had arround 40+ machines of all kinds of shapes and sizes.

My favourite so far has been the Fostex Model 80 which has worked beautifully ever since i got it. Despite tracks 1 and 2 not working on playback

With this revox machine i will have all tape speeds covered from 1.78IPS to 15IPS, and all reel sizes covered up to 10.5In

so my studio setup consists of the following machines

Aiwa AX-7500 Tuner Amplifier
Fostex Model 80 Reel to Reel Tape Recorder
Tandberg Series 15 Reel to Reel Tape Recorder
Revox PR99 MK III Reel to Reel Tape Recorder (when it arrives)

So i will at last will have all the machines i need :D

Keith
 
Last edited:
Hmm... that was disapointing.

I just wound some tape off the 10.5" reels and it turns out that the original stuff that was supposed to be recorded (according to box label) has been recorded over with something else.

Ah well

As for the PR99 only being able to playback in 1 direction, as long as i can record and playback in stereo with good sound quality i dont really see this as a problem. As for a Revox A77 and B77 i will just have to keep my eyes open.

Keith
 
Revox PR99 MK III

jpmorris so that we can confirm if this machine plays in only one direction here is a closeup image of the playback and record head.

Please let me know what you think

Thanks
Keith
 
Last edited:
jpmorris said:
ASC have removed the other VU meter. Run it through image enhancement and see. :D
Those are also full-track mono heads, so pretty much useless unless you want to record or play back really high quality mono recordings.
Click to expand...

I did enhance the lower tones and yes you were right. No second VU. Only able to confirm that by the shadows cast fron the level knob and other switches, which are a darker grey than the grey panel at the place where the VU would have been, and invisible under normal viewing conditions. If the VU had been there, there would seem to be enough low level resolution in the jpeg to have seen it.
I had assumed the VU was there because
1.They had a smoked glass which made the VU scale very hard to see when the lamp was not glowing.
2. I remember seeing a Revox advertisement for a mono version which used the right hand VU for metering tape playback only. Did ASC go to the trouble to remove a VU meter and then make a complete new front panel? It seems so.

On PR99 4 track (1/4 track stereo) machines, yes Revox did make them. I know of one still in service. It was like that from the factory. Dont know how common there were though.
Tim.
 
Asc have removed the VU meter and changed the heads in that machine. It is possible that they made a new front panel.

I don't have a clue why they need to modify a machine like that.
If you ask me those type of modifications are not needed.

Keith
 
krhall said:
jpmorris so that we can confirm if this machine plays in only one direction here is a closeup image of the playback and record head.

Please let me know what you think

Thanks
Keith
Click to expand...

Those are 2-track stereo heads, so they will only work in one direction. It will make a nice stereo mastering machine, if that's what you're trying to do. It will also be able to record two sides of mono if you have such recordings.
I wasn't sure, because you were talking about playing back 4-track/2-sided stereo tapes - that's the one thing this machine cannot do (without replacing the headblock).

(If you want to play back 4-track/2-sided stereo tapes, or '4-sided mono' tapes, the Akai 4000 is a decent machine.)
 
I notice the date of the last post here was 2006, so I hope some of the people are still interested and may be able to offer some advice.

I have a Revox PR99 ASC version, which I've decided to part with and just wondered if it has any value at all ? As I recall, it does record in stereo, but only at line level, not via microphone input.

I'm guessing it would be of most value being broken for spares ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top