Tascam 2600m

temploprods

temploprods

New member
Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.

I've got a bit of a dilemma... I have the opportunity to purchase a used 1994 Tascam M2600. It's being sold by the original owner who mentioned they need to free up some space in their house and no longer use it. From what I understand, he is an older gentleman who simply isn't utilizing it anymore and wants to part ways with it. He is asking for $300 for the console.

Truth be told, I'm not too familiar with this type of console and would appreciate to hear your thoughts. Currently, I own a Tascam 48 OB, and I'm wondering they might complement each other well. My current desk is an A&H Zed 420.

Any insights or experiences you could share would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.
 

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You should put this in the analog recording section.

You’ll get much more traffic and potential insight.
 
I have the 32 input version of this board. My only complaint is with the so-so performance of the mic preamps. They're quiet enough but are rather "soft sounding" due to poor transient response. Because of this, I use my outboard units for everything.
 
RRuskin said:
I have the 32 input version of this board. My only complaint is with the so-so performance of the mic preamps. They're quiet enough but are rather "soft sounding" due to poor transient response. Because of this, I use my outboard units for everything.
Click to expand...
Well noted. Thank you RRuskin!!
 
Hi. So your Allen & Heath console is a fine console…pretty stright-forward feature set, can support your 48-OB well and has the advantage of the 2 x 2 USB interface if you need that sort of thing, the matrix mixer can be handy for several things…that being said the price on the M-2600 is a good price, particularly if it is clean and complete, one-owner etc. The big caveat with the M-2600 is it’s significantly older than your Allen & Heath and so there may be more maintenance issues to address or eventual recapping to do. It obviously also takes up more space. But those things being said, the Allen & Heath is more focused on live FOH applications in its feature set, and the Tascam much more “dual-purpose”…even better suited for recording environments. It has more input channels, it’s an 8-buss console, has better metering, split EQ assignable to the monitor buss…and it has a monitor buss…and more AUX busses…dual purpose input strips with the “FLIP” function for tape returns on mix down, a more comprehensive master and monitor section, the 6 assignable stereo effects returns are nice…I could go on. It’s a much more feature-rich console than your Allen & Heath, and if you put both in front of me and asked which I wanted to go with my 8-track machine I’d grab the Tascam in less than a second. On a more geek level the Tascam is all through-hole PCB construction vs SMT on the Allen & Heath. I care about that because that makes it easier to service/repair when needed. The Tascam has an external power supply which moves a potential source of noise interference away from the console. The M-2600 uses an interesting array of opamps that are less common and were high quality in their day…still good IMO: 5220, 4741, 15532. This can be good and bad in that they may be harder to find if replacement is needed, though there are likely drop-in replacement alternatives, *except* they used SIP packages throughout the console (except for the 4741 chips which are DIP-14) instead of DIP…at least it’s SIP-8 instead of SIP-9 like on the MX-80 rack-mount mic amp/mixer. What’s really interesting to me is the audio power rails are +/-20V, significantly higher than the typical +/-15V or sometimes +/-17V…higher headroom, though also may shorten the life of some active components like the 4741 which has a rated input power range maximum of +/-20V…but I’m not aware of any common issue regarding failures of these parts in M-2600 series consoles.

SO…hope that helps.
 
Thank you so much for your comprehensive insights! I really appreciate the detailed comparison between the Allen & Heath console and the Tascam M-2600. Your breakdown of the features and potential maintenance considerations has given me a much clearer understanding of both options.

It's evident that the Tascam M-2600 offers a more extensive feature set, particularly suited for recording environments with its additional input channels, busses, and comprehensive master and monitor sections. Your point about the through-hole PCB construction and external power supply also highlights important factors to consider regarding servicing and noise interference.

Considering all this, I'm now confident about the direction I should take. Thanks again for taking the time to share your knowledge and insights with me!

Best,
Andres
 
Andres,

If you are still interested in the M-2600, you can easily find its operating manual online and print it out, and then look thru it to become more familiarized with its features,
if that might help you in deciding whether to buy it or not.

I like all the vintage Teac/Tascam equipment, and I have a Tascam M-1516 which I believe came out a generation before the 2600, in the early 90's. If for some reason, things fall thru for the 2600, a model like the M-1516 would be very good as well, and certainly compatible with your Tascam 48. The M-1516 is also not heavy, so despite its size, it can be lifted/carried if need be without risking a hernia.

The only thing I can think of that might be an issue is the lack of phantom power for condenser mics, but thats a minor thing, can always buy an external power supply very inexpensively online (Amazon). Note- this applies to the 1516, whereas I think the 2600 does have phantom mic capability for condensers- the op manual will confirm that.
 
BeatleFred said:
Andres,

If you are still interested in the M-2600, you can easily find its operating manual online and print it out, and then look thru it to become more familiarized with its features,
if that might help you in deciding whether to buy it or not.

I like all the vintage Teac/Tascam equipment, and I have a Tascam M-1516 which I believe came out a generation before the 2600, in the early 90's. If for some reason, things fall thru for the 2600, a model like the M-1516 would be very good as well, and certainly compatible with your Tascam 48. The M-1516 is also not heavy, so despite its size, it can be lifted/carried if need be without risking a hernia.

The only thing I can think of that might be an issue is the lack of phantom power for condenser mics, but thats a minor thing, can always buy an external power supply very inexpensively online (Amazon). Note- this applies to the 1516, whereas I think the 2600 does have phantom mic capability for condensers- the op manual will confirm that.
Click to expand...
Yes the M-2600 series features phantom power.

The M-1500 and M-2500 series consoles were introduced in 1991, while the M-2600 series was introduced in 1994.

The M-1500 and M-2500 series consoles are neat, but the M-2600 series is a significant upgrade to an M-1500 console…to name a few points, the M-2600 consoles have a superior EQ section, more AUX busses, 8 summing busses…more of everything…and I can’t verify this but I believe the power rails are similar to the M-2500 on the M-1500…the M-2500 is surprisingly low at +/-12V…lower headroom than average…the M-2600 has +/-19.5V audio rails, which is considerably more than the average and therefor me higher headroom…higher quality opamps in the M-2600…but it’s also bigger and heavier, etc.
 
sweetbeats said:
Yes the M-2600 series features phantom power.

The M-1500 and M-2500 series consoles were introduced in 1991, while the M-2600 series was introduced in 1994.

The M-1500 and M-2500 series consoles are neat, but the M-2600 series is a significant upgrade to an M-1500 console…to name a few points, the M-2600 consoles have a superior EQ section, more AUX busses, 8 summing busses…more of everything…and I can’t verify this but I believe the power rails are similar to the M-2500 on the M-1500…the M-2500 is surprisingly low at +/-12V…lower headroom than average…the M-2600 has +/-19.5V audio rails, which is considerably more than the average and therefor me higher headroom…higher quality opamps in the M-2600…but it’s also bigger and heavier, etc.
Click to expand...
As always, great info from Sweetbeats. I have always liked Teac/Tascam mixers, and enjoy reading thru the operating manuals- even if I dont own a particular model, its still interesting to look thru them and see what features they offer and so forth. For example, I have an M-1516 and the manual is decently written, but the online manual for the 2516 was helpful to read as well, as it explained similar functions in a little more detail.

Two other mixers I have, which you certainly know are older and less feature-equipped are the 2A/MB-20 and the M-106.

I can still appreciate the 2A for what it is, I think its a nice looking unit (as well as the matching A-3440 recorder), with four buss buttons arranged very simply, and I really like the wood style side panels that tilt the four vu meters upward which make them alot easier to see, whereas on the M-106, the two meters lay flat on its surface and I have a tendency to want to put something underneath it to tilt it upward.

Teac did modify the 2A with different knob colors and so forth, and they also did away with the side panels, and used a bracket instead to hold the MB-20, not sure why.... the meters are still upright, but its seemed better to me as it originally was. The MB-20 is really neat, to me, a 2A itself without one looks weird.

The A-3440 and 2A/MB-20 had a good production run, from late '78/early '79 thru 1983, and perhaps into '84 as well.
 
I do the same…like to grab the manual for something I come across that’s unfamiliar, and in recent years equally like to try and find the schematics and study those.

Hopefully I didn’t come across like I was knocking the M-1500/2500 series consoles. Just comparatively-speaking the M-2600 is a very different animal especially relative to the M-1500, but the feature set on an M-1508 even puts any contemporary small format console to shame. I remember back in the day when the M-1500 console were in current production getting the catalogs from AMS or Sweetwater or whatever and drooling over the M-1508, and the 238…TSR-8…

And the M-106 is such a cool little console. I have a couple videos on my YouTube channel about the M-106. They included a lot of features on that console for its size and it’s a *great* little console for a 4-track machine…or small format live setting.
 
I use an M-2600 MkII more or less weekly, and have been doing so since the late 90s. If you find a scan of the manual, there's a good chance it's the one I made.

The phantom is in banks of eight channels.

The switches on the one I use benefit from regular exercise, as do the pan pots. That has cleared up some signal dropouts. Otherwise, it works fine.
 
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