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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 6th May 2010, 10:25 am   #1
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Default Xindak builds new R2R

During the Guangzhou fair in 2009 Xindak showed a new R2R, anybody heard about this being in production? Their website doesn't show and have no reply on mail (yet). The visitor wrote this:

<Xindak makes tube amplifiers, hornspeakers and they made two reel to reel units for the show. If you reel to reel lovers get on it with a group buy, they said they would make more of these new units. They design their own record and playback heads too. Frequency response is 18 Hz to 20 kHz so you R2R guys there are new units in the marketplace!>
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Old 6th May 2010, 10:39 am   #2
Michael Maurice
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

The photograph that you posted, where was it taken? Was that one of the reel to reel tape recorders?

Xindak is a Chinese company, their stuff seems very much like audiophoolery to me.

If it was their tape recorder it seems that it takes only 7" spools. It really looks like a Chinese version of an Akai 4000D or DS, If I was looking to buy a new tape recorder, I'd want something like a Revox or Teac or Tascam, that sort of quality.
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Old 6th May 2010, 11:28 am   #3
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

To me it looks like a cross between an Akai and a Teac X3 or similar. Note the tape idler arms on each end like a Teac X3.

Tim
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Old 6th May 2010, 11:29 am   #4
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

This looks vaguely like that 'RCA' tape recorder of 2009-ish which used standard Cassette tape on 7" spools. I have details of it - somewhere! - but is was nothing to get excited about.... unless you like that sort of thing!

Barry
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Old 6th May 2010, 11:37 am   #5
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

There's a better photo if you scroll down here:

http://www.xindak.com/en-us/showtopi...dtype=4&id=846

http://www.xindak.com/articles/image...09/0912029.jpg

Text as follows:

"Xindak publishes the first civilian-level Hi-Fi Stereo Open-type recorder in China, which is deeply studied by the related technician through two years. As well as they studied the playback heads and high-precision specific motors which played the most important role in the sound quality. Besides, they obtain the initial achievements through combiing with modern audio technology. The appearance of the civilian-level Hi-Fi Stereo Open-type recorder means the end of Chinese history that China can’t produce civilian-level Hi-Fi Stereo Open-type recorder. It provides another ancient and the sound source of novel analogue for so many music fans or enthusiasts to realize their dreams!"

Good luck to them, but the potential market must be fairly small.

Paul
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Old 6th May 2010, 11:41 am   #6
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

Thanks for better pic. Definitely based on Teac X 3 etc.
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Old 6th May 2010, 12:05 pm   #7
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

I'd love to see the innards.

Perhaps it's a nice machine, but since it's a modern Chinese product, i suspect it's robot assembled with SMD components, thin sheet metal, and maybe a switchmode supply
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Old 6th May 2010, 12:16 pm   #8
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

... I'd love to see the instruction manual! I hope its indexed by numbers!
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Old 6th May 2010, 1:01 pm   #9
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

So now we have a Chinese copy of a Japanese copy of an American copy of a German idea - why?
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Old 6th May 2010, 1:20 pm   #10
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

I agree Tim, X 3 in all but name.

Colin.
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Old 6th May 2010, 3:57 pm   #11
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

...and I wonder what their tape stock is like.
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Old 6th May 2010, 4:24 pm   #12
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

Hi
I agree with Michael - any 'serious' hi-fi machine (even "civilian-level") should have three heads, three motors and take 10.5" spools (and be labelled Revox, some might say...). Still, the prospect of a machine which could use modern servo systems and controllers to manipulate the tape would be interesting.
Whether this will ever see the light of day remains to be seen - and what market would they be aiming for?
Glyn
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Old 6th May 2010, 4:50 pm   #13
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

Actually the little Teac X 3 on which this seems to be based had three motors and three heads and gave quite a respectable performance. Many Teac/Tascam machines ( both consumer and professional) were beautifully made and sounded great, in spite of the great shortcoming that they were not designed or made in Europe!
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Old 7th May 2010, 12:32 am   #14
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

I'm not against designs that are not made in Europe, and yes the Teac/Tascam/Otari were probably of the best of the Japanese decks at the time.

I think the Xindak has three heads as there appears to be a source/tape monitor switch.

But the whole thing looks cheap and nasty.

Glyn's suggestion of a servo system which can manipulate the tape is certainly not new, but modern production together with some custom IC's means its now cheap.

When Revox did it on the A700, everything with few exceptions used discrete components thus it was very expensive.

I'm afraid, Chinese stuff today does not inspire me the was 70's 80's and even early 90's European and Japanese products did.
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Old 7th May 2010, 5:28 am   #15
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

Very similar to the Teac X-3 series or the Tascam 22, input and output level controls in a different order and it has a digital counter (More than likely driven by the reel hub and not by the tape on the rollers). This machine was also copied by Realistic and was called the 3000. Its interesting why they copied this Tascam and not one of their better machines? may be its a price thing? nice to see though.
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Old 7th May 2010, 8:51 am   #16
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Default Re: Xindak builds new R2R

I think that the Realistic 3000 was actually manufactured by TEAC, it was not a clone. In fact, I seem to remember reading somewhere that the machine first appeared as the 3000, and first afterwards did TEAC start marketing it under their own name as the X-3.

Realistic always had a 'value' or 'budget' image, so it would make sense that they wouldn't take on a more advanced machine. At the time it was launched I think reel-to-reel was mostly dead in the general consumer market; I remember a Radio Shack catalog from the (early?) 80's where the 3000 was launched a bit as a 'r2r revival' machine - something along the lines of 'now you too can enjoy the sound of r2r'.

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