On Tuesday, February 10, 2009 12:18 PM, Richard L. Hess wrote: > This is, of course, true, but lately I've been finding that tapes > where I would have gone to a narrower track head on an A810, for > example, play fine with the full-track head on an A80. I used to draw > the line at 7.5 in/s for NOT using a full-track head when I had A810s > in this format, but with the A80, I routinely use a full-track head > at 7.5 in/s and don't hear any of the azimuth combing. The Studer Master Recorders (A80, A800, A820) definitely do a great job with tapes suffering from some cupping. It should be noted that acetate-base tapes can be rehydrated. I've had good luck at removing or minimizing cupping by rehydrating the tape. The workflow certainly takes longer because of the tape treatment, but you'll get great tape-to-head contact afterwards. Eric Jacobs The Audio Archive, Inc. tel: 408.221.2128 fax: 408.549.9867 mailto:[log in to unmask] http://www.TheAudioArchive.com Disc and Tape Audio Transfer Services and Preservation Consulting