Traffic on this subject seems to have subsided before I was able to suggest that those interested consult the article that I co-authored with Seth Winner and Mike Shields on the matter of problems in full track tape playback. ARSC Journal: Volume 34, No. 1: Spring, 2003....pages 48-53. Happy New Year! DDR On 1/6/12, Richard L. Hess <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi, Tom, > > I think we're in complete agreement here. As the speed drops, the > probability that one will generate a superior transfer with a narrower > head increases. The same is true as the tape decays. > > The major points that I was making was: > -- Don't assume that any given speed/machine/tape combination will > work better > -- Start with the FT head and only switch to a narrower head if you > hear artifacts on the FT head > -- Transport guidance and topology does make a huge difference here > > I think you're saying the same thing. I like the premium Nortronics > heads, and I like the Studer heads. The Woelke and Applied Magnetics > heads also do a good job. I use all of these brands. I have many formats > in two or more of the brands. > FT Mono: Nortronics, Studer > NAB: Applied Magnetics, Nortronics, Studer, Woelke > DIN: Nortronics Studer, Woelke > > I find the differences to be more related to profile than to > manufacturer. For example, the low frequency response on my NAB A-M > heads is like my Studer because the face is broader. The Nortronics and > the Woelke are a bit weaker on the low end. (on NAB) > > I also have a pair of Saki NAB heads, but they are too high inductance > for any of the machines I have. NOS. I think they were for a Scully 280. > > With this stuff, everything makes a difference <sigh>. > > Cheers, > > Richard > > On 2012-01-06 7:45 PM, Tom Fine wrote: >> Just to be clear about something -- I'm not saying you shouldn't use a >> full-track head to play >> full-track tapes whenever possible. What I said was, if the tape has >> deteriorated or was slit so >> that it won't travel well through your tape path, sometimes it's >> necessary to play smaller parts of >> the track so as not to get flangeing and "swishing" with high frequencies. >>> >> > > -- > Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask] > Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX > http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm > Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes. > -- Dennis D. Rooney 303 W. 66th Street, 9HE New York, NY 10023 212.874.9626