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Hi Jan: I would avoid NOS Quantegy because the backcoated stuff may be sticky and the 63x/64x varients tend to have not-great slitting (ie "country lane-ing" in the tape path). Supposedly all the chemistry problems with the RMG tapes have been fixed, but for that reason I would buy only NEW, RECENT-VINTAGE RMG tape. Ask your nearest dealer to confirm recent manufacture dates. The only NOS tape I would ever mess with, and only then if I could get it cheap and still shrink-wrapped, is Maxell UD35-90 type. I wouldn't even go for UDXL, which is backcoated. My experience with UD tape is that it gets somewhat "stiff" (less flexible) over time, an indication that something dries out or gets less plastic. But this doesn't seem to effect its performance, travel through the tape path or wrap on the reels. I am still going thru the supply of UD35-90 (7" reels) and UD35-180 (10" reels) that I bought back in the 1980s. Every time I open a box, no adjustment is required with bias or record EQ and the tape performs flawlessly in the transport. I have to say, the same is true about the old Scotch 206 tape that I have, but that tape is now 30+ years old and I wouldn't recommend it because it's backcoated. Keep in mind that I only do "hobby" recordings on tape these days, like what you describe. What can I say, I like to watch the reels go 'round. Bottom line, my choice for you would be recent-vintage RMG tape. Second choice would be still-shrink-wrapped Maxell UD35 tape. Third choice, not recommended would be still-wrapped (ie un-used, ie no government or broadcast surplus) Ampex/Quantegy 63x tape. I would not recommend any other old tapes. -- Tom Fine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jan Myren" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 1:26 AM Subject: [ARSCLIST] Which brand of reel to reel tapes are best? > HI! > > I find that there are actually two brands available of new tapes on the net, > Quantegy and RMG. Which one is best for my Tandberg TD 20 A for recording > music from LP's, CD's and 78's? > > Are there also some older NOS that are reccomandable, since they often > appear at Ebay for reasonable prices? > > All the best > jan > >