I have a Technics RS 1520 open reel machine, and love it.
That being said, I am having an Ampex 351 rebuilt right now in an effort to push the sound to even better state than what I already have.
The Ampex is already paid for and was supposed to have been completed two months ago. Unfortunately this keeps me from being able to report the performance comparisons of these two machines.
I made my own problems when I ask for twin matching head blocks. I wanted to be able to swap between the two, one for recording on location and one for ALL types of playback.
What I want means one head block is half track record and play (for location recording-live) and the other head block is half track play / quarter track play only (no record) with the all tube electronics switching to the proper EQ, when swapping between the two CNC machined blocks.
Turns out there was about two years where Ampex built a certified playback quarter track head and finding one of these as new old stock turned out to be about as easy as finding an original Beatles album that was never played.
Anyway, the project is near completion and in my dreams, I wish I could hear the comparison between my Technics, the rebuilt Ampex and the bottlehead electronics Technics.
It is generally agreed that the Technics is the superior machine for handling tape, logic circuits and closed loop capstan. The Ampex is the king of brute strength, designed to pass military standards and operate 18 to 24 hours a day in a radio station or recording studio with minimal down time.
I will have both here for a while, unfortunately I will not have the benefit of your custom aftermarket electronics on my Technics, and I really wish that's a comparison I could make.
