Revox A77 – a well deserved icon of the analogue tape era

Here’s my Revox A77 – for years (from 1967), this was a mainstay in the high-end hi-fi world. This one is the high speed model, modified from its original configuration (but done properly, unlike many such conversions).

Swiss/German design and manufacturing comes to the fore here. It’s the Mercedes of tape recorders. Even the chassis is solid steel.

Hear the crunch of analogue tape and enjoy the tactile nature of it.

Having an analogue machine is a real plus for anyone in the retro pop industry – from reggae to soul to funk to blues, this gives it an extra dimension. Forget expensive plugins that stop working if the wind changes – get yourself a bargain!

The B77 was the successor, and the PR99 was the ultimate Revox workhorse. All share the same brief with slightly different mechanicals. Beware the heads though – ALWAYS, ALWAYS ask for a close up photo of the surface of the heads if buying – a new set is a lot of dosh. Any refusal on this, or massive wear – just walk away. There’ll be a band of wear across the middle of the record and play heads – any more than 3mm wide and they’ve had it. Many machines have had the life of old diesel taxis – a huge amount of use. Motors and electronics are tough, however.

Mine though, even though it’s 45 years’ old, shows no sign of giving up just yet. Mine’s had new heads.

Enjoy and subscribe to my channel!