Revox A77mkIII HIGH SPEED Mid-1970s - Wood

The Revox A77mkIII HIGH SPEED offered here by ReelTape has been fully rebuilt and is the most desirable high speed (18/38 cm/s), 2-track one in the third (mkIII) A77 iteration. As with all reel-to-reels that pass through our workshop, this machine was stripped down to its cast aluminum chassis and carefully rebuilt by hand - literally from the ground up.

All mechanical and electronic parts and components subject to wear or deterioration have been replaced. On the mechanical side this includes bearings, brake bands and linings, pinch roller, tape guides and lifters, etc. As a matter of course, all electrolytic capacitors, plus motor caps, Frakos, and Rifas, have been replaced with premium parts (e.g. Panasonic electrolytics and Piher trimmers).

The heads of this recorder have relapped by Summertone in the UK. Slide and rotary switched were throughly cleaned with a stiff fibre glass brush and treated with DeOxIt D5.

A ‘click suppressor’ designed by the German Revox specialists of Premium HiFi was installed. This neutralises the signal “thumps” as the machine is switched on (or off).

On the bench, this Revox A77mkIII surpassed expectations with a frequency response breaking the 20kHz barrier at 19 cm/sec crossing that line just 1dB down. At 38 cm/s the high end extended to 22kHz (at -1dB). Apart from the typical “low end bump” R2R are known for, the A77 had no trouble with signals as low as 35Hz.

Distortion and wow-and-flutter fell comfortably in with the manufacturer’s original specifications.

This near-mint Revox A77mkIII high-speed recorder may well be of interest to those looking for a “budget” master recorder. Towards that end, the machine has been aligned to the SM911 tape formula though adjustment to other formulas (LPR35, etc.) is available on request. The lower front panel does, however has a few minor scratches.

For owners and operators of recording or broadcasting studios an option is available (+€400) for the proper conversion of unbalanced (RCA -10dB) to balanced (XLR +4dB ) inputs and outputs. This allows for the easy insertion of the machine into a professional workflow and hardware environment.

Dismissed by some as the ultimate “el cheapo” prosumer reel-to-reel recorder and by others as a dull, if not ugly, aparition, the near-ubiquitous Revox A77 evokes a veritable smorgasbord of emotions.

With some 450,000 A77s built in … versions between 1967 and 197.., it was Revox’ most successful design ever with over double the sales volume of the later B77: whatever the A77 is, rare it is not. However, it is a recorder capable of astonishing audio quality, especially when properly updated and upgraded.

A Passion for Craftsmanship

ReelTape is a business specialised in the restoration of high-end R2R recorders driven by a passion for perfection, craftsmanship, and customer service with branches in Switzerland, Spain, and the UK.

ReelTape fully restores tape recorders with a passion and does not count the hours spent in the workshop. Rather, machines are rebuilt to perfection regardless the effort required or expended. No corners are cut in the name of efficiency.

Please see an outline of the workshop protocol at reeltape.eu.