Early Reflections on the Tape Project

Greetings all:

I had a chance to review the informative website of the recently launched "Tape Project" the other day, and to say that I was impressed by what I saw would be a gross understatement. These intrepid souls have acquired licenses from a number of major labels to transfer the original masters of a number of historic recordings to newly dubbed 1/2 generation mastertape copies available for purchase by the music-loving public.

By all accounts that I have read, the sound quality of these 1/2 generation masters handily bests the sound quality available from virtually any other commercially available audio source: cd, DVD-A, SACD, LP, digital tape, etc.

As an audiophile and music lover, I find the idea of purchsing a vintage reel-to-reel deck and some of the more appealing tapes slated for release later this year an enticing proposition. After all, mastertape sound has become something of an audiophile holy grail, one that far too few audiophile/music lovers actually get to experience as part of a high-end system. At long last it seems that the wider audiophile public will now have the chance to experience what many believe represents the ne plus ultra of high-end audio playback.

And herein lies the rub. For while nothing is free, and certainly nothing of real value in this quirky hobby of ours save perhaps the free exchange of ideas, I fear that the steep price of entry to experience what the Tape Project has to offer (and what they offer strikes me as pretty damn important) will limit both the ultimate reach and potential impact of this very major source component development.

First, as I understand what I saw, playback will be limited to only a few high-quality decks, first and foremost the long discontinued but highly regarded Technics RS 1500 reel-to-reel recorder/player. Although a small number of RS 1500's occassionally show up on ebay and from sellers listing their wares on Audiogon and the like, my research indicates that decent RS 1500s are pretty tough to come by and not cheap (at least when compared to other used reel-to-reels).

The reason why just any old reel-to-reel unit won't work owes to the Tape Project's decision (and a sonically valid one) to wed playback of its releases to the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) equalization curve, with the tapes themselves requiring half track playback head capability and a running speed of 15 ips. According to the company website, "[s]tudio machines from the likes of Studer and Ampex come with selectable IEC EQ, and some "prosumer" tape machines like the Otari MX-5050BII and the Technics RS 1520 do as well (along with sporting the necessary halftrack playback head and 15 ips capability for playing Tape Prject Tapes)."

Other machines will need to be modified, sometimes heavily so, to incorporate the IEC EQ curve.

More problematic, at least to my way of thinking, is the price per Tape. Well-heeled music lovers can subscribe to the Tape Project and receive either 6 releases of their choice, or all 10 first-round releases slated for 2007. The subscription price per Tape under either tier is $200.00 (that translates to either a $1200 or $2000 subscrition price depending on which tier one selects). For those of us with car and house payments, retirement concerns and kids in college, the Tape Project does permit ala-carte purchases, but at the even steeper price of $329.00/Tape.

Ouch!!!

Mind you, I'm not saying that these prices aren't warranted, especially given the high price of good tape these days and the associated costs to transfer and produce the final product. What I am saying is that at these prices, only the most affluent of us will ever get the chance to hear in our homes what the Tape Project is all about. And this is a shame because I have been taught and told since my arrival into this great hobby over twenty years ago that no audiophle worth his or her salt can truly lay claim to that designation unless they have, at least once in their lives, heard the sound of mastertapes.

Undoubtdly, more than a few reviewers will subscribe to the Tape Project, as well they should, especially if they are paid, professional reviewers. And I would argue that any major hi-end journal that claims to really care about the accurate, realistic reproduction of music in the home should also consider purchasing the necessary playback equipment and software.

The chance to hear music from a playback source that promises to deliver sound quality that comes as close as possible to the original event strikes me as representing a sonic and educational opportunity that any reviewer worth his or her salt should feel compelled to experience.

For the masses, let me suggest that audio clubs with several members consider taking the plunge collectively by purchasing both the necessary playback hardware and either of the 2 subscription tiers offered by the Tape Project, thereby spreading the considerable cost of entry amongst the entire group. As for the rest of us, dreaming ain't half bad either.

Thoughts?