Valve sound is good sound (redo)

A video showing what a direct hook-up to a vintage valve/tube tape recorder sounds like with somthing else other than the tape head connected to the recorder's tape head input. First test is with a microphone, second test is with an iPod. I don't think this recorder has recording and playback equalization, it's very old, but it sure seems to have a lot of low and high frequency response with very little distortion. The original video I did of this was just so badly done I decided to have anther shot at it. This one is much better, although still not perfect. My retarded camera is refusing to focus properly. When I do the music test, the camera's mic picks up a little boomyness from the speakers. I had to have the cameras mic on and sound coming through my speakers during this test so I could sync what the computer recorded with the video from the camera. I also think my iPod's EQ was set on "Bass Boost", I forgot to reset it before I did this video, but it clearly demonstrates the frequency response of this recorders amplifier.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Tape
• recorder
• experiments
• valve
• tube
• 50's
• possibly
• early
• 60's

[coondogtheman1234]

Love that sound it sounds warm. How did you rip the song from simpsons hit and run game I have that for the PS2. and I rip game music BTW.

[CoolDudeClem]

Thanks, about the ripping the game music from simpsons hit and run, I have the PC version and the sounds and music is in the form of rcf files, so I use audacity's import raw data function, and i import them in as signed 16 bit pcm at 24000hz and then i can save them as wav or mp3 or whatever i want.

[SamIves85]

If I could get my hands on one of those I'd probably make a whole album and pass the sound through it to give extra warmth.

So is it the valves that make it sound so good? I have a couple of old radios from the 60's that have valves and I'm not sure what to do with them yet... would like to build my own amp...

[absinthedude]

Nice to see a young dude who knows how the older tech works. I really shoud get round to making videos of the vitage audio stuff I collected when I was your age 20 years ago :)

[6452ss]

good sound

[coondogtheman1234]

Dude this sounds AWESOME thru headphones, try it. full of warm bass. you should play more songs thru this rig and make a video. "night fever" and "I come from a land down under" all sound awesome. the last comment I was only listening thru my modified boombox.

[coondogtheman1234]

@CoolDudeClem

I think the PS2 version has RCF files as well and I used that Game extractor prog by Watto I think and I was able to extract the files. I have the files kickin around my hard drive somewhere. I have done most of my games but some games like driver 3 for the PS2 are proving to be tough nuts to crack.

[DAVESOUNDSMATAMP]

Thats cool mate!

its the BEST quality ive ever heard on you tube!

all i can tell you is your recorder has a BSR

(Birmingham Sound Reproducers) td2 tape deck

made about 1964 ish with what looks like a simple 2 valve audio amplifier...i must say it sounds great

enjoy

DAVESOUNDS UK

[scaleop4]

its true you cannot beat valve sound.