This is a project that's been on going since the days of my Lenco experiments. My Lenco project is posted as a virtual system here at Audiogon too.
My Technics SP10 MK2 in custom African Wenge plinth is posted in my main system and this Technics SP10 MK3 in Panzerholz and Ebony Plinth was completed November 20th, 2008.
More images to follow, including the Ebony custom platform it will rest on. The platform is 9 layer construction including a layer of Texas Instruments shield with active ground plane.
I have not heard an ATR-102 yet myself. The multi-head A810 sounds interesting. What would that cost?
Regarding the bass performance of pro decks, most, it is true, are lumpy at 30ips, but smooth out and sound fantastic at 15ips, albeit with a few dB more noise, only an issue on large symphonic works, or if added to the noise of a multi-track at mixdown. 1/4" 2-track at 15ips can be very quiet, dynamic, and have a very wide and flat frequency response.
The outboard electronics for the Technics, by themselves, cost as much as I have put into the C37 to date.
Short of a C37, which is very hard to find, I would look at the Studer B67, or A810. Similar machines, different vintage, and smaller than the concurrent A80 or A820 (respectively,) which are very fine machines if you have the space. The A810 is newer, has more computer control and is transformerless, the B67 is older, simpler and has transformer coupled ins and outs (I personally think the B67 sounds better.) The advantage to a Studer is the installed base; they are still in use in thousands of recording studios, so parts and service are readily available. I bought my B67 in the Netherlands for 800 Euros.
Other machines exist that are excellent (AEG/Telefunken, Philips Pro, Ampex, Otari, MCI/Sony, Presto,) but keeping them running would be harder.
None of the above have a fourth head, save the Presto (which I have an example of awaiting restoration,) so another deck for 1/4 track tapes would be neccesary
Another possibility is the Revox PR99 (I used to have one,) which is the pro version of a B77. It came in a playback only version for radio stations.
Be careful however, many of these machines are quite worn out.
Still another possibility is a Nagra IV-S, or Stellavox SM-8. Both have adapters to handle 10 1/2" reels, sound fantastic (Jazz at the Pawnshop was recorded on a pair of Nagra IV-S's,) and are very compact and well built. Again, parts and service are available, if pricey.
To take this back to the vinyl topic, another of my many projects is a Westrex/Commonwealth 12D/4 idler drive turntable, which seems closer to the EMT than the Garrard in construction quality. We'll see what kind of performance I can extract from it.
I suppose, if you build a home system like Mile Lavigne, but prefer tubes, it might be considered suitable for home use, but it is designed to be a studio master machine. That being said, any input that can accommodate +4dBu 600 ohm balanced lines (pro, I believe the Allnic L-4000 has such inputs) should be fine. Adapters or transformers can be used for -10dBV single-ended (consumer) inputs. It is 1/4" CCIR 2-trk, so it is already set up for Tape Project tapes.
I don't have many tapes to play on it, as I purchased and restored it to make recordings, not necessarily to play them back at home, but that's a fun perk. Nothing exceeds like excess.
It was a working day there, so the only music to be heard were the projects being mastered that day, nothing interesting really. But we were free to have a wide ranging discussion of all things music and audio. I learned a great deal. As I said, I spent the most time with his chief technician, who has a bio here:
In other news; my Studer C37 is nearing completion. I plan to make recordings with it using an all tube chain. Perhaps sometime when it and I are free we can visit Chez Porter.
I visited Bernie Grundman Mastering yesterday. You might be interested to know that both his Scully Lathes have Technics SP-10 mk. III motors; the lathe platter being connected by a torque tube to the SP-10 mk. III platter. Both have custom electronics: one tube, the other solid state (a "use a transistor, go to jail, it's the law" sticker with the RCA tube-head illustration affixed to the former. Custom tube electronics are to be found on the preview equipped Studer A80, also. A fantastic, and enlightening visit, spent most of the time in the shop talking to Beno May, his chief technician.
