This is LITERALLY the best reel to reel “ tutorial” on CZcams. Just a fantastic professional video - well edited and just sublime. Can tell it was done by someone who was well versed in video production .
As a,tv radio broadcast engineer. I finally got my akai 747 dream machine., a few years back, no it doesn't have the rugged abilities of Ampex or studer for 24/7 hours of commercial radio use , but for a home unit, it has smooth silky transport response, and sonic broadcast quality ,even at 4 channel quarter track ,it is truly amazing & akai flagship &best sexey looking reel to reel machine. They saved the best for last..
AGREED! Everyone gives the Akai GX-747 shit for its unreliable nature (lots of stuff to break and wear out), but what Akai nailed is the absolute best looking deck on the market. When I was looking at the 747 in an audio/video store in the mid-80's and saw those tension arms automatically retract, I felt like I was looking at the future - it was a robotic piece of art. Studer, Revox, Teac, Technics, etc - they *COMPLETELY* missed the boat on that design. There's a reason why the Akai GX-747 line is the most coveted among audio enthusiasts, and it's valid.
Just got a call from my Audio Technician. He is finished with a complete restoration of my 747. I will be picking it up this Friday. I am very excited to spin those reels again. 😁
I have exactly the same unit and at the moment I'm replacing the small rubber belts behind the tape tensioners' mechanism. It sounds soooo great, this machine is worth every effort to bring it back in pristine condition...
Thanks for the video, just been given a mint black version of this, not had one before so trying to get to grips with it, your video has helped a lot, thanks
These unique NAB adapters from Akai have an additional ring to tighten them up. I would highly recommend releasing this ring BEFORE you remove the adapter from the deck, and tighten them up when you install the adapters back.
^^ THIS ^^ - I have a 747 and original Akai NAB hubs. Those retention rings are no joke - they truly make the reel hubs a lot more stable when FF and RW your reels. Using any aftermarket NAB hubs without them, and the reels "wobble" when FF and RW. Akai really nailed improving this design, Revox be damned.
Thank you , I’ve just found an almost immaculate one in all places a stable! ...albeit a dry one and the tips you’ve provided in its operation were great and idiot proof. I had everything crossed that it worked when I plugged it in and for once Lady Luck was on my side ....sounds fantastic!
8 years later and this is still the best "professional" presentation of an Akai GX-747 on the web. To @Funny Man - well done on this video, even though it's apparent you made the video to sell your 747. Do you miss it?
I prefer to just lay the tape on the take up wheel without using the cut outs. This saves the end of the leader tape from bending and eventually breaking. Some of the take up wheels have a sticky rubber center giving friction when laying the tape.
@@jmfloyd23 Muse changed all of my capacitors, changed a few belts. Cleaned the goop out of it.... Made a few tracking adjustments and my deck looks and plays like new. Had some old maxell metal tapes from 30 some years ago and they sounded just as good as when I recorded them...
I've been recording MQA onto a half-track Revox B77 mkII and it is stunning. I use 15ips and some new Recording the Masters NAB tape. Reel to Reel is an amazing format - even given that the format is pretty much dead in that there are no manufacturers of new machines. If you have one, get it serviced and love it! I still have an Akai HXA3-DBX cassette deck and I always preferred dbx to Dolby.
AKAI is quality i still use my GXC-46 Stereo Cassette Recorder from the seventies, my AJ-520 FL Stereo Portable Radio GXC Cassette player from the eighties. And the Double Stereo Automatic Reverse GX-W45 cassettedeck from the nineties. They are all excellent & indestructible so i know what kind of quality your AKAI 747 is !!!
Thank you very much for this upload. Very cool. And nice to see one of these working. Can I ask you a question? I know I'm asking a question on a five-year-old upload lol but I was wondering if you knew what was the last really good Akai reel-to-reel player produced? Even if it was somewhat recent. I'm trying to find one of the "Newer" good models . Thanks!
The GX -747 is the top of the line model as far as I know, from akai. It was the last of the line. I picked mine up around 1983, if I remember correctly. As for other brands I am not sure. There are many websites out there to research. I am very interested in this topic, if you reply I will take some time and assist you in this endeavor.
@@daves8429 thank you very much. I put in tons of hours of research into consumer electronics and pro Electronics as well. And I only know a little bit about reel-to-reel machines. Got a lot going on now but when I get back into it and there is less stress going on, LOL, I will hit you back up! Thanks!!
А в AKAI 747 модели шумопонижение есть? В 636 есть, но кнопки NR я на фото не видел.Возможно шумодав встроенный и не отключаемый. Крайне скудная информация на эту тему.
+حسين احمد طعمه الطعمه Thank you. Actually, I've already sold it. You can find these on ebay between $900 and $2,000. Hope you find one. They're great additions to any stereo system.
15 IPS is the actual pro quality speed for a 1/4" RtR mix down or home RtR. 7 1/2 is better quality than 3 3/4 ips which was longer play mediocre commercial sound and 1 7/8" was low quality extra long play commonly used on true professional decks, that had 4 speeds ranging from 15 ips, to 1 & 7/8 ips. 911 police call operations, police dispatch, call rooms, phone call recordings (typical of lawyers, & paranoid politicians, like Richard Nixon,) , and police surveillance (bugs & phone taps) commonly used 1 7/8 ips speed. Some of these dedicated phone recording decks had extra huge reels on them, too. I still repair some of the older machines to archive tapes for police departments, government agencies, security firms, private investigators, etc. This is a nice machine, but I would prefer it had a 15ips speed for true professional mix down sound quality from a 1/4" four track singe direction, which commonly ran at 3 speeds, 3 3/4ips, 7 1/2 and 15 ips. These commonly were used to record four tracks, and mix those back on a single track while mixing in the 3 remaining tracks for a maximum of 7 tracks. The 1/2" 8 track Otari or possibly Tascam or Ampex was the next obvious step up. Then one might be Wili Studer 8-24 track 1"-2" width decks. These can be had for a paltry sum of $12,000 USD now, which seems rather budget friendly compared to their $250,000 list price in the 1980s. The thought of the day was "the more tracks, the better the quality of the recording", but the simple truth is: Miraculous recordings were made with 4, 4 on 3 for 7, and or 8 track RtRs, and before that simple sound on sound RtRs with the final mix cut to vinyl. Led Zeppelin's first two albums were very crude 4 track affairs, masterfully mixed & cut.
Hello, Could you please let me know if you are considering selling it? I am interested in purchasing the same model to gift to my father on his 90th birthday. Thank you
I have the non-dbx black panel 747 had it serviced for speed issues a few years ago. Looks like it needs service for speed issues...again. Frustrating! Any ideas how to fix this once & for all?
A masterpiece. But next time make the machine the star of your video instead of your editing skills. Nothing more frustrating than blurring the subject in order to show some titles, only for 2 seconds. Annoying, I quit very soon after that.
It's a nice machine, but still very overrated. The much better machines you can buy voor less money. Today's prices are going trough the roof...anno 2023 they ask 2000 to 3500 euro and more even! 😮 I think that's grazy.
This is LITERALLY the best reel to reel “ tutorial” on CZcams. Just a fantastic professional video - well edited and just sublime. Can tell it was done by someone who was well versed in video production .
As a,tv radio broadcast engineer.
I finally got my akai 747 dream machine., a few years back, no it doesn't have the rugged abilities of Ampex or studer for 24/7 hours of commercial radio use , but for a home unit, it has smooth silky transport response, and sonic broadcast quality ,even at 4 channel quarter track ,it is truly amazing & akai flagship &best sexey looking reel to reel machine.
They saved the best for last..
AGREED! Everyone gives the Akai GX-747 shit for its unreliable nature (lots of stuff to break and wear out), but what Akai nailed is the absolute best looking deck on the market. When I was looking at the 747 in an audio/video store in the mid-80's and saw those tension arms automatically retract, I felt like I was looking at the future - it was a robotic piece of art. Studer, Revox, Teac, Technics, etc - they *COMPLETELY* missed the boat on that design. There's a reason why the Akai GX-747 line is the most coveted among audio enthusiasts, and it's valid.
Just got a call from my Audio Technician. He is finished with a complete restoration of my 747. I will be picking it up this Friday. I am very excited to spin those reels again. 😁
I have exactly the same unit and at the moment I'm replacing the small rubber belts behind the tape tensioners' mechanism. It sounds soooo great, this machine is worth every effort to bring it back in pristine condition...
325iaddict Clean, warmth and presence, that's why I liked this machine. Glad to hear you're restoring it.
WOW with DBX as well must sound superb that's now on my wish list
IT. SOUNDS. MAGICAL.
Something beautiful! 👍👌👏
Thanks for the video, just been given a mint black version of this, not had one before so trying to get to grips with it, your video has helped a lot, thanks
Great Video. I also have one since 1985. Just got serviced to replace tensioner belts. Wonderful machine.. I enjoy it ..
Thanks. If ever I strike it rich, I'll buy another one.
Gorgeous!
I'm a moth. And that's a big fuckin' flame.
WOW that was my dream recorder !
These unique NAB adapters from Akai have an additional ring to tighten them up. I would highly recommend releasing this ring BEFORE you remove the adapter from the deck, and tighten them up when you install the adapters back.
^^ THIS ^^ - I have a 747 and original Akai NAB hubs. Those retention rings are no joke - they truly make the reel hubs a lot more stable when FF and RW your reels. Using any aftermarket NAB hubs without them, and the reels "wobble" when FF and RW. Akai really nailed improving this design, Revox be damned.
Thank you , I’ve just found an almost immaculate one in all places a stable! ...albeit a dry one and the tips you’ve provided in its operation were great and idiot proof.
I had everything crossed that it worked when I plugged it in and for once Lady Luck was on my side ....sounds fantastic!
8 years later and this is still the best "professional" presentation of an Akai GX-747 on the web. To @Funny Man - well done on this video, even though it's apparent you made the video to sell your 747. Do you miss it?
красивая сказка из прошлого.
I prefer to just lay the tape on the take up wheel without using the cut outs. This saves the end of the leader tape from bending and eventually breaking. Some of the take up wheels have a sticky rubber center giving friction when laying the tape.
Это была машина )) лучшее что сделано из бобинников
It’s all Greek to me,lol.
Super !!
I have a 747, wiht no DBX, however I do have a DBX noise reduction unit. The deck is being restored by Muse Audio Service, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Dave S Could you give contact info for Muse Audio? I have the black panel 747 non-dbx I too use a DBX type I noise reduction unit with it.
@@jmfloyd23 museaudioservice.com
Dave S Thank you!
@@jmfloyd23 Muse changed all of my capacitors, changed a few belts. Cleaned the goop out of it.... Made a few tracking adjustments and my deck looks and plays like new. Had some old maxell metal tapes from 30 some years ago and they sounded just as good as when I recorded them...
I also have one which is in great condition and I use it routinely. Cherish it....
Мечта детства;-)
I've been recording MQA onto a half-track Revox B77 mkII and it is stunning. I use 15ips and some new Recording the Masters NAB tape.
Reel to Reel is an amazing format - even given that the format is pretty much dead in that there are no manufacturers of new machines. If you have one, get it serviced and love it!
I still have an Akai HXA3-DBX cassette deck and I always preferred dbx to Dolby.
Gold !
Большой респект каналу!
I love this machine , I have same )))
mi sueño inalcanzable!!
AKAI is quality i still use my GXC-46 Stereo Cassette Recorder from the seventies, my AJ-520 FL Stereo Portable Radio GXC Cassette player from the eighties. And the Double Stereo Automatic Reverse GX-W45 cassettedeck from the nineties. They are all excellent & indestructible so i know what kind of quality your AKAI 747 is !!!
Thanks. I've always liked Akai. Their equipment consistently gets high ratings for quality.
Super :-)
This reel to reel Porn !!
Show off !!
I love it.
NOTHING BEAT THE SOUND FROM A REEL TO REEL !!!!
what a reception
I have one and I would not consider selling it for less than 2,000.00 us.
Reel to Reel ,,real machine..
Henning
i've used 3-3/4 for music and i got great results
Yeah, everyone shits on 3.75 ips for music, but it sounds fine. Nothing better than 6+ hours of playlist on an auto-reverse R2R!
747 is big in aviation. 747 is big in audio.
Need one to put all music on playing none stop
Thank you very much for this upload. Very cool. And nice to see one of these working. Can I ask you a question? I know I'm asking a question on a five-year-old upload lol but I was wondering if you knew what was the last really good Akai reel-to-reel player produced? Even if it was somewhat recent. I'm trying to find one of the "Newer" good models . Thanks!
The GX -747 is the top of the line model as far as I know, from akai. It was the last of the line. I picked mine up around 1983, if I remember correctly. As for other brands I am not sure. There are many websites out there to research. I am very interested in this topic, if you reply I will take some time and assist you in this endeavor.
@@daves8429 thank you very much. I put in tons of hours of research into consumer electronics and pro Electronics as well. And I only know a little bit about reel-to-reel machines. Got a lot going on now but when I get back into it and there is less stress going on, LOL, I will hit you back up! Thanks!!
Cómo me gustan esas grabadoras de carrete abierto
Son mi pasión
А в AKAI 747 модели шумопонижение есть? В 636 есть, но кнопки NR я на фото не видел.Возможно шумодав встроенный и не отключаемый. Крайне скудная информация на эту тему.
Да, модель «GX 747 dbx» имеет шумоподавление DBX Type I.
your akai 747 is fantastic please tell me how much its price and where i find it .
+حسين احمد طعمه الطعمه Thank you. Actually, I've already sold it. You can find these on ebay between $900 and $2,000. Hope you find one. They're great additions to any stereo system.
Tape type, does it mean between LN and LH?
This. Is. Roger Steigleman. Where. Can. I. Get. One. For. My. System ?
Does anyone know if the GX-747 had the same 2SC428 transistors that've been known to go bad like the other decks from Akai?
Sorry, I don't know the answer to that. These guys might know. reelprosoundguys.com/
15 IPS is the actual pro quality speed for a 1/4" RtR mix down or home RtR. 7 1/2 is better quality than 3 3/4 ips which was longer play mediocre commercial sound and 1 7/8" was low quality extra long play commonly used on true professional decks, that had 4 speeds ranging from 15 ips, to 1 & 7/8 ips. 911 police call operations, police dispatch, call rooms, phone call recordings (typical of lawyers, & paranoid politicians, like Richard Nixon,)
, and police surveillance (bugs & phone taps) commonly used 1 7/8 ips speed. Some of these dedicated phone recording decks had extra huge reels on them, too. I still repair some of the older machines to archive tapes for police departments, government agencies, security firms, private investigators, etc. This is a nice machine, but I would prefer it had a 15ips speed for true professional mix down sound quality from a 1/4" four track singe direction, which commonly ran at 3 speeds, 3 3/4ips, 7 1/2 and 15 ips. These commonly were used to record four tracks, and mix those back on a single track while mixing in the 3 remaining tracks for a maximum of 7 tracks. The 1/2" 8 track Otari or possibly Tascam or Ampex was the next obvious step up. Then one might be Wili Studer 8-24 track 1"-2" width decks. These can be had for a paltry sum of $12,000 USD now, which seems rather budget friendly compared to their $250,000 list price in the 1980s. The thought of the day was "the more tracks, the better the quality of the recording", but the simple truth is: Miraculous recordings were made with 4, 4 on 3 for 7, and or 8 track RtRs, and before that simple sound on sound RtRs with the final mix cut to vinyl. Led Zeppelin's first two albums were very crude 4 track affairs, masterfully mixed & cut.
Thanks for the info. You learn something everyday.
curious what the totally killing big band that was in the background
+Dave Edwards It's Bill Evans & WDR Big Band Cologne. The song is called Soulgrass.
Looks amazing...i suppose it sounds ok ?
Yes, not as clean as a cd player but warm sounding. Thanks.
just got my first Reel to reel an Akai Gx-625, and i'm VERY impressed by the sound. So this must be it's 'big brother' . where did you get it ? Ebay ?
Kenneth Blixt Not familiar with the Gx-625, but they're all nice sounding, I'm sure. My brother is the original owner, he bought it new long time ago.
Funny Man ok ...yeah great sound in theese Akai's
just baught 1
How much is a unit like this?
Where can I find a service shop I can trust to do the service properly?
I found this: reelprosoundguys.com/
Hope that helps.
Thank you
*i have one of these things and have no idea what its worth.*
no comment - thx
Hello, Could you please let me know if you are considering selling it? I am interested in purchasing the same model to gift to my father on his 90th birthday. Thank you
I have the non-dbx black panel 747 had it serviced for speed issues a few years ago. Looks like it needs service for speed issues...again. Frustrating! Any ideas how to fix this once & for all?
Max floyd jr yeah, sell it to me, lol
Ramsay Bolton Lol I cant part with it...too sentimental to me
Max floyd jr Thanks, I hear you.
Pitty that you did not make recordings with and without dbx.
Imate li koji za prodaju.
Akai 는 디자인은 좋은데 4 트랙이라 음폭이 좁고 프로용은 아닙니다 프로용은 2 트랙이어야 합니다
What is the price? And how to purchase..
I stayed Kolkata...
LMAO... this was 8 years ago. #short_bus?
Actually, back in my Studio days, I remember Pro Tape speeds being 15 & 30 IPS.
..AND... you're not wrong. 15 ips is studio mastering quality - 30 ips is the best. But for a consumer grade deck, 7.5 ips is excellent.
Zašto ga prikazujete da li se duvate ili je na prodaju.
Куплю! Я в контакте ( Михаил Кубочкин )
Можно приобрести,но стоит наверное как автомобиль,?
Во-первых - НЕТ. Они не стоят столько же, сколько машина, если только вы не живете в 2002 году. Во-вторых, приобретите ее. ОНИ ЗАМЕЧАТЕЛЬНЫЕ!
hello
hallo
ola
myfriends
mijnvrienden my grandpa
Headphone input?
7 1/2 pro quality?
10,5 big studio reels ?
Who’s this guy 🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
Is that some sort of Tourette's? Dude went through a typical feature set. Relax. Get over it.
@@EnochLight well it’s just that nothing of what he mentioned have anything to do with with studio quality
It's better to listen to the actual reels music not the accompanying music
A masterpiece. But next time make the machine the star of your video instead of your editing skills. Nothing more frustrating than blurring the subject in order to show some titles, only for 2 seconds. Annoying, I quit very soon after that.
Выкинь этот хлам на мусорку это прошлый век сейчас интернет
Ха-ха-ха идиот этот хлам ты думай в каком веке жевешь
Ты чертовски глуп? Иди жри дерьмо, коммунистический пердун.
It's a nice machine, but still very overrated. The much better machines you can buy voor less money. Today's prices are going trough the roof...anno 2023 they ask 2000 to 3500 euro and more even! 😮 I think that's grazy.