Tandberg TD 20A-SE Reel To Reel Machine, 4 Track, Serviced

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This is a great selling and performing machine and about the 6th one to come through the shop.

One of the best looking reel to reel machines out there, and the last model that Tandberg made that's full of all the improvements and upgrades they achieved over time. 

Easy to use and perfect for a high-end residential stereo system.

Check out this dedicated TD 20A-SE review from our YouTube for more:

This Reel to Reel operates as it should throughout with strong drive motor speed and responsiveness, along with quick and persistent engagement of the heads and capstans. 

The meters are responsive and well lit, and all of the potentiometers are free from any noise or scratchiness.  

Internal inspection shows the electrical components are without any signs of aging or need for replacement.   

The heads look lightly used with lots of life left. Check out our close-up photos to see for yourself.

Included with your purchase is the reel to reel machine, two reel adaptors, two rubber spacers, two small reel rubber hubs, accessory case, two take up reels as pictured, manuals, and a power cord.

**Also includes rare remote IR receiver - but not the actual remote.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer.

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects

See our last photos for specifications or click on this PDF:

Tandberg TD 20A-SE Reel To Reel - Vintage Spec Sheet

The SkyFi Testing Process for Tape Decks and Reel to Reel Machines:

First steps are performed to determine if the unit is a candidate for our full restoration process or if its just in need of a light service.

We first do a  basic functionality test to ensure proper playback fast forward and rewind.  We look for smooth operation of the motors, transport engagement and associated rolling parts.  

We then do an internal physical inspection to ensure the belts and rubber consumable parts are up to spec.  

Internal components are checked to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage particularly in the power supply section.  Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR. 

A light service will involve replacement of belts and rollers, external cleaning of heads, mechanism and boards and basic record and playback tests.  

A full restoration will often include disassembly of the drive system and replacement of all consumable and wearable parts including pinch rollers, belts, brakes, bearings.  We then clean lubricate and re-assembly the drive and perform basic mechanical alignment to ensure proper tape path and head alignment. 

Final calibration will involved adjustment of playback erase and record heads and optimization of the bias for a specific tape type.  We do this with the aid of a  Soundtech 1510A tape deck analyzer and a Nakamichi T100 unit and reference calibration tapes.  

Final listening tests are done while monitoring with our reference Grado HP1 headphones and a variety of factory and custom reference recordings.  We find that there is no better system for critical listening on tapes than the headphones specially when comparing a live feed to a recorded feed.