Tascam / United Home Audio Phase11 Reel to Reel Tape Deck (BR-20T)

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General:

This is an incredibly special reel to reel!

This is a Tascam/United Home Audio Phase11 Reel to Reel machine. These decks are renowned for their meticulous craftsmanship and exceptional sound quality.

This tape deck is so good that The Absolute Sound Magazine recognized the UHA Phase11 Tape Deck as one of the top 100 most significant audio products of the last 40 years

This machine started life as a Tascam BR-20T which is already a fantastic reel to reel, but United Home Audio took this to another level making it the ultimate playback machine. (The T stands for upgraded timecode synchronization capabilities that were not included with the standard BR-20 model).

Everything from the motors, tape-heads, wiring, and output connections have been replaced to create one of the best sounding home reel to reel machines released.

For this unit, United Home Audio opted for a high-quality outboard power supply and beautiful blue meters. Included along with the tape deck and power supply will be a pair of blue take-up reels that we feel fit the design of this unit nicely.

*Note this is only a playback machine capable of 1/2 track 7-1/2 IPS and 15 IPS, perfect for the super high-quality recordings recently available on the market. 

Includes is a set of generic hub adapters and super high quality powder coated blue take-up reels. We also just installed a new capstan belt for longevity.

From United Home Audio:
All UHA decks have DC motors! Much more speed stable and reliable than 40 year old AC motors including complex bearings that fail!

Phase11 Tape Deck 
New Tascam playback Tape Head
New direct circuit path playback preamp design.
Hand matched esoteric electronic components, revolutionary design.
DC offset is handled with all new modules directly on the preamp board.
New internal wiring, double shielded high quality wire and single crystal copper wire are chosen for their individual characteristics to compliment the different signal paths of the deck.

New output connectors, Furtech Gold XLR’s and Gold RCA’s

Recording Options:
No Recording, Optimized for Playback Only

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Some very light marks on the power supply, Overall very good condition.

Ownership:
Second Owner

Connections:
RCA, XLR, IEC

General Sound:
Big beautiful musical sound with little fatigue.

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:
Exactly as pictured and described above.

Packing:
Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.Reviews:
Click Here

Specs:
Track system: 2-track, 2-channel, stereo system
Heads: 1 x record/sync, 1 x playback, 1 x erase
Motor: 2 x reel, 1 x capstan
Reel size: up to 10.5 inch reel
Equalization: NAB, IEC
Tape speeds: 7-1⁄2 and 15 ips
Wow and flutter: 0.06% (15 ips)
Frequency response: 35 Hz to 22 kHz (15 ips)
Signal to Noise Ratio: 72 dB
Total harmonic distortion: 3%
Crosstalk: 60 dB

Dimensions:
483 x 444 x 180mm (19" x 17.5" x 7.1")

Weight:
61 lbs.

Link to Manual:
Click Here

Recommended Cables:
Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Better

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Best

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Better

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Best

Testing Process:
First steps are performed to determine if the unit is a candidate for our full restoration process, or if it's just in need of a light service.

We perform 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 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, and bearings. We then clean, lubricate, and re-assemble the drive and perform basic mechanical alignment to ensure proper tape path and head alignment.

Final calibration will involve adjustment of the playback, erase, and record heads, along with optimization of the bias for a specific tape type. We do this with the aid of a Sound Technology 1510A tape deck analyzer plus a Nakamichi T-100 Audio Analyzer with reference calibration tapes.

Final listening tests are performed while monitoring with our reference Grado HP-1 headphones and a variety of factory and custom reference recordings We find that there is no better system for critical listening on tapes than with headphones, especially when comparing a live feed to a recorded feed.