TEAC Tascam 80-8 Series Vintage Reel to Reel w/ DX-8 dbx Module & Remote

General:

Super cool 1/2" TEAC 80-8 series reel to reel configured for 8 channels of record/playback, and featuring a DX-8 dbx Noise Reduction Module.

Plus it's fitted with the optional and super rare wired "RC-71 Remote Control Unit" for the ultimate in convenience.

This tape deck was tested and plays, fast forwards, and rewinds smoothly and easily.

Heads appear to have very little wear.

Please note this is a 1/2" machine and feel free to contact us with any questions.

Your purchase also Includes one blank tape and one take up reel.

Cosmetically the deck itself is very clean, but the wood removable panels do show some age and corner damage. It's a very heavy machine so this is likely from moving around over the years. Deck alone would be an 8 condition-wise, wood panels bring it down to a 6.

It also appears to have been serviced by Sound Genesis at some point but we have no further info or documentation. No further work or testing was done by us.

Ownership:
Unknown

Connections:
RCA inputs and outputs for all channels.

Cosmetic Condition:
6 - See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:
Unit, power cord, and manual

Packing:
Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.
Weight:
100 lbs.

Recommended Cables:

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Testing Process:

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.