Technics RS-1520 Reel to Reel Fully Restored - McIntosh Tribute - With Upgrades - Pre-Order Now

Sample Unit - Pre-Order Yours Now. 4-6 Week Lead Time.

Please call us to configure to your liking as there are many options and upgrades available. 

Price depending on options starting at $21,900  and up to $35,000

No, this is not a vintage McIntosh prototype that someone smuggled out of Binghamton, or a clone someone attempted in their free time.

We recently posted a full walkthrough video to our YouTube channel which started quite the commotion in the audiophile community! 


This is a very special Technics RS-1520 that first received a careful and complete restoration, and then on top it gained a plethora of functional and cosmetic upgrades.

It's finished in a unique black and green color theme to resemble and blend right into your beloved McIntosh system. The Reel to Reel that McIntosh never made!

Every custom piece was meticulously designed and manufactured to perfectly mate into the legendary RS-1520. It looks like it just rolled off the factory production floor in this special style.

This RS-1520 is also no ordinary RS-1500, it's the Pro version which adds variable Equalization, Bias Controls, and Balanced XLR Outputs critical to mating properly with your McIntosh preamp. Additionally there is a set of direct output single-ended RCA jacks in case you'd like to use your own head amplifier.

Some of the possible options include:
• 1 x Super High Quality Tape Recording to get you started
• 1 x Hot-Rodded Performance Playback/Record Circuitry
• 1 x Tape Path Bearing Upgrade
• 1 x IEC Power Socket
• 2 x Upgraded NAB Hub Adapters
• 2 x Custom-Made "Blacked-Out" Technics Aluminum Takeup Reels
• 2 x Machined Aluminum Feet

Please call us to configure to your liking as there are many options and upgrades available. 

Plus our famous "bomb-proof" custom packaging to ensure safe worldwide delivery. 

*UPS Ground Shipping with Insurance within the Lower 48 US states is currently included at no additional charge under our active free shipping on all electronics promotion. If you're outside of this area please just contact us for a quote.

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.