
- #PIONEER 8 TRACK TAPE PLAYER INSTALL#
- #PIONEER 8 TRACK TAPE PLAYER FULL#
- #PIONEER 8 TRACK TAPE PLAYER PORTABLE#
#PIONEER 8 TRACK TAPE PLAYER INSTALL#
You can find decks designed for vehicles that mount to the center hump or that install in the dash. The widespread use of the 8-track tape led to the development of many types of equipment, both stereo and mono. You can also change the program manually. The player switches from one program to another automatically, so the tape plays in a continuous loop. This approach doubled the playing time of the tape, so long collections of music, like double albums, were possible on one cassette. 8-track tapes contained four programs, like the sides of a record album, so the tape held a total of 8 tracks of music. To play music in stereo on any tape format requires two tracks u001a one track plays through the left speaker and the other plays through the right. It was also the first tape deck available for use in cars so that you could listen to your favorite songs on the road. You simply push the cartridge into the deck and press the play button. The 8-track format, a plastic cassette cartridge playing the tape on a continuous loop, is easy to use. Before the introduction of the 8-track in 1964, the reel-to-reel deck was the most frequently used format, but it was often difficult to use. The 8-track, originally known as the Stereo 8, is a type of cartridge that was widely used in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.
#PIONEER 8 TRACK TAPE PLAYER PORTABLE#
Luckily, you can find a great selection of 8-track players made for car, home, and portable use on eBay at affordable prices. A huge treasure trove of music and other audio content is available in this format, and you may even have your own collection.
#PIONEER 8 TRACK TAPE PLAYER FULL#
Most of the market for quality players and recorders are vintage units, but some companies produce new models of varying quality and price range.Anyone who has visited a garage sale has likely seen boxes full of 8-track tapes. Cassette never actually died as a format, although it hasn’t enjoyed the renaissance that vinyl has. The common access to recorders, dual decks that made copying tapes easier, and all types of media helped keep cassettes ubiquitous.Ĭassettes reigned as the media of choice until the early '90s, when CD became accessible to most consumers. Portability has always been a keystone of cassette use, and brands like Walkmen became synonymous with the format. Their flexibility and relatively low cost made copying, combining, and sharing music easier than ever. New releases on 8-track can still be found, although the medium has become niche.Īs compact cassettes caught up in quality in the early 70s, they became the standard audio format. They were more popular than compact cassettes through the late 60s, partially due to their inclusion in some factory automotive stereo systems. In the mid '60s, blank and pre-recorded cassettes came to market.Īround the same time, early versions of 8-track tape cartridges were released, composed of a single reel of magnetic tape.

In the late '50s, the RCA Victor produced the first tape cartridge, but magnetic tape-based cassettes were not popular until Phillips developed a version using narrower tape in a smaller form factor, known as Compact Cassette. Current albums and reissues both go for hundreds of dollars. The entry level, even for new releases on ¼-inch tape, is steep. Although the format is mostly obsolete, partially because loading and storing media is less than convenient, the resale market for vintage units is healthy, and some boutique companies offer brand new R2R players. Reel to Reel Tape PlayersĪround the 1960s, audiophiles began adding reel to reel players to their home systems. Keep in mind that vintage machines will require regular maintenance. Some examples of open-reel tape recorders that can be found at reasonable prices include the Akai models and the Sony TC line. And the earliest samples were created by building tape loops. Many effects heard on classic albums, such as those by The Beatles and Slowdive, were created by physically manipulating tape. The image of a reel to reel recorder has become synonymous with the studio: two large metal circles rotating near the top corners of a large rectangle.Īlthough never really popular with consumers, collectors and producers still value these devices for their warmth, flexibility, and nostalgia.

Engineers capture sound on analog tape using reel to reel recorders. Reel to Reel Recordersįor decades, tape was the standard medium for recording anything. Open reel tape has been produced at various sizes and speeds, as well as digital formats before solid state drives became more practical. Many musicians still record to analog tape, and even mainstream artists are again releasing music on cassettes. Tape Decks/Reel to Reel Players For Sale on ReverbĪlthough magnetic tape technology is decades old, it’s never gone away.
