When audiophile enthusiasts arose in the 1970s, it was often reel-to-reel tapes that these connoisseurs gravitated toward. Open reel tapes – like an oversized cassette with no housing – offered high-quality magnetic tape, often a quick speed of 7.5 inches per second (ips), and an impressive array of titles. Many music lovers today feel that reel-to-reel tapes were the apex of clean audiophile sound, and the tapes (as well as reel-to-reel tape players) are highly collectible vintage artifacts.
Reel-to-reel tapes came in boxes with custom art. The back would display a version of the vinyl LP’s back cover art, with credits, song titles, et cetera. The reel itself would be put onto a machine, the tape threaded through the components, and then wound around a second, empty reel as the album played. Generally, you play it through like this to hear side 1, and then reverse the tape for side 2, after which the tape ends up back on its original reel. (The original reel also usually has a custom sticker on it, with the artist, album title, songs, and timings on it.)
See also: 8-track tapes: Vintage cartridge format for music lovers
What reel-to-reel tapes exist?
Several famous titles from artists both major and minor had one or more of their albums released in the reel-to-reel tape format. Albums from the 1960s and, of course, the 1970s abound. There were even a few reel-to-reel tapes made of 1980s albums thanks to the efforts of mail-order clubs like Columbia House. This is the same reason that you can find hit 1980s albums on 8-track tapes, although there were even fewer titles bound for reel-to-reels made then.
More: 8-track tape cartridge repair tutorial (fully illustrated)
When looking for reel-to-reel tapes for sale, note that there are some options these days depending on your tastes, equipment, level of interest, and intentions. It’s usually easy to find blank reel-to-reel tapes for your own home recording purposes. Blank tapes for home recorders, as well as pre-recorded albums by popular artists, are also sold in as sealed, brand-new reel tapes sometimes – usually at a higher cost and with a greater sense of excitement due to their rarity.
Quadraphonic reel-to-reel tapes were also popular, especially for the true audiophile who wanted to be surrounded by the sound. These tapes, like quad 8-track tapes, featured dedicated, special mixes to take advantage of the 4-channel technology. You’ll need a player that can handle quadraphonic (a.k.a. quadrasonic) reel tapes for these.
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Finally, you might get lucky by perusing collections of multiple reel-to-reel tapes in single collections. A large or small lot of reel-to-reel tapes can be a great way to start or build a collection, and can be very cost effective as well.
With attractive box art, an increasing rarity and value, and as representatives of some of music’s greatest moments, vintage reel-to-reel tapes are an exclusive and thrilling part of the vintage tape hobby. They’re great for display and they can be the best-sounding version of a given album, no matter what’s in your collection.
