ReVox B215 Cassette Deck -

Absolutely the worst tape deck experience of my life.  

ReVox’s answer to the Pioneer’s CT-A1 cassette deck.  I was so excited to purchase this machine.  I have absolutely Zero images of it in my system.  Just this one here one I shot on my art table to sell it.  Having a conscience, I listed all the problems I had with it, but reaffirmed that it had been repaired and was still under warranty.  There were no takers.  I traded it in for a ReVox B77 half track reel to reel.

Where to begin?  I had been using my Nakamichi 600, which I spent a ridiculous amount of money on having it restored.  This included new tape heads, motors, recapping, and of course set up.  Still not happy with it, and seriously thinking of getting another Pioneer CT-1250 (which I did after the ReVox), I was reading a review of this fabulous machine in Audio magazine.  Deciding, that this is the deck to own, I drove out to UpScale Audio (not the real name) =) in Hinsdale to check it out.

“We only have the floor model left as the 215 has been discontinued”.  What?  Really?  Oh, and since this is the last one, we’re asking a premium, which was just a tad over $2,000.00.  Sure enough, the deck had been discontinued and I couldn’t locate a new one anywhere in the United States, or at least that’s what it felt like at the time.  When the salesman asked what I was using, I told him my favorite deck was the Advent 201A, but I was recently using a Nakamichi 600.  He laughed, and made a comment like “this is in an entirely different league” and dismissed them.  He was right about an entirely different league, this league of “your expensive tape deck will spend months and months in the shop”.

“Can I listen to it again?  Oh no need, we already boxed it up after you called and asked we hold it for you”.  Our tech has gone completely through it.  The ReVox is perfect.

Swipe my card and I am off.  Quickly setting it up, popping in a tape and listening while reading the spiral bound owners manual.  About 20min later the music stops.  Oh no, my tape broke (or so I thought).  Pop another tape in and now just ten minutes later the music stops.  Another broken tape.  What?  I try one more and I watch, and I see smoke coming from the tape to the right of the head stack just before the tape stops.  It appears that the ReVox uses an LED to detect the tape, when the light passed through the leader the machine shuts off.  However my LED had a thermal problem.  It was getting red hot, and burning my tapes.

Back to UpScale Audio.  “Oh, no problem we will have out tech check it out and call you when it’s ready”. Two weeks later, I pick up the deck.  The tech replaced the LED.  Ok.  Back home and now I am recording an LP.  I notice that the back lighted LCD meters wasn’t working.  Really?  Back to UpSacle Audio. 

“Well, that’s the strangest thing isn’t it?  You know we had that problem with several of these decks.  I will order a new meter strip for you, It should be here in three weeks or so, meanwhile you can still use the deck, as that doesn’t effect performance and you can still easily see the meters.”  Okay, I thought, and took my deck back home.

Pouring a drink, I set it back up and continued recording.  Loved the auto biasing feature, loved the three head design.  Yes, it does sound better than my old Pioneer CT 1250… or does it?  Wow, was an awesome machine!  Up all night recording when you guessed it, my music stopped.  My Maxell UDXLII was burned in two.  Boxed the machine back up and took it to UpScale Audio the next day.

“Oh, that’s weird!, I changed the LED.  Can you tell me what it is you’re doing that causes this?”  “Yes!, I was using the tape deck!”.  “We’re pretty busy, did you want to leave it?”  “No, I want to take it home and burn up more cassette tapes!, of course I want to leave it.”

About three weeks later I go a pick up the machine, new LED meter strip installed and another LED for the auto shut off.  My excitement for owning the “finest tape deck in the world”, was gone.  I took it home, put it back into my system and loaded a cassette.  “You’ve got to be kidding me?”  There was some type of foreign body on the lower half of the LED meter strip, it looked like someone had picked their nose and just plopped their bugger right on the lens.  How couldn’t you not see this?  I had thoughts of opening it up myself, but my wife stopped me.  “Take it back hun”, which I did.  

 

“Oh that’s weird!  Did you get something into the machine?”  “Seriously?  You think I took this apart, picked my nose, dropped the bugger on the meter and put it back together?”  At this point, I was finding it hard to manage my composure.  I inquired about a refund.  Nope, the machine was a floor model, so they couldn’t refund me.  You can trade it in?  Okay, sounded good.  What do you mean I will get less that purchase price?

“Well, the machine has been through our repair department multiple times and cassettes are on their way out.  We can give you a credit of about 35% towards any NEW gear.”  

I had them repair the B215 yet again and then took it home, powered it up to take this one photo and I put it on Craigs list.  It was listed for months.  I couldn’t sell it so I did trade it in on a ReVox B77 half track reel to reel, at a different audio shop in up state Michigan.  I got close to retail on my trade.  

So, that’s all I can say about this deck.  The two recording’s I made I taped over with my new used Pioneer CTF 1250, which I used for about two years and ended up giving it to my daughter.  I came to my senses and put my Advent 201A back into my system where it has remained almost exclusively.  

If you’re thinking about purchasing a ReVox B215, be sure to have a good service plan for it.  More to come.