Today was a fun day. Member
sgbroimp (Steve) gifted me his Sony DTC-59ES digital audio tape machine that he no longer had a use for. It arrived today along with a box of 100 DAT tapes. What a great gift.
I already own and enjoy a Sony DTC-60ES DAT machine that I have installed in the living room system. Getting the DTC-59ES DAT machine as a gift is wonderful. I was pleased to discover the DAT machine was in very good condition both cosmetically and mechanically. It only took me a few minutes to get it installed in the vintage sound system set up in an alcove area of my recording studio control room. The vintage system includes the McIntosh MA230 integrated amp, a Tandberg 3011A tuner, an Olive 04HD music server/DAC, JBL 4312A speakers, and now includes the Sony DTC-59ES DAT machine.
A big thank you to Steve for gifting me his Sony DCT-59ES DAT machine.
I have already listened to two of the 100 DAT tapes Steve included, Tracy Chapman, and Houston Person. So nice. I connected the digital output from the DAT machine to the digital input of the DAC in the Olive 04HD music server, as well as the analog outputs of the DAT machine to the tape monitor inputs on the McIntosh MA230. This allows me to do direct A/B comparisons of the DTC-59ES DAC output and the Olive 04HD DAC output. So far the DAC in the Olive 04HD has the edge over the older DAC in the DAT machine but not by a wide margin. Both sound quite good but the 04HD DAC seems to have a bit more air around instruments and voices.
Like I said, this has been a fun day.
