Revox B710

[Deon]

Here are some photos of my latest addition to decks collection, ReVox B710.
Got it a while ago, with two switches broken, otherwise mint, not a scratch on it.
The same goes for functionality, works like a new. Never had a deck that would record so god on
almost any kind of tape and wouldn’t have almost a dozen bias settings…
And mechanics like R2R, should last forever.

Regards

[PrimozS]

Davorin,

"bjuuu-tiiii-fuuul" :-)

[stuartypoorty]

Here are some photos of my latest addition to decks collection, ReVox B710.
Got it a while ago, with two switches broken, otherwise mint, not a scratch on it.
The same goes for functionality, works like a new. Never had a deck that would record so god on
almost any kind of tape and wouldn’t have almost a dozen bias settings…
And mechanics like R2R, should last forever.

Regards

Really lovely deck, parts should be fairly easy to come by in Europe.

Just had my B215-S repaired, which while not inexpensive will give great service for years to come. I think with Studer/Revox you have to take the long term view when it comes to maintenance.


Stuart

[niklasthedolphin]

Here are some photos of my latest addition to decks collection, ReVox B710.
Got it a while ago, with two switches broken, otherwise mint, not a scratch on it.
The same goes for functionality, works like a new. Never had a deck that would record so god on
almost any kind of tape and wouldn’t have almost a dozen bias settings…
And mechanics like R2R, should last forever.

Regards

Congratulation.

This is the mkI model.

Be careful, if you get it serviced, that no parts from mkII is thrown into the tape transport such as bearings, springs etc.

Great deck with mechanics build like Caterpilar 740 Articulated truck.
;-)

I find it recording better than playing and I find that a weak point is the headphone amp.

Still one of the best 10 decks ever made, IMHO.

"dolph"

[Naknut]

Gorgeous deck! I hope to have one in my collection one day. Love the styling and have only read great things about Revox equipment.

[Deon]

Yes, you got to appreciate the somewhat classic appearance of this deck.
Funny really, how Revox keeps the parts for this still available. I have contact them regarding switches and found out that they can supply practically everything if needed.
But, even got this deck totally accidental, it really is like new, heads and rubbers included,
and looking how things are done I don’t believe I will need more parts soon.
Previous owner really didn’t have much use for it, except for broking two switches..

Regards

P.S. If someone is interested in B710 naked pictures, some well skilled guy really torn it apart here.

http://www.revox.name/bilderstrecken/b710mki/b710mki.htm

[niklasthedolphin]

Yes, you got to appreciate the somewhat classic appearance of this deck.
Funny really, how Revox keeps the parts for this still available. I have contact them regarding switches and found out that they can supply practically everything if needed.
But, even got this deck totally accidental, it really is like new, heads and rubbers included,
and looking how things are done I don’t believe I will need more parts soon.
Previous owner really didn’t have much use for it, except for broking two switches..

Regards

P.S. If someone is interested in B710 naked pictures, some well skilled guy really torn it apart here.

http://www.revox.name/bilderstrecken/b710mki/b710mki.htm

Very detailed and nice pictures of the inside of the B710.
Thx.

"dolph"

[Web Police]

Very nice deck and pictures. *thumbsup*

[Dimitar Georgiev]

http://www.revox.name/bilderstrecken/b710mki/b710mki.htm


Very detailed and high clarity photose of the repair procedure! The guy is replacing the Hall sensors and has made very nice presentation. Never seen so high quality photos of the Revox B710 internals. Loved those scope snapshots showing the transistor regulator base and collector voltage both for the defekt and working Hall sensors.

D.

[stuwee]

Those pics and that deck rocks!!

[Scorpion8]

Gorgeous deck! Sweet.

[Deon]

Yes, I appreciated the know how and nice presentation of this service job as well.
Also there is a fact that this deck really is assembled well for service, like a pro-machine.
I didn’t have to temper with it much, all the electrical measurement and levels were spot on,
didn’t have to touch a single trimmer inside.
But I did however replace the main electrolytes in power supply, also dubious Revox
power outlet with standard IEC, so it can be use with any audio-grade power cord.
And it was a really easy job, you can put out the entire power supply / transformer assembly by unscrewing a few screws and detaching two connectors..
The same goes practically for every board inside the deck. Really wish more equipment were made like this. *hope*

Regards

[Time_Stand_Still]

Nice deck, I've always liked Studer/Revox cassette deck models. IMO they are right up there with the best Naks.*check*

[CanJet]

Deon,

just looked at your Revox. that is one sharp looking machine, I mean REALLY nice. The colour scheme is such a nice change from the basic black. I have mostly Naks, but I've got a lowly Tandberg 310 on the way and I'm starting to keep my eye out for a Revox somewhere. Good score.*thumbsup*

[CanJet]

Deon,

just curious, does the Revox come with any type of cover for the head area to keep it free of dirt and dust when it's not in use? I had an old DUAL deck that was an open transport and it came with a nifty little plastic guard that clicked into place to protect the heads.

[Deon]

Deon,

just curious, does the Revox come with any type of cover for the head area to keep it free of dirt and dust when it's not in use? I had an old DUAL deck that was an open transport and it came with a nifty little plastic guard that clicked into place to protect the heads.

Hi,

Yes, it has a acrylic cover, it is in place and visible on 4 and 5 photo..
It covers entire tape department.
I also had a Dual with acrylic cover, just for heads, connected to Power button, press ON cover opens, press OFF cover close, slow..
Very neatly done, I think model was C-820.

Regards, Davorin

[CanJet]

It was either the c820 or c819. Very cool watching the cover retract.

[neonknight]

My B710 has started to stop towards the beginning of the tape when rewinding and chewed a tape the other day; again near the start. Can anybody give me an idea of what might be wrong with it please?

Any help would be much appreciated *reelspin*

N

[Dimitar Georgiev]

My B710 has started to stop towards the beginning of the tape when rewinding and chewed a tape the other day; again near the start. Can anybody give me an idea of what might be wrong with it please?

Any help would be much appreciated *reelspin*

N


You may want to adjust the pinch roller tension springs or just get a pair of new pinch rollers.

D.

[neonknight]

You may want to adjust the pinch roller tension springs or just get a pair of new pinch rollers.

D.

Thank you so much! I thought it might be that and it's really good to have an expert view. *Hi5*

[SaSi_Sidi]

I had the same issue with my MkI when it arrived. It was a good thing actually as it made the deck sell as defective and get me a good deck for a low price.

As Dimitar suggested, the first thing to look at are the pinch rollers. These are the deck's weakest point, that is, if they are worn out or slippery, lots of bad things happen. They are the only piece of rubber on the deck.

There is one important thing to be careful about replacing the pinch rollers. On MkI machines, the left roller is much smaller than the right one. On MkII machines both rollers are the same size. I've also read that late MkI machines have MkII style rollers but can't confirm that.

Bottom line, when looking for rollers, get the proper ones.

Since you have contact with Revox, it's best to buy the rollers directly from them. When you order, make sure you also provide the serial number of the deck. It helps.

Replacing the rollers will probably solve your problem. In the unlikely event it doesn't what needs to be adjusted are two trimpots that are located on the CPU board (to the left of the psu when viewing from the front) next to two power transistors (TO-220) that are fixed on the frame for cooling.

The deck senses end / beginning of tape by an optical sensor that senses leader tape. Due to that, I've found that some tapes with colored leader (e.g. red) don't really work well on this deck. Maxell and TDK tapes with semi-transparent white leader work fine.

When adjusted correctly, the deck will stop FF and REW as soon as the leader tape is sensed. The deck won't wind the tape until the end of the leader tape, to ensure there is no stretching.

Additionally, a nice gimmic is that when rewinding, the transport will stop at the leader tape (usually overshoot by a few centimeters), engage play, forward the tape at it's beginning and then reset the tape counter to zero. If it isn't doing that, then something is not working correctly.

My MkII was fixed easily by replacing the rollers and still works fine. My MkI had more serious issues and although it was originally fixed, after a few months in storage it now shows issues again. I will have to bring it to the bench soon, we may be able to exchange information while fixing them - although I hope for you that replacacing the rollers will be the end of the story.

One additional comment: My MkII (also bought defective) had a very strange problem. It played flawlessly with blank tapes but not with recorded ones. *eyepop*. Trying to playback these resulted in momentarily switching off and on, with some relays being engaged.

Long story short, I found out the reason was recorded tapes had peaks and on peaks, most of the VU meter leds were lit and that apparently consumed more current and that caused a filter capacitor to short (?). As soon as I replaced them, all issues were gone.

There is a legend about the old yellow ("golden") FRAKO electrolytes. They go bad after some time and they go bad in a bad way. They are supposed to be replaced as soon as possible, especially on vingage MkI machines. FWIW, the offending capacitor on my MkII psu was a blue Philips cap and not the large Frako ones.

[perry]

I know you're over in Europe, but do you have an email or phone contact that parts can be ordered from? There are a few small parts that I think I need to get for my B215.

[mang6669]

I know you're over in Europe, but do you have an email or phone contact that parts can be ordered from? There are a few small parts that I think I need to get for my B215.

For REVOX parts and service try this guy:
JM Technical Arts
Nashville,TN 37210
(615) 365-9030

Hope this helps

[neonknight]

Many thanks for the additional advice the other day. I have ordered the pinch rollers from Germany and am looking forward to fixing the problem. As somebody with no experience of opening up a tape deck should I be wary of messing it up or is it a relatively simple job? Once again any help would be really appreciated.

N

[SaSi_Sidi]

IIRC, replacing the pinch rollers simply requires the removal of the cassette compartment faceplate. The most difficult part is removing - without losing - the c-clips.

[neonknight]

The solution worked, it was a simple job and I am now able to once again enjoy my cassette collection. This is a great website with some really helpful people - thank you! *Hi5*

[Naknut]

*Hi5* That's what it's all about.

[R.Daneel]

Can I assume that this deck sounds amazing? Can anyone comment on the sound a little bit?

[SaSi_Sidi]

Can I assume that this deck sounds amazing? Can anyone comment on the sound a little bit?

The best thing about this deck is tape handling. It is very very smooth.

There are decks out that are much more recent designs and they do sound a bit better.

I guess some people will disagree but for me this deck is more a shrine on audio history than a functional tool.

[A.N.T.]

Can I assume that this deck sounds amazing? Can anyone comment on the sound a little bit?

I had a chance to work on the B710 (mkI) and I liked the sound of that B710 more than the sound of the Revox B215.

Alex