ReVox: B-77 & PR-99

Revox B 77 fully dressed with optional dust cover and NAB adapters.

The history of ReVox can be resumed in 2 words: longevity and evolution. Since 1951, when Willi Studer renamed his modified Traco Dynavox into the ReVox T 26, the journey of this magnificent Swiss giant experienced a continuous growth and prosperity for the next 40 years. During his early years, Willi decided to differentiate his domestic appliances from the professional ones with different names. That's how ReVox born. The name ReVox is derived from the Latin and basically what it means is "continuous sound". Studer remains the name for pro applications.

A common denominator of all ReVox products is the design without compromise, following the Willi Studer motto of "built for eternity". Willi was also a Classical and Jazz music lover as well as all the persons he hired to design, built and market his products. All of them were music lovers and they simply loved what they do. Today, we can testify their firm compromise with quality and durability as most of these machines are way passed their utility "lives" by far and still, many parts and service are available for the ReVox fans and collectors. Yes, we can always find some glitches here and there as with any other product, but hey: who's going to complaint when a Frako cap fails after 25 - 30 years of service? By that time the machine was supposed to be retired or dusting in a corner. On the contrary, an Studer-Revox product has become the new holy grail of the actual tape fever and the second hand prices has become ridiculous high! I'm sure Willi must be proud of this.

ReVox PR 99 mk ii

ReVox B-77

The fabled Revox B 77 is a history by itself. One of the most recognized and successful open reel decks in the history of audio, was the logical successor to the legendary A 77, or as they called it: "das Panzer" (the tank). It was introduced in 1977 and developed by Marino Ludwig and his staff. Many A 77's features were keep in the new model, specifically the motors, heads and the audio circuitry designed by the engineer extraordinaire Guido Besimo. Manfred Meinzer was the industrial designer, who, by the way, has designed all ReVox products since 1965. This was his masterpiece design and it's the B 77 image that come to our minds when talking about open reel decks. Manfred studied in the United States.

The tape transport was improved and, very noticeable the VU meters, which now works on playback as well. The command board was completely new and totally re-designed and the operation relays were replaced by IC and 4 triacs. In order to reduce cost, the boards of the B 77 includes both channels instead of a single channel as in its predecessor. The pause command was also added, as in the A 700. A tape cutter, very useful by the way, was also part of the new machine.

With all honesty, one thing I don't like are the fragile plastic toggle switches that are very prone to break and the counter that is difficult to read. It came in 2 versions: the MK i and the MK ii and it's been said that 288,000 units were produced. Together with the PR 99, both models are the most popular ReVox recorders.

The MK ii, started its production in 1980 and lasted until 1993. Pitch control and some other improvements in the electronic circuits were introduced but it's almost the same. Many versions were produced and not many people know about the Dolby model, which is rarely seen as only 250 pieces were done. I have never seen one myself. The addition of Dolby was merely a result of competition and the push of the sales department, but Willi Studer himself was against the implementation of Dolby in his decks.

Behind the curtains: B-77

Marino Ludwig and his team of 2 other prominent Revox engineers, Waagthaler and Fiala, took 1.5 years developing the A-700 or what they internally refer as the "Maxi Revox". Countless sleepless nights and the constant pressure form their boss, Willi Studer, who was continuosly active in all projects at the Regensdorf plant, finally yielded the phenomenal, but also temperamental huge A 700. The market was asking for something more complex looking and technical, hence the 700's was born. After the 700's project, Willi Studer presented the B 77 sketches to Marino, and he asked Willi: Who's going to develop that project?, to what Willi responded: "You, of course" ! He was also the Project Manager for the first Revox cassette deck, the B-710 and the Product Manager for the successor B -215, together with the engineer Meinrad Lienert.

Marino began working for Studer as a part time student in 1968 and after graduating as engineer in 1970, started with Revox full time. His first project was the development of a new A 77 version for language laboratory equipment to be used at schools. He was also involved in the Dolby circuits designed for the A 77 MK iv. He was moved briefly to the Studer division under the Harman's management to develop "on air" radio console automation, and shortly after came back to Revox for the last "domestic" machines project; the C-270 and family. Marino Ludwig retired from Studer Revox in 2006 after a career of 37 years with the Swiss giant.

This is my B 77 with the optional dust cover.

My B 77 under and scheduled maintenance

ReVox PR 99

The PR 99 is basically the "hot rod" version of the B 77. It's basically the same machine built for semipro applications. XLR connectors and the 19" rack capability as a standard offerings are the most significant differences. Of course, the addition of the auto-locator on the MK ii was a valuable asset for the pro user. It came in 61 versions and were sold for 13 years. A damper pin was added on the right side (the B 77 has only one) and the framed was modified to accommodate the protruding head block. It's widely known that the electronics were fully revised and improved with some features built specifically for pro applications. Marino and his staff were still developing the cassette deck project under constant cost pressure in order to start developing the new project "PR 99". This machine was never designed to be domestic or to be in a living room. It was exclusively called "Revox" and it was highly successful!

The PR 99 is the affordable "Studer". It was the bridge between the domestic B 77 and the professional Studer machine. The sales of the PR 99 among the professional circles were really amazing! Three versions were made: MK i, MK ii and MK iii. The MK i and the MK ii, besides the auto locator, are almost the same machine. The MK iii looks different because the bottom panel is gray color and the buttons are plastic. They wanted to give this last version a more "pro console" look, hence the new buttons (they were cheaper, too!). That's all. There's not a significant difference between the ii and iii and built wise has the same frame and construction. People don't understand that many of the so called revisions are in fact looking for improvements and mainly for lowering the production cost as well. That's the case of the MK iii.

The 99' came with a metal 19" rack capability, on a cart or in a flight case with speakers for live recording applications. This last version is rare and I have only seen one. It's not of my personal liking as it's bulky, heavy and I wouldn't listen to my recordings through those shitty speakers anyway. The only value I see is from the collector's point of view and nothing else. On the other hand, those with the butterfly heads are more valuable and scarce. From the sonic point of view, it's not better sounding than its 77' cousins and some people insists that the addition of the balanced transformers for the XLR connectors made it worst than better. I don't care as I find both very pleasant and neutral sounding. There's not a significant difference, if any, in sound. That's for sure. Most of the time it just need somebody, from somewhere to say something, and others start repeating the same shit over and over again until soon enough a urban myth is created! 90% of the time people keep saying the same gossip without even hear or confirm it by themselves. That's the usual case in Audio. The other is when Mr. John Doe look at the design and says: "Oh!, there're balanced transformers on the output,so it has to sound bad!", without hearing the machine first. By that time, a prejudice is created and in no time the rest of the world keeps repeating the same shit as well. Period.

Above is my MK iii at my studio.

The latest B 77's were built in Regensdorf at a rate of 175 units daily when the production was in full blast and were branded as "Studer". Many features from the A 77 were still in function in the B 77 and PR 99 as well. The A 77 replaced the now legendary 36 series and came in response to the Japanese market penetration. The A 77 is cataloged as one of the most important reel to reel decks in audio history and no discussion about tape recording in the 70's could be complete without the venerable A 77. Guido Besimo was in charge of the project. Hans Foletti and Herbert Romagna were in charge of the mechanics, Ernst Mathys designed the function control board, the capstan motor was from the genius of Artur Stosberg and the group's leader himself, Besimo, designed the audio circuit. The thing is that this A 77 audio circuit became the ReVox trademark for years to come and it was later used, without significant revisions, on the B 77 and PR 99 ! That's what I call a genuine cornerstone!

The real genius of Studer has been to implement professional quality products in domestic models. As a matter of fact: many A 77 and B 77 were constantly used in professional studios and radio stations. Here in Puerto Rico, Radio Oro, kept using their A 77's array for over 30 years when they were finally retired to receive the new digital era. This same story has been repeated over and over again around the globe. I'm sorry but I don't think any model from Japanese brands could ever make the same allegation. I'm not saying those are bad machines. No. That's not what I mean, but there's an imminent truth in all this and that's the fact that ReVox were ahead of its time by far, as the actual longevity and parts availability testifies. You can still order brand new parts for your Revoxes. They were on another league. Revox products were aimed at domestic markets, but most of their machines were used in professional applications. That's how good they are and how much appreciation and acceptance were given by the professionals around the world.

Another subject to consider is that, if we take into consideration that perhaps just one model from any Japanese brands were sold in bigger numbers than all the B 77's combined, how many of those still survives today against the Swiss gem? The A-77 and A 700 are still getting refurbished to this date by audiophiles around the world, even after 40 years! Perhaps that's why Studer-Revox products are among the most restored audio components in this hobby and fetching the highest prices in the second hand market. As a matter of fact: many of these machines has been sold for more of what their original prices were 30 years ago!

The last B 77 MK ii and PR 99 MK iii left the manufacturing plant in 1997.

Using the machine

The actual use of ReVox machines is usually easy and straight forward. The thread of the tape is fast and intuitive, and besides the Crown machines that still the easiest one, these are no brainers either. Once you calibrate the machine to an specific tape formula, the results are going to be spectacular. They take high levels without distortion. The tape handling could be better and some Japanese counterparts excels in this department, but that's why the professional versions were developed: Studer. The PR 99 handling is better due to the addition of the second damping pin which helps in the stability of the tape path and reduce tape slag on high speed starts.

Both machines are compact and not extremely heavy. Both could be 19" rack mounted with the proper cage or used in a cart if you have the needed adapters. Sound wise they are the same but be aware that the 99' comes in high speed versions only and 1/2 track format. You will also need to know that when operating the 99' on domestic applications, you'll need XLR to RCA cables or XLR to RCA adapters. Some mods has been made in the aftermarket and the XLR connectors has been successfully replaced by RCA's. The B 77, on the other hand, comes in many versions including high speed and 1/2 track without the burdens of using special wires or adapters. I believe the 99' has more status than the 77' due to its direct relationship with the pro arena and because many 99' has been modified and improved, like the SONORUS version, for the new high speed, pre-recorded tape market fever. Also, it is less common to see a 99' in a living room than a 77', giving more status to the user.

Speaking about the looks, the B 77 is one of the least obtrusive open reel decks you could ever have. Considered as the Manfred Meinzer epitome in design, the B 77 is humble in its simplistic looks. If you compared it next to a Technics 1500, for example, it looks like a mosquito but all comparison ends when you hit the "Play" button. For service, the neat and modular approach of the Revox decks makes life easier to the service technician. Since many of these machines were mainly used in radio stations the boards are easily replaced, as well as many other key parts. Not so with other machines. Have you seen the interior of a Teac 2000 or even the already mentioned Technics? Not a walk in the park, believe me. This simplistic approach and the option of been easily serviced on the field was pioneered, in a certain way, by the people of CROWN, who designed their rugged and industrial looking machines to be used under miserable conditions, hence you could service it in minutes! I have yet to find an open reel deck where you can change the capstan belt in 10 seconds without even removing an screw! That's CROWN for you, ladies and gentlemen. Revox followed this step but with a most refined and modern technology.

Conclussion

At the end of the 60's, the competition in the open reel department were fierce and intensive. The Japanese invasion were pushing the Americans and Europeans hard enough as to stimulate further developments in the tape recording technology. Revox was forced to come out with the revolutionary A 77 in order to replace the already old looking and venerable G 36. The evolution into the A 77 took the world by surprise and revolutionized the market with the first domestic machine, full of professional features and built. Now you could have a pro working reel to reel machine at home without paying the pro' price. That's why the A 77 is so important in the history of reel to reel decks. The audio circuit designed by the genius of Besimo, were so ahead of its time that it was continued in the B 77 and PR 99 with minor revisions. That's over 30 years folks!

Everybody has its favorite brand and during the open reel revolution many machines were developed, but most of it has disappeared and very few still in use today. I can mention CROWN as one of the oldest designs that still going strong and singing today even after 45 years old, and Studer-ReVox, of course, where even the G 36 model still pops up from time to time at the auction websites. Who can ask for more? I mean; a restored PR 99 MK iii still fetch over $3,000 in the used market! Yeah, I know, that price is ridiculous and I wouldn't pay that sum for a 99', but still! In the same league of obscene prices comes the Nagra and Stellavox as well. The thing is that it's more a kind of status than the machine and sound itself because I have heard many machines, including the venerable and super expensive Nagra "T", and the differences in sound are personal and mostly subjective. It's more the status, brand following and cult than performance. I mean, have you seen those little Nagras specifically developed for film sound on the field, now selling for Hi Fi applications? At the level these machines are, all of them sound simply spectacular! But of course, it's not the same when you say, "I have a Nagra" than "I have a Sony", if you know what I mean...

As Olgiati and Bologna says in their ReVox book: "...with a few exceptions, the great masterpieces of ReVox and Studer are restorable and rebuildable to perfection, demonstrating the robustness of their design and their superior build quality and concept".

As simple as that.

Carlitos Guzmán

Bibliography:

Evolution of the Audio Recorder by Van Praag, 1997

ReVox: Reel to Reel recorders 1949 - 1993 by Luca Maria Olgiati and Paolo Bologna, 2016

Swiss Sound Magazine - Various Issues