Hi Ed,
I played the new tapes, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 1, as soon as I got them. I was stunned by how good they were. I expected them to be excellent because the tapes I’ve purchased in the past have been outstanding in terms of performance and sonics. However, these tapes were even better. They had the usual clarity and nuance as before but these had an openness and a naturalness about them that drew me into the music. The instruments also had a beautiful tone that made the subtilties of the music even more evident. I’m guessing that part of the reason for this improvement was the recording chain you are currently using.
I think it also helped that I have a new external all-tube head amp. The new head amp was designed and custom built by Dave Slagle of EMIA. The tape head I have is a Nortronics 9207 that is directly wired to silver-wound, adjustable step-up transformer. The step-up transformer is coupled to a silver-wired head amp. The EQ of the head amp uses a silver-wound choke and a silver capacitor and the output transformer is silver-wound with a 80% nickel core.
Anyway, your tapes were wonderful! Thanks,
JR in Dallas