Revox. Ampex. Tandberg. Akai. Teac. Five companies that built the machines that recorded most of the second half of the twentieth century — and not one of them still makes reel-to-reel tape decks.
The Revox A77 sold over 450,000 units between 1967 and 1977. Ampex Model 200 serial numbers 1 and 2 were used to record Bing Crosby’s radio show in 1948. Les Paul modified one and invented multitrack recording within a year. Akai’s GX glass crystal head was guaranteed for 100,000 hours of continuous use — more than eleven years of nonstop playback.
In 2026, the format is technically extinct. There is also an active global community of audiophiles, professional restorers, and master-tape labels who refuse to let it die. Blank tape still costs $30 a reel. Pristine Revox A77s sell for over $2,000. And once you have heard properly aligned 15 inch-per-second tape playback, the rest of recorded music starts to sound thin.