Revox B215

The Revox B215 cassette deck was the successor to the legendary Revox B710 and, like that device, was way ahead of its time. This was despite Revox being very late in bringing a cassette recorder to market. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why. This allowed Revox to utilize all the technological possibilities available up to that point. For a long time, it was considered one of the absolute benchmarks in the cassette recorder field and remains absolutely top-notch today. The qualities of this device were achieved through numerous technical refinements and innovations, but also through long experience with tape machines. Revox knew the importance of stable and precise tape guidance!

The Revox B215 had what was then known as a "The big hit:" described as ultra-modern "Revox calibration computer" with an integrated tone generator with three frequencies: 400 Hz for the level, 4 kHz for the equalization (EQ), and 17 kHz for the bias or pre-magnetization, which occurs at 105 kHz. Both channels are measured and adjusted separately. Within 20 seconds, the settings for recording volume, equalization, and pre-magnetization are determined using six different measurements, and the data is stored in one of the six memory locations. In addition to manual control, fully automatic control and recording were also possible using peak level measurement and holding. This concept stands for sound quality that is unsurpassed at Revox.

Recording quality depends largely on the level control. The Revox B215 features a precise level meter that allows for extremely precise level adjustment! The scaling and resolution exactly match the display of its predecessor, the Revox B710 MKII. On the Revox B710, the evaluation is performed via 24 op-amps configured as comparators. On the Revox B215, both evaluation and display are handled by one of the three processors. In terms of visibility, the Revox B710, with its LED display, has a clear advantage.

The digital counter displays the elapsed playing time in minutes and seconds. Even if a new cassette is inserted and not rewound to the beginning, the processor's counter calculates the time already played after a short period of playback.

The first Revox B215s are now 40 years old! Dry sintered bearings irreparably damage the sound motors and the chassis that house the bearings. We advise all owners to oil the bearings with appropriate sintered bearing oil.