December 2022 - Article - Diapason Magazine n°717
ANALOG AUDIO DESIGN - TP-1000
A year ago we told you about Christophe Martinez's project consisting in designing and manufacturing a open reel tape recorder from a blank sheet of paper (cf. no. 704). A crazy project requiring mastery of precision mechanics, servomotor problems - torque, tension, speed - as well as the design of the control electronics and preamplifiers with a x1000 amplification factor at the output of the read head. More than one engineer would have given up climbing such a Himalaya; not Christophe Martinez.
The development and manufacture of the TP-1000, a magnificent machine from both the kinematics and the electronics’ point of view, took him four years. The result, we were able to judge during a listening session at the Acoustic Gallery in Paris, is quite simply astounding. Having in mind numerous experiments with Studer, Revox, Teac-Tascam or Digitec Schlumberger machines, we have never noticed such silence, such precision in the management of the tape's movement. Never have we listened to a tape from a master in such silence, with a feeling of unlimited bandwidth and dynamics. When asked about these aspects, Christophe Martinez can talk for hours about the pitfalls of using modern motors not designed for this purpose and programming the control electronics. But also ...
December 2022 - Article - Classica Magazine n°248
ANALOG AUDIO DESIGN - TP-1000
It seems like a dive into the past or a slightly offbeat tribute to yesterday's technology. Presenting a tape recorder in 2022, in the age of the smartphone, connected objects and wireless headphones, may seem totally detached from reality. However, the small company Analog Audio Design, based in Pleumeur-Bodou, in the Côtes-d'Armor region, has taken up the challenge. Its TP-1000, a top-of-the-range model that includes three motors and three heads, works on two tracks at two speeds: 19 cm/s and 38 cm/s. While the unit may look old-fashioned, the technology is modern, as evidenced by a large, easy-to-read digital touchscreen display. An RJ45 Ethernet socket allows remote control and software updates. The TP-1000 is equipped with a 6.35mm headphone output and front panel volume control and is available in two versions. The "Gold Edition" features a solid aluminium finish.
LISTEN
It was with a mixture of curiosity and, let's admit it, some scepticism that we went to Acoustic Gallery, rue Gounod, in Paris, where the TP-1000 was presented in the presence of its designer Christophe Martinez. The price of the device and of the recorded tapes (between 250 € and 600 €) reserves this type of listening ...
October 2022 - Benchmark - Haute Fidélité Magazine n°259
For the love of analog
Analog Audio Design is the crazy project of a passionate man, Christophe Martinez, who decided to design a tape recorder without concession, and to manufacture it entirely in Pleumeur-Bodou in Brittany, cradle of French telecommunications. It is necessary to have listened to this device once, to discover the superiority of a full analogical restitution, which sets things straight.
After 4 years of development, the TP-1000 GE is a piece of incomparable mechanical precision, combined with the designer's expertise in electronics. The TP (Tape Player) is a simple analogue tape player at 38.1 cm/s or 19.05 cm/s, but a recording model is in the making, reference TR-1000 (Tape Recorder). The tape market is booming, following a certain craze for Reel to Reel. This can be seen on the website recordingthemasters.com, which manufactures blank magnetic tapes, based on the original BASF and AGFA specifications. This site also lists the major tape labels, such as Analog Productions, Tone-Pearls, UltraAnalogue, BallFingers, Foné, etc. A new analogue medium opens up with the TP-1000. It is certainly not the cheapest, but of very high ...