Opinions about the Pioneer RT-707 and RT-909

Back in the `80’s, I was chugging along happily with my A6010 (still have it) although I did take a huge detour into CD (I still enjoy the format – especially with early disc releases). I thought the sun rose and set on Teac. I went over to my best friend’s house to see his new Pioneer setup. Big SX receiver, I think I remember he had some Bose 901’s. But what caught my eye was…. this APPARITION!!. It was an RT-909. I asked him, “what planet did THAT come from? I was utterly blown away by this box-busting design. He put on a large reel of dubbed Beatles stuff, and the drinking and listening began.

I put my immediate thoughts of the 909 behind as I got on with my “life,” until I “re-entered” the world of RTR a couple of years ago. I purchased both an RT-909 and an RT-707 from Ebay and never looked back. They have performed flawlessly. I like EVERYTHING about them! The elegant Pioneer “silver”, the robust construction, the switchgear and it’s satisfying tactile feedback. And the quality of tapes it makes/plays back is (IMO) first-class – without the need of noise reduction. They were designed to compliment the SPEC-series of matched components – which validates the engineering and “look” of these machines. They stand alone well, however. I have both of mine rack-mounted. I’ve said it many times on this forum, I have YET to find a machine that betters 3.75 ips performance than does the RT-707.

I appreciate pure design, as in form-following-function. I think that the 7/9 deserves kudos in this department.

Others (as above) disagree – and that’s what makes this forum fun! I like other machines too – otherwise I wouldn’t own them! I have an RT-2022 that is a statement machine IMO – I happened to literally stumble upon it on Ebay earlier this year for a fair price – and it came with an extra preamp – so it “looks” like an RT-2044 – someday I’ll find the 4-track stack for it.

My X-2000R I like for its myriad features – and using the DBX type 1 produces great tapes at 7.5 with no discernable background noise.

And I recently acquired a magnificent Crown CX-822 to add to my 2-track lineup. Like the RT-7/9 – the Crown design DNA goes outside the box in construction as well as in the electronics. It makes stunning tapes – and I don’t need to eat up tape at 15 ips, either!

I appreciate most RTR machines for some set of unique qualities that it brings to the table – which is why I’m not anchored to one brand, or one type!

So, now that I’ve rambled (a slow, cold Sunday here), I can heartily endorse both the RT-7XX and RT-9XX Pioneers. Very unique. Very satisfying. And well-done Pioneer – harkens back to a time when the engineers still had their way with product development and design.