Testimonials
Steve Richards - Washington, West Sussex
"I took delivery of a second hand TEAC A-3440 tape deck this week and wanted to have it checked over professionally to make sure that it was functioning correctly and to get it calibrated for my choice of tape. I contacted Vintagetech near Guildford as they were only about 25 miles away and spoke to Stephen Bennett who was extremely helpful and suggested that I drop it into him the following day so that he could take a look. Stephen gave it a thorough check-over, set up the head geometry and proceeded to carry out a full calibration of the record and playback levels using an impressive set of test equipment.
Stephen discovered several minor issues that needed some attention, explaining each stage of the remedies to me in detail as I was keen to learn from the experience. I came away 2 hours later with a fully functional tape deck and all at a very reasonable cost.
I cannot recommend Vintagetech highly enough for their depth of knowledge, professionalism, attention to detail and sensible charge"
Tim Rawlins - Oakham, Rutland
"I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Stephen from Vintagetech and have him service and recondition my 2 machines.
My TEAC X10R had a service and calibration and now sounds as good as it can, my other machine a TEAC X1000R was imported from the USA and unfortunately suffered damage in transit but Stephen went over and above anything I could have reasonably expected and made it once again the superb machine they are.
I cannot praise both the man and his company highly enough for his extensive knowledge, helpfulness and pride of work – also he is a really nice guy and have no hesitation in highly recommending Stephen – his costs are also very reasonable."
Mike Windus - White House Studios
"I found Stephen Bennett of Vintagetech only by chance while browsing ebay looking for a reel to reel tape recorder.
This has been a god send to me as Vintagetech have a rare skill of having extensive mechanical skills combined with superior electronic skills. This enables them to service all early tape machines such as Revox, Akai and Sony and the much later microprocessor controlled Tascams and Fostex machines. All types of recorders can be serviced.
Stephen is a very knowledgeable man. I have had three machines serviced by him so far and each time he has given me an estimate of the work required prior to work commencing and has taken the time to explain to me what needs to be done and why. This is contrary to my last service company!
I have found Vintagetech rates to be very reasonable and the turn around time has been less than a week and in one case less than a day!
All types of equipment can be serviced including speakers, amplifiers, valve amplifiers record decks etc. I highly recommend Vintagetech"
David Pinnegar - Hammerwood Park
"Stephen's knowledge and experience of what are now vintage machines is unsurpassed.
I've been involved in sound archiving from magnetic tape and have concluded that magnetic tape is the best way of archiving current digital-only recordings. Wishing to make recordings which will be recoverable and of top quality in 30 to 50 years' time I've needed to find the best of machines and to bring them into the best of condition to exacting standards. Stephen is understanding, patient, brilliant and effective. He is cost conscious and his advice is golden"
Jay Goodwin
"Stephen Bennett at Vintagetech offers a cost effective service second to none!
When I took my amplifier in for service, my concerns were immediately alleviated. Stephen took the time to explain exactly what he'd do and why. You can rest assured that you will receive thorough, complete testing and servicing carried out with care, precision, exemplary expertise all in good time. All of my hifi audio equipment will be heading to Vintagetech in the future.
The man is a magician!"
Robin - Hayling Island
"I first encountered Steve on the recommendation of a friend who had an errant B77 that Steve had sorted for him quickly and economically. My own dealings with Steve go back some 5 years and have all been very positive in that any problems I have had with my collection of over 20 Reel to Reels have always been sorted speedily and at a reasonable cost which in some cases has meant obtaining extremely rare electronic and mechanical parts.
Steve has serviced repaired and modified many machines for me including domestic Sony 765, Akai GX-400dD, Teac X-3, X-7 and X-10's, 2 Phillips N4520's, several Revox A77 and B77's and from the semi pro world 3 Otari MX5050's, a couple of Tascam 42, and 55's and 2 Revox C270's. His most impressive job to date has been the complete restoration of a Revox A700 that needed all of the caps and several IC's replacing, including the almost impossible to find Control board ones. He replaced all of the trim pots and the input and output sockets fixed several faults on other parts of the circuit and even made two wooden side panels to replace the original plastic ones which were in very poor condition.
Steve's has an enthusiasm for Reel to Reel machines plus an excellent understanding of electronics, as you would expect from from a guy holding a Degree in the subject, but in addition to that his mechanical skills are excellent which when combined with his very tidy workshop equipped with top flight test gear makes him a very rare engineer indeed. I would recommend Steve to any one with a Reel to Reel machine that needs sorting, repairing or just a bit of TLC without hesitation"
Margaret Matthews - Winchester
"I wanted to repair my husbands Revox A77 as a surprise birthday gift; I'd nearly given up hope in finding someone to fix it when I was given Stephen's name.... I wasn't disappointed. Stephen inspected the machine while I waited and he explained why it wasn't working in clear terms that I could understand (I'm not technical!), cost and time. I decide to go for a full service in addition to the repair. Knowing it was a gift for a certain date Stephen ensured the work was done in good time and to the agreed price. The machine was perfect on collection, clean, sounding wonderful and the best it has looked for a very long time!
Needless to say my husband was delighted and I can't thank Stephen enough for his service, kind consideration & help. An absolute pleasure to deal with and I'd highly recommend. Thank you Stephen!! "