My first was the Tandberg 3321X:-
Not being able to afford a Revox or Ferrograph I went for the Tandberg. The sound quality was about equal, though. The Cross-field head gave excellent noise figures and the unit was cheaper due to the mechanical transport control and the smaller 7" reels - I researched this a
lot before buying it. Half-track stereo - of course.
My first cassette was the Nakamichi 550 (1978 I think):-
(I could not afford a cassette
and a Uher, so I bought the best portable cassette on the market).
I upgraded the open-reel to the Teac A3321-2T, modified to IEC EQ (1979 maybe):-
And was one of the very first into digital recording with the Sony PCM-F1 system in 1982:-
(and it
still looks good).
DAT era - my first was the HHB 1 Pro portable "brick":-
I then soon went for a pair of Fostex D-10:-
(you could do pretty accurate edits with a pair of these as they had a buffer memory and instant start with one unit controlling the other in the editing mode) I think these retailed for over £2,000 each in the early 1990's when I bought them, equivalent to about 3-months wages at the time - I still can't fathom how I managed to afford them!
I then added a 24-bit DAT (Tascam DA-45HR, running the tape at double speed):-
24/96 - and I then went for the first 24-bit portable, the Fostex FR-2:-
This was upgraded a few years ago and I now use the Nagra VI:-
Click on the thumbnail to see the full sized pictureThis last picture is my actual rig, complete with a pair of Neumann DMI-2P digital microphone interfaces.
And I still have all these recorders, with the exception of the Fostex FR-2, which I sold when I upgraded to the Nagra VI.
Phew!