Technics RS-1500US // Vintage / 2-Track Reel to Reel / Completely Overhauled

The Technics RS-1500US is one of the great open-reel machines of the late ’70s—a rugged, broadcast-grade deck built with the kind of overengineering that made Technics a legend in tape. With its direct-drive, quartz-locked transport, the RS-1500US offers rock-solid speed stability and tape handling that feels impossibly smooth, even decades later. Its half-track record / quarter-track playback format makes it both a mastering tool and a flexible home-listening machine, while the massive 10.5" reel capability and forward-thinking isoloop transport show just how serious Technics was about precision.

Sonically, it delivers everything tape lovers chase: huge dynamics, velvety midrange texture, and that deep, dimensional soundstage only open-reel can pull off. Built like industrial sculpture and engineered to last, the RS-1500US remains one of the most beloved—and bulletproof—consumer/pro decks ever made.

*Metal reels not included

Production

1977-87

Condition

9/10

Serial No.

RI701272

Orig. MSRP

$1500

Restoration

• Replaced counter belts
• Replaced switch knobs
• Replaced brake pads with cork
• Adjusted playback azimuth for both 2 track and 4 track heads
• Adjusted record azimuth
• Verified speeds
• Adjusted record and playback levels
• Deglazed pinch rollers
• Cleaned control contacts
• Cleaned tape path
• Replaced electrolytic capacitors on reel motor driver and tension boards
• Reconditioned wood side panels

Factory Specs

Track system: 2-track, 2-channel, stereo/monaural system

Motor: 2 x reel, 1 x capstan

Reel size: 5 to 10.5 inch reel

Equalization: NAB

Tape speeds: 3 3⁄4  7 1⁄2  15 ips

Wow and flutter: 0.018% (15 ips)

Frequency response: 30Hz to 30kHz (15 ips)

Signal to Noise Ratio: 60dB

Total harmonic distortion: 0.8%

Input: 60mV (line), 0.25mV (mic)

Output: 0.775V (line)

Dimensions: 17.6 × 18 × 10.2 inches

Weight: 56lbs

Stock No.

9221095227613