I have been an audiophile my entire life and this is the last and the very best of my personal reel to reel collection. In perfect operating condition this machine was one of three MX-5050 BII machines that were originally in use at our pro-studio. After our studio closed, we selected the best of the three (this machine) for home use. The head assembly was sent to AMP Services in Wellington FL (see below) and the heads were re-lapped. Since that time it has only seen limited home use and the heads are still in’as new’ condition with almost zero wear on the tape guides. The unit is super quiet and the transport controls function flawlessly as does the tape counter and VU meters, all the’telltale’ lights and VU lamps are working as they should. Serial number 18590149 dates this unit to 1985 and cosmetically it’s a 9.0 or 9.5 out of 10. All of the major capacitors on the main power board were replaced, (I have the originals as proof), switches and pots were cleaned and the heads were demagnetized and the azimuth/alignment was checked and adjusted using Standard Reference Lab (SRL) test tapes and an oscilloscope for both 2 track and 4 track playback and the 2 track record alignment was also checked and adjusted. All pots and switches were cleaned with Deoxit and lubricated with fader lube and it was biased for Maxell UD 35-180 tape. However, these machines are easily re-biased for any tape as the bias and EQ adjustments, along with the recording level to the tape can be adjusted on the front panel with a small screwdriver. This allows you to set these adjustments to the specific brand of tape you are using. Consequently, most standard NAB adapters will fit, and no more fiddling with those awkward Otari NAB hubs and you no longer have to worry about your reel falling off in the middle of a recording! Please note that this modification is easily reversible as there was no modification whatsoever to the unit itself. In addition, the rear cover has been modified such that the Hi/Lo speed switch can be accessed without removing the cover – this is a professional modification not a’home hack job’. The MX5050 BII has three direct drive motors, which simplifies the transport significantly. There are no belts to worry about and even the tape counter is digital, so no belt is required for it. This particular machine will accommodate up to 10 ½ inch diameter reels. It is a stereo 2 or 4 track three speed (3 3/4 ips, 7 ½ ips & 15 ips) unit and it would normally be set to record and playback as a 2 track. However, it also has an additional 4 track head that can be selected by an easily accessible switch located on the head assembly so it is capable of playing standard 4 track tapes. Considered to be one of the best of the Otari professional reel to reel machines, with low wow and flutter ratings of. 0.06% at 15 ips and 0.08% at 7.5 ips and 0.12% at 3 ¾ ips. I encourage you to check out the online reviews. Accessories Included in the sale. Otari 10 ½ inch take-up reel, 2 Teac NAB hub adapters, 4 studio quality input and output cables (XLR to RCA), Original factory instruction manual (printed). Service manual (CD) and power cord. NOTE: The input reel of tape shown in the images is NOT included. AMP Services (information from their website). AMP will perform a preliminary check of inductance and DCR on each track and measure the depth of wear on your heads to determine the percentage of life remaining. If warranted, we will then very precisely restore the contour and polish the heads to a mirror finish. Great care is taken to continuously monitor this process, ensuring that the final. 00025 of wear is removed during the polishing process and that no material is removed unnecessarily, thereby maximizing the productivity of each head. After re-lapping, your heads are then mounted on their head assembly and a complete digital/optical alignment is performed with respect to AZIMUTH, ZENITH, TRACK HEIGHT, GUIDE HEIGHT, WRAP and SCRUB.