I would normally post this to Phono, where all the New Orthophonic experts are, but the main question is about the tape deck output.
So.. My Akai GX77 came back from the shop and I thought I would run it through the tape imput on my RCA SHC-8 console. The sound quality, which is normally great when I use an Ipod, seem tinny and a little odd. I went and ran it through a 15 year old Sony amp/tuner with Bose speakers, and the playback was incredible! Is the difference that big between tape output and the amps, I mean, yes, there is a difference of 35 years, but... ?

Basilio, are you running the deck with the SHC-8's selector switch to mono or stereo? Both the knob on the control panel as well as the switch on the back need to be in stereo. If you have it to mono, it will sound awful, unless you wire it out of phase. It should sound great in stereo. In fact, when I had that unit, I was running a reel to reel through it, an older Akai.

Brain,
I had the switches set (both) to stereo because I use an ipod and laptop. It wasn't like the sound was distorted like an inphase cartridge, it just wasn't as good as on the newer Sony. I just was surprised. I'll try it again this weekend when I drag the Akai upstairs.
Thanks!

Dragged it up last night just for the heck of it. Still same clipped highs and lows. Then I pulled the passive amp that I built for boosting the Ipod imput, and then the sound roared. Doh! Stupid problem solved!

That's because your "passive amp" isn't an amplifier at all, and should not be referred to as one. It is only a transformer, and is wired to step up voltage at the expense of lowering the input impedance seen by the device. So it works great for an iPod which has a low-impedance output built to drive 16-ohm earbuds, but doesn't work for a tape recorder expecting to see a 100k ohm impedance.

An iPod has a power output stage (albeit small), your tape recorder doesn't.

-David

It's strange to me that the reel to reel has output so low that it needs signal mods to play through the RCA amp. My Akai (X1810) is admittedly a few years older than a GX77, but it works on every amp I have, solid state and tube alike. I would have thought that most decks had similar signal output power.

If I understood the post correctly, the tape recorder in fact didn't need the step-up transformer. By getting rid of the transformer the tape recorder worked properly into the RCA Victor amplifier. The transformer was necessary for the iPod, which has a fairly low voltage (but comparatively high power) output.

-David

Yes, I see I misunderstood the post. Looks like it all is working as I would have thought.