Playback Sample Rates
Playback sample rates are the digital recording rates a tape machine can reproduce, expressed in kilohertz.
They describe the recordings on tape, rather than an internal oversampling frequency or a converted digital-output rate. Playback support and recording support need not cover exactly the same rates.
Playback Sample Rates — Digital Tape Recorder
A compatible playback rate is necessary to reproduce a tape recorded at that rate. A machine can support a rate for prerecorded tapes without offering it as a recording option. The tape format and any special recording mode must also match; sampling rate alone is not complete compatibility.
Compare the supported playback list with the tape's actual format and mode. Do not substitute the DAC's oversampling multiplier or a sample-rate-converted output specification. A higher supported rate does not improve the information already recorded on a lower-rate tape, and playback capability does not automatically permit recording at that rate.