[pHEnomIC]

Ive seen this a few times in high end audiophile setups, what are the sources that use big reels of film or something like that?
 
Any information on them?

 

[IPodPJ]

Reel to reel?
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reel-to-reel_audio_tape_recording

 

[middachten]

Its indeed also called 'reel to reel'. In various formats (1/8 - 1 inch, 2 track/multi track) used in studios and home setups. 
As far as I know there has never been a distribution of studio recordings on the popular 1/4 stereo format. So, people who still use them have either private live recordings, or recordings from LP's or Radio.
Some recording artists still believe a good tape recorder is the best sounding recording equipment. I've played around a lot with Studer and Revox equipment in the past. They do posses a nice quality when it comes to compression characteristics. But I believe the digital simulations of this effect are often better than the real thing! Besides this these machines are heavily prone to adjustment problems. A tape only sounds great when played back on the same system where it was recorded on. And if this system has been regularly calibrated. 
 
In short, only if you have original live recordings its of any use. Otherwise, it just looks impressive!