favourite cassettes

[seoirse2002]

Hi All,
Pulled out my old Aiwa and its running fine,so Ive decided to make some recordings...not for any technical reasons,just to enjoy some vinyl to tape sounds in the garden.
I know there is a lot of tape fans,so what cassettes do you use?
Im afraid tech talk will go right over my head but I would just like opinions on good quality blank tapes to buy...nothing massively expensive....metal chrome,normal?
Finally,if I decide to get rid of the aiwa(rewind is slow) good reasonably priced used deck to buy?
Your humble opinions please?
Ta
GT

[sparrow]

TDK SA -90's are the best new tapes you can buy..in fact I think they are the only decent ones out there new.

[seoirse2002]

Thanks John,
Yes,I always liked them,so I have some
Anyone else got any faves?
GT

[seoirse2002]

Any thoughts on a good cassette deck £50-£100?
Ive been looking at so many on the bay:mental: my mind is boggled

[Macca]

May not be the best SQ for £100 but it has to be the sexiest:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/B-O-BANG-AND-OLUFSEN-BEOCORD-6000-NR-MINT-/260635325305?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Compact_Shelf_Ster eos&hash=item3caf137379

[Beechwoods]

To be honest George, the best tape for your machine may be different to the best tape for someone else; it does depend on how your machine has been biased and calibrated. Which model Aiwa do you have? Does it have an auto-calibration option?

I have always liked Maxell XL-II and their bigger brothers XL-IIS. I have found myself that when properly calibrated, these tapes sound just as good as esoteric Metals.

For general use, and at 99p each, the modern TDK SA90's are worth checking out.

[Beechwoods]

Any thoughts on a good cassette deck £50-£100?
Ive been looking at so many on the bay:mental: my mind is boggled

Sony did some good ones with Dolby-S and HX-Pro. These may now be available within your budget.

[seoirse2002]

Its an AD-F770....old I know...also just remembered I have a Denon DRM-700 in the loft along with Denon Amp and CD(must get around to selling them)
I seem to remember the Denon was good

[Beechwoods]

I used a later AD-F450 for years and it made some very nice recordings, and very nice tape to digital transfers before I upgraded to a Nak.

The 770 has all the right things - Auto Bias Calibration, Auto Equalizer Calibration, Auto Level Calibration, Bias Fine Tune - to ensure you make the most of any tape you put in for recording. Just make sure you follow the record calibration instructions before you start a recording and you should be good to go.

[seoirse2002]

Thanks Nick,
Seems to be a lot of Naks knocking around on the bay....any recommendations?

[jostber]

http://stason.org/TULARC/entertainment/audio/general/14-22-What-is-the-best-cassette-tape.html

[Spectral Morn]

Best S/D deck in and around your budget (imho/e) would be the Yamaha 580 SE. Made from new only up until 6 years ago and very good. While the standard deck is not quite as good as the SE they are both good and I have seen them for about £50 to £100ish.


Regards D S D L

[Beechwoods]

Good call Neil. Naks that are around that price band are very unlikely to be performing properly if they are the more desirable models, and the later decks from the 90's are likely to be outclassed by some of the top end machines by other manufacturers which have become unfairly ignored since.

I must admit though that £100-150 is a more realistic entry point for a good value good performer.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Technics RS-BX606 or 404.
3 heads & dirt cheap with superb recording capability.

[Rare Bird]

Nakamaich '582' used to love mine..

[seoirse2002]

Best S/D deck in and around your budget (imho/e) would be the Yamaha 580 SE. Made from new only up until 6 years ago and very good. While the standard deck is not quite as good as the SE they are both good and I have seen them for about £50 to £100ish.


Regards D S D L

Hi Neil,
Thanks for that...Ive just snapped up this:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221008690090?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2 Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp4712.m570 .l1313%26_nkw%3D221008690090%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1
Bargain on what?....I wasnt even looking...it just seemed to pop up!
Thanks for all the help,I guess I can now delete all my saved items,but have to say,I was willing to pay more,but with 2 of you recommending it,guess I cant go too far wrong...thanks again guys!
GT

[Beechwoods]

You did very well there!

[Rare Bird]

The Yamaha 'K850' from the early 80's was a nice machine, you don't see many...

[seoirse2002]

Ill let you know when I get it...
GT

[Rare Bird]

I was refering to 'K850' not 'KX580'

[seoirse2002]

Yamaha cassette deck arrived....looks virtually unused with no fingermarks or tell-tale wear spots on the controls....and I can't see any wear at all on the heads....looking forward to a bit of recording over the weekend and for curiousity a comparison with my aiwa...thanks for the suggestions...Im tempted to pull out my old sony tc730 open reel as well!!
GT

[Spectral Morn]

Nice one. Indeed a real bargain :eek: :)

I apologise I missed the continuation of and outcome of this thread. I see you are recording SA tapes on it.

There was a remote available for it as well. As its recent you may well still be able to get one.

Enjoy.

[Rare Bird]

Anyone see a minto Yammi K850, id be intrested

http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o534/ELPFAN1/850.jpg

[Marco]

Oh, I like that! :stalks:

Marco.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Phwoooar!

[Rare Bird]

Aye very nice just like their CD-1 CDP & T-2 Tuner was :eyebrows: