Fast forward – and press play again: Cassettes are back

[losenotaminute]

Article (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/fast-forward--and-press-play-again-cassettes-are-back-8588768.html) in the Indie yesterday.

Good job I didn't throw out my tape collection....

[Alex_UK]

Just what we need. :rolleyes:

In fairness, my cassette sources back in the day were probably crap compared to my vinyl (had the 401 nearly 30 years, so I've been spoilt and didn't even know it at the time! :lol:) but cassette never even came close in sound quality. Convenience for the car or the portable was cassette's big advantage, but always a secondary source in my book.

:sofa:

[The Black Adder]

DCC should come back too me thinks... :)

[istari_knight]

I bet 128kbps MP3 recorded onto a Cassette sounds wonderful...

Nah, they were crap back then & still crap now. Just a fad for "cool" teenagers I guess :doh: Whats next ? Wax cylinders !?

[Marco]

In fairness, my cassette sources back in the day were probably crap compared to my vinyl (had the 401 nearly 30 years, so I've been spoilt and didn't even know it at the time! ) but cassette never even came close in sound quality. Convenience for the car or the portable was cassette's big advantage, but always a secondary source in my book.


Lol... You have some learning to do here, my boy! You too, James!! :exactly:

Honestly, you guys wouldn't say that if you heard my Nakamichi replaying NOS TDK and BASF chrome tapes of recordings from my Sony CDP, or vinyl on the Techy. It's almost impossible to tell the difference between the sound of the music played on the source, and the recording! :trust:

I know that other owners of quality tape decks will feel the same way.

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

Lol... You have some learning to do here, my boy!

Honestly, you wouldn't say that if you heard my Nakamichi replaying NOS TDK and BASF chrome tapes of recordings from my Sony CDP, or vinyl on the Techy. It's almost impossible to tell the difference between the sound of the music played on the source and the recording! :trust:

I know that other owners of quality tape decks will feel the same way.

Marco.

I know, hence the "sofa" :rfl:

[losenotaminute]

1y515zlrqx0

[Alex_UK]

And anyway, choice between unbearable hiss and snap crackle and pop - thank God MP3 came along!

:sofa: :sofa: :sofa: :sofa: :sofa:

[Mr Kipling]

Article (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/fast-forward--and-press-play-again-cassettes-are-back-8588768.html) in the Indie yesterday.

Good job I didn't throw out my tape collection....

For God's sake don't tell Audio Al. . .

[istari_knight]

I'll take your word for it! ;) I've only heard crap ones so cant comment.

Anyway, true connoisseurs only use valve cassette decks :lol:

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/cameramanlink/CassettePlayer.jpg

[Rare Bird]

Lol... You have some learning to do here, my boy! You too, James!! :exactly:

Honestly, you guys wouldn't say that if you heard my Nakamichi replaying NOS TDK and BASF chrome tapes of recordings from my Sony CDP, or vinyl on the Techy. It's almost impossible to tell the difference between the sound of the music played on the source and the recording! :trust:

I know that other owners of quality tape decks will feel the same way.

Marco.

:thumbsup:

Well my cassette decks sound superb so you & i must be doing something right. :)

[Marco]

And anyway, choice between unbearable hiss and snap crackle and pop - thank God MP3 came along!


Well, your flatulence has always been a problem, and you will insist on eating Rice Crispies! :lol:

Marco.

[losenotaminute]

I would love one of these:

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[Rare Bird]

I would love one of these:



um well i used to own a Tascam '133' although i liked it & of course it played at 1 7/8 ips & 3 3/4 ips my little Nakamichi '500' sounded better to my ears either that or i maybe more deaf than i think :D .. however those bobin VU's are just pure sexy

nOwNMP_oMvs

[Alex_UK]

Now that IS cool! :drool:

[losenotaminute]

It's like the cockpit of the space shuttle!

I definitely want one of those....and I have a spare shelf on my rack....and some tapes that haven't been played for 15 years......bugger, I'm off to Fleabay to have a look.

[Rare Bird]

Now that IS cool! :drool:

I had a pair of Tascam '38' multitrack R+R & a '32' Mastering machine in the studio at the same time :D

G_0l8MxlWMA

YGZxNwgOuio

[losenotaminute]

What do you think?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tascam-professional-tape-deck-133-multi-image-high-end-/230968140449?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Cassette_Tape_Play ers&hash=item35c6c622a1

Not sure about the description, sounds like it may have some issues. Seller has quite a bit of bad feedback so I think I'll keep looking.

[Alex_UK]

Stop it, Andre, you know VU meters give me a stiffy! :rfl:

[Rare Bird]

Stop it, Andre, you know VU meters give me a stiffy! :rfl:

Mate i already have acute case of rigormortis as it is :lol:

[walpurgis]

Nah! Not going there again.

I had some (supposedly) decent cassette decks, but always preferred vinyl by miles (of course).

For the odd rare recordings that I do make, I'll stick with my Pioneer MJ-D707 Minidisc deck. It sounds bloody marvelous!

[Mr Kipling]

Nah! Not going there again.

I had some (supposedly) decent cassette decks, but always preferred vinyl by miles (of course).

For the odd rare recordings that I do make, I'll stick with my Pioneer MJ-D707 Minidisc deck. It sounds bloody marvelous!

I was going to start a thread: Cassette - Or MiniDisc?

Always been a huge fan of minidisc, and less so of cassette.

[Marco]

I think the problem is that most people have never heard cassette done properly, and by that I mean not replaying the dull sounding prerecorded shite on pishanto mass-produced tape on a jobbyfied old radio/cassette player, but high-quality recordings (from your own system) on the best chrome or metal tape on a top-notch tape deck, where the tape used has been optimally matched to the heads on your tape deck (heads aligned correctly), without any dynamics-squashing Dolby NR, and recording levels set at the maximum that the tape will handle before saturation kicks in.

If the non-believers had experienced that, they'd have soon changed their minds! ;)

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

+1

[WOStantonCS100]

The single biggest issue (and the one stuck in most folks minds) are cassette decks with heads that are not aligned (azimuth) the same as the record head, as in prerecorded cassettes. If one owns a Nak Dragon, this is mostly irrelevant as by design the Dragon adjusts azimuth on the fly; problem solved. Even on mid-fi decks, a slight turn of the azimuth screw often equals, "OMG, I had no idea!!!". I recently had a friend over who turned around stunned that the sound he was hearing (Cream: Fresh Cream) was coming from a 2-head auto-reverse Luxman K-110. He almost had a coronary when I furthered showed him it wasn't a recording from an LP or CD; but, an old (cream coloured) prerecorded cassette.

[Marco]

:eyebrows: :eyebrows: :exactly:

Tape decks need setting up correctly, just like a turntable. How many people took the time to do that 'back in the day', I wonder???

Marco.

[losenotaminute]

:eyebrows: :eyebrows: :exactly:

Tape decks need setting up correctly, just like a turntable. How many people took the time to do that 'back in the day', I wonder???

Marco.

Do they suffer from transient phase distortion?

[Rare Bird]

There's plenty on here that suffer from that alright :eyebrows:

[losenotaminute]

There's plenty on here that suffer from that alright :eyebrows:

Over prescribing of anti-biotics is making it much harder to treat....

[Marco]

Do they suffer from transient phase distortion?

Have you been staring at your fizzog in the mirror again? :D

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

fizzog! not heard word that for years

[losenotaminute]

Have you been staring at your fizzog in the mirror again? :D

Marco.

Look at the fizzog on that! I've had better looking shits.

[Mr Kipling]

A course of anti-bollocks in some quarters wouldn't go amiss at times.

[Marco]

Look at the fizzog on that! I've had better looking shits.


I 'pressed out' a prime beef-olive earlier - like a fooking chocolate-coated submarine, it was... The stubborn big bugger took four flushes before it snapped in half and finally sunk!! :eyebrows:

Marco.

[losenotaminute]

A course of anti-bollocks in some quarters wouldn't go amiss at times.

Either that or meateatiation.

[The Black Adder]

I was never lucky enough to experience (properly) professional cassette decks but I'm sure they sound great. With me cassettes were rattly things in the glove box, half chewed with crinky tape and lots of drop-outs...

As for a place in the market for cassettes though I do think that because of the cleansing of the cassette deck could be a step too far for a major come back, although it depends on how cheaply decks can be made for these days.

In a way though I hope they do come back and not DCC... I was only joking about that btw... lol I remember DCC and that was awful. I once had a DAT deck which I loved.

[Audio Al]

:D:D:D... Did someone say Cassettes ...:D:D:D

Good job I have 7 cassette players and 100's of cassettes :eyebrows:

[Mr Kipling]

:D:D:D... Did someone say Cassettes ...:D:D:D

Good job I have 7 cassette players and 100's of cassettes :eyebrows:

Shut Ittttt. . . . .

[Rare Bird]

:D:D:D... Did someone say Cassettes ...:D:D:D

Good job I have 7 cassette players and 100's of cassettes :eyebrows:

;)

[trio leo]

Back in the 80's I was given a demo of a Teac Tascam C3 cassette deck and being a 3 head machine you could switch from source to recording instantly, this was done several times and I was asked what was I listening to, the record or the tape recording?
I got it wrong several times, so I bought the machine, it was very expensive back then, but it was built like a tank and a real pleasure to use,the quality of the music coming from that tape machine was superb, unfortunately I had to sell it, which I regret.
However I still have a Yamaha KX530 cassette deck that I have recently put back into my system so that I can do tapes to play in my classic car.
It's nice to have varied formats to play around with.:)

regards Al

[Rare Bird]

The older Teac machines were a pleasure to use imho.. I enjoyed the 'C3X' & 'A700', great machines..

[RobbieGong]

I just sold my flagship minty Technics RS TR575 for a mere £50 - a lovely sounding machine. Needed the funds for other hifi priorities - I sense I may well regret this one day :rolleyes:

[Rare Bird]

I see some wonderful machines on auction i used to own in the past, they just do not sell, like whats been mentioned before Cassette seems to have got painted black due to ignorance..

I saw a beautiful Akai 'GX570D' machine on auction last month that sold for £15.00, if the smoked grey top control cover hadnt have had a crack in it i would have happily place £100 bid on it.However i doubt a crack would have detered intrested bidders.. :rolleyes:

[Eagle owl]

I still have an Akai GX-95 Reference Master cassette deck which i bought new on 1st November 1990. It's a three head, twin capstan, with Dolby b, c and HX pro and it still sounds marvellous with home made recordings made many moons ago. The only thing not working as it should is the tape calibration system which electronically matches any brand and type of tape to the machine before recording; it still records but i am unable to calibrate. This was a £400.00 deck back in 1990 which was a lot of money to me then but it has given many hours of pleasure and i still use it for playback purposes from time to time.

[guy]

I recently dug out my Yamaha KX580 SE from the loft as I had bought a boxed set of the "Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy" on compact cassette from a local charity store (£5).

Must say I was very pleased with the sound quality - particularly when one considers the age of both the tapes and player.

Mind you Marco, have you seen the prices being asked for metal tapes on e-bay :eek:

I think for convenience (and longevity) I will stick with CD for the car - presently record vinyl (and the occasional radio concert) using a Pioneer PDR 609 CD recorder.

Guy.

[seoirse2002]

Oh Yes..Yamaha KX-580 SE...great machine and used regularly,even got a
one4all remote that works it fine...love it....Also quite fond of my old Denon DRM-700...3 head

[WOStantonCS100]

:o ...somewhat ashamed to admit...

Pioneer CT-F1250 (x2)
Pioneer CT-F900
Pioneer CT-W604RS
Sony TC-KA1ESa (x3)
Sony TC-K615S
Luxman K-110 (x2)

[Audio Al]

:o ...somewhat ashamed to admit...

Pioneer CT-F1250 (x2)
Pioneer CT-F900
Pioneer CT-W604RS
Sony TC-KA1ESa (x3)
Sony TC-K615S
Luxman K-110 (x2)


Well done , hold your head up with pride :D

[hal55]

Back in the 80s I owned a Nak RX202 (see video page 1 this thread)
One of the most vibrantly "alive" components I've ever owned. Knockers of cassette would die if they heard it, I regret selling it now.

Hal55

[Eagle owl]

For those of you with an iterest in tape, here's a forum you may wish to join. http://www.tapeheads.net/

[Alex_UK]

Well, I've just bought a Sony job lot off ebay with a Receiver and Speakers - andthis very handsome looking TC-186SD to go with my Sony Amp (TA-F4A (http://www.zenn.com.sg/Marketplace%20images/Electronics/Sony_TA-F4A_integrated.JPG)) of a similar period.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Sony-Cassette-Deck-Model-TC-186SD-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/Z2wAAOxy14VROefU/$(KGrHqF,!h0FDu-!U+psBROefUTmeg~~60_12.JPG

Will be interesting to play with - don't think it is an especially good deck, albeit it cost $300 new in the US in '76 - but who cares how it sounds - just look at those VU meters! :stalks: ;)

[Audio Al]

Well, I've just bought a Sony job lot off ebay with a Receiver and Speakers - andthis very handsome looking TC-186SD to go with my Sony Amp (TA-F4A (http://www.zenn.com.sg/Marketplace%20images/Electronics/Sony_TA-F4A_integrated.JPG)) of a similar period.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Sony-Cassette-Deck-Model-TC-186SD-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/Z2wAAOxy14VROefU/$(KGrHqF,!h0FDu-!U+psBROefUTmeg~~60_12.JPG

Will be interesting to play with - don't think it is an especially good deck, albeit it cost $300 new in the US in '76 - but who cares how it sounds - just look at those VU meters! :stalks: ;)

Ooo Ooo I am green with envy that would go nice with my Sony tuner

[Marco]

It's not tuner - it's 'choona'! ;)

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

tuna, ya daftee!

[Marco]

Nah - ya hears choons on it, sho...it's a choona, innit? :D

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

Ah, now I understand! :lol:

[Stratmangler]

tuna, ya daftee!

Does that mean it should be thrown over the side of a boat out at sea? :eyebrows:

[Alex_UK]

Or, caught hook, line and sinker? :D

[Barry]

Nah - ya hears choons on it, sho...it's a choona, innit? :D

Marco.

Nah! - it's a "wireless" or a "radio", which with your "gramophone" makes up your "radiogram".

[Rare Bird]

just look at those VU meters! :stalks: ;)



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-TECHNICS-630-STEREO-CASSETTE-DECK-VINTAGE-HI-FI-/251265164889?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Cassette_Tape_Play ers&hash=item3a80922659

VU's :bonk:

[Alex_UK]

hubba bubba!

[Marco]

Give ma bobby a rubba (with a lilac curtain).

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

hubba bubba!

You could use both hands with one of these :eyebrows: very popular in the late 70's



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Teac-A3340-s-reel-to-reel-4-channel-tape-recorder-player-/140966366023?pt=UK_Consumer_VintageAudio_RL&hash=item20d2400b47

VU's :bonk: