Anyone still into audio casettes?

DaytimeDreamer

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I had a look after reading this thread on how much does a Sony WM-D6C sell on ebay and I almost went bald. 150 to 300+ pounds...
 

norton9478

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I have some NOS XLII's. I buy this shit because I don't know. I'm a pack rat.

I thought that there was one that was better than XLII's.

What about UDR tapes? Were they any good? Or were they only good for recording from CD?
 

ki_atsushi

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What are the best blank casette tapes (that were available in the US)?

I pick op new XLII tapes when I see them sealed.

I know that there are some better tapes out there I just don't know what to look for.

I buy Sony CD-IT tapes in lots when I can find them for under $3 a pop shipped. They sound fantastic. But you have to make sure your recorder can record chrome tapes (a.k.a.high bias, a.k.a position high).

You can't go wrong with TDK's either.

Honestly the quality of your recorder will have much more of an impact on recording quality. Might as well use the cheapest tapes you can find if you're recording on a cheap unit.


I had a look after reading this thread on how much does a Sony WM-D6C sell on ebay and I almost went bald. 150 to 300+ pounds...

Yep, not cheap! Holy shit does it sound excellent though, tape noise is very well controlled to begin with, then you add Dolby C noise reduction on top of that and it's seriously hard to tell you're not listening to a CD sometimes. If you have a good collection of tapes this thing is well worth the asking price. I got mine for a good deal, but I didn't even have to search long for it.
 
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ki_atsushi

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By the way, don't worry about tapes that are branded for CD-recording, it's just hype that is supposed to mean a better quality tape.

I got some TDK CD Bass 120's about a week ago and it turns out they are type I normal position tapes, which surprised me. But they sound great!
 

DaytimeDreamer

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By the way, don't worry about tapes that are branded for CD-recording, it's just hype that is supposed to mean a better quality tape.

I got some TDK CD Bass 120's about a week ago and it turns out they are type I normal position tapes, which surprised me. But they sound great!

Good to know, thanks. If a good deal turns up I'll be probably be going for one. I got a lot of stuff on tape from when I was a kid.
 

Tripredacus

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Kiel

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some jams in there
 

ki_atsushi

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Sweet collection man! :buttrock:

I've noticed a lot of artists on bandcamp are offering their music on tapes for a little extra money. I bought one album this way, but I just left the tape sealed and used my fiio X3 to record the songs on another tape with my D6C, lol.

Diggin' the warm fuzzy sound, especially for electronic and punk music.
 

NERDtendo

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I have a couple ghettoblasters in my gameroom...





and I own only 1 cassette tape right now...

 

Tripredacus

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I currently can't listen to tapes because I need to get my deck fixed... or find another one. Too many projects really, I don't know when I'll get around to it.
 

xsq

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Shame we're parted by an ocean - I just got another Technics deck... for free... :lolz:
 

Tripredacus

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Well I see decks all the time, but I'm in that state where they are still cheap enough to let slide. In the case I can easily fix the problem mine has. But with all the hobbies and projects I keep myself busy with, it is just another one I have been putting off.
 

NeoSneth

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I somehow landed on this video on YT. This guy gives a great breakdown on the different types of Tapes, sound quality, and production. This is stuff I never knew even when i had tapes.
It also turns out the main production facility for tapes is just a few hours away from me.

 

ki_atsushi

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If you clicked on the Sony HAP-S1 review I posted in the A/V thread, that might be why this video showed up in your feed. It's the same guy.

He does great reviews on old audio hardware.

I'd love to get my hands on some metal tapes, but they're too expensive. CrO2 are good enough, especially when you record with Dolby NR.
 

Tripredacus

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So I see sealed blank cassettes often, are you saying I should be buying those?
 

NeoSneth

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So I see sealed blank cassettes often, are you saying I should be buying those?

Watch the video. it tells you which tapes are worth getting for recording.
Ostensibly, Chromium or Metal tapes are best.
 

Electric Grave

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I used to tape trade a lot when I was a kid. Learned how to cut tapes so they are the same length as the original tapes. I still have my Metal music tapes from back in the day, used to draw them logos by hand, I was way into it, got really good at recording with high end equipment, man those were the days...
 

Tripredacus

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Well after watching that video, I get an idea that maybe I should look at getting a better deck than trying to fix the problem mine has. Here is an old picture of mine:

7910945572_81cf4a7edf_c.jpg
 

ki_atsushi

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So I see sealed blank cassettes often, are you saying I should be buying those?

If you can get them for under $2 a pop shipped, I'd say go for it! Usually a box of 10 nets you the best price per tape.


Well after watching that video, I get an idea that maybe I should look at getting a better deck than trying to fix the problem mine has. Here is an old picture of mine:

What's wrong with it?
 
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Electric Grave

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Them digital tape decks are awesome, I have a couple. I like how you can search song per song but I have noticed that the digitals always end up fucking up, I dunno if it's the buttons or what...

Edit: Trips likes the Black Album...lol.
 

ki_atsushi

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I used to tape trade a lot when I was a kid. Learned how to cut tapes so they are the same length as the original tapes. I still have my Metal music tapes from back in the day, used to draw them logos by hand, I was way into it, got really good at recording with high end equipment, man those were the days...

:buttrock:

Dude, is it easy to cut tapes down? Can you just put the end right back in the spool, or are there any other things I need to be aware of?

I've been trying to buy different length tapes and fill them up as best I can so that I don't waste any, but it's hard.
 

tacoguy

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My last car which was a honda civic had a tape deck on it.
I had about a dozen or so tapes in regular rotation but once I sold my car about 2 years ago all my cassettes left with it.
They still have a store nearby where I live that sell cassettes and even vinyls but I never see anything good.
Don't even know why I look since I no longer own a cassette player.
 
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