Jump to content

Is there a cassette tape resurgence?


Recommended Posts



  • 3 months later...

I recently dragged my Sansui direct drive D-350M cassette deck out of storage. Not used for maybe 20 years. After a clean of the heads etc, and de-glazing of the spool hubs, it is working great.

However my more recent Kenwood KX-W4080 auto reverse double cassette deck did not fare so well, It has mains hum, and the record/play transport will ff or rewind but not play. Has had very little use.

Free to anybody interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just bought an Onkyo TA-6310 on eBay because our old Sansui D-300M is too hard to start. Once it's warmed up, it works fine, but that takes a lot of warming up and play/stop actions. This new (old) Onkyo has Dolby S and I'll be interested to see what happens if I make some recordings with it. We have a stack of tapes we hardly play, but for $60 I decided to give it a whirl!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still use my trusty Akai GXC-709D.  To my ears the tape sounds almost as good as the Reel to Reel (GX-77)  using the same vinyl recording.  My only gripe is that this unit did not have auto reverse!  The late '70s had some excellent units taking cassette into unheard of realms.  Then we got CD.   :unsure:

 

 

post-141647-0-86518800-1455426860_thumb.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • 11 months later...

While doing some garage clean-up yesterday I dragged out my old cassette deck on connected it to the "shed system" for a lark. Grabbed some of my pre-recorded tapes to play, the first couple sounded how I expected, fairly dull and dreadful. Then I whacked in "Paul McCartney Unplugged" that I think I bought in Singapore in 1991. Sounded amazing, probably due to being a great recording and the tape was unlikely to have spent anytime in the car.

 

I slightly regret binning all my home taping cassettes about 5 years ago, not so much for the content, but that the cassettes could have been re-used by someone into cassettes today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Some bands release initially on tape or even four track, even later world famous bands such as Rage Against the Machine. People say the tape demo of their first album is better than the CD or vinyl release. But, cassette tape has had its day, and I see no need for it.  Unless we're talking proper sized tapes its a pass from me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Roumelio. said:

Some bands release initially on tape or even four track, even later world famous bands such as Rage Against the Machine. People say the tape demo of their first album is better than the CD or vinyl release. But, cassette tape has had its day, and I see no need for it.  Unless we're talking proper sized tapes its a pass from me.

Agree. I'm not going back there though I still have all my tapes. I don't really have a proper machine to play them on just a cheapy portable. Next there will be a CD revival! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although I have a Nakamitchi sitting in my rack ATM, other than for nostagia sake it will never become a regular playback medium for me again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • 2 months later...


  • 1 month later...

Never quite as good as Reel to Reel - best deck I had was a beautiful Nakamichi 600 in silver - it is in mint condition and has been donated to a friend who likes retro.

On NEW USES: I was talking to a recording DJ artist who uses cassette decks in some of his mixes to degrade the sound

...so there you go

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know there is one factory in the states knocking out hundreds of tape a day. I'm sure I read just the other day another factory is starting up.

 

I've only been into the Pi music server for a few years. I can't see myself ever going back regardless of retro or SQ. I have no player but lots of tapes of course.

 

Then will new players come out?

Edited by mwhouston
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know there is one factory in the states knocking out hundreds of tape a day. I'm sure I read just the other day another factory is starting up.
 
I've only been into the Pi music server for a few years. I can't see myself ever going back regardless of retro or SQ. I have no player but lots of tapes of course.
 
Then will new players come out?
Who knows ...they started making turntables in a big way again
....so why not cassette decks.... Hard to imagine as U can justify the vinyl resurgence and maybe just reel to reel (if it was not so expensive)....

Cassettes give hipsters a hands on item that they can reproduce onto slowly as opposed to copying a file. Fits in with slow cold filtered coffee well.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Toyboyo said:

Who knows ...they started making turntables in a big way again
....so why not cassette decks.... Hard to imagine as U can justify the vinyl resurgence and maybe just reel to reel (if it was not so expensive)....

Cassettes give hipsters a hands on item that they can reproduce onto slowly as opposed to copying a file. Fits in with slow cold filtered coffee well.

Why not cassettes?

Because they are useless crap that  were never intended for music replay. They were invented for recording of dictation in the old days of typewriters.

Bloody hipsters FOS the lot of them.

Edited by rantan
Link to comment
Share on other sites



7 minutes ago, swervyn said:

But none of them look anything like turntables how I remember them.

 

Really?

 

What did they look like to you. I've been around for a year or two and except for gratuitously stupid 6 figure price tag, high end tables that nobody buys ,they look much the same as ever

Edited by rantan
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, rantan said:

Why not cassettes?

Because they are useless crap that  were never intended for music replay. They were invented for recording of dictation in the old days of typewriters.

Bloody hipsters FOS the lot of them.

 

Great to know. Dumb question to ask.... I thought that Studio sent tape to other countries to create Vinyl back then... If that case, is the tape studio used much different to Cassette Tape in terms of sound quality?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Great to know. Dumb question to ask.... I thought that Studio sent tape to other countries to create Vinyl back then... If that case, is the tape studio used much different to Cassette Tape in terms of sound quality?  

Really asking? Speed of recording masters ie 15 or 30 ips whereas cassettes are what? 1.875 ips. And the the size of track ie tape masters are half track on 0.5 inch wide tape not itsy bitsy cassette which has track width of 0.6mm (excuse various size formats).

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
Really?
 
What did they look like to you. I've been around for a year or two and except for gratuitously stupid 6 figure price tag, high end tables that nobody buys ,they look much the same as ever
Nice thing about modern turntables is that the materials and technology have improved to make it easier for lower cost turntables to sound good... much better than the equivalent priced turntables of the past.
With cassettes will that be possible? I can see better speed control and maybe heads and tape itself.... probably have to put in a digital stage to improve the sound and make it sound analogue. Lol. Their buyers do not want sq...they want a cassette to insert whilst sipping herbal tea in a cardigan ie it is a look... not for audiophiles.
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...
To Top