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Post by guildx700 on Feb 1, 2020 2:55:30 GMT -5
Anyone have some old cassette recordings of their music that still play and sound great? I have quite a few from decades ago & they still play fine and actually sound amazing at times. I know most folks diss cassettes as crap, but given the best tape, a killer deck, all set up and done right the lowly cassette can turn out some impressive results considering the small tape width and slow speed. My best recordings were/are made with a top of the line cassette deck like the AIWA XKS 9000 with Dolby S, HX Pro using the best metal tape ever, Metal Vertex. Amazing tape & deck, they go for crazy bucks nowadays. i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMTk1/z/HB0AAOSwoPBdTLCN/$_32.JPGwww.walkman-archive.com/wa/2016/12/aiwa-xk-s9000-champagne-the-brands-flagship-deck/I still to this day use my cassette decks sometimes. I have several, all high end in their day and I'm still impressed with them even after using great digital and reel to reel. Granted the bulk of cassette decks were junk, as were many tapes, especially prerecorded, but if you knew your stuff you could record and playback some pretty amazing sounding tapes. I fully expect a lot of negative replies, but those in the know will get where I'm coming from. |
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Post by Sharkie on Feb 1, 2020 7:47:54 GMT -5
I still have all my cassettes that I recorded from my LPs back in the day. TDK SA-90’s were my go to tapes and I recoded them on a Kenwood KX- 1060 which I bought from a local tech. He modded the deck and claimed it would (at the time) stand up against any Nakamichi.
Thanks for the reminder guildx700; I’ll have to take the deck and tapes out for a run again.
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Post by Duke on Feb 1, 2020 10:52:24 GMT -5
I keep some old band gig cassettes but I've converted them to mp3 files too.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 1, 2020 17:19:17 GMT -5
Yup, for safety's sake I have burned all my important tapes to CD, and because the tape decks I have lift the pressure pad up anyhow, I've removed the pads as they are usually ungluing anyhow.
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Post by windmill on Feb 1, 2020 18:06:43 GMT -5
I still have a couple of hundred casséttes,prerecorded and self recorded tapes, from the days I had an hour long eachway commute.
I have had to buy a plug-in cassette player for my latest car and still have a player at home.
I can't make an objective comment on the sound.
I like the way they sound, it may be that I am used to hearing the songs sound that way.
Some are going 40 years old, one is almost 50 tears old but that one doesnt sound good these days.
I dont intend to get rid of them.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 1, 2020 20:57:30 GMT -5
FWIW....I obtained an original, still sealed cassette of Electric Ladyland about 10 years ago.
Now, I also have a few original issue sealed LP's, several imports and reissues, as well as original & the latest greatest CD versions as well as the newest LP releases. Yeah...I'm a fanatic on that album for sure.
That being said, the best digital I've heard of it is a blu spec CD, the best vinyl, one of the original sealed that I opened and on first play burned to cd.
But much to my surprise, when I finally opened that cassette and played it, it blew my socks off.
Now granted the high end was a bit soft, but the mids (where most of the music's energy is) were simply amazing, making the listening experience a "WOW" thing for me. That cassette is actually my go to if I want to really chill to Electric Ladyland.
If I had to guess before experiencing it I would've never, ever figured that cassette would trump all others I have of that amazing LP.
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69tele
Halfnote
Rockin the Rock !
Posts: 91
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Post by 69tele on Feb 4, 2020 10:05:46 GMT -5
I also retain cassettes , both pre-recorded stuff and originals i used to record on my trusty Teac 144 4 -track back in the day mainly for school work , friends garage bands etc...
I still have a full hifi setup with an 80s JVC double deck, 70s JVC turntable , marrantz amp and wharfdale speakers.
Do Tapes sound great... ?? to my ears they dont to be honest, too much hiss and a lot of tapes have deteriorated and warble and flutter.
Also the linear thing of having to rewind and fast forward to find songs is tiresome.
I do think back to that period fondly though as it was a lot simpler and in a way more creative to record onto a 4-track rather than the systems we have now.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 4, 2020 23:23:40 GMT -5
I also retain cassettes , both pre-recorded stuff and originals i used to record on my trusty Teac 144 4 -track back in the day mainly for school work , friends garage bands etc... I still have a full hifi setup with an 80s JVC double deck, 70s JVC turntable , marrantz amp and wharfdale speakers. Do Tapes sound great... ?? to my ears they dont to be honest, too much hiss and a lot of tapes have deteriorated and warble and flutter. Also the linear thing of having to rewind and fast forward to find songs is tiresome. I do think back to that period fondly though as it was a lot simpler and in a way more creative to record onto a 4-track rather than the systems we have now. My first good deck in the late 1970's was a JVC KD 85, made some great tapes on that thing. |
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Post by NoSoapRadio on Feb 5, 2020 13:54:42 GMT -5
I have four Nakamichi decks -- a CR-7A, CR-5A, and two CR-3As. Plus a Sony and an NAD deck that I never listen to. Keeping them all working is a labor of love. I can change belts and idlers but any deeper than that I send them out to a specialty shop. If I'm honest it's more money than it's worth.
I do it because I have hundreds of pre recorded tapes -- most of which I've never bought on LP or CD. I also have years of recordings of a Blues show that was broadcast every Sunday on a local radio station.
I have a couple hundred NOS, sealed Maxell, TDK, Sony, and Denon tapes -- mostly Type IIs, but quite a few Metals of each brand.
I'm not going to pretend that the tapes sound as good as my records -- or even CDs in some cases, but it's a nostalgia thing for me. When I bought a record back then, I'd record it to tape right away to preserve the LP. I had a lot of parties in those days and I never let anyone use the turntables, so everything I played was on tape.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 6, 2020 2:38:13 GMT -5
I don't lie to myself, nor do I consider myself delusional.
But the fact is with hundreds upon hundreds of LP's/CD's and such in my 50+ year of ongoing collection, fact is
within my cassette collection there are many, not just a scant handful mind you, that are my go to version.
Yeah, "common sense" would dictate that simply could not be true given the cassette medium's limitations.
But hey, folks claim LP trumps CD, CD trumps this, blah blah blah...get my drift?
If not, well, one can only assume one is being biased, and there is no answer for someone's bias in this, now is there?
Nuff said.
Continue on.
But I'll let my ears ALWAYS be the final judge.
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Post by NoSoapRadio on Feb 6, 2020 14:17:17 GMT -5
"Yeah, "common sense" would dictate that simply could not be true given the cassette medium's limitations."
As I said, most of the pre recorded tapes I have don't have a CD or LP duplicate in my collection. If I didn't think they sound good I'd buy a copy in another format. I thoroughly enjoy listening cassettes -- when I can keep them and my machines working properly.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 6, 2020 23:50:00 GMT -5
"Yeah, "common sense" would dictate that simply could not be true given the cassette medium's limitations." As I said, most of the pre recorded tapes I have don't have a CD or LP duplicate in my collection. If I didn't think they sound good I'd buy a copy in another format. I thoroughly enjoy listening cassettes -- when I can keep them and my machines working properly. It would be amazing if someone would make a high end cassette deck now, with the latest digital technology for motor drive/tape speed I think W/F could be shockingly low, Dolby S/HX PRO, double tape speed capability, and pure path for analog. I'd also like mic inputs for 1/4" phono jacks along with true balance inputs. I guess the rub would be no one is making a high end blank cassette tape anymore though. I'm shocked what my stash of sealed Metal Vertex are worth! I've got a collection of 10 of what I consider to be some of the best ever cassette decks, a few were bought as NOS about 15 or so years ago when cassette decks prices had hit rock bottom, the rest were bought when sold new back in the day. Pioneer Elite CT 93 & CT91 Aiwa XK-S9000 (A STRONG contender for the world's best ever cassette deck) AIWA AD-S950 TEAC V-8030S & 2030S Onkyo Integra TA 2800 Harman Kardon CD-491 JVC TDV 931 & TDV 1010 |
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Post by NoSoapRadio on Feb 7, 2020 11:06:21 GMT -5
That's a nice stable there.
"It would be amazing if someone would make a high end cassette deck now,"
Who would buy it? I'd be inclined but my CR-7 retailed for $1849 back when it was new -- I wouldn't drop that kind of cash on a deck now. A top of the line deck now would probably top $5000.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 8, 2020 0:17:50 GMT -5
Who would buy it?
I'm not sure, but I certainly would, and considering that high end cassette tapes and TOL deck prices on the used market show serious interest with serious cash being spent, well, it points to a market need possibly.
I think if a really well thought out "super" deck could come in at under $2800 the market would be there.
Smart sourcing, to the point of even seeking out old inventories of key parts as NOS like heads for example and use of overseas labor with proper oversight, (fact is many "high end products" are actually piece mealed together in that manner) it could be pulled off and profitable.
Thing is "TOL" decks back then like Nak's were seriously overpriced, other brands with as good or better performance but without the Nak Studer, Tandberg name were substantially cheaper and just as good or better. I don't think it would have to be a $5,000+ deck to be state of the art.
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Post by NoSoapRadio on Feb 8, 2020 13:51:50 GMT -5
Not much point in debating the fine points -- it's probably not going to happen.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 9, 2020 0:52:15 GMT -5
Agreed!  |
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Post by LesTele on Feb 9, 2020 18:55:15 GMT -5
Never going to buy another cassette deck. I have a high-end Denon from the late eighties that hasn’t been abused. In the mid to late eighties I owned top of the line Walkmans.
I don’t think Walkmen is a word.
I listen to ECM jazz cassettes and some classical music occasionally. It’s probably easier to stream.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 21, 2020 23:14:15 GMT -5
Easier is nice...
Yup....sometimes I just turn on the tuner, be it one of several vintage receivers or my fav FM source, my modded Adcom GFT 555 II.
I like to listen to the local FM station from the high school, WBSD and I really do enjoy it, to a point.
Obviously it's not "critical" listening" where/when I really want the goods delivered.
Then there's times I want to REALLY get more intimate with the music, and more often than not an all analog format does that for me.
I love digital's pluses, but it still leaves me cold too many times.
That horse has already been beat to death.
I just go by what rings my bell, I've played guitar for 45 years.
I've had a decent if not serious stereo for near 50 years.
My main go to is and has been for 45 plus years my Empire 698 turntable bought new in 1974.
Back then it was fitted with an Empire 2000Z cartridge.
These days it sports the best of the Shure line over many years.
I have several of their best offerings I can swap in.
Great, clean all analog vinyl still rings my bell the best.
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Post by guildx700 on Feb 25, 2020 1:13:46 GMT -5
Well well.....digging through stuff yesterday I found a stash of old cassette recordings of
me and a few folks jamming some 40+ years ago.
Anything beyond that in hand would then be reel to reels, then digital and DAT, among other digital formats.
I'm not completely surprised how good this cassette tape sounds, especially after 40 some years.
I had to remove the failing pressure pad but other than that the cassette played very well
in my Harman Kardon CD 491 deck. A well regarded deck in it's day.
No Dolby, no HX Pro. Just a really well done no frills cassette.
Tape used was a Sony metallic. I'll need to burn it to CD next play as a safety stock.
But there is no knocking this tape, it sounds amazingly well considering the facts.
Would another format fared better?
Yes possibly, but then there would be some give and takes from each formats weaknesses & strengths. None are perfect overall.
Considering the simplicity of the recording process for this tape it stands up well against other formats I've used.
Sometimes less truly is more. Go figure.
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Post by LesTele on Mar 15, 2020 18:04:34 GMT -5
Sometimes less truly is more. Go figure. Amen |
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Post by guildx700 on Mar 24, 2020 23:14:57 GMT -5
Dug out another old cassette from the early 1980's.
Pressure pad was falling off so I removed it as most of my main cassette decks do a pressure pad lift anyhow.
Tape was pretty darn cool considering my lack of experience at the time.
I've found that more years of playing/learning does not necessarily correlate to the quality of the end product.
I've got some early recordings of mine with some regular band mates that astound me more than recent works.
Many times in folks careers their first release album is among their best efforts.
Guess being green and hungry for success is a strong motivator.
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Post by jazzguy on Mar 25, 2020 2:09:08 GMT -5
'My main go to is and has been for 45 plus years my Empire 698 turntable bought new in 1974'
my pal has one of those someone gave him and I don't think he's using it anymore, I should try to talk him out of it.
I like my old AR EB101, but this sounds intriguing
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Post by guildx700 on Mar 25, 2020 19:26:08 GMT -5
'My main go to is and has been for 45 plus years my Empire 698 turntable bought new in 1974' my pal has one of those someone gave him and I don't think he's using it anymore, I should try to talk him out of it. I like my old AR EB101, but this sounds intriguing It's a pretty amazingly built machine. |
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gdw3
Halfnote
Insert clever statement here
Posts: 81
Formerly Known As: Gordon
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Post by gdw3 on Mar 27, 2020 15:15:04 GMT -5
Since the wife and I have been "safe-at-home" for a couple weeks now, we've been delving into our record and cassette collections. I haven't heard most of those cassettes in 15+ years! They still sound pretty good, but I'm concerned about the tape deteriorating....
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Post by guildx700 on Mar 27, 2020 18:10:53 GMT -5
Since the wife and I have been "safe-at-home" for a couple weeks now, we've been delving into our record and cassette collections. I haven't heard most of those cassettes in 15+ years! They still sound pretty good, but I'm concerned about the tape deteriorating.... Any that are playable should be digitized ASAP. |
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