Happy fiftieth, Compact Cassette.

[Beosystem10]

30/08/63 was the very day when Philips' then-new Compact Cassette format was released commercially.

Imagine how different our boxes would all be if Grundig's C100 format cassettes (image attached showing one of mine) had won the struggle for supremacy. Technically superior, Grundig machines ran at 2ips, the medium was thicker and tapes came as DC90s through 120 and 180 right up to DC240 and even now, dynamic range from this rudimentary, monaural portable is greater than that available from Compact Cassette and would remain so, at least while better 70μs Compact Cassette tapes came along.

I feel for poor old Max Grundig; why were technically inferior formats in both audio and video adopted as the default when Grundig's C100 and V2000 (the latter ironically developed in conjunction with his old rival Philips) were so much more durable and efficient? Maybe the fact that Grundig - back when the brand wasn't a generic name found on supermarket brand Vestel equipment - wasn't quite as cheap as others didn't help?

 

[Northerner]

Never even heard of the grundig version!

I suppose with every new type of recording media there's a battle...HD-DVD against bluray etc

Well happy birthday (albeit a few days late) to the compact cassette, glad its still here

 

[AE_Stereo]

Belated Happy Birthday to the Compact Cassette. The very reason for the existence of this forum (as well as the s2g)!

Grundig made many wonderful machines, but never knew that they made a compact cassette.
As you mentioned, same fate as that of Sony's Betamax video format, which was superior to JVC's VHS.

 

[restocat]

For the next traveling tape, when it gets to Ira's turn, we can send him this one instead
just to see the reaction. on the outside box we can put: 'warning: contents may expand due to humidity'

 

[Beosystem10]

For the next traveling tape, when it gets to Ira's turn, we can send him this one instead
just to see the reaction. on the outside box we can put: 'warning: contents may expand due to humidity'

Yeah, maybe if the last tape hadn't gone missing in action! The DC-90 in the photo is actually worth around four or five times as much as the TDK MA90 in the comparison image, this in spite of demand being limited. A DC-180, mint in its original case and unopened, sold for €300 at a specialist sale in Germany back in May, so I wish I had one of those to open up and use.

Imagine how big the GF-777 would have been if this format had won the battle to become the world standard for cassette tapes!

It was probably Grundig's early '60s build quality that drove up the relative cost and lost the format its chance of fame on a global scale, the machine has a separate battery tray that pops out when a slider on the back is pushed along, it then takes six D cells and even without those inside, it weighs almost a stone - 12Lb 4oz to be exact - as a result of its massively over-engineered Nickel Silver and aluminium chassis. The speaker is a smaller version of the elliptical, two-way unit found in Grundig Satellit multiband radio sets of the period, its magnet is shielded in the manner of a TV speaker and they didn't skimp on the lead!

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

Imagine how big the GF-777 would have been if this format had won the battle to become the world standard for cassette tapes!

That is exactly what I was thinking while reading this. The size of the Conion C100F or the J1 would be even bigger!

There is a piece of me that wishes Grundig would have won the battle

That's a real fine example you have there, very cool....thanks for sharing, I never knew any of this...

and to Grundig's tape!

 

[Beosystem10]

Glad to be of use. Grundig's format is actually slightly older (by about three months).

The birthday shout was for Philips' Compact Cassette format, the one that we all know and love.

There's only one box in my house that isn't dwarfed by the larger, Grundig tape:

 

[AE_Stereo]

Glad to be of use. Grundig's format is actually slightly older (by about three months).

The birthday shout was for Philips' Compact Cassette format, the one that we all know and love.

There's only one box in my house that isn't dwarfed by the larger, Grundig tape:

What is it? 4 channel surround system, before invention of Dolby Digital?

 

[blu_fuz]

Looks just a bit big to be "pocket sized"

 

[devol-toni]

Imagine how will our boomboxes looks with this compact cassette ancestor from RCA Victor which was introduced in 1958



Look at this promo video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94dMr9B1Sj0

and this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE0-dLPKcvk

 

[Beosystem10]

Oh no! That's yet another bit of forgotten old tech that I must now find! Just when I think that I've collected sufficient different examples of weird electronic stuff, along comes someone to tempt me with more. I guess that I could clear out some of my spare "just in case" Betamax and Philips VCRs.