Will cassette tapes ever come back? If so our units will become priceless!
- Thread starter BoomboxLover48
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JustCruisin
Member (SA)
Northerner
Boomus Fidelis
Terry
Member (SA)
No.
Not in a million years.
I love cassettes as much as anybody, in fact I have about 2000 that I would never part with, but until Apple make an iphone with a cassette slot it aint ever gunna happen.
Digital has won simply because it's more convenient, sound quality doesn't even come into it because consumers will never chose quality over convenience.
Those of us that still listen to cassettes are a niche market, a niche market so small that no company will ever bother with.
Sad, but that's the reality.
Not in a million years.
I love cassettes as much as anybody, in fact I have about 2000 that I would never part with, but until Apple make an iphone with a cassette slot it aint ever gunna happen.
Digital has won simply because it's more convenient, sound quality doesn't even come into it because consumers will never chose quality over convenience.
Those of us that still listen to cassettes are a niche market, a niche market so small that no company will ever bother with.
Sad, but that's the reality.
Beosystem10
Member (SA)
New stock are just as good as those old ones and cheaper too. OK, so they look split new - because they are so - and anyone can see that they're not the classic styles from the 1970s/'80s/'90s but when these old ones fetch such crazy prices on eBay, why not use what's available?TW5 said:
I can't tell any difference in the sound quality between the classic (for example) SA (Ds are also available split new for those without T2 capability) and the same product from the height of build quality at the top of the 1980s. Main difference is that the new ones are so much less expensive to buy because people have it in their heads that they can't be as good.
I get quite a few from these:
http://www.tapecity.co.uk/acatalog/Audio_Cassettes.html
and their stuff is only new, no old stock, no pre-owned, no factory returns, just new and very sensibly priced. Their "unbranded" T2 and T4 stock is wound up in-house and the quality is fantastic for those of us who can live without the brand label.
Lasonic TRC-920
Moderator
"Music fans said bye bye to tangled tape and poor audio quality"
DUDE....I know this is suppose to make cassettes seem all warm and fuzzy, but I'm genuinely offended by that comment WTF?
DUDE....I know this is suppose to make cassettes seem all warm and fuzzy, but I'm genuinely offended by that comment WTF?
I think the problem a lot of people had with tapes was the poor quality decks they were using. A nice, serviced deck playing a good quality tape will always sound better than MP3. All you miss is the convenience of fast track selection etc.Lasonic TRC-920 said:
Long live analogue, long live the cassette tape!
James....
Lasonic TRC-920
Moderator
The guy they were interviewing made some really good points and one is, that cassettes do age and sometimes improve with age. Tape hiss has never been an issue for me. Yes, I want it minimised, But with a little volume knob, that fades away!
Lasonic TRC-920
Moderator
Interesting point Robb.Robb said:
As of late, I have been listening mostly to streaming music or cassette with less and less mp3. No CD, Vinyl, reel to reel or 8 track.
However, I have had some interest in reel to reel and I do own a few 8 track players.
trippy1313
Member (SA)
I really need to get my decks working nice.... Had no idea cassettes are really that good. Even though I buy every one I like that I see.... I mostly use the radio and.... sorry.... my ipod...
The ipod is purely convenience, I agree with that... Although, 95% of the music on my ipod comes from CD's I actually own, and convert on the highest rating Itunes will do.
The ipod is purely convenience, I agree with that... Although, 95% of the music on my ipod comes from CD's I actually own, and convert on the highest rating Itunes will do.
Tape decks can sound good but many don't - old age, lack of maintenance etc would be the main causes I would think. Although some of the cheapo decks in some boxes sounded truly awful right out of the box!
James...
James...
sorry but i'm with terry,i haven't had any cassettes for a long time,but i spotted some the other day,so i bought them,all original ones so i thought they would be cool,when i tested them out they all sounded poor,even borderline untolerable compared to the quality of my boxes with my mp3 player plugged in,and so much more convenient than cassettes.
Cpl-Chronic
Member (SA)
I just bought a DENON 3-head deck, a few weeks back & am waiting for the free time to fill all of the Chrome GOLD REEL CLEER 90's I got a while back.....should be fun to make some mixed tapes like back in the day...I think it was a Tuesday...
Cpl
Cpl
Beosystem10
Member (SA)
I have this deck, owned by a local studio manager until recently, when it was replaced by FLAC equipment after thirty five years. (Click on the image for a detailed look):
Being ex-studio gear, it's been maintained on a cost no object basis so the heads are as good as new, the pinch rollers are both as new, every single function works perfectly and all this for £25! It records without stopping if you set it to run in the reverse direction after it's filled the first side, the r/p head doesn't rotate like those in cheaper auto-reverse machines, instead it's a four track head so azimuth can be set accurately for both directions without any compromise and frankly, this thing produces the most stable and consistent recordings this side of the Revox machine I sold when I discovered the cost of a new head for it, complete with plinth and motor, not available separately.
If the VUs on the Hitachi hadn't faded through standing around under the intense lighting of its original home, this thing could be mint but the point is really that this is the device that proves beyond doubt that cassette tapes are very much a valid medium these days. Many local bands' material has been transcribed to vinyl using SA-X tape source from this very deck and carrying it to the car from the first floor office it lived in - when there was no lift and the handrails on the stair were too far apart for me to hold both - would have been pretty much impossible had the seller of the deck not carried it down the stair for me, he was mobile and had a full collection of fully operating limbs yet even he struggled with the weight of this thing under his arm. Decent tape technology has never been cheaper!
Being ex-studio gear, it's been maintained on a cost no object basis so the heads are as good as new, the pinch rollers are both as new, every single function works perfectly and all this for £25! It records without stopping if you set it to run in the reverse direction after it's filled the first side, the r/p head doesn't rotate like those in cheaper auto-reverse machines, instead it's a four track head so azimuth can be set accurately for both directions without any compromise and frankly, this thing produces the most stable and consistent recordings this side of the Revox machine I sold when I discovered the cost of a new head for it, complete with plinth and motor, not available separately.
If the VUs on the Hitachi hadn't faded through standing around under the intense lighting of its original home, this thing could be mint but the point is really that this is the device that proves beyond doubt that cassette tapes are very much a valid medium these days. Many local bands' material has been transcribed to vinyl using SA-X tape source from this very deck and carrying it to the car from the first floor office it lived in - when there was no lift and the handrails on the stair were too far apart for me to hold both - would have been pretty much impossible had the seller of the deck not carried it down the stair for me, he was mobile and had a full collection of fully operating limbs yet even he struggled with the weight of this thing under his arm. Decent tape technology has never been cheaper!
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