Boom boom boom, come back to my room....Cassette Archaeology!

Dolby HX Pro from 1984

 

High Fidelity 1984

 

High Fidelity 1984, an interesting read on many points, but the part where the author couldn't make his own cassettes sound as good as prerecorded is very interesting, too bad they don't go into that more. It looks like 1983 was the year cassettes oversold vinyl by 10%!

 

Audiophile Cassettes from 1981, it's an interesting read on the equipment used for these. It also answers the above questions of what tape deck did Crispin Cioe have, an AIWA M-250. While $17 doesn't seem like to much today, it was big money back then, albums were around $7 USD and blank cassettes were around $2 USD.

 

High Fidelity 1981, Dobly C

 

Some interesting nuggets from 1977 Playboy Magazine with both equipment and tape information.

 

TDK RS, from 1979

 

They do a great job with those mooks, with cassettes getting popular again it's the perfect time to be releasing them. If you haven't seen this thread yet, there's more, feel free to add anything you find.
https://stereo2go.com/forums/threads/books-and-magazines-with-audio-equipment.7087/

 

Electronics Australia 1988

 

I'll have to look for more Dr. Fukuzo Itoh Information. The compact cassette movement was so huge with tapes, decks and technology growing constantly. Vinyl and turntables didn't have anywhere near the same advances.

 

Love me some Maxells

 

Maxell from 1988

 

From our friend over on X, unfortunately this is all we get but it looks like a really cool metal cased Maxell from 1989.

 

I remember that Imation (a division of 3M) had bought TDK years ago, here's some more information from 2007, at the time Imation also owned Memorex.
https://www.tdk.com/en/news_center/press/aah21400.html


News Center | Press Releases
Imation and TDK Agree to Imation's Acquisition of TDK Brand Recording Media Business for $300 Million in Stock and Cash


Information contained in the news releases are current as of the date of the press announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.

Imation and TDK Agree to Imation's Acquisition of TDK Brand Recording Media Business for $300 Million in Stock and Cash
TDK to Take Approximately 17% Ownership Stake in Imation Seat on Imation Board of Directors Transaction Expected To Close in Calendar 3rd Quarter 2007

April 19, 2007

Imation Corp. (NYSE:IMN) and TDK (NYSE:TDK) announced today that they have reached a definitive agreement under which Imation will acquire TDK brand world wide recording media business and use of the TDK brand name for recording media products, for $300 million in a combination of Imation common stock and cash with potential for payment of up to an additional $70 million based on future financial performance of the acquired business. TDK will retain its R&D, manufacturing and OEM business. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the transaction.

Highlights of the proposed transaction include the following:

• Imation will acquire TDK brand recording media business and use of TDK brand name for current and future recording media products including magnetic tape, optical media, flash media and accessories.
• At closing, TDK will receive approximately $280 million in Imation common stock, representing approximately 17 percent of shares outstanding, and $20 million in cash subject to certain conditions. This transaction will make TDK the largest shareholder of Imation and TDK will have the right to nominate a representative to serve on the Imation Board of Directors. By agreement, TDK's ownership stake will not exceed 22 percent of Imation common stock on a fully diluted basis.
• TDK brand recording media business operates globally, with major operations in Europe, Japan, the United States, and Asia. A number of TDK brand recording media employees are expected to transfer to Imation upon close. The transaction is expected to close in the third calendar quarter of 2007, subject to customary closing conditions.
• TDK will continue R&D and manufacturing operations for recording media products including audio, video and data storage tape, and Blu-ray optical discs. TDK will supply Imation as well as its other OEM customers.
• The transaction includes a Supply Agreement providing uninterrupted and continuing supply of TDK brand products to the market.
  

Frank Russomanno, Imation president and CEO said: "With this transaction Imation expands our portfolio of brands and builds on our four pillars of storage. Imation is bringing the well known TDK brand into our growing portfolio of strong consumer brands as well as adding the highly respected TDK brand recording media products to our commercial and consumer product portfolio."

"We continue to build on our solid legacy, our global footprint, broad product portfolio, deep technology capability and global distribution, where we have operational and strategic synergies. Imation and TDK have established the foundation for a long-term strategic relationship that potentially allows the two companies to collaborate in other areas of mutual interest and benefit," Russomanno concluded.

Takehiro Kamigama, TDK President said: "Powerful brands are important as consumers trust their critical information to these products. TDK and Imation can develop an ideal cooperation by complementing each others strengths in terms of regions, product and technology. The combination of the powerful TDK brand and the global brand and product management capabilities of Imation is the right strategy to take full advantage of these trends, compete effectively, meet evolving market demand and profitably grow the business."

"In this era of 'digital convergence'-- where communication technologies become more powerful and the Internet is ubiquitous -- recordable media products which meet the demand for capacity, convenience and mobility must anticipate the emerging needs of consumers to enable them to 'live the digital lifestyle.' This transaction positions the TDK brand to continue to meet consumers' needs into the future," Kamigama concluded.

About Imation Corp.
Imation Corp. is the only company in the world solely focused on the development, manufacture and supply of removable data storage products spanning the four pillars of magnetic, optical, flash and removable hard disk storage. With more than 50 years of data storage leadership beginning with the development of the world's first computer tape, Imation proudly marked its tenth anniversary as an independent company during 2006. In addition to the Imation brand, Imation Corp.'s global brand portfolio includes the Memorex brand, one of the most widely recognized names in the consumer electronics industry, famous for the slogan, "Is it live or is it Memorex?" Additional information about Imation is available at

or by calling 1-888-466-3456. Imation, the Imation logo, Memorex, and "Is it live or is it Memorex?" are trademarks of Imation Corp. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

 

Interesting to see they aquired Hutchinson Technology in 2017, they developed one of the first read/write heads for hard drives. Seagate had a falling out with them 10-15 years ago and the business went down but I don't know much more. Here's a history chart from the TDK Website.
https://www.tdk.com/en/about_tdk/our_history/index.html

 

Scotch from 1978

 

I can't read it but it looks interesting, from 1975, Radio Bulletin Magazine, Amsterdam