Yo, when I'm looking at all these boxes I notice that alot of you guys have cassettes in them with huge ass reels on them. What the hell are those tapes? And which tapes are best for playback in a box? Basically this is a quick cassette tape tutorial. You all know you sh*t here, so where else to inquire. (It's amazing how much I learned since finding that GF-777z.)

You are referring to the so-called "reels" "reel to reel"

You can find them on ebay or in the forum.

There are numerous brands out there and the most known one might be the Teac Sound - Series reels.

You may contact kittmaster..He has a big big load of reels in different colours..maybe you can buy some?

they sure look cool in the boxes

They dont look like they hold much information on them however.

They hold the same amount as any regular tape... I bought a few back in the late 80's and had to throw 'em away 'cause they sounded like sh*t. I think those tapes are mostly for show and not for high quality recording or playback. But then again, maybe I bought some low grade tapes (they sure were expensive tho).

Interesting. On sight alone they look like the reels are so huge and that there's only little tape on it. So this brings me to another question. What is a high end tape?

well maybe swaping the tape inside for good tape as long as the case has the the five screws to remove the inards

quote:

Originally posted by PeterSobieski:
Interesting. On sight alone they look like the reels are so huge and that there's only little tape on it. So this brings me to another question. What is a high end tape?

I could be wrong about this 'cause it's been a very long time since I've seen some in person... The actual tape is hidden behind the reels. If you remove the reels, the tape looks like any other cassette with a clear casing.

Mostly, metal bias and some chrome bias tapes are high end tapes to use for recording. Those kinda tapes were fairly expensive back in the day, but now, the prices are even more ridiculous due to availabity or lack thereof!

quote:

Originally posted by ramon:
well maybe swaping the tape inside for good tape as long as the case has the the five screws to remove the inards

If the tapes were basically made for show, with that.

I don't own any of the good TEAC brand reel tapes, but I hear that the chrome version of those are very good. That being said, they frequently go for $50~$75 a piece on ebay. No way I'm paying for that. They made those in all kinds of sizes (C60, C-90 or sure) and they are very sought-after tapes by collectors. Yes, there are people to collect tapes.

Personally, I have some of the REEL CLEER C-60 tapes in various colors that I bought as "window dressing" to play in my boomboxes. There was a flood of these on eBay recently and these were less than $10 for a two pack. They are normal bias tapes (not as good as chrome or metal) but if you nail the levels properly when recording, they are capable of pretty decent sound quality. I am glad I bought these.



As for what would be considered a high end tape, there are "metal" tapes out there that sell for crazy money and deliver excellent sound. Maxell MX-S, TDK MA-R or MA-XG come immediately to mind. These are no longer made (to my knowledge) and can be very expensive. Personally, I don't think they are worth it. Chomes have always been good enough for me. The best normal bias tapes IMHO are TDK D.

At one point when CDs first came out (I was in the military then and had a saturday to kill) I conducted my own little cassette-test experiment. Using the same tape deck I made numerous identical recordings on a TDK D (normal) Maxell XL-II (chrome) TDK SA (chrome) and a Maxell MX (metal) cassettes to determine what types of tapes I should continue to buy to record CDs. I found that the TDK D tape was pretty good but the jump to the chrome XL-II was noticeably better and not that much more expensive. The Maxell MX was also very good, but I really could not tell an appreciable difference over the cheaper XL-II.

So, bang for the buck, I think the best tapes are either the chrome Maxell XL-IIS, XL-II or TDK SA or SA-X tapes. These are pretty much considered an industry standard and you can't go wrong with those. I think that you'll find that most people on this forum are likely to agree. You may have some that prefer TDK over Maxell and vice versa.

I own well over 200 cassettes and I'd say the mix is about 70% Maxell XL-II or XL-IIS, 20% TDK SA or SA-X and 10% miscellaneous. Back in the day, Maxells sold a bit cheaper and they had "max points" where you could mail in stickers and get gifts, so I ended up buying Maxells whenever I needed tapes. Maxell XL-II tapes still sell in some Wallgreens stores for about $1.50 each and they are all over ebay. I actually bought some last week.

Some of my recordings go back 25 years and still sound outstanding. Then again, I have excellent cassette decks. (A 3-head Onkyo and a Nakamichi RX-303).

Cassette decks are oten calibrated to work best with a specific brand and model of tape, for example Nakamichi decks came from the factory calibrated for Nakamichi brand cassettes, which were nothing more than re-branded TDK SA tapes. At the time when I was doing this testing (back in 1987) I was using a Nakamichi BX-125 tape deck and I found that the Maxells sounded just as good as the TDKs.

Well, that's probably more than you wanted to know... Good luck tape-shopping.

Take care...

JT

experimented via listening to the same CD recording on both a Metal vs. Chrome tape where the recordings were done on the same Nakamichi deck. I and really could not hear what I would consider an appreciable difference.

That was possiblby the most informitive piece of writing on the subject of casette tapes I will ever hear.

Way to go JT - that was awesome to read!

Teac CX-? had several cartridges to match specific tape formulas ...

quote:

That was possiblby the most informitive piece of writing on the subject of casette tapes I will ever hear.

Thanks Peter & A.K., I tend to get long winded in my posts sometimes because I type about 80 words per minute... I'm just glad someone can benefit from that experiement I conducted on a lazy afternoon some 20 years ago when I was too broke to go do anything else because I bought a tapedeck I couldn't really afford at the time. LOL!

Tapes will live on for another 20 years in my house! And its my firm belief that no boombox collection is complete without a good mastering tape deck plugged into the home stereo. So, if you don't have one already, do yourself a favor and get yourself a good tapedeck. Pawnshops are good places to shop, and I've seen good decks go for around $15~$25. Ebay is an obvious place to shop and I've seen good decks go for similar prices, but then you have shipping to deal with and headaches if you get a P.O.S. in the mail.

Here's a good tapedeck reference I found that I pretty much agree with:

Tape Deck Buying Guide

There are some fantastic two-head Nakamichi decks available very cheap on ebay. If you don't go for a Nak, I can vouch for Onkyo 3-head decks. I have one from 1986 (TA-2058) that is very, very good and durable. After about 20 years of use, the belt finally gave out about three months ago and I was able to find a replacement from www.vintageelectronics.com.
Assuming you use a decent deck in good shape, I promise you that a carefully-leveled homemade CD recording onto a Maxell XL-II or TDK SA tape will sound better than any pre-recorded tape you can buy. Out of my 200+ tapes, there are only maybe 3 or 4 prerecorded tapes. Most of my tapes are recorded from Album or CD. Pre-recorded tapes are a total rip-off IMHO.

Later,

jt

Outstanding reading. Thanks!

Where do you guys get quality tapes for cheap? I scouring the internet as we speak and found some things. Just wanted to see where you guys score the cheaper stuff.

Cheap Flamed Out Tapes (no Covers)

More Blanks No Designs No Boxes

Most of my quality tapes have come from Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other thrift stores. Once in a while, you can actually find Metal type cassettes.

Thats fine and all, but I mean where do you find them online. The internet has got to be the best place for convience and quality control due to not having to actually leave the house to search thrifts stores, flea markets etc etc.

i have some i can sell you man. your in nyc right.

Peter, I guess the real question is how much are you willing to pay for a decent tape?

Personally, I'd rather record over a used Maxell XL-II or TDK SA than use any of the tape in your links. With that in mind, here are some auctions that I think are worth a closer look:

20 XL-II

5 pack of new XL-II - $12 (shipping incl)

80 new XL-II

78! XL-IIs C-60s

16 new TDK D's $20

Also, I've seen XL-IIs at Wallgreens for 2 for $3, which is a great deal. However, not all Walgreens sell them. Some Walmarts, Circuit City & Best Buy stores still have cassettes, too.

Best of luck,

jt

You might want to take Sinister up on his offer...

If you want to do online but want to stay away from ebay, here's a potentially good source for you:

$1.25 per XL-II c-90...

If you end up going this route, buy enough to make the 6 lb. UPS ground shipping cost worthwile...

If a tape is a chrome tape, whats the difference between the links i found and say the MAxwell XL-II chrome? I'm guessing its like say....a generic prescription. Sure Brand name drug prescription costs this much, but the generic will do the exact same but cost a fraction of said brand name drug. I hope that analogy made any sense.

quote:

If a tape is a chrome tape, whats the difference between the links i found and say the MAxwell XL-II chrome? I'm guessing its like say....a generic prescription. Sure Brand name drug prescription costs this much, but the generic will do the exact same but cost a fraction of said brand name drug. I hope that analogy made any sense.

Analogy makes sense, but I don't think that holds true for tapes. There were huge variances in the quality from one manufacturer to another, and even if you looked within the same manufacturers' product lineups back in the day when tapes were the norm, there were often several different levels of offerings of chrome tapes. The XL-II and TDK SA tapes became the industry standards because they have consistently proven to be predictably good and were the most widely available, thanks to good distribution.

Also, the tapes housing can also be a determining factor in quality. If you hold an XL-II in one hand and a 90-minute prerecorded tape in the other, you can feel the difference in quality. The sturdier the tape casing and the tighter the tolerances of the innards, the better it will typically track across the head (azimuth) and perform consistently.

I have tried Scotch, BASF, Agfa, Raks, Thats, Denon, Fuji and many others... and while some come pretty close in performance, the Maxells were still always the easiest for me to find when I was out buying tapes.

If fact, considering that most cassette manufacturers have moved on to other products, the XL-II still being readily available should be a testament to its enduring quality.

Your best bet would be to get a small quantity of XL-IIs and then pick up some used tapes from a Goodwill store or flea market and do some comparisons yourself... Maybe you'll find that cheaper tapes are good enough for you...?

quote:

Originally posted by Kid Sensation!:
You are referring to the so-called "reels" "reel to reel"

You can find them on ebay or in the forum.

There are numerous brands out there and the most known one might be the Teac Sound - Series reels.

You may contact kittmaster..He has a big big load of reels in different colours..maybe you can buy some?

they sure look cool in the boxes

Yes i still have a few hundred of the reels hangin around here......

Teac's cassettes were made by Hitachi Maxell.

The normal/high/metal bias corresponded with Maxell UD/XLII/MX.

Cassette tapes sold today are pretty mediocre. Neither Maxell nor TDK actually makes tape anymore so they get it from Korea or China and put in their shells.

Older stock Maxells and TDKs are much better.

XLIIs from 10 years ago are noticably better sounding than the ones sold today.

quote:

I tend to get long winded in my posts sometimes because I type about 80 words per minute...

gee i wish i could type 40 words per minute like Used to be able to do ,,, but now with only ( 9 ) fingers maybe 20 words per minute or less the ( L , O '.' ) now all slow me down because of that finger lost in that Plate Shear Machine back in 1988 ... sigh ... James

quote:

Older stock Maxells and TDKs are much better.

XLIIs from 10 years ago are noticably better sounding than the ones sold today.

That explains why some of the older stock ones are going for more on eBay vs. the new kind. Most of the Maxells I have date back to 15 years ago. To be fair though, the new ones don't sound bad. Now I'll need to conduct another version of my tape test to compare old maxell vs. new.