swechsler
Frog Whisperer
Huh. Consider me edumacated.
Schurkey
Well-Known Member
I'm not. Apparently, Dolby S came out after I quit caring about prerecorded cassettes.
I remember Dolby B, and HX/HX Pro. I'd heard of Dolby A and C, but with zero experience using them. Dolby S and SR are all-new to me.
I suppose I'll have to look up the Wikipedia page for that...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_noise-reduction_system
My main experience with Dolby (B) was with a Sharp 3388A cassette deck that was severely mis-adjusted for Dolby tracking. I got the service manual, but the Dolby adjustment required equipment I didn't have. Eventually, I just spun potentiometers until it sounded "right". A pre-recorded "Dolby B" cassette would have severe hiss when Dolby wasn't engaged, and all the hiss--but none of the treble--would vanish when the Dolby button was pushed.
That was actually a nice-sounding deck when I was done. Better than the "specs" and reputation would lead me to expect. I still have it, but it hasn't been used in years. I'm sure the belts are "done" by now, and everything would need lube, cleaning, and TLC.
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vwestlife
Super Member
According to articles in Billboard magazine, the first Dolby S-encoded cassettes were released in September 1992 on the BMG Classics and Windham Hill labels. They stated emphatically that this was not a response to the anticipated threat of the new MiniDisc and DCC formats taking over and making analog cassettes obsolete -- suuure!
As of June 1996, over 75 million Dolby S-encoded cassettes had been sold, with over 3000 titles available, mostly from the WEA Group (Warner, Elektra, Atlantic) and RCA/BMG.
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
If Dolby S had been released in 1988 or so, it would have been more popular. And by the way Dolby S tapes need at least Dolby B playback for acceptable sonics. Dolby S was also not offered for all cassette decks, only better ones. Dolby Laboratories had very strict electrical and mechanical performance requirements, and machines had to meet them or do without.
swechsler
Frog Whisperer
I never purchased a prerecorded tape, I instead bought records and then would record them on Maxell XLII tapes for casual listening and automotive use. I had a decent cassette deck (Sony TC-K555) that was made before S and HX pro came out, but it still made great tapes.
vwestlife
Super Member
Dolby S was released in 1989, but nobody paid much attention to it because it was expensive and Dolby B/C was "good enough" -- cassettes were the #1 pre-recorded music format at the time (and the only recordable audio format, as the industry had just totally screwed over DAT) and were selling like hotcakes.
It was only when MiniDisc and DCC were announced in 1992 and proclaimed to be the replacement for analog cassettes that the companies making cassettes and cassette decks started freaking out and dusted off Dolby S as a new feature, which they hoped would prolong the profit-making life of their investment in the format.
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
vwestlife, also Dolby Laboratories learned from Dolby C about tape deck manufacturers getting sloppy on electronic alignment and even azimuth alignment, which also didn't earn Dolby C any favors. Many machines got sold with Dolby C, which barely could meet Dolby B standards after they were serviced by good technicians. Dolby got wise to this when Dolby S was launched. And tightened up on these practices.
DBX... a great noise reduction process.. unfortunately not found on some of the most choice of equipment. If not mistaken, this was the NR that needed a encoder/decoder on both ends.. or is that HXPro
I think all of the better Noise reduction systems needs to be used on both ends ... [Record, and Playback]
dbx, dolby, JVCs sanrs (Super Automatic Noise Reduction System) ..
I guess that deck had alignment issues as dbx is sensitive to alignment. I have a Yamaha KX1200, 2 x KX800 and a K720 and there is NO data pumping issues what so ever. I recorded all genres of music and there simply isnt any issue with data pumping. In my continued experience as I still record and playback cassettes using the machines mentioned, its free of this artifact.
I dont have any dbx encoded LPs so my experience is limited to dbx on my decks. There are threads on this topic but the results are as varied as the listener.
Tapes recorded with Dolby B and C work well on my 4 decks and the high frequency loss isnt nearly as bad as the Toshiba deck I started with. Its quite listenable but still pales in comparison to dbx.
I've recorded all genres of music excluding hip hop and rap and there is no data pumping. My classical collection is almost as big as my primary which is blues. I hear no rolled off highs or data pumping with my decks. Its just not there.
JoeESP9
ESL's & tubes since 83
I wasn't attributing rolled of highs to DBX encoding. It's Dolby that many accuse of rolling off highs. With Dolby I hear a lack of hiss. There are three cassette decks among my gear (Nak LX5, ZX-7, Teac V-7010). They rarely get much use anymore. However, they are nice eye candy.
Regardless, I hear pumping with a lot of DBX encoded music.
FWIW: Music on cassette or RtR tape being analog is usually not called data.
Regardless, I hear pumping with a lot of DBX encoded music.
FWIW: Music on cassette or RtR tape being analog is usually not called data.
jackwoz
What Noisy Cats Are We...
I'm using a 3bx and a 200 route selector every day, and a 5bx cd player sometimes when I'm feeling spunky.
I started with a dbx118 back in '76 and have always had some kind of expander/compresser in the audio loop.
Plus you get moving lights to boot, what more could you want??
I started with a dbx118 back in '76 and have always had some kind of expander/compresser in the audio loop.
Plus you get moving lights to boot, what more could you want??
