Metal Type IV versus Chrome Type II Cassette Tape

[perryinva]

Thank you. And actually, that is an old signature. I'd have to recheck, but I think I'm up to 28 or 29 different Naks now, with many duplicates of my favorites. I service & restore them, and run them for a while to vette out any issues before I sell them. Of note, I added a 1000zxl from a member here, but I am still working on it, and likely will be for a while. There is very little more helpful when working on a deck than to have an identical fully restored functional one right next to it!

 

[Lapis]

I suppose you have to really define what 'better' really means. If talking a TOTL TDK TYPE 2, such as SA-XS over BOTL TYPE 4, like MA, they have their own 'better' definition.

 

[Ultralyd]

I suppose you have to really define what 'better' really means. If talking a TOTL TDK TYPE 2, such as SA-XS over BOTL TYPE 4, like MA, they have their own 'better' definition.

Is it a problem to understand that "better" in audio world means more true to what is reprodued?

 

[RobHolt]

Is it a problem to understand that "better" in audio world means more true to what is reprodued?

With audio there's technically better (as in most true to source), and subjectively better (as in 'I prefer it').
The two often don't match

 

[Ricktptman]

Type IV kills type II in nearly every way that's significant, but the two leading categories are MOL and lower distortion. The best type II can do pretty fairly well, but there is still serious compression and distortion above about +4dB or so in average input level. Newer machines made headway in helping the lesser tapes compare, but Type IV had more headroom, lower noise floor and in general better overall performance and in any of the classic Audio magazine comparisons (Roberson, et al) The best Type II's were in the '80's (100 point scale) and the "average" Type IV's were a solid six to eight points higher. MA-XG's (and interestingly, in one of the last ones-Fuji) were even higher than that. I never found Fujis at local points of sale, so I have to take that particular Audio magazine shootout on faith.....