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Remember how we said cassettes weren't coming back?

Northwinds said:
One of my last decks was a Atelier Braun C2/3 and it was a great deck. Heavy as hell for a slimline front loader
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They were rare then even if you worked at ADS. I don't think more than one pallet ever came in.

It was absolutely a great deck though. IIRC, it was the last deck Braun designed and the only one w/ Dolby HX Pro. It gave the C4 a run for its money on playback.
 
I see some criticizing cassettes due to frequency bandwidth, whereas I think wow and flutter the more problematic factor. Even some of the better decks lacked the speed stability of a decent TT. That said, I still like cassettes and play one every great while.
 
runnin' said:
And how many metal tapes are out there? Decks that can handle metal tapes? And how about the lousy signal to noise ratio? Going from track 2 to track 12? Tapes breaking or getting bound up in the deck? Let's face it, you've gotta have some other reason to want cassettes these days, and it ain't high fidelity.
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"Fidelity" has far less to do with the hobby than most people would prefer to admit. If you have a bone to pick with cassette's fidelity, you may as well go pick a fight with the vinyl fans as well.
 
Beatnik said:
I stupidly got rid of two printer paper boxes full of classic heavy metal and have since come across a Nakamichi 505. Damn the luck !
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Tweeter, Etc. was a regional hi-fi chain of note in the 80s and ran a TV spot featuring an RX. It was a house party w/ everyone dancing, side A ends and all stop.

It did its cassette flip/flop and everyone resumed dancing. It really was a great visual while also summing up the Friday night party scene of the 80s.

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OK, as a result of this thread, I am playing a tape on my B&O 9500. Sounds great to me. It is a Maxell XLII recorded from a computer using my Nakamichi RX-505. I like to leave the tape door open on the B&O so I can see the tape hubs turn. Used Dolby-B.
 
runnin' said:
And how many metal tapes are out there? Decks that can handle metal tapes? And how about the lousy signal to noise ratio? Going from track 2 to track 12? Tapes breaking or getting bound up in the deck? Let's face it, you've gotta have some other reason to want cassettes these days, and it ain't high fidelity.
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Why you hatin on Cassettes bro?
 
MannyE said:
Well, as much as we put the final nail in coffin of the cassette, I had NPR on this weekend (Friday maybe?) and guess what? A story about how cassettes are making a comeback. All the same language I was hearing about LP was in the package they aired.

Maybe they will come back!
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So far as sound quality goes, it's now a race to the bottom. What next? Wire recordings?
 
As much as I'd like to add a deck to my system, most likely I won't. Other than listening/taping where it is with my main setup, no other place to listen to it. So if I'm listening to something, I'll keep it vinyl.
 
just dave said:
Why you hatin on Cassettes bro?
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Yes, it seems that is what my intention was, but it actually isn't. I posted my thoughts as to why cassettes are being fondly recalled from the discard pile of history, and several defended the sound quality and specs of cassettes. I tried to point out the fallacy of such efforts and in so doing appeared to be a hater. But actually I'm a former tape guy, and they got me through the 80's just fine.

I couldn't go back though, cds and now music files coupled with modern audio gear sound more life like than anything from the 80's in my view. But carry on, I won't rain on your parade any more!
 
runnin' said:
Yes, it seems that is what my intention was, but it actually isn't. I posted my thoughts as to why cassettes are being fondly recalled from the discard pile of history, and several defended the sound quality and specs of cassettes. I tried to point out the fallacy of such efforts and in so doing appeared to be a hater. But actually I'm a former tape guy, and they got me through the 80's just fine.

I couldn't go back though, cds and now music files coupled with modern audio gear sound more life like than anything from the 80's in my view. But carry on, I won't rain on your parade any more!
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As the bard said,"Into each life a little rain must fall" er somethin like that.Hey I play cds 75% of the time albums 20 and tapes 5 give or take.
 
So for some bizarre reason , and this is not a joke, I have noticed a few mentions of 8 tracks lately. First I saw something about a band releasing a 8 track box set, which I assumed was a joke , then I've seen two other little blips about 8 tracks....... WTF

I am predicting it here first, 8 tracks may be the next revival. Honestly I cant believe I actually had to type that last sentence.

What is the world coming to?
 
I have three cassette decks hooked up throughout the house, two mid-fi Yamahas and one mid-fi Sony. You could make the argument that if CDs hadn't come along cassettes would still have a place in the hearts and minds of the average audio enthusiast. Back in the day I had a Yamaha K-960 with dbx record and playback built in. It far surpassed Dolby in quality / dynamic range. And one of my local thrifts sells 10 cassettes for a buck. I don't mind taking the time and digging through their inventory for something that I might not have on LP or CD.
 
Cassettes won't be making a return here. After kidding myself for years saying I'm going to play them and not doing it I sold my entire collection of several hundred cassettes this winter along with my remaining 3 decks. I don't miss them in the least and I do like the fact that I have one less source to hook up and no physical media to store anymore. Kudos to the folks that do keep the cassette forum alive though as I needed someone to unload mine on:)
 
portnoy said:
I have three cassette decks hooked up throughout the house, two mid-fi Yamahas and one mid-fi Sony. You could make the argument that if CDs hadn't come along cassettes would still have a place in the hearts and minds of the average audio enthusiast. Back in the day I had a Yamaha K-960 with dbx record and playback built in. It far surpassed Dolby in quality / dynamic range. And one of my local thrifts sells 10 cassettes for a buck. I don't mind taking the time and digging through their inventory for something that I might not have on LP or CD.
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dbx's broadband compander was also far more prone to artifacts than any flavor of Dolby NR.
 
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